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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2009 > February > 06 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMcDowell creating own name with Braves
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They refuse to call it Camp Roger. You know, as in the spinoff to the famous Camp Leo. Instead, Braves officials refer to the week-long session that just ended on Friday at Turner Field as this: “The Atlanta Braves early pitching program.”
That’s all.
So if you didn’t know better, you’d think Roger McDowell is trying to spend his fourth season as Braves pitching coach separating himself from his legendary predecessor.
You should know better. McDowell couldn’t care less.
Despite operating with a lesser resume and fewer Hall of Famers than his legendary predecessor, McDowell hasn’t complained nor flinched since entering the considerable shadow of Leo Mazzone.
“Obviously, I have all the respect in the world for Leo,” said McDowell, a pitching coach for two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Class AAA team before joining the Braves. “When we played the Braves during spring training, I always made it a point to go over and say, ‘Hi,’ to both Bobby (Braves manager Bobby Cox) and Leo and the rest of the staff.”
OK. But what about this confusion over Camp Roger, the Camp Formerly Known As Leo or whatever? It must be needless confusion. After all, McDowell shrugged, saying, “It’s neither here nor there. It is what it is. Guys come in and throw, and whatever everybody wants to call it, they can call it whatever they want. It’s just good that we have it, and we have it available for guys who want to come in.”
This also is good: The Braves have McDowell, the impressive reliever for 12 major league seasons through 1996 before he started to prepare for a career as a pitching coach. Now he is reshaping the staff of the Braves’ post-Cy Young-heavy era, and he is doing so with much help from his mellow personality.
Said veteran third baseman Chipper Jones, glancing around the home clubhouse at Turner Field this week toward the lockers of pitchers, “We’ve got a lot of young guys in here, and there’s some need for some constant baby sitting. Some of these guys will be taking their diapers off pretty soon as Dick Vermeil would say, and we’ll see how they blossom.”
Thus the presence of McDowell, who prefers softer tones than his louder but legendary predecessor.
“Yeah, Leo got a little frustrated,” said Jones, referring to Mazzone, who recently confessed to making a mistake by shoving away 26 years in the Braves organization four seasons ago to join his best friend and big bucks with the Baltimore Orioles. Added Jones, “You know, to Leo’s defense, it’s hard not to get a little spoiled when you’re running out Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery, Neagle.”
Instead, McDowell has good pitchers instead of great ones. They’ll range from the durable Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez to the promising Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson to the iffy Tom Glavine.
That’s better than last year, when the Braves’ ERA went from one of the National League’s best through the early season to one of its worst at the end after injuries and age took its toll.
Anyway, if this pitching coach thing does the unlikely someday for McDowell and doesn’t work out, it’s like this: He appeared in an episode of Seinfeld. “It was a spoof off the movie ‘JFK’ about the second shooter,” said McDowell, smiling. “I was the second shooter, and I still get a check every time the episode runs.”
Thirteen dollars and 50 cents.
Guess McDowell is hoping this pitching coach thing keeps working out.
Permalink | Comments (32) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves/MLB
Comments
By Dean
February 6, 2009 2:46 PM | Link to this
Ummm…can someone explain what the point of the article was? The writer spent time with McDowell and Jones and we learned what? Oh, yeah, that there’s no name for the throwing program, that McDowell is laid back and that he gets a royalty check for an episode of Seinfeld.
I suggest either reporting something worthwhile and interesting as opposed to more fluffy filler. Character sketches are certainly not good reporting.
By bhvdwiyhgvigyrh
February 6, 2009 3:00 PM | Link to this
get leo back
By leland
February 6, 2009 3:19 PM | Link to this
Dear Mr. TM—when McDowell said “It is what it is,” he didn’t really mean it literally on account of its a tautology, and baseball players never utter tautologies. What he meant was that the essence of his pitching school, its nature, did not depend on what you called it. There’s nothing new in that claim. Bob Dylan said it years ago i.e., “A rose by any other name…”
Also, it’s good to see what’s-his-name, the third baseman, in such good form. The boy’s really funny when he gets motivated. Your pal, Leland
By aaa
February 6, 2009 3:25 PM | Link to this
ninth!!
By Alan
February 6, 2009 4:09 PM | Link to this
You know, Dean (or, rather, you don’t know), Terence Moore is not a reporter. He’s a columnist. I don’t always like what he writes, either, or how he writes it for that matter. But this time he did a good job, I believe. It’s well-written and it has a point (it’s in the headline, which Mr. Moore probably did not write, by the way).
By Zach
February 6, 2009 4:12 PM | Link to this
How many times was “legendary predecessor” used here?
By Horner's Corner
February 6, 2009 5:00 PM | Link to this
Was that Bob Dylan or William Shakespeare?? An added bonus to your sufficiently adequate comment would have been the elimination of tautology references.
By The Grinch
February 6, 2009 5:20 PM | Link to this
I disagree that this article isn’t informative; I for one just learned that McDowell was capable of forming speech. Not to say I thought he was stupid, mind you; just that I assumed he either was a jerk or had a real bad stutter since he patently refused to speak to anyone previously who wasn’t standing on the mound during a game. Interesting to learn that he’s mellow; that’s a start.
Leland, can you believe Shakespeare had the nerve to rip off Bob Dylan like that for “Romeo and Juliet?” You’d think Mr. Zimmerman would have his copyright lawyers all over that line.
By The Grinch
February 6, 2009 6:05 PM | Link to this
Wow, my comment got blocked? I didn’t even say anything offensive. Nice job.
By LivininAL
February 6, 2009 6:49 PM | Link to this
Ok this is the 3rd year of the invitational Braves Pitching Camp …Nuff of Leo references and his Cy Young stable, Leo does enough of that on his own show ..Lets get on with todays Braves!..Oh was Chipper there to work on his curveball or slider?. Go Braves!
By Todd Super Long
February 6, 2009 7:12 PM | Link to this
I hope that Mcdowell can do really well so he can leave with more money, then maybe Mazzone can come back. Mcdowell seems like a nice guy, but I can’t handle the high number of injuries to the staff. I can’t blame all of them on the coach, but it seems like more than a random sequence.
By ChrisDavis
February 6, 2009 7:36 PM | Link to this
Terence the racist has written yet another column that my 8 year old son could have written.
By Terence Nomoore
February 6, 2009 7:46 PM | Link to this
In One Word…. L-A-M-E !!!
By Bill in VA
February 6, 2009 8:31 PM | Link to this
Hey leland, take it easy. The only bad thing about the above piece by TM is the comment by you! Give it a rest, get the feel that spring is almost here, the pitchers & catchers are packing up. Enjoy it and don’t try to make a federal case out of every piece written by every scribe who is trying to set the mood for ST. TM, keep up the good work building the mood!
By TheAntiMe
February 6, 2009 9:28 PM | Link to this
“Some of these guys will be taking their diapers off pretty soon as Dick Vermeil would say, and we’ll see how they blossom.” - Chipper Jones
Geez Louise, Chipper. Thanks loads for that wonderful mental picture. Hopefully, Hoss just inadvertently mixed his metaphors because that sounds like something a guy could get in trouble for, pitching coach or otherwise. Unless, of course, the Braves new sponsor, this season, is “Depends”.
By bravesfanbob
February 7, 2009 12:21 AM | Link to this
Well, he went through a whole article without using Cy in front of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. But it would have been hard to do since he used them in a quote. I’m sure he asked Chipper, “Don’t you mean Cy Maddux, Cy Glavine, and Cy Smoltz?” Other than that, I felt reading this was like watching the Pro Bowl… A waste of my time.
By Higgins
February 7, 2009 1:02 AM | Link to this
BRAVES + Roger McDowell = No Division Title or Wild Card
BRAVES *- * Roger McDowell = No Worse, At Worst
Let’s Please Get a REAL Pitching Coach Back Here.
By deja vu
February 7, 2009 5:47 AM | Link to this
Just like Axl Rose struggling with existentialism when he uttered the famous line…”to be, or not to be…” Sheer genius!
By fansince66
February 7, 2009 6:51 AM | Link to this
What’s a tautology? Is it anything like a metaphor?I’m confused!
By Runnin
February 7, 2009 9:16 AM | Link to this
The Braves and McDowell are both wise opting to not call it ‘Camp Roger’. The early throwing program is what it is, as the man said. There’s nothing wrong with this article. It also is what it is - Roger McDowell quietly, and without superficial fanfare, making a name for himself.
By meansonny
February 7, 2009 10:30 AM | Link to this
I agree with Bill in VA. Nothing wrong with the piece. It’s nice to see a little color commentary on baseball this time of year.
I believe it was Larry Wayne Jones who said, “Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.”
Buy or Sell: I’m “buying”. Put any piece about the Braves from February till April in front of me, and I’ll take a gander.
By william cranman
February 7, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this
Good read. No reference to either Cy Smoltz, Cy Glavine, Cy Maddux or “choppers and chanters”. That could be a first. Good article Mr. Moore.
By Biff Pocoroba
February 7, 2009 1:42 PM | Link to this
A big difference between Leo’s boys and Roger’s boys is that Roger’s boys seem to spend a lot more time on IR. Don’t know to what that can be contributed, but it makes for some interesting food for thought.
By Jeff Bumgarner
February 7, 2009 3:31 PM | Link to this
By Zach February 6, 2009 4:12 PM | Link to this How many times was “legendary predecessor” used here?
THREE.
By Ed Glennon
February 7, 2009 4:27 PM | Link to this
It is funny that we have two good pitching coaches in Atlanta and no hitting coach. Chipper’s father would be a better hitting coach. I love Leo. He deserves the credit he got and I wish he was still rocking on the bench.
By 7
February 7, 2009 5:52 PM | Link to this
What name is that Mr. TM? Braves have not won since Mazzone’s departed. McDowell has proved nothing so far. Bring Mazzone back!
Thanks Mr Wren for not looking backward but looking forward by not signing Glavine and Andruw Jones.
By DMBJAMS
February 7, 2009 10:36 PM | Link to this
TM = Worst writer on the web.
By Sam
February 8, 2009 2:54 AM | Link to this
Please stop repeating the line “legendary predecessor.” That got very irritating during the read.
That was almost as bad as the repeated line “Cy-Maddux, Cy-Smoltz, and Cy-Glavine.”
By Runnin
February 8, 2009 5:12 AM | Link to this
The Braves and McDowell were both wise opting to not call the early throwing program ‘Camp Roger’. As the man himself said, it is what is. Just like this article, btw. It’s about Roger McDowell, who with a quiet dignity and lack of superficial fanfare, making a name for himself in the Braves organization. What’s wrong with that?
By MARK
February 8, 2009 6:46 AM | Link to this
Well we never had the amount of arm problems we have now Leo must have had some magic…
By MARK
February 8, 2009 7:00 AM | Link to this
I think you guys who have no comments should keep it that way I cant stand to read youroppinions..what does this deal have to do with race…or what your child can read or write..find something else to do that ruin it for rest of us who enjoy the blog..please…
By mike mangan
February 8, 2009 3:48 PM | Link to this
To be very poetic one should read Rudyard Kiplings poem If yes its called If and it would apply quite well to Roger Mcdowell.Sure he was great being the class clown and giving a hot foot to his fellow players but getting back to pitching If,Peter Moylan