AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2008 > July > 31
Thursday, July 31, 2008
This Braves deadline day ain’t the same
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sitting here at the ballpark, waiting to see if the Braves will pull off a a flurry of late-hour trades before the deadline as they did a year ago, but not really expecting them to do anything major.
Certainly not anything to compare with a year ago, when the Braves still had postseason aspirations and then-GM John Schuerholz finalized three deals on deadline day that shipped out a total of seven prospects to fill two needs.
If they trade Will Ohman, as expected, the lefty’s legacy is established - on the back of my car. I asked him for a Big Lebowski bumper sticker that was in his locker yesterday, and he gave it to me on the condition I put it on my car.
The “Phone’s ringin Dude” bumper sticker was applied today, now covering up faded Bloodshot Records sticker that was in that space.
For those who might have forgotten, the Braves a year ago sent five prospects (including Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus and Matt Harrison) to Texas for first baseman Mark Teixeira and left-handed reliever Ron Mahay.
While Salty, The King (Elvis) and Harrison had been rated the Braves’ top three prospects entering last season, and thus got more attention in that deal, it was actually one of the “other” two prospects they sent to Texas, right-hander Neftali Feliz, whom the Braves regarded as the best of the bunch.
Feliz has been sensational this season in A-ball and Double-A, going 8-3 with a 2.46 ERA and 127 strikeouts and only 35 walks in 102-1/3 innings. That’s one that could haunt the Braves — for a long time.
Elvis is hitting .291 as a 19-year-old shortstop in Double-A, though he has only 11 doubles and two homers in 344 at-bats after totaling 22 doubles and five homers in 495 at-bats last season.
He’s going to be what we thought: Tremendous fielder, no power. But if he hits for that high an average at that young an age in Double-A, well, no doubt he could fit in just fine for a team that doesn’t need any power from shortstop.
I’ve never been sold on Matt Harrison since seeing him in spring training with the Braves. This season in Double-A and Triple-A, he’s 6-3 with a mid-3.00 ERA in 15 minor league starts, and in his first four major league starts he’s 2-1 with a 7.32 ERA. Probably be a back-end rotation starter in the majors, but we’ll see.
Salty? Not sold on him being anything more than a decent major league catcher or a poor-fielding first baseman.
Like I said, Feliz is the one that’s going to bite the Braves, in my opinion. He’s got the makings of an absolute ace. You don’t like losing those kind of guys, ever.
But the Braves have another couple of them down on the farm, Tommy Hanson and Julio Teheran. Something tells me that Frank Wren won’t be trading either of them away anytime soon.
Oh, by the way, the other deals last deadline day: Braves traded Kyle Davies to Kansas City for closer Octavio Dotel, and traded two lefties, Wil Ledezma and former UGA standout Will Startup, to San Diego for lefty Royce Ring.
OK, let’s see if they do anything in the next 90 minutes today.
Speaking of future stars…. In Baseball America’s midseason prospect report (just arrived in my mailbox; I’m sure it’s been online a few days but I was busy), outfielder Jason Heyward and the aforementioned pitcher Tommy Hanson were both on their overall minor league All-Star team.
There are only 14 on the team, so not bad for the Braves, getting two selections. Heyward’s the youngest member of that BA All-Star team, and he’s hitting .323 with nine homers, 45 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a .386 OBP in 93 games for Class A Rome.
Hanson, 21, went 3-1 with an 0.90 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 40 innings in seven starts at high-A Myrtle Beach, and he’s 5-3 with a 4.08 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 64 innings since being promoted to AA Mississippi. He also threw a no-hitter this year.
Oh, one more thing: need to find a song to dedicate to Manny Ramirez, who is establishing a whole new level on the pantheon of jagoff athletes with his recent behavior.
I’ll keep looking while I post this, and you folks can offer suggestions if you’d like.
Six hours later…. We have a winner in the Manny Ramirez tribute song. I can’t believe none of denizens suggested this. I like it best, along with Beck’s “Loser” and Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” and a few others that were suggested.
Here’s to Manny:
“MR. BAD EXAMPLE” by Warren Zevon
I started as an altar boy, working at the church
Learning all my holy moves, doing some research
Which led me to a cash box, labeled “Children’s Fund”
I’d leave the change, and tuck the bills inside my cummerbund
I got a part-time job at my father’s carpet store
Laying tackless stripping, and (OK, PROBABLY BEST FOR ME TO TAKE THE REST OF THIS LINE OUT, SORRY ABOUT THAT)
I loaded up their furniture, and took it to Spokane
And auctioned off every last naugahyde divan
I’m very well aquainted with the seven deadly sins
I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in
I’m proud to be a glutton, and I don’t have time for sloth
I’m greedy, and I’m angry, and I don’t care who I cross
I’m Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don’t care who gets hurt
I’m Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I’ll live to be a hundred, and go down in infamy
Of course I went to law school and took a law degree
And counseled all my clients to plead insanity
Then worked in hair replacement, swindling the bald
Where very few are chosen, and fewer still are called
Then on to Monte Carlo to play chemin de fer
I threw away the fortune I made transplanting hair
I put my last few francs down on a prostitute
Who took me up to her room to (OK, GOTTA CENSOR THIS TOO)
Whereupon I stole her passport and her wig
And headed for the airport and the midnight flight, you dig?
And fourteen hours later I was down in Adelaide
Looking through the want ads sipping Fosters in the shade
I opened up an agency somewhere down the line
To hire aboriginals to work the opal mines
But I attached their wages and took a whopping cut
And whisked away their workman’s comp and pauperized the lot
I’m Mr. Bad Example, intruder in the dirt
I like to have a good time, and I don’t care who gets hurt
I’m Mr. Bad Example, take a look at me
I’ll live to be a hundred and go down in infamy
I bought a first class ticket on Malaysian Air
And landed in Sri Lanka none the worse for wear
I’m thinking of retiring from all my dirty deals
I’ll see you in the next life, wake me up for meals
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