Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > July > 22 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe Tuesday Countdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10: Mike Hampton will throw a bullpen session today. It will be immediately followed by the second part of our double feature, “Dawn of the Dead.”
9: Frank Wren has been taking some abuse for the Braves’ implosion this season. But the criticism is borderline baseless. John Smoltz had been a relative iron man the last three seasons since transitioning back to starter. Tom Glavine had never been on the disabled list in his career. There was no way to foresee Jeff Francoeur’s problems or Mark Teixeira’s relative pedestrian season or any of the other injuries that have wrecked this season. In short, everything that could’ve gone wrong did.
8: A leftover quote from Wren Monday on the difficulty of declaring the Braves sellers at the deadline: “It’s certainly one of the toughest decisions [of my tenure]. But it’s also one of those things that you’re going by feel. It’s not like, ‘OK, if we’re a certain number of games out on this date, we’re sellers.’ You’re kind of looking at the club and the way it’s playing, and you’re also thinking, ‘If this is all we’re doing this year, we have to make the ballclub better going forward.’ “
7: Infomercial: For those in the Notorious DOB club of baseball and music junkies, you’re missing something if you haven’t heard, The Baseball Project’s, “Volume One: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails.” It was partly written and sung by long-time friend Steve Wynn, who collaborated with Scott McCaughey (Minus 5, REM), Peter Buck (REM) and Linda Pitmon. The song about the late Harvey Haddix is so good that his former wife, Marcia, emailed Steve and hoped it would push baseball to further recognize his 12-plus inning perfect game (which ended in the 13th). For what it’s worth, I wrote something on Steve for “Access Atlanta.” The link.
6: I know, it’s not the NBA. But if I’m Josh Childress and I could make $20 million for three years to play basketball in Greece, I’m pretty sure I can get past the fact I’m not in the NBA.
5: It’s common to have rumors about unsigned players going elsewhere. Many are planted by agents. But in the cases of Childress and Josh Smith, are you getting the feeling that they really aren’t that anxious to come back here? And how long ago does that playoff series against the Celtics now seem?
4: The disgraced Marion Jones, who lied in a federal drug investigation and, more importantly, to sports writers, has asked the guy in the White House for a Presidential pardon. She wants her six-month jail term commuted. What a wonderful addition to Bush’s legacy that would be. Is she that deluded?
3: For all the dolts who bashed former Thrashers assistant coach Brad McCrimmon and blamed him even a little bit for the team’s faceplant last season, hear this: He just got hired by the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL’s best team, as an assistant to Mike Babcock. (Credit to pal Craig Custance of The Sporting News, formerly of the AJC, for getting the story before anybody in Detroit. Custance will be moving back to Michigan soon. I believe it was a package deal with McCrimmon and Marian Hossa.)
2: One more hockey note: The signing of Marty Reasoner officially gives the Thrashers 27 fourth-line centers, a franchise record.
1: Madonna. A-Rod. Report of a sex tape. Comment: I’m assuming he didn’t close the deal in October.
Comments
By Daniel
July 22, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this
Does anybody else think Jeff Schultz writes the dumbest articles?
Thanks Jeff, I know if my career fails I always could find a job with the AJC covering sports, it obviously takes no skill or talent to do your job.
By MikeJones
July 22, 2008 12:05 PM | Link to this
The truth hurts.. Dont be scared of it.
By Terrell Moore
July 22, 2008 12:09 PM | Link to this
How is this for Pure BS
the owner of the Houston Astros
Texan Drayton McLane Jr. who
has an MLB team with NO
African Americans on its roster
again this season and now
for two seasons of the last three
serves on MLB’s executive committee
Baseball’s elite governing body
what a Big Surprise
By Ted Striker
July 22, 2008 1:52 PM | Link to this
So — Hampton has progressed to the point where he might get in a little bullpen session, eh? What led up to that progress? Playing catch successfully with Abe Vigoda?
There’s no way Frank Wren is responsible for the Braves woes. Sometimes the wheels just fall off. Yeah, yeah, normally it’s only one or two at most — not all four — but still. When a team is looking for their first winning road trip this late in the season, you can’t pin the blame on any one individual. Especially a front office guy who never swung a bat all season.
About Childress/Smith and the Hawks: The entire free agent signing market is far more quiet than I would’ve anticipated 3 weeks into the signing period. The longer a significant number of free agents go unsigned, the greater the degree of unpredictability. Case in point — who really saw the Childress/Olympiakos scenario coming? Remember when Cecil Fielder went from $125,000 in MLB to go to Japan for more than $1 million?
Wonder when Marion Jones actually made her request to the White House. Doubtful they’d get around to even looking at it before she’s eligible for release. Our President is more focused on getting the backlog of waterboarding cleared out at Gitmo before he’ll start sorting through pardons/commutation requests. Unless of course there’s a big check to the RNC stapled to the front. Hmmmm, wonder if there’s enough money stashed away from Bankruptcy preceedings for a certain former QB to make a commutation request too.
Jeff, that first A-Rod/Madonna tape is so yesterday, man. You really need to see the new DVD release: the ‘A-Rod/Madonna/Paris Hilton/Rick Salomon/Pam Anderson/Tommy Lee’ Vegas Vacation (Directors Cut Edition)
By gspot
July 22, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
Terrell; I know, man…just another example of the ‘man’ holding a brotha down. You would probably be up there playing now if it wasn’t for whitey?
By Milton Jeff
July 22, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this
To sum it up: It’s depressing to be a Sports Fan in GA right now. A-rod needs a bat to the head. Hawks & Thrashers will once again be sub-par bc/ of Atlanta Spirits’ lack of knowledge.
By Realist
July 22, 2008 6:28 PM | Link to this
I remember when losing a playoff series to the Celtics was cause for MAJOR depression in this town, not something to celebrate and hang your hat on.
By willdave
July 22, 2008 7:54 PM | Link to this
Jeff Schultz, although Smoltz and Glavine have been reasonably dependable athletes in the past, they are now over 40 years old. Frank Wren should have anticipated that their dependability might go at any time.
Regarding Marion Jones, I am as outraged as you are that she would ask the president for a pardon. She is nothing but a cheater and a liar. Her case involves no extenuating circumstances that would warrant a commutation. I hope the president’s staff don’t even bother to waste his time with that mess.
By DawgBoy
July 22, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this
Terell Moore is a white guy trying to stir up racial negativity!!! We are tired of these IDIOTS writing negative posts as “blacks” so they can reply and spew their racist views….bloggers beware!!!
By Keeping It Real
July 22, 2008 11:20 PM | Link to this
Dearest Terrell Moore,
BASEBALL is a sport that requires thinking and patience.
Perhaps THAT is why Drayton McLane, JR does not currently have any negroes on his team?
Stick to the NBA, Sir.
By For the Record
July 23, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
The Houston Astros have Michael Bourn and Wesley Wright on their Roster. In fact, they traded away Brad Lidge to get Bourn because they project him to be their CF for years to come.
By TheAntiMe
July 24, 2008 3:37 AM | Link to this
“How is this for Pure BS the owner of the Houston Astros Texan Drayton McLane Jr. who has an MLB team with NO African Americans on its roster again this season and now for two seasons of the last three serves on MLB’s executive committee Baseball’s elite governing body what a Big Surprise” - Terrell Moore
You know, Terrell, you can do something about this situation. All you have to do is get yourself a Playstation 3. Then get the game MLB 08: The Show. Then you can use the player creation facility to make yourself 25 of the finest players any color that floats your boat - starting at snow white all the way to coffee black and all shades in between. Then all you have to do is import these newly created players into the Houston Astros roster in place of the current default Astros roster. Problem solved.
By Peyton Walters
July 24, 2008 7:49 AM | Link to this
At what point does the AJC do something about the Falcons blog? I wrote to Julia Wallace a year ago about the infrequent updates. She said it would be discussed. There seemed to be an improvement. However, unlike EVERY OTHER BLOG on the ajc, commenting is open for a couple of hours and then closed. OR like the most recent one, it never opens at all. Pathetic. This has to be Wyche, right? When will someone at the AJC demand better performance from this guy? I would have posted this on the Falcons blog, but, of course I CAN’T.
By Off topic
July 24, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
I apologize for my earlier post. I assumed the limited commenting on the Falcons blog was due to the author. It is not. Lea Donsky, interactivity manager, explained that the automatic posting was turned off because of the nastiness of the comments during the Vick troubles. I am sorry Steve. And, thanks to the AJC, Ms. Donsky in particular for being so responsive. Your reasoning for changing the commenting feature for that blog is certainly understandable.
Sincerely, Peyton Walters
By Lyle
July 27, 2008 2:59 AM | Link to this
Test
By Brendan
July 27, 2008 2:27 PM | Link to this
Jeff, I hope the site is still accepting comments on this topic. I feel like McCrimmon will be happier in Detroit than in Atlanta. So, I wish him well. Scott Mellanby, told us on Hockey Night in Canada’s “Hot Stove” segment that Hossa wouldn’t re-sign in Atlanta and that the Thrashers would probably not take care of McCrimmon, as Head Coach. He’s batting 1.000.
Atlanta’s defense, since 1999, is hardly something to write home about. So, McCrimmon did well to move out of the Atlanta and into Hockeytown. Hopefuly John Anderson, Todd Nelson, and Randy Cunneyworth will come up with a defensive system other than “whack-a-mole.” (TM, Poster Sara, all rights reserved, used with permission.)
Jeff, I thought you were more than fair with Michael Gearon, Jr., in the “Hawks have a plan” article. Gearon is right about a few things. Childress isn’t worth $10 million. And to overpay for players is a bad business practice. What I cannot agree Gearon is this: That “all is well. There’s no negativity. And that more and more, players will opt for Greece.” Denial’s not just a river in Egypt. Players don’t buy into the vision. They see unstable, non-committed ownership, and all things being equal, they’re rather play ELSEWHERE until these problems are corrected.
Mr. Gearon, stop and think about this a moment. Imagine if you’d just bought out Belkin properly. Wouldn’t a LOT of the problems and issues players have with you … be OVER by now???
Answer: Yes, they would. Buy him out. Seriously. Overpay him. Do it. Yes, bad business practice and all. Buy him out. You won’t retain key players, like Joe Johnson and Ilya Kovalchuk, until you do. And there it is, with no sugar coating. Don’t get mad at Jeff Schultz for pointing the obvious. Billy Knight and Don Waddell happened on YOUR WATCH. You may inherited them, but you didn’t correct the situation. And your failure to do so … cost you Marian Hossa, Braydon Coburn, Frank Kaberle, Marc Savard … Josh Childress … and will continue on and on. Until such a time as realize that who GM is … matters. Who owns the team … matters. And how the ownership conducts itself … matters.