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Home > ajcsportstalk > Archives > 2007 > April
April 2007
Whither the bullpen?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How concerned are you regarding the news that an upper back injury is forcing Braves closer Bob Wickman onto the disabled list?
Manager Bobby Cox on Monday said that Wickman had lost control over his pitches because he couldn’t fully extend his throwing arm. Is that a good enough explanation for you as to why Wickman’s failed to seal the deal in recent games?
And how confident are you with the rest of the Braves’ bullpen given this development. Can Gonzalez and Soriano hold the fort in Wickman’s absence?
Finally, what moves - if any - should the Braves make now?
Permalink | Comments (75) | Categories: Braves
Braves, Smoltz agree on extension
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves and veteran pitcher John Smoltz agreed Thursday to a contract extension. The deal assures he’ll be a Brave for two more seasons, with options for 2009 and 2010.
What do you think of the news?
How much longer do you think he can pitch effectively? As long as four more seasons?
Are his deal, and the deal catcher Brian McCann received, signs that the Braves are still able and willing to spend money to keep their best players?
What should they do next? Lock up right fielder Jeff Francoeur?
What do you think will happen with center fielder Andruw Jones, who will be a free agent after this season?
Will they work out a deal with him or will he leave? Can the Braves afford him?
Permalink | Comments (117) | Categories: Braves
“One and done” right choice for Young?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Tech freshman forward Thaddeus Young announced his intentions on Tuesday to enter his name into this summer’s NBA draft.
What do you think of Young’s decision? Is his body prepared for the rigors of an NBA schedule? Are his playing skills developed enough?
In addition, do you think this signals the possible intentions of his fellow freshman, Javaris Crittenton?
Permalink | Comments (23) | Categories: Georgia Tech
Ticket financing a good deal?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What do you think about the Braves’ new 90-day interest-free financing deal for season tickets? (Click here for details.)
Will it entice you to buy season tickets, or is it not enough?
Permalink | Comments (39) | Categories: Braves
What did the weekend prove?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves took two of three games from the Mets over the weekend and have played well against New York this season.
What does the early-season success prove and how do you think the season will play out in the NL East?
Have the Braves shown the Mets that they have a battle on their hands or do you think New York is still the best team and the Braves’ flaws will be exposed over a long season?
What will be the key, or the problem, for both teams the rest of the season?
Who will win the East?
Permalink | Comments (91) | Categories: Braves
Is marijuana use that serious?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Citing unnamed source, Pro Football Weekly is reporting that former Georgia Tech wideout Calvin Johnson is one of three highly touted players who admitted to using marijuana while being interviewed by league scouts at the NFL combine.
Johnson, so far, has not commented publicly on the report to confirm or deny it.
He is projected to be among the first few players selected in next week’s draft, but the report raises concerns that his draft position could be jeopardized.
Do you think an admission of marijuana use is serious enough for a player’s draft stock to drop? Or is an admission sufficient reason to believe that a player is still a person of good character?
Permalink | Comments (245) | Categories: Georgia Tech
Should ‘texting’ recruits be outlawed?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The NCAA is considering a ruling that would make the text-messaging of high school athletes by college recruiters a punishable offense?
Do you agree that sending text messages to recruits is something that should be banned?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: High Schools
Falcons 2007 schedule
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Wednesday, the National Football League released its league-wide schedule, which for the Falcons features at least three nationally televised contests in prime time.
The Thanksgiving night home game against the Super Bowl champion Colts had been announced previously, but now the Falcons have learned that they’d be facing their former teammate Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 30.
Eli Manning and the New York Giants also return to Atlanta for a second consecutive season, with other non-divisional home opponent in San Francisco. Reggie Bush and the NFC runner-up New Orleans Saints wrap up the home portion of the regular season on Dec. 10.
The Falcons have two road games to start and finish the regular season. In addition to NFC South foes, they play at Minnesota, Jacksonville, St. Louis and Arizona.
What do you think of this schedule? Can the Falcons successfully navigate it to reach the playoffs? What are the toughest and easiest stretches? What are the games they must win if they want to play in the postseason?
Permalink | Comments (95) | Categories: Falcons
Braves play home opener
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Braves play their home opener tonight at Turner Field in what could be freezing temperatures before the night is through.
The Mets are furnishing the opposition, and the highlight will be Saturday afternoon’s pitching matchup between John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.
Are you planning to attend any of the games this weekend? Are you waiting to see how good the Braves might be, even after they swept the Phillies to open the season. Or are you a fair weather fan — in every sense of the word?
Has the Braves’ play thus far warmed you up to the possibility of them returning to the playoffs? Or is it too soon to tell?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Braves
Gillispie named Kentucky coach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kentucky has a new basketball coach: Billy Gillispie was introduced Friday after taking Texas A & M to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1980.
He succeeds Tubby Smith, who left for Minnesota after coming under pressure from Wildcats fans for not winning enough. UK was rebuffed in its bid to pry Florida coach Billy Donovan away from the Gators, but it settled on Gillispie, who has a reputation as a young, energetic, talented but restless coach. He was at Texas A & M for only three years, and had a short spell at Texas-El Paso before that.
Will UK get back to where it’s accustomed under Gillispie? Is Kentucky still a destination college basketball coaching job? It wasn’t for Smith, who won a national title in his first season in Lexington. Do you think Gillispie is up to the task?
How does Gillispie’s hiring affect the SEC and Georgia in particular? Does this make the Bulldogs’ long rebuilding project even longer?
How will Robinson be remembered?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What will the late, great Grambling State University football coach Eddie Robinson be remembered for most?
As one of the winningest coaches ever?
As an educator?
As a molder of men?
As an athletic administration pioneer?
Or all of the above.
Robinson was 88 when he passed away late Tuesday night; he’d suffered from poor health for years after retiring in 1997 with 408 victories over 57 seasons at Grambling. During his tenure, more than 200 former Grambling players went on to the NFL.
In your opinion, what’s Robinson’s true legacy?
Permalink | Comments (15) | Categories: College sports
On the Beat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sportswriters from the other 4 cities with NL East teams offered their thoughts on this year’s division race. What’s your take on their views of this year’s NL East showdown? Post comments below.
JUAN C. RODRIGUEZ, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The three contenders — New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta — all have question marks in key places. The Braves made some great offseason moves in the bullpen, but I liked their chances considerably better before Mike Hampton’s oblique injury. Plus, I’m not convinced Chipper Jones will be in the lineup enough to give the Braves the production they need out of that spot. The Mets have one of the better everyday lineups in baseball and their bullpen is deep, but they still need more than five innings a night from their starters. If the Phillies can make a back-end bullpen upgrade at some point during the season, I’ll give them a slight edge.
The Nationals look like they might be on the verge of a disastrous season. The Marlins were among baseball’s biggest surprises in 2006, but they’re already down a key starting pitcher in Josh Johnson, and I can’t imagine all their returning second-year players improving.
ADAM RUBIN, New York Daily News
The Braves had been labeled the favorites to win the NL East since their move to the division. Now the Mets deserve that team-to-beat label, no matter how much shortstop Jimmy Rollins has chirped about the Phillies’ winter improvements.
The Mets have a dominant lineup and the division’s best bullpen. Still, it’s doubtful they will hold a double-digit lead in the standings during the second half this season. They should score enough runs to mask any trouble, but the rotation is a major question mark.
Who’ll give the Mets the biggest run for their money? The Phillies would appear that team. They certainly have a lineup to rival the Mets and a deep rotation. No one underestimates Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz, either, with Atlanta’s vastly improved bullpen a major asset.
TODD ZOLECKI, Philadelphia Inquirer
Jimmy Rollins proclaimed in February that the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East, which certainly raised eyebrows in New York and Atlanta. The Phillies have a talented offense and deep starting rotation, but their bullpen has been unimpressive at best. That could be a major problem.
The NL East looks like a potential three-team race with the Mets, Braves and Phillies. The best pitching should win. If the Phillies can add a piece to their bullpen, they have the edge.
BARRY SVRLUGA, Washington Post
Being from Washington, let’s start from the bottom. The most certain aspect of a wide-open division is that the Nationals will finish in last place. (Disheveled rotation, $33 million payroll, first-year manager, injured first baseman.) And I’ll take the Florida Marlins as fourth, given Josh Johnson’s problems and, well, the talent in the rest of the division.
How about the Braves for third? Bullpen better, worried about right side of infield, wear and tear on Chipper and Andruw. Still, they could beat out the Mets for one reason and one reason only: an old, tired rotation, unless Mike Pelfrey can save it. That leaves us with: Philadelphia. Rotation is deep enough, and I would argue that Chase Utley-Ryan Howard have replaced Carlos Beltran-Carlos Delgado, Chipper-Andruw or Miguel Cabrera-Anybody as the most feared back-to-back hitters in the division.
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