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Thursday, May 29, 2008
Roof is open, and so’s this blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Beauty of baseball? There’s always another day, another game, and this time it came in half a day, or feels like it from the heavy eyelids I’m looking out from behind. But I’m breathing some fresh air here, with the roof open at Miller Park for a game set to start shortly.
This will be the first game the Brewers have played at home all year with the roof open, maybe it’s just what the Braves need to blow the lid off this road ridiculousness. Oh my, that was corny. Sorry. Must need some coffee.
Better now. Just got back from the clubhouse, where Will Ohman modeled several new looks for the skipper. First it was road grays with the all-blue cap. Then it was the blue jersey with the traditional red and blue cap. Ultimately, the guys chose to go with grays with blue cap, which got a cheer and a “yeah, fill it up” from Francoeur and a “I like it” from Glavine.
So see, they’re trying. Gotta mix it up.
Speaking of mixing it up, Bobby Cox has Greg Norton in the lineup in left field, batting fifth, trying to get something going.
“He’s known as a hitter, so we’re trying to get a little more lumber in the lineup,” Cox said. “Infante last night made two great catches. Hate to take out the defense. But we feel comfortable with it, gives us another pretty heavy bat.”
Infante has his right hamstring wrapped up with an ice pack last night but said he was OK, and Bobby said Infante told him the same thing.
OH WAIT: I interrupt this blog for an update on Matt Diaz (which you might also see in a burst): An MRI confirmed Thursday that Braves outfielder Matt Diaz has a partial tear in the posterior cruciate ligament of his left knee and he is out four to six weeks.
Surgery is not required. Doctors think it’s a matter of rest and rehabilitation. They fitted Diaz for a brace.
Diaz injured his knee Tuesday night, crashing into an outfield wall knee-first trying to catch a Prince Fielder foul ball. Diaz returned to Atlanta Wednesday, when he was placed on the disabled list, and had the MRI on Thursday.
Diaz had been struggling at the plate lately, but broke an 0-for-12 stretch Tuesday with a single. He had been counted on as a platoon player in left field. The Braves played Omar Infante in left field Wednesday and Greg Norton is in the lineup today.
Mark Kotsay is still out with back stiffness, so the other half of the platoon in left field - Gregor Blanco - has been playing center.
Anyway, where was I? Norton broke in as a left fielder in 2001, playing at Coors Field in Colorado, so this is not nearly that big an adventure for him.
Last year he played some right field for the Rays, and here’s his version of how it went. “I told (third base coach) Tom Foley, I said ‘I wasn’t too bad out there, Foley.’ He’s like ‘Yeah that’s because you hit .296 with 17 (homers) but if you’re not hitting, you’re not a good outfielder.’ So that put it in perspective for me.”
Norton who is 0-for-14 coming into the game since going 3-for-4, got some tapes sent from Seattle for Terry Pendleton to look at and get more familiar with his swing. Norton was looking more comfortable last night when he lined out hard to end the game.
This will be Norton’s second start in left field for the Braves, after Monday’s game against Arizona. In seriousness, this is what the natural infielder said about playing there:
“I wish I was better out there,” Norton said. “I wish I had the skills as far as running that I used to have, the arm strength, so it’s something for me personally, I have to try to get some work in bp, work on my angles. Because I can’t really afford to take a misstep and have the makeup speed as some other guys. It’s a challenge. I like challenges. On the other side, it’s not like it’s foreign. It’s not like I haven’t been out there.”
TALK ABOUT ROAD WOES: Norton also had some pretty great stuff this morning, talking about the road woes he’s been a part of. Makes this 6-18 thing for the Braves seem sort of normal I suppose.
First there were the three seasons he played in Colorado, where everybody knows they played better at home than on the road. But he trumped that when telling us about playing on a Tampa team two years ago that won only three of its final 36 road games after July 1.
“In Colorado, it got to the point where it was something players really didn’t think about, but they had sports psychologists coming in and having meetings about why we played better at home than on the road,” Norton said. “As a player, when we go out there, we’re not thinking about playing better at home than on the road, but the more people kept bringing up, then it’s going to start seeping in a little bit and you’ll start questioning why.”
“In Tampa in 2006, I think we set the all-time worst record in the road in baseball history. That was rough. So yeah, I’d say more than anybody in here, I’ve been through this quite a bit.”
He said this feels different.
“This is a better team. In Colorado we had some good players but you’re fourth or five in the division. Tampa in the AL East, we lost 101, then last year 90 some odd losses, so I think it’s a different team. I don’t think anybody is really worried about it. We’re figuring it’s going to turn around. It can’t go like this for the entire season. Keep going out and playing hard and let the chips fall where they may.”
THANK YOU, CHIPPER: Look, you gotta love Chipper for his honesty, and the fact that he’s willing to say what’s on his mind, and surely a lot of other people’s too, regardless of how it might sound. I asked him this morning about the first All-Star voting totals that came out yesterday. Chipper is leading David Wright at third base 420,664 to 321,091.
And after giving me the politically correct answer, as we talked about it a little more and he said:
“Well, honestly it’s a shame that I’ve got to go out and hit .400 for two months to make an All-Star team,” Jones said. “It’s kind of depressing to me because I’ve had, to me, what I think are some pretty good first halves, what I think is a pretty good career, and I haven’t made an All-Star team since ‘01. And I gotta hit .400 for the first two months of the season to do it. But I’ll take it. Gotta make a splash to get people’s attention? Gotta make a splash.”
He’s trying to get voted in for the third time in his career, but Wright has been hogging the votes in recent years.
Oh, and here was the politically correct answer he gave first: “It’s flattering that a lot of people in Atlanta are taking it upon themselves to vote. I heard a radio station promoting people to get on-line and vote, which is good and flattering. It would be cool to go to this one, last one at old Yankee Stadium. I’m sure they’re going to put on a good show. We’ll see. Still got a long way to go.”
INSTANT REPLAY? Some folks were asking Bobby Cox yesterday what he thought about the possibility of using instant replay in baseball. Thought you’d be curious to hear what he had to say:
“Maybe to make the call on home runs, but not the other stuff. On bases and slides, you just can’t do it. It’s not fair to the umpires. No. 1, it takes time if you’re going to do bases and those types of plays, it would take all day to play…
“And how many can you do in one game, can you ask every play? Throw up a flag? Is that what you do? Baseball doesn’t need that.”
And he doesn’t even feel that strongly about having replay for just the homers, just maybe a way to improve the foul poles, so it’s easier for umpires to see contrasts and make the calls.
“The home run that’s not a home run that’s foul or fair, 99 out of 100 times they end up getting it right,” Cox said.
HOMER REDUX: I ended up asking Gregor Blanco about his first major league homer which he hit Tuesday and I liked what he had to say.
“I was kind of ready for it,” Blanco said. “I think I’m the kind of guy who can have a little power too, so some damage.”
Not that he’s going to break out and change his approach, but just the idea that he’s like “Yeah, I should do that.” He did get the ball, by the way. Had it back in his hotel room for safe keeping, not even in his locker.
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