AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > December > 10
Monday, December 10, 2007
Back from Nashville, carry on
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I feel kinda bad about not getting a new blog up before the other one collapsed sometime today beneath the weight of more than 1,000 posts, but hey, it took me a few days to find my way out of the labyrinthian Opryland Hotel and recover my rental car in the vastness of its parking lots. No?
Either that, or it’s been 70 degrees in Atlanta since I returned, and riding a motorcycle seemed like a more enjoyable option than writing more about the same stuff I wrote about all week in Nashville.
But now we’re refreshed, denizens. Ready to roll.
So let’s rekindle those “four-prospects-for-Lincecum” or “Chuck-for-Baldelli” rumors, shall we?
OK, kidding about that.
But seriously, Braves still have some moves to make, albeit relatively minor ones, before pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 14.
By the way, first P&C workout is 15th, position players report on Feb. 19, first-full squad workout is Feb. 20, and Braves warm up with a Feb. 27 game against the ‘Dawgs at Dark Star before traveling to Vero Beach to play the Dodgers Feb. 28 in our last trip to glorious Dodgertown before that team moves west to one of the new cookie-cutter spring training complexes.
Oh, and before we forget, this could be a potentially explosive week in baseball — this week I’m talking about now, not spring training; stay with me as we jump around — if the much-discussed Mitchell Report comes out and more prominent players are connected to steroids or other performance-enhancement drugs.
You hear so many conflicting reports about the potential magnitude of this thing — that it’s gonna be huge’ that it’ll be anticlimactic; that it’ll contain dozens of big names; that it won’t have anything we haven’t already heard, etc, etc. Until we see it, we’re not going to be able to say with any degree of certainty how important this thing is going to be.
And also, what ramifactions will it even have? Will baseball be able to do anything to punish past users, other than harm their reputations by naming them? That’s uncertain, too. Stay tuned, is all I can suggest.
Oh, one other thing before I forget: A sense of calmness has come over me lately, and now I think I know why. It’s not because I’ve completed my Chrismas shopping, and the Braves have already taken care of most of their offseason business — trading for a lefty and a utility man, jacking up their steeper-priced tickets, etc. — but also because ESPN’s Stuart Scott has been absent from my TV viewing.
Yes, it was like shoulder pain you had for so long didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until it’s gone a while. ESPN’s subtle star has been sidelined after an appendectomy. Now, I want to be clear that I would never wish ill health upon anyone. Seriously, not cool.
Or should I say, “I ain’t gonna say nothing, but that ain’t right.”
Still, it’s been a nice break. Maybe I’ll better appreciate Scott’s unique talent now, afer a respite from him being cool as the other side of the pillow.
OK, back to the blog and a few topics worth, uh-um, stewing over:
Quiet winter meetings: Legendary ‘ball writer and cigar aficionado Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News had some great lines about why so little got done in the way of trades and such at the Winter Meetings last week:
“The 3,000-room Opryland Hotel & Resort has its own area code and should have its own zip code. The hotel property is entirely under glass, but a homeless person could wander its winding sidewalks for months without being discovered and evicted.
“A writer covering this year’s baseball winter meetings bought a pedometer and in one day walked 15-1/2 miles without leaving the hotel, more than 27,000 steps.
“Is it any wonder not many trades were consummated? Some team executives seldom saw other teams’ executives for most of the four days.”
Six-year free agents: The Braves will announce this week their six-year minor league free agent signings, and GM Frank Wren said there will be a couple names on there with legit chances to make the team, though he wouldn’t divulge their names.
One of them isn’t Joe Borchard. Wait, I should clarify: He is one of the six-year guys, but suffice to say he’s not one of those with any real shot a making the team this spring.
Yes, Borchard had 10 homers in 239 at-bats with Seattle and Florida in 2006, so he does have some pop. But he also has a .205 career average in 716 at-bats in the majors. For the Marlins last season, he hit .196 with four homers and 60 strikeouts in 179 at-bats.
I only mention him because his was the one name that got out last week among the signings.
Keep in mind, last winter the Braves’ six-year free agents included Willie Harris and Buddy Carlyle. So some of these guys can obviously have an impact during the course of a season, for one reason or another.
Ten mill doesn’t go as far these days: You want to know what a relative bargain the Braves could have at closer with arbi-eligible Rafael Soriano making between $2-3 mill next season? Then consider the contract that Milwaukee just gave Eric Gagne: One year, $10 million, plus incentives worth up to another $1 mill.
Folks, Gagne missed most of the 2005-06 seasons for elbow surgery, then posted a 3.56 ERA and 16-for-20 saves converted in 54 appearances last season with Texas and Boston. He pitched well for the Rangers, (2.21 ERA, 16-for-17 saves), but was an utter disaster with the Red Sox, with a 6.37 ERA and 0-for-3 saves 20 appearances.
Meanwhile, right-hander LaTroy Hawkins just got a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Yankees, joining the growing ranks of middle relievers/setup men/lefty specialists making at least $3 mill in 2008. Ron Mahay will probably be added to that group soon.
The Braves are fortunate to have a bunch of less experienced, less expensive (in other words, non-free agent) relievers including Soriano, Peter Moylan, Tyler Yates, Mike Gonzalez (when he returns this summer) and recent lefty addition Will Ohman, along with youngsters such as Manny Acosta and Joey Devine. Otherwise, it’d be extremely difficult to build a competitive bullpen without spending more than they will on relievers in 2008.
And yes, their bullpen should be among the best five ‘pens in the National League. Few other NL teams can boast comparable bullpen depth.
But whether they admit it or not, there will also be some question, some nervousness, until Soriano gets through the first couple of months healthy and without going through another brutal stretch giving up homers like he endured last summer. He’s The Man now, and that brings a whole different level of pressure.
He’s undoubtedly got the stuff to be a fine closer. And I think he’s got the mentality. But we’ll find out, won’t we?
As for starting pitching, those who really believe the Braves overpaid for Tom Glavine (one year, $8 mill) should take a look at the marketplace. Or consider the three-year, $30 mill extension Aaron Cook just got from Colorado.
Cook was 8-7 with a 4.05 ERA in 25 starts (166 innings) last season, after going 9-15 with a 4.23 ERA in 2006.
Edgar in Detroit: We’re still trying to comprehend the firepower that Detroit manager Jim Leyland has at his disposal. I mean, the bottom of the Tigers’ batting order is expected to have Edgar Renteria at No. 7 and Pudge Rodriguez in the eighth or ninth hole.
The middle will feature Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez, in some order. Consider merely the OBP numbers by those sluggers: Sheffield .397 lifetime, Cabrera .430 in 2006 and .401 in 2007, and Ordonez .434 (yes, .434) in 2007.
By the way, do Braves folks realize that in addition to hitting .332 with a .390 OBP, 12 homers and 57 RBIs in 124 games last season, that Edgar struck out only 77 times in 494 at-bats, Chipper Jones 75 times in 513 at-bats, and Brian McCann 74 times in 504 at-bats (after whiffing only 54 times in 2006)?
I point this out because the Braves had the fifth-most strikeouts in the NL, despite having three regulars who struck out rather infrequently.
Of course, Andruw Jones alone struck out 138 times, Jeff Francoeur 129, and Kelly Johnson 117 times.
Speaking of Andruw: He ain’t in Atlanta anymore, as he’ll discover quickly if he reads the L.A. Times.
Here’s part of what the always-acerbic (and often hilarious) T.J. Simers wrote in the Times:
“… At first glance it would look like a no-brainer, adding a player such as Andruw Jones to make up for last season’s Juan Pierre blunder. Not our money, of course, although the Parking Lot Attendant [blogmeister note: that’s how Simers refers to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt] did raise parking prices after signing Pierre.
“The Dodgers just made Jones the fifth highest-paid player in baseball. Not our money, but it will be interesting to see how much Dodger dogs cost next season.
“The Dodgers are gambling Jones will return to form, but you would think they would get a bargain in signing him because of last year’s crummy play. But instead he’s going to get a raise.
“Jones knew he was going into the final year of his contract last season, which is usually a sure bet a player is going to really put out to better his negotiating position. Shea Hillenbrand finished last season with a higher batting average than Jones, who hit .222.
“And yet both the Dodgers and Plaschke made the point that Jones will be motivated to play harder for the Dodgers because he signed a two-year deal and will want another big contract.
“If you have watched Jones play, there’s nothing that seems to motivate him….”
Ouch.
Ignominious day in baseball history: First, I’d like to say, I’m not sure I spelled ignominious correctly. I turned off the spell-check on my computer years ago, because it makes more things wrong than right. But anyway….
OK, on this day (Dec. 10) in baseball history:
1973 — The American League vote unanimously to adopt the designated hitter rule on a trial basis for three years.
1998 — The Devil Rays signs the 34-year-old free agent Jose Canseco to a one-year deal to play left fielder and as a designated hitter.
And how could we have missed this one from yesterday (Dec. 9):
2000 — The Rockies announce the signing of free-agent pitcher Mike Hampton to a eight-year, $123.8 million contract. He’ll compile a 21-28 in two seasons with Colorado before being traded to the Braves in a three-team deal with Florida.
And finally, a song: Someone was thoughtful enough to e-mail me with a suggestion made by a guy who writes another blog, who opined that I should use only relevant portions of a song, pertaining to points I’m making, rather than the entire lyrics. Apparently he doesn’t like being forced to scroll through lyrics he doesn’t like.
So after much consideration, I’m using the entire lyrics to a rather long, and entirely great, Dylan tune.
I’ve been playing the I’m Not There soundtrack to death, and Cat Power’s cover of this classic is one of the best songs on the two-CD set.
“STUCK INSIDE OF MOBILE WITH THE MEMPHIS BLUES AGAIN” by Bob Dylan
Oh, the ragman draws circles
Up and down the block.
I’d ask him what the matter was
But I know that he don’t talk.
And the ladies treat me kindly
And furnish me with tape,
But deep inside my heart
I know I can’t escape.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Well, Shakespeare, he’s in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she’s talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Mona tried to tell me
To stay away from the train line.
She said that all the railroad men
Just drink up your blood like wine.
An’ I said, “Oh, I didn’t know that,
But then again, there’s only one I’ve met
An’ he just smoked my eyelids
An’ punched my cigarette.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Grandpa died last week
And now he’s buried in the rocks,
But everybody still talks about
How badly they were shocked.
But me, I expected it to happen,
I knew he’d lost control
When he built a fire on Main Street
And shot it full of holes.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev’ryone his gun,
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son.
An’ me, I nearly got busted
An’ wouldn’t it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the preacher looked so baffled
When I asked him why he dressed
With twenty pounds of headlines
Stapled to his chest.
But he cursed me when I proved it to him,
Then I whispered, “Not even you can hide.
You see, you’re just like me,
I hope you’re satisfied.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, “Jump right in.”
The one was Texas medicine,
The other was just railroad gin.
An’ like a fool I mixed them
An’ it strangled up my mind,
An’ now people just get uglier
An’ I have no sense of time.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
When Ruthie says come see her
In her honky-tonk lagoon,
Where I can watch her waltz for free
‘Neath her Panamanian moon.
An’ I say, “Aw come on now,
You must know about my debutante.”
An’ she says, “Your debutante just knows what you need
But I know what you want.”
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Now the bricks lay on Grand Street
Where the neon madmen climb.
They all fall there so perfectly,
It all seems so well timed.
An’ here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
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