AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 08
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Smoltz is leaving, and that matters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To condemn Frank Wren as someone who’s “singlehandedly dismantled the franchise in two years,” as one irate fan did on the last blog, is flat-out wrong. He’s only been on the job 15 months, not two years.
Ba-da-bum.
No, but seriously … folks, Wren has been getting bombarded with over-the-top criticism today for his performance since accepting the Brave reins from legendary GM John Schuerholz just after the 2007 season ended.
Then again, that’s what a seemingly obvious blunder like offering less than half of the guaranteed money that Boston offered to Braves icon John Smoltz will do for your approval rating.
Let’s not forget that Wren traded Edgar Renteria for Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez. Traded a rookie reliever whose name 98 percent of you can’t remember right now to Chicago for Will Ohman for Omar Infante.
This fall, he refused to throw in Tommy Hanson or Jason Heyward, the Braves’ best two prospects, with a boatload of other talent in a proposed deal for Jake Peavy, as San Diego wanted. Wise move, given how highly regarded both of those young guys are and how much they could reasonably be expected to do for the Braves in the next decade.
But then things starting going south in Wren’s and the Braves’ trade and free-agent pursuits. Way south. They were turned down by Mike Hampton. Fell short in a bid for Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa. Pulled out of their six-week negotiations for Peavy after those talks stalled when the Padres kept changing the playing field.
Then, the Braves were outbid by the Yankees for pitcher A.J. Burnett. Followed by the debacle with shortstop Rafael Furcal, after which Schuerholz called Furcal’s agent’s actions “despicable” and announced the Braves would not pursue any clients of that agency.
It’s been one ugly offseason, folks. Not the kind of winter long associated with the buttoned-down Braves, who once made their moves in stealth fashion and usually got their man in the end.
Three belt-tightened years without a postseason, including two third-place finishes and a fourth place in 2008, will tend to shrink the cache level of your franchise, particularly when one of the game’s winningest managers is at the end of his career and the players that guided the team to 14 consecutive division titles are almost all gone. Braves can’t woo free agents the way they used to.
All that said, the Wren criticism was largely unfair before this Smoltz matter. Not much more he could have done in a few of those previous cases.
But in this one, it’s a bit difficult to defend the Braves’ stance. Not that $2.5 mill guaranteed, with incentives that could’ve pushed it to $10 mill or slightly more (he’d have had to have a vintage Smoltz season to maximize that amount) weren’t a reasonable contract for a 41-year-old coming off shoulder surgery.
But Smoltz is not just a 41-year-old coming off shoulder surgery. He’s an exception, if ever there was one. These decisions have to be made with more than just baseball and bottom-line economics in mind, don’t they? Or maybe not? What do you think?
Me, it just seems like the Braves, after hearing what the Red Sox were offering, probably should have said, “Smoltzie, if we have to match it to keep you, we will.” But, hey, after being bitten by pitching injuries the past few years, the Braves seemed unwilling to go beyond what they deemed a reasonable amount to pay Smoltz.
Surely they must’ve known there would be outcry from a great many Braves fans. And there has been. Man, has there ever. Over 1,000 comments in 12 hours on the previous blog, despite it being filed after midnight. Which is why I’m doing a second one in a 14-hour span.
But in this Smoltz instance, I just think the Braves misread it a bit, or underestimated the level of adoration for Smoltz in this town. He’s the one exception. The $5.5 mill guaranteed is excessive for a 42-year-old coming off shoulder surgery, but the fact that Boston was willing to pay it says all you need to know about Smoltz’s reputation, his track record, what he brings to a team in all respects, etc.
It’s a tough sell to tell many Braves fans that he wasn’t worth at least as much to the only team he’s been on. Even Shaun and J.C. have to understand that this is an extremely exceptional case. A lot of people here can’t understand how spending the extra $3 mill on Smoltz wouldn’t have been worth it.
That’s understandable.
Was it a good baseball move, strictly speaking. Yes, if Smoltz was just another 41-year-old (42 in May) coming off shoulder surgery, and not a true franchise icon in every sense of the word. But he’s not just another 41-year-old coming off shoulder surgery.
He’s John Smoltz. The $3 mill difference could have been covered and consider like a gold watch - albeit an expensive one - for a loyal and overachieving employee at the end of his career. Instead, that $3 mill difference in guaranteed money is viewed by many as a very bad reason not to have kept Smoltz.
He pitched in over 700 games for the Braves, winning 210 and saving 154.
And that didn’t even include the postseason, where he holds the records for wins (15) and strikeouts (194 in 207 innings), even though the Braves haven’t been to the postseason in three years.
This is the last uniformed Brave, other than Bobby Cox, to have been a part of the entire 14-year division-title streak. To have been there for the worst-to-first season and every season since.
He and Chipper Jones, and Cox, have been the faces of the Braves. Now that Mount Rushmore of Bravesdom is losing its bearded face, and how much longer will Chipper and Bobby be around? (Judging from Chipper’s comments today, perhaps not as long as we thought).
Like I asked after midnight, what do you think, Braves fans? Blunder or good business decision? Do you think they should offer Chipper an extension now?
And what’s it going to take for the Braves to have an acceptable offseason in your view? Derek Lowe’s meeting with them today, and my guess is the Braves are making him a bigger offer than they might have 24 hours ago. Just a hunch.
This winter of Braves discontent can’t end soon enough.
“I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY” by Hank Williams
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill?
He sounds too blue to fly.
The midnight train is whining low:
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
I’ve never seen a night so long,
When time goes crawling by.
The moon just went behind a cloud,
To hide its face and cry.
Did you ever see a Robin weep,
When leaves begin to die?
That means he’s lost his will to live.
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
The silence of a falling star,
Lights up a purple sky.
And as I wonder where you are,
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
Permalink | Comments (970) | Post your comment |
Jolting news about Smoltz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Editor note: Because of technical problems when commenting on an entry is very high, this is a repeat of David’s last post. So pick up the commenting thread here:
I would not want to be a certain Braves official in the next couple of days, explaining why John Smoltz is not going to be back with the only major league team he’s ever pitched for.
The guess here is that no reason given is going to help the Braves avoid the ire of a large portion of Braves fans who wanted to see John Smoltz retire a Brave, even if it meant committing a guaranteed $5 million or so to the 41-year-old pitcher who’s coming back from shoulder surgery and might not be ready to pitch the first month or more of the season.
It’s John Smoltz, after all. John Freakin’ Smoltz. Four elbow surgeries hadn’t stopped him from forging ahead in his career with the Braves — always the Braves. June shoulder surgery didn’t stop him, when a lot of people thought it would.
But the lack of a contract offer from Atlanta that was anywhere near the value of the one the Red Sox have reportedly offered him — $5.5 million, plus another possible $5 mill in incentives — is going to do what the surgeon’s scalpel and free-agent offers from the likes of the Yankees in previous years could not.
End his career with Atlanta.
He’d pitched in over 700 games for them, winning 210 and saving 154.
And that didn’t include the postseason, where he still holds the career records for wins (15) and strikeouts (194 in 207 innings), even though the Braves haven’t been to the postseason in three years.
This is the last uniformed Brave, other than Bobby Cox, to have been a part of the entire 14-year division-title streak. To have been there for the worst-to-first season and every season since.
He and Chipper Jones, and Cox, have been the faces of the Braves. Now that Mount Rushmore of Bravesdom is losing its bearded face, barring some unforeseen change of heart at the last minute (and Smoltz isn’t the type to do to the Red Sox what Furcal and his agent did to the Braves two weeks ago, when they allegedly reneged on a contract agreement).
No, Smoltz is going. To Boston. To pitch for the Red Sox. Oy.
If the Braves weren’t regarded as much of a playoff contender next year, many fans at least looked forward to Smoltz coming back yet again, defying skeptics, continuing his march up the career pitching charts while providing some memorable afternoon and nights at Turner Field.
He’s 16th on the major league strikeout list, fifth among active pitchers. He ranks among the top three in almost every Atlanta Braves pitching category.
Well, he won’t be moving up those Atlanta charts any higher, apparently. But Smoltz will more than likely pitch for the Red Sox. He’s come this far in his recovery. Anyone who’s seen him defy the odds before, wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him pitching in the postseason for the Red Sox.
If Chief Knockahoma was still around, a tear might be running down his face about now, like the chief in those old “Don’t litter” public-service announcements.
What do you think, Braves fans? Does this surprise you? Do you understand why the Braves might not be willing to make as big a commitment to Smoltz? Should they have not worried about spending a few more mill than they were comfortable spending, when it came to keeping a career Brave of Smoltz’s stature?
Do you think they might want to sign up Chipper Jones to an extension now?
And finally, what’s it going to take now for the Braves to have an acceptable offseason in your view? Because right now, for the Braves this winter has truly become the winter of their discontent.
Whatever Derek Lowe wants, it might be time to sign the check.
“I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY” by Hank Williams
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill?
He sounds too blue to fly.
The midnight train is whining low:
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
I’ve never seen a night so long,
When time goes crawling by.
The moon just went behind a cloud,
To hide its face and cry.
Did you ever see a Robin weep,
When leaves begin to die?
That means he’s lost his will to live.
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
The silence of a falling star,
Lights up a purple sky.
And as I wonder where you are,
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
Permalink | Comments (118) | Post your comment |
Jolting news about Smoltz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Editors’ note: Because of technical problems when commenting on an entry is very high, we’ve repeated this entry. So you can pick up the commenting thread on the 1:31 p.m. entry:
I would not want to be a certain Braves official in the next couple of days, explaining why John Smoltz is not going to be back with the only major league team he’s ever pitched for.
The guess here is that no reason given is going to help the Braves avoid the ire of a large portion of Braves fans who wanted to see John Smoltz retire a Brave, even if it meant committing a guaranteed $5 million or so to the 41-year-old pitcher who’s coming back from shoulder surgery and might not be ready to pitch the first month or more of the season.
It’s John Smoltz, after all. John Freakin’ Smoltz. Four elbow surgeries hadn’t stopped him from forging ahead in his career with the Braves — always the Braves. June shoulder surgery didn’t stop him, when a lot of people thought it would.
But the lack of a contract offer from Atlanta that was anywhere near the value of the one the Red Sox have reportedly offered him — $5.5 million, plus another possible $5 mill in incentives — is going to do what the surgeon’s scalpel and free-agent offers from the likes of the Yankees in previous years could not.
End his career with Atlanta.
He’d pitched in over 700 games for them, winning 210 and saving 154.
And that didn’t include the postseason, where he still holds the career records for wins (15) and strikeouts (194 in 207 innings), even though the Braves haven’t been to the postseason in three years.
This is the last uniformed Brave, other than Bobby Cox, to have been a part of the entire 14-year division-title streak. To have been there for the worst-to-first season and every season since.
He and Chipper Jones, and Cox, have been the faces of the Braves. Now that Mount Rushmore of Bravesdom is losing its bearded face, barring some unforeseen change of heart at the last minute (and Smoltz isn’t the type to do to the Red Sox what Furcal and his agent did to the Braves two weeks ago, when they allegedly reneged on a contract agreement).
No, Smoltz is going. To Boston. To pitch for the Red Sox. Oy.
If the Braves weren’t regarded as much of a playoff contender next year, many fans at least looked forward to Smoltz coming back yet again, defying skeptics, continuing his march up the career pitching charts while providing some memorable afternoon and nights at Turner Field.
He’s 16th on the major league strikeout list, fifth among active pitchers. He ranks among the top three in almost every Atlanta Braves pitching category.
Well, he won’t be moving up those Atlanta charts any higher, apparently. But Smoltz will more than likely pitch for the Red Sox. He’s come this far in his recovery. Anyone who’s seen him defy the odds before, wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him pitching in the postseason for the Red Sox.
If Chief Knockahoma was still around, a tear might be running down his face about now, like the chief in those old “Don’t litter” public-service announcements.
What do you think, Braves fans? Does this surprise you? Do you understand why the Braves might not be willing to make as big a commitment to Smoltz? Should they have not worried about spending a few more mill than they were comfortable spending, when it came to keeping a career Brave of Smoltz’s stature?
Do you think they might want to sign up Chipper Jones to an extension now?
And finally, what’s it going to take now for the Braves to have an acceptable offseason in your view? Because right now, for the Braves this winter has truly become the winter of their discontent.
Whatever Derek Lowe wants, it might be time to sign the check.
“I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY” by Hank Williams
Hear that lonesome whippoorwill?
He sounds too blue to fly.
The midnight train is whining low:
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
I’ve never seen a night so long,
When time goes crawling by.
The moon just went behind a cloud,
To hide its face and cry.
Did you ever see a Robin weep,
When leaves begin to die?
That means he’s lost his will to live.
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
The silence of a falling star,
Lights up a purple sky.
And as I wonder where you are,
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
I’m so lonesome I could cry.
