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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Rookies rock, but time for veterans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
A few days before spring training, which is generally not the time to draw conclusions, John Smoltz wrapped up the Braves’ past and future in a nice little package. It wasn’t difficult.
“Early on, we didn’t have the greatest players in the world, we didn’t have the stats — but we had clutch,” said Smoltz, the team’s surviving link to the 1991 season. “We need that again, that New England-type clutchness. We need that big hit, that big play. That’s the only thing that has separated us from having more world championships.”
It’s September now, and we still don’t know what to think. The Braves have two weeks left in the regular season. Barring a sinkhole or a collapse of White Sox proportion, they will have a 14th straight post season.
Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Philadelphia made the inevitable that much closer. Their National League East lead over the Phillies and their magic number for clinching the division are now one and the same: six.
Their hope is that it also alters this six-week trend of win one, lose one, win two, blow two. The Braves were 61-44 at the end of July. Even with Tuesday’s win, they are only 25-21 since. As foreshadowing goes, 25-21 doesn’t scream championship.
“We need a sense of urgency,” Smoltz said. “If we’re talking about a scale of 1 to 10, maybe we’re at a 7. Philadelphia and Florida are at a 10. I know some people think: win here and there and we’ll be all right. But I don’t buy into that.”
So this is about the time we ask: OK, who steps up?
The answer shouldn’t be: “Don’t worry, the rookies have been great.” Because the problem is that while the kids have been terrific, they don’t come with October résumés. They barely come with a razor.
They might treat October like July. Or they might morph into wildebeests, suddenly looking catatonic with headlights approaching.
This is when the Braves’ few remaining holdovers from years past need to assume control.
“They’re doing a remarkable job learning on the job, this season,” Smoltz said. “But we can’t just assume that’s going to continue. We can’t assume that because they’ve played well and gained experience this season that all of a sudden they’re going to fuse into veterans.”
The Braves opened a series against the second-place Phillies. Andruw Jones knocked in Atlanta’s first run in the first inning with a fielder’s choice. Chipper Jones, a late lineup scratch, came off the bench as a pinch hitter to make it 2-0 in the sixth. With the bases loaded, he got down 0-2 to reliever Rheal Cormier, and then worked the pitcher to a walk, forcing home a run.
Rafael Furcal made it 3-0 in the seventh with an RBI single.
Three veterans, three RBIs. If you’re the Braves, you hope that’s a sign.
This has been a wonderfully strange season for the Braves. Three of their pre-season moves — Dan Kolb, Raul Mondesi, Brian Jordan, — have bombed. Several regulars were injured, early and often. Then Greenville and Richmond came to the rescue.
Eleven of 17 rookies made their Major League debut. Jeff Francoeur went from senior prom to deity in roughly seven minutes. Just prior to game time, he was jumped from sixth to third in the batting order when manager Bobby Cox realized Chipper Jones, whose wife had gone into labor, was not going to make it to the stadium in time. That’s when you realize Francoeur has gone from lineup bonus to necessity. But even he has cooled off considerably down the stretch.
“It’ll come down to all of the veteran guys, not that we have a lot of them,” Andruw Jones said. “The rookies have been great. But I know there’s a lot more pressure now and we need to step up.”
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The Tuesday Countdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
10: Didn’t blog last Tuesday. There’s no excuse. Just send me $5.95 for postage and handling, and I’ll get you your refund check.
9: I think I represent the vast majority of non-hardcore NASCAR fans when I say the two biggest things that would attract me to the sport are: 1) crashes; 2) drivers saying nasty things about each other and, in some cases, throwing their helmets at each other.
8: Given the above, NASCAR is blowing it by trying to snuff out all of this fun stuff and fining and admonishing drivers.
7: Word is that Bill Romanowski is coming out with a book in which he may admit use of performance enhancing drugs. You know, this could be part of a “Things I Did” series. Romanowski can be followed by Mark McGwire, who can be followed by Rafael Palmeiro, then Barry Bonds, then Sammy Sosa…
6: The Thrashers should push to get Ilya Kovalchuk signed to a one-year contract while they continue trying to negotiate a long-term deal. The clock is ticking down to the opener.
5: Flew on a Delta flight this morning. The plane had wings, a pilot and everything. But I was a little put off when the flight attendant offered complimentary drinks, peanuts and stock.
4: Michael Vick — hamstring. Reggie Ball — viral meningitis. Pardon D.J. Shockley if he’s tiptoeing around campus this week.
3: I know the Falcons and Tech say Vick and Ball have a shot at playing. But when I hear “hamstring,” I think, “Out at least a week, maybe two.” When I hear meningitis, I’m not even thinking about football.
2: Flipped channels last night. There were two shows devoted entirely to what people wore to the Emmy Awards. Great value system. And we wonder why SAT scores are low.
1 By the way, Eva Longoria looked hot in the tight little orange thingy.
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