Q: Braves fans: Just remember the Braves have a bunch of AA and AAA ballplayers, and they’re not going to get better. I know who I would fire. What is John Hart’s experience in baseball?
—Bob Collins, East Point
A: Hart, who was hired as the Braves' president of baseball operations in October 2014, is a former player, scout and manager who helped build the Cleveland Indians into a winning franchise in the 1990s.
Hart managed in the Baltimore Orioles system in the 1980s and managed the Indians at the end of the 1989 season. He moved to the front office and became the team’s general manager in 1991.
Cleveland won American League Central titles from 1995-99 and again in 2001 under Hart. The Braves defeated the Indians in the 1995 World Series and the Marlins defeated them in the 1997 World Series.
Hart was the general manager of the Texas Rangers from 2001-05. He worked as studio analyst with the MLB Network before being hired as a senior advisor to Braves president John Schuerholz in November 2013.
The Braves don’t have a general manager with Hart as the president of baseball operations.
Q: What happened to The Vent that was published in the AJC’s Sports section on Sundays?
—David Storey, Fairburn
A: An editorial decision was made to discontinue publishing The Sports Vent.
You can read and post comments to The Sports Vent, which is online at vent.ajc.com. Select Sports from the pulldown menu.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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