AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > June > 02
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Escobar is here; Double-A manager is, uh, well, uhh…
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Braves hotshot prospect Yunel Escobar got to Wrigley Field at 10:30 this morning and will be the second batter up when this game starts at 12:05 p.m. (late update before posting this thing: he just singled after fouling off several pitches in an impressive first at-bat in the majors. Now back to the blog….)
This Escobar weekend would fall squarely under the category of Whirlwind, after he spent the night in Fort Wayne, Ind., because his flight from a minor league outpost was diverted from Chicago last night due to storms. (But I hear Fort Wayne is lovely this time of year….)
And it would also fall under the category of Dream of a Lifetime.
We throw the cliché around too often, but in this case, it couldn’t be more true. From Cuban defector escaping on a little boat a few years ago, to the starting third baseman for the Braves vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field in his major league debut.
“Yuney” is batting second today (Saturday), behind leadoff man Martin Prado and just ahead of Edgar Renteria, Andruw and Francoeur, then, Diaz, Salty, Thorman and Chuck James.
By the way, that’s Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Curacao, France (er, Lilburn, Ga.), Florida, Florida, Canada, Mableton (small town in Georgia, for you outside the Peach State).
(Further by the way, Kelly J’s got a ear/sinus/throat thing he’s been trying to shake for a few days, but saw a doctor today and is being rested at least one game and on meds. He took B.P. and was in good spirits when I mentioned the problem hasn’t stopped him from hitting lately _ 8-for-15 in his past three games.
“That’s because I can’t hear them heckling me anymore,” he said, “saying that I have a girl’s name.”)
I asked Escobar, through translator/bullpen coach Eddie Perez, if he’d had a chance to talk to his dad yet. He was able to get his dad, Mariano, and a 10-year-old sister, Yunay, out of Cuba and to Miami in January to live with him.
Escobar’s still trying to get his mother out of Cuba, which ain’t easy folks. This is serious, difficult stuff, the likes of which most of us can’t even begin to comprehend.
Anyway, when I asked him this morning if he’d had a chance to speak to his dad since the promotion to the bigs, Escobar said, “My dad was crying when he found out I was coming. He’s very happy.”
So is Yunel, who’s best position is shortstop, but who certainly will take any chance he gets to play at any position. He’s solid at third base and has a cannon arm, which was obvious the first time I saw him take infield in spring training two years ago.
“I’m ready for anything,” he said. “I was waiting for this moment a long time.”
If you’re not pulling for this kid, you might neet to check your pulse.
Mississippi meltdown: And to think, I left Wrigley Field believing I’d seen the greatest temporary loss-of-sanity meltdown of the day with Carlos Zambrano slugging his catcher.
Then they show the complete meltdown by Double-A Mississipi Braves manager Phillip Wellman, which was beyond comprehension. If you haven’t seen it, I’m sure someone will find a link to the video and post it here soon enough.
Let’s just say, the moment where he’s mimicking the hand-grenade toss with the rosin bag … well, I had to make sure I was actually awake and watching television, not envisioning this in some strange hallucinatory dream state.
Amazing. Rather frightening. But highly entertaining, without question.
Wellman’s in his first season as the Double-A manager. No further comment….
Couple of stats: Gonna keep this blog brief, just give you a clean slate to do your thing. But here’s a few stats before we get started with this game, some numbers to ponder.
— Braves are 14-3 vs. Cubs since the beginning of the 2005 season, including 6-1 in their past seven games at the venerable Wrigley Pub … er, Field.
— Braves have hit .347 and scored 29 runs their past five games, beginning with the series-finale loss vs. Philly. They’re 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA in that span….
— I mentioned last week how well Francoeur’s hitting on the road compared to home this year, total reversal of last season. Well, in 20 road games since April 23, he’s hit .398 with nine doubles, four homers, 17 RBIs and a .636 slugging percentage. In that same span at home, he’s hit .203 with three doubles, no homers, six RBIs and a .254 slugging percentage in 16 games.
— Bravos lead the NL in road average (.292), road homers (36), road scoring (156 runs) and road slugging (.472). Their best road averages belong to Willie Harris (.378), Renteria (.367), Frenchy (.347), idle Hoss (.345) and K.J. (.330).
— On the other hand, they have NL’s third-worst home hitting team, at least by average (.243). They’re slugging .394 at home, compared to .472 on the road.
“Don’t Forget The Coffee Billy Joe” by Tom T. Hall
It snowed the night before and it had frozen on the ground
We didn’t have a car and we lived seven miles from town
And I can hear my daddy’s voice so many years ago
Saying, “Don’t forget the coffee Billy Joe.”
”Mama needs her medicine, she’s got that real bad cough
We’ll get our check on Monday, tell ol’ Sam we’ll pay him off
You can catch a ride when you get to the black-top road
Don’t forget the coffee Billy Joe”
Me and Quentin went back on the hill and we cut some wood
Burnin’ in that ol’ warm mornin’ stove it sure smelled good
Daddy couldn’t get work then and I was just a child
And God was on vacation for awhile.
“Well, if you see Fred you tell him I’ll come help him kill them hogs
And ask him if he’d still be interested in my dogs
Don’t hang around that pool room all day, we might get more snow
And don’t forget the coffee Billy Joe”
Well, they wonder why there ain’t no rabbits left this day and time
To tell the truth I guess we ate ‘em all in ‘49
Was that yesterday or was it over 20 years ago
“Don’t forget the coffee Billy Joe”
“Mama needs her medicine, she’s got that real bad cough
We’ll get our check on Monday tell ol’ Sam we’ll pay him off
You can catch a ride when you get to the black-top road
Don’t forget the coffee Billy Joe
(Now pay attention, son) Don’t forget the coffee Billy Joe”
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