ajcsportstalk

By FatAndruw

May 14, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this

First!!!

By PsychoBabble

May 14, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this

Andruw, you’ve contributed a lot to the Braves organization but damn dude, if you think you deserve $36 mil, then prove to your new team that you deserve it. Lose that weight, stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out there. Work you butt off. Take some pages from Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods and stop feeling sorry for yourself.

By Steve

May 14, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this

I was always a big Andruw Jones fan and still wish him the best even though he is no longer with the Braves. I think his struggles now are more mental then anything else. He’s 31 and should be in the prime of his life as an athlete. Look at what Chipper’s doing at his age. I don’t know maybe Andruw’s already peaked since he was so young when he became a star with the Braves. Maybe they lied about his age and he is really 38? All I know is Kotsay is doing a great job in centerfield right now and it looks like the Braves knew what they were doing!

By Ross

May 14, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this

It’s that infuriating smirk he gets after striking out on a pitch in the dirt with RISP in the late innings, that really p*sses me off. AJ’s a good dude but man I’m glad he plays for someone else.

-drl

By Jim H.

May 14, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

I always liked Andruw, but not re-signing him was definitely the correct decision. His offense had always been streaky, but in the past few years his once incredible defense has fallen to just being “very good”. I think his career is on the downhill slide. I think a lot of this is due to his less than stellar physical conditioning. No matter what he says, he is overweight….and a professional athlete whose job it is is to be in peak physical shape should not be overweight. This has probably contributed to him slowing down and lots of his recent aches and pains…..He is an “old” 31 year old athlete.

His reluctance to listen to his hittings coaches and his “Im a Pull Hitter Period” quote still irks me. During the periods when he wasn’t always trying to always pull the ball his hitting inevitably picked up — but soon he would always fall back into that “swing from the heals and try to pull everything” mode. I wish him well but I’m glad the Braves did not commit $36 million to him.

Also, his insulting those fans out there ain’t going to help his cause at all…hope it don’t get any uglier.

By The Loaf

May 14, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

I do wish Andruw well…but I feel we made the right move letting him walk and bringing in a guy like Kotsay.
Kimbro is hanging out with his girlfriend instead of playing golf!!

By please

May 14, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this

Andruw, I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!!

By Jeff321

May 14, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this

AJ needs some serious counseling. Maybe he can get some while riding the pine in LA! Because ya know his best buddy Cox wasn’t about to put him on the bench. With that said, I was an AJ fan for quite a few years. However, things change and no one likes a loser who has the audacity to smile after striking out. (Oh, and yes I’ve read about AJ saying thats just the way his face looks…but don’t buy it.)

By rturner

May 14, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

I’m an Andruw fan and it hurts to see him going through this. On the other hand, I’m glad to see him struggling somewhere else. Last year it was maddening to see him whiff with 2 outs and people on the bags. I think the move from Atlanta has been very hard on him, and if he was negotiating himself, he would have taken a much lower deal to stay. But I’m not sure the Braves really wanted him after all the inconsistencies. I know one thing, the Atlanta beat writers never insult a struggling player like that guy in LA is doing to Andruw. In Atlanta you people tell the truth, but you refrain from throwing in the “Tubbos” and other insults for the entertainment value. I’m fine with that.

By tyger

May 14, 2008 2:04 PM | Link to this

Andruw will be fine, he needs to lose the weight and re-focus on his career.

Unfortunately, he doesnt take a few years off with injuries, like Chipper, to regain his mojo, but he probably needs to sit or be sent down.

He’s been wonderful since being called up from the Macon Braves over 10 years ago.

Many 30 somethings lose a bit of that hunger once they “get there”, no different here.

He’s been living high on the hog the past few years and reality has hit home. Truth is, after 30, you need to work harder to produce, rather rely on natural skills to carry you.

By T

May 14, 2008 2:04 PM | Link to this

There are two parallel subjects in this discussion. 1. Andrew was not worth the money the Dodgers signed him for. The Braves knew it and made the right call. 2. Andrew is finding out the hard way that the Atlanta media is VERY soft. And it’s a whole new world out there when you play for an organization in another major market. If I were AJ, I would first close your mouth and ears, put your head down and go to work and loose weight. If that doesn’t help your average increase, than change your stance, swing or philosophy on hitting. That will either produce results or allow people in LA to see that you are trying. If neither of this is done by AJ… he is in for a very long two years in LA.

Good luck Andrew, but you need to change your approach.

By drixie

May 14, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this

I’m not happy for Andruw about what’s happening for him as a Dodger. I am happy for the Braves that he is no longer in our lineup. No doubt on defense Andruw was without peer, but also he was never the complete hitter his talents suggested he could be. It was always too easy to pitch around someone (mostly Chipper) to take your chances with Andruw’s “all or nothing” approach to hitting. While he was not solely to blame, Andruw’s hitting became exposed far too often in the playoffs where virtually every at bat is important. On another note, when is Scott Boras going to factor in quality of life for his clients? Andruw was in a very supportive environment in Atlanta and because Boras was out to get as fat a percentage for himself he helped Andruw into a situation where he either produced quickly or incurred the wrath of the fans; Andruw should feel lucky Boras didn’t land him in New York, Chicago or Boston.

By Jack G

May 14, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this

Andruw is fat and lazy. Success came early and easy and that contributed to what he is today. He acquired bad work and attitude problems and I think it is to late for him now.

By Greg

May 14, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this

Andruw was always lazy. It finally caught up with him. I feel bad for him. But he had to realize that at some point his lazy habits would make his skills deteriorate.

By P

May 14, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this

Andrew is a nice guy. I hope he can lose the weight and pickup the average. Hopefully eventually he’ll start hitting what they give him to hit. It’s not a crime to hit it to right field or walk when everything they throw you is outside off the plate.

By RyanUff

May 14, 2008 2:42 PM | Link to this

He’s off the juice….and now he’s getting fat. Nuff Said!

By RyanUff

May 14, 2008 2:42 PM | Link to this

He’s off the juice….and now he’s getting fat. Nuff Said!

By Scott

May 14, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this

Defensively, AJ has been the best for most of his career, although the nagging shoulder, elbow, knee and back injuries are having an impact. A couple years ago, my opinion was that AJ was one more dive at a linedrive away from a serious injury costing him games on the DL. With the extra weight he’s now carrying, his defense is just a little above average.

Offensively, the worst thing that every happened to AJ was hitting 51 homers 3 years ago. He became a believer that he was solely a power hitter, and viewed EVERY pitch (even the low outside sliders) as a ball to be hit over the left field wall. he changed his stance and swing to mirror Albert Puchols, and it just hasn’t worked.

He’s never been adept at reading pitches, and he appears completely fooled or late with each swing. In fact, every breaking ball causes his knees to buckle - he’s now clueless.

What a shame that at only 31 he may be done (it’s mostly mental with him now - tough to get back) and playing himself OUT of the HOF.

I agree with T in that the Atlanta media has treated him with soft gloves, and as the new guy in LA at the highest salary ever for a Dodger, his honeymoon is WAY over.

By Andy G

May 14, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this

Andruw Jones is a great player, but his biggest downfall is his ability to adjust to the way pitchers are pitching to him. Everyone pitches him low and outside because they know he is a pull hitter. It is almost impossible for anyone to pull a pitch that is low and outside. He needs to adjust his swing to drive the ball into right center when pitchers throw outside. His stubborness and inability to adjust has allowed him to struggle. Andrew PLEASE drive the ball to right center. Just watch David Ortiz. He struggled at first because he was trying to pull everything. Ortiz adjusted to the outside pitches and began to drive the ball to opposite field.

By Drew

May 14, 2008 2:50 PM | Link to this

At least the Dodgers made a smart choice on only signing this guy for 2 years. $36.2 mil in LA dollars is like $8 million ATL dollars. But Psychobabble could not have put it better:

Andruw, you were once the best at what you do. Quit making excuses. Lose the weight. Quit swinging at..no. Quit trying to pull everything. You are not worth $18 million a year, so quit pressing and play like you’re 18 again.

But seriously, you deserve all the crap you’re getting. Learn to deal with it. That’s what you get when you go chase money to a big, unforgiving city.

PS- never sign with: The White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets or Cubs if you can’t take the heat.

By Realist

May 14, 2008 2:52 PM | Link to this

Andruw hasn’t started the last two games. $18M for a fourth OF? Bwahahahahahahahaahahaha!!! Enjoy it, LA!

By Jack G

May 14, 2008 2:53 PM | Link to this

The coaches can tell AJ——but not much

By BADWEBSITE

May 14, 2008 3:08 PM | Link to this

Can we get some real writers writing this stuff please? O’Brien, Bradley, Schultz, Rodgers, Stinson, anyone …

“By AJC,” to me, means by some clueless desk jockey who’s never sat in a press box.

By Andruw Jaws

May 14, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this

I will eat the next person who writes something about my weight…ummmm, bloggers!

By mark

May 14, 2008 3:27 PM | Link to this

Is it possible he was on something for a couple of years?? His HR/RBI totals for the last 5 years were 36/116, 29/91, 51/128, 41/129, 26/94. Yeah he hit 36/116 5 years ago but he dropped fairly signifigantly the year after that and then BAM suddenly for 2 years he put up awesome power numbers and then a huge decline after that. Just saying, in this day and age you have to be suspicious of numbers that look like that.

By bobby

May 14, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this

Besides being too fat, I am inclined to believe that he is older than he claims. As far as being juiced, I don’t know. It seems as if being a user causes injuries, most of the braves team must have been taking something.

By Carpetbagger

May 14, 2008 3:34 PM | Link to this

The smile he has after he strikes-pops out is the same one that is on him when he cashes his paycheck! If I was a Dodger fan, I would call INS and deport his fat a## back to the Islands!

By Hal Todd

May 14, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this

I don’t suppose AJ is sad enough to tell the Dodgers that he will:1. Reduce his salary to a minor league number, 2.let them pick a team with the very best of their hitting coaches, 3.hire a full time physical conditioner to help him on a daily basis. His pride will probably prevent this and therefore he is through as a prime major leaguer.

By i'm fat

May 14, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this

A. Jones DOB is about three yrs in arrears. His body is like a man in his late 30’s as a ball ‘playah’ who spent too much time chasing ladies at the Gold Club insteading of working on his other stroke. There are always a couple MLB teams willing to overpay for talent. Thankfully the Braves are no longer partners to this fat heap of junk and are too smart to overpay veterans on the downward swing.

By 75transam

May 14, 2008 3:57 PM | Link to this

How Sad!!!

If Andruw would have stayed for a discount I would have been glad but after reading all the comments I remember his frustrating whiffs with a grimmace.

I remember that exagerated swing he has now that drops him to his knees as he swings.I was amazed he hasn’t thrown his back out then or now.

A couple of weeks ago he was claiming he spotted a flaw in his stance and was going to widen his stance to match a stance from a couple of years ago.

Now it’s just sad to see him struggle.I wish him well and hopes he breaks out soon— just after we’vr seen the last of the Dodgers!!!!

By Jeff Bradshaw

May 14, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this

May I pose 2 questions here: Is Andruw really only 31 (Tejada)? What does his signing to the Dodgers say about the credibility of Scott Boras and the Dodger scouts? Thank God The Braves weren’t so gullable.

By uncidon

May 14, 2008 4:04 PM | Link to this

too bad, too sad, & maybe too late

By Kashi

May 14, 2008 4:34 PM | Link to this

I have been always Andruw’s fan but no matter what the flunk is, he must lose 20 lbs immediately or this is going to be a very frustrating season for him. I agree professional athletic should not be over weight. How you play next year depend on how you conditioned your body over the winter and this goes to our clean put hitter Tex.

By BossLady

May 14, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this

I love and miss Andruw too, Please,

This is the same as anyone in our lives that has not done well. All we can do is pray for him and always wish him the best.

By lilman916

May 14, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this

AJ is a Dodger now…let them discuss his problems there!!!!

By Stinky McStink

May 14, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this

Is he still a member of the Braves? If not, who cares. Let the LA writers do this stuff. What’s next a story on Chris Woodward?

By PTC Dawg

May 14, 2008 4:45 PM | Link to this

He’s a Dodger now. Let them have at it. For what it’s worth, I don’t miss him laughing all the way back to the dugout after striking out.

By FAT BOY

May 14, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this

I know most of you love Andruw, but his discipline or lack thereof is whats led to him being washed up at 31. The Bravos freed up 17 to 18 million in salary money to potentialy trade for a pitcher later on and if you haven’t noticed Kotsay can shag it pretty good in center. In the over inflated days of big money baseball the Braves have pulled off a rarity. They got a more productive player for less money. WOW, some days you really do get the bear.

By Ed Glennon

May 14, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this

Andruw said he is happy to be a Dodger. He is not as happy as I am.

By NoSurprise

May 14, 2008 5:18 PM | Link to this

Great move by the Braves to get rid of this slacker and malingerer. Yes, He was a great fielder and occasionally got hot with the bat. However, hustle is not in his vocabulary and laughing after screw ups and miscues had me disliking the guy from the beginning.
I was glad to see him go. He is a terrible example for kids to emulate. It’s a shame the Dodgers got burned, but they should have known better.
He’ll go down as one who had great talent, but didn’t have the motivation to justify his pay. Totally unrealized potential and I seriously doubt he has the motivation to shed the weight and prove his worth. He’ll probably laugh it off though.

By LivininAL

May 14, 2008 5:33 PM | Link to this

If Andrew were a Brave he would still be playing everday and Bobby would be battng him cleanup or 5th just like he did for a year with no return. I do hope things improve for Andrew, he gave us some great plays over the years.

By Danny

May 14, 2008 5:58 PM | Link to this

I’m really sad that Andruw is doing badly. He’s probably my favorite player in baseball. He’s just not exhibiting the same passion he did when he was here. He never seems like he’s having fun anymore. It’s unfortunate. I wish him the best and hope he turns it around.

By Chris

May 14, 2008 6:09 PM | Link to this

only the idiots on the Dodgers did not see this coming. It was obvious last year Jones’ best seasons were behind him then they chose to give him a ridiculous contract.

By Faye

May 14, 2008 6:32 PM | Link to this

Hey Andruw, listen to your peers. Don’t give up, never give in … get out there and show them what you’ve got! We all have disappointments in our lives, but they come to make us stronger, we all live thru them. Go Andruw you can do it!!! P. S. We miss you!

By LA Times

May 14, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this

Struggling center fielder dismisses jeers from Dodger Stadium crowd, saying ‘you play for the team, you don’t play for the fans.’ interview by LA Times: T.J. Simers

May 11, 2008

Since offering to go on a diet with Andruw Jones and getting nowhere with him, I’ve lost 14 pounds, so I checked in with the Tubbo on Saturday night to see how he was doing on his own.

“Have you lost anything?”

“I don’t care,” he said.

I shook my head in disbelief, and he said, “I don’t care what you think.”

“Do you care what anyone thinks?”

“I don’t care,” Jones said.

Saturday night the fans in Dodger Stadium booed Jones’ name when the starting lineup was announced. “Don’t you care that the fans in Dodger Stadium have turned on you?”

“No,” he said. “That’s their problem.”

I suggested that it’s not human for someone not to be bothered by booing fans in their own stadium, and he stuck out his tongue and made some noise.

“How do I write that down?” I said.

All together now: “I don’t care,” he said.

Without the fans, I said, there’s no reason for you to be here in Los Angeles playing baseball and no way you’re getting paid $36 million over the next two years.

“I don’t care,” he said. “You play for the team, you don’t play for the fans. The fans never played the game. They don’t know.”

Both a Tubbo and clueless, which really isn’t a very good combination for the player with the highest annual salary in Dodgers history.

I tried to tell him he was taking the wrong approach with the fans here by saying really dumb things and reporting to work fat.

“Don’t you understand why people are upset with you? You sign a big contract and report to spring training out of shape… .”

“I disagree with you,” Jones said.

So I checked in with Joe Torre, and he said, “I think he could have been in better shape.”

I reminded Jones that I had lost 14 pounds and even had eaten a doughnut with the 7-Eleven Kid, and how does it look when the team’s center fielder has a bigger belly than the columnist writing about the team?

“Look at your belly hanging out of your shirt,” Jones said. “You’re probably going to die tomorrow.”

“Not before I write this column,” I said.

When I told Torre about some of the things Jones had said, he shook his head. “I think he may be saying one thing and feeling another.”

Why lie about such things?

“I don’t know if it’s lying,” Torre said. “I know when I have a conversation with him, he says, ‘I’m OK, I’m OK,’ so in essence, he’s lying to me too. Because I know better.”

At best, Jones might say “I don’t care” because it’s a defensive mechanism, but at worst, he lacks common sense, striking out with the fans once again.

As for his play on the field, the Tubbo has one home run, and so far it looks as if he has only warning-track power, which suggests he has lost something.

“If you think that’s what I’ve got, warning-track power, then write it down,” Jones said, and it always helps when I have a player’s permission to criticize him. “I lost my power, I suck, I should retire.”

“I hope you’re not waiting for me to disagree with you,” I said.

Then Jones went out, and struck out on three pitches in his first appearance at the plate. I wonder if he cared.

PAMELA ANDERSON was at the Dodgers game and hugging bench coach Bob Schaefer. I’m just here to report the facts and not interpret them. Like everyone else, I’ll just have to wait for the video.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT a while ago that a statue of Oscar De La Hoya was going up outside Staples Center before JerryWest or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t make sense until this week when the Anschutz Empire bought a stake in Golden Boy Promotions.

MOST KIDS are probably frightened to check into a hospital, so I took the Boogey Man to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles on Friday to show them some things aren’t as scary as they might first seem.

Just as I suspected, Jeff Kent was a big hit with the kids. He got the chance to visit the bone marrow unit, and while the rooms are usually sealed off, 17-year-old Brenda was far enough along in her recovery that Kent could stand in the doorway.

Brenda began fidgeting in her bed, moving her blanket this way and that, her mother finally wanting to know what she was doing.

“I’m getting up to take a picture with Jeff Kent,” she said, while working to get herself out of bed. And people think Kent is tough.

Kent had made it clear — any day, any time — and he’d visit the hospital to help shoot a video to better explain why Scully & Wooden agreed to donate their time and appear in the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on June 13.

Tickets remain on sale at ticketmaster.com, by the way, and why wouldn’t everyone want to catch Scully & Wooden together on Father’s Day weekend?

Eleven-year-old Raul, wearing a “leukemia sucks” T-shirt, took a Dodgers cap from Kent and immediately gave it to one of his visiting cousins. Kent offered another, and another, and another and Raul had a lot of cousins.

When they had all been taken care of, he agreed to take one for himself — in turn giving Kent a personalized framed painting of a penguin. I do believe the Boogey Man was touched.

AMAZING, OR is it, the number of generous folks out there?

Avengers team owner Casey Wasserman donated $10,000 to make sure everyone at Mattel’s who wishes to hear Scully & Wooden gets the chance.

The Dodgers, Lakers, Kings and Clippers, among so many others trying to help the kids’ cancer cause, have each bought $25,000 tables for a dinner to precede the event.

We checked, of course, and the Tubbo will be out of town with the rest of the Dodgers, so we won’t run out of food.

MISSED THE Lakers’ weekend in Salt Lake City to go out for dopos with the granddaughter, who was carried off in the middle of the night to Arizona a few months ago by the Grocery Store Bagger and former daughter. Just how bad is it living in Arizona?

Over doughnuts, when I asked the 7-Eleven Kid, she told me, “My favorite place is Home Depot.”

By Nokahoma

May 14, 2008 6:39 PM | Link to this

one of these days multi-millionaire athletes will realize that there ain’t that much difference between 850 million and 900 million - when you’re that rich it’s foolish to see if the grass is greener on the other side - he should have taken less money and finished his career here in Atlanta where he has his absolute best opportunity to be the best he can be… long term - he’s out there, essentially starting over, in unfamiliar territory - barry zito made the same mistake

By ronp

May 15, 2008 12:11 AM | Link to this

Andruw is a “know it all” and never listened to his hitting coach. Therefore, he never learned how to hit properly and use all fields.

Just another athlete with wasted potential. Sorry guy, you blew it.

By jtm

May 19, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

Wish him luck in LA, but without a doubt, Braves are lots better off without him. Andruw is the reason the Braves missed the playoffs last two years with mediocre production. .260 doesn’t cut it for a 15 mm guy!