AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > June > 17
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Everyone’s humbled: Andruw, Thorman, me….
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A clean slate has been requested by several of you, so I’m going to pull myself away from this poorly developing (at least from the Braves’ perspective) contest and comply.
First let me relate a humbling experience for your trusty Braves/Man in Black correspondent this morning. (Not as humbling as that grounder that Scott Thorman just butchered in the sixth inning, but humbling nonetheless).
I’m leaving the hotel, waiting for a cab outside, and here comes Tim Hudson.
So we share a cab for the short ride to the ballpark. And after we get here and enter the stadium gate to the players’ entrance, past the dozens of autograph-seekers standing at the fence, Hudson leaves a quite-generous tip and we pile out of the cab.
And then the humbling experience begins.
First I hear them all screaming for Hudson to pleeeease sign (which he does). And I hear a few of them go, “Who’s the other guy?” (meaning me, of course) and answers along the lines of, “Nobody” (which is correct, in this context).
But that’s no big deal. You get used to that stuff. It’s understandable. I mean, Huddy’s got a shaved head, sunglasses and a black, pin-striped gangster suit on, and I’m wearing khakis and an untucked Lacoste. I don’t look like a player, unless maybe some undersized pitcher they just brought up from Richmond.
No, the bad part followed. While Huddy goes over to sign autographs for the folks at the fence, I start to walk into the players’ entrance. And the guard gets out his clipboard and asks, “OK, who we got?” Meaning, he just wanted me to give him my name so I could check it off the list of players and coaches with clearance to go through this particular entrance.
“That’s Tim Hudson,” I say. “I know who that is, what’s your name?” he says.
“Oh, I’m just a member of the media, we just shared a cab,” I say.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you in through this exit. I could lose my job,” he says.
“Sir, do you know I write the Braves/Man in Black blog? What in the hell is your name and badge number, you rental-cop putz?” I say.
OK, kidding. I did not say anything like that. That would be rude, obnoxious and uncalled for.
What I actually said was, “You’re not going to make me walk through that, are you?” and I pointed toward the throng around Hudson, blocking the entrance we had just driven through in the cab.
“Yeah, the media gate is around the …”
“I KNOW where it is,” I said, tersely. This, I actually did say.
And then I swallowed my pride, put my head down, and shuffled past Hudson and the autograph-seekers. Ashamed and angry.
Ah, the glamorous life we lead.
Chipper gets 2,000: His leadoff single in the second inning was the 2,000th of Chipper Jones’ career, extending his own Atlanta Braves record but leaving him 1,600 behind the mighty Aaron. This just in: Hank was real good for a real long time.
Chipper also doubled in the seventh and now needs two doubles to become the third switch-hitter to have at least 2,000 hits, 400 doubles and 350 homers, after Eddie Murray and Chili Davis.
He’s already the only switch-hitter with at least 300 homers and a .300 average (Chipper hit .305 with 369 homers and 1,224 RBIs in 1,807 games before today).
Smoltz assures shoulder will hold up: I told Smoltz that some of you folks are concerned about his shoulder, and asked him point-blank if this is something he’s confident he can pitch through and get through the entire season. He said it was, and that he just has to be smart with it.
He was in a much better mood the last couple days than in the week before. I’m thinking the shoulder improved enough to ease any concerns he had about it being a serious issue that would force him to the DL or threaten his season.
By the way, how ‘bout those drop-down sliders he was throwing yesterday, to ease the stress on his shoulder? He abandoned the split early in the game, took more time between pitches, threw more sidearm, and got out of the game after six innings even though he could’ve pushed it and gone another inning or two.
So he’s getting smarter in his 40s, apparently, and remains the most resourceful elite pitcher going. Him and Pedro Martinez are the only guys of their stature who I can recall changing and making adjustments literally within a game or game-to-game with their delivery and/or repertoire in order to allow them to keep pitching at a high level.
Remember Smoltz and the knuckleballs and sidearming for most of a season, just to get through before elbow surgery? Others would shut it down and have the surgery, aim for the following season.
I should add, I don’t think this is that type of injury at all. Not that severe, nothing that will require surgery, even with the ‘scope. Unless it gets worse, of course. But he seems, just talking to him, confident this is just soreness and nothing torn or otherwise debilitating. He’s 40, remember.
Most of you know, we don’t recover quite as quickly after our 40th birthday. Not even Smoltz.
Red Sox in town: Big series, marquee stars (Manny being Manny, Andruw being Andruw, Big Papi), Schilling going against Chuck Monday and a big Huddy vs. Beckett matchup on Tuesday.
But a “natural rivalry” as MLB hoped this would be? No. Not a rivalry. The fact that the Braves played in Boston several generations back doesn’t constitute a rivalry.
“Absolutely none whatsoever,” Chipper Jones said, when asked if he sensed a rivalry growing between the teams.
Speaking of Andruw: How low can it go? His average, we mean. Hard to believe that the 2005 MVP runner-up is close to the Mendoza Line in mid-June 2007, but he is. Andruw had a .211 average entering today’s game, the worst in the league among those with enough plate appearances to qualify.
He was a point lower than Pat Burrell, who will never be mistaken for an MVP candidate. Even Ol’ Rochy had his average up to .223 before today. LaRoche shows signs of being headed in the right direction, finally.
And Andruw? In his past 42 games before today, he hit .189 (29-for-160) with six homers, 23 RBIs, 14 walks, 43 strikeouts, a .250 OBP and a .338 slugging percentage.
And still he was hitting fifth today, and hit cleanup on Friday.
Bobby Cox has more than just patience in unlimited supply. He also has a bottomless vat of loyalty for guys who’ve been with him a long time. For better or worse.
OK, back to the game. Some music as we go out:
“The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home” by Greg Brown
Come along, my dear, the time is growin’ near,
We’ll have to walk down where the field is overgrown.
Consumption has claimed his life and we dare not miss the sight,
Of the train carrying Jimmie Rodgers home.
Well, we had some hard times these last few years,
Lost the farm, almost lost our spirits, too.
Yeah, but it’s the strangest thing; when we heard that man sing,
Oh, we knew somehow we’d make it through.
I can hear that whistle blow; that old train is rollin’ slow,
Sounds like it’s cryin’ for the singin’ brakeman, too.
Back to the sunny south he’ll go, and he’ll never roam no more,
Here’s the train, oh hold me close, oh sweetheart do.
Come here my little fella and let me hold you up.
I want you to remember this day when you’re grown.
How your mama and your dad were so proud and so sad,
Watchin’ the train carrying Jimmie Rodgers home.
There goes the train carrying Jimmie Rodgers home.
Oh-de-loh (yodel)
