07 Mar
The all-Mac Hates Them team (ex-Braves 1991-2006 only)
C Henry Blanco
1B Mike Hessman
2B Bret Boone
3B Wes Helms
SS Ozzie Guillen
RF Reggie Sanders
CF Deion Sanders
LF Dave Gallagher
IF Keith Lockhart
OF Mike Kelly
SP Russ Ortiz
SP Shane Reynolds
SP Horacio Ramirez*
SP Andy Ashby
SP Jason Shiell (and his wife)†
CL Danny Kolb
RP Tyler Kali Yates
RP Kevin Gryboski
RP Ray King
RP Roberto Hernandez
Coaches: Merv Rettenmund, Roger McDowell
*I don’t really hate Horacio that much but I’ve probably talked more trash about him here than anyone else.
†I don’t really hate Shiell or his wife either but needed a fifth starter and the Shiell’s wife jokes kill.
Haha! I have to think I started that! I love it!
Dave Gallagher? What’s the deal with him?
March 7th, 2007 at 5:26 pmAnd yeah, Vista sucks. I’m very frustrated. I’m having to share my movies over my network and use my XP laptop to sync my iPod movies to it. I’ve got a plane ride to Ireland Friday; I’ve gotta have something. Vista doesn’t care, though…
March 7th, 2007 at 5:28 pmJorge Sosa, Kenny Lofton, and Chris Reitsma
March 7th, 2007 at 5:45 pmRocker sucks too
March 7th, 2007 at 5:45 pmHow on earth could Rafael Belliard not qualify for this team? Or post-1999 John Rocker?
March 7th, 2007 at 5:46 pmHow on earth could anyone hate Rafael Belliard? He is a living legend.
March 7th, 2007 at 5:52 pmGeorge freaking Lombard,,,,,,,, the most arrogant SOB I have ever came across,,,, I am the happiest guy regarding that this guy has NO career in the show and is barely keeping employed at the AAA level. Hurry up and go to japan and or Mexico and piss people off their.
March 7th, 2007 at 5:56 pmAlso my least favourite braves catcher of all time ( that time period) has to be Jorge fabergas,,, come on now
Belliard started me on the ‘net, I can’t hate him. And Guillen is from all appearances thoroughly hateful.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:11 pmHa! That was you! I remember seeing that like 8 years ago!
But yeah, why don’t you like Dave Gallagher? He’s before my time of really watching baseball, so I dunno…
March 7th, 2007 at 6:18 pmI know there are a lot of other good candidates for the list, but no Reitsma? Need I remind you of this post? Or this one? How about this one? I could go on.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:22 pmhttp://tcaa.puretecmo.com/nit06.html
Projecting the NIT – Bama, Arkansas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Miss State, Auburn all appear in.
UConn on the NIT bubble.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:22 pmHe (a) sucked, big time — he was a lot worse than Langerhans could dream of being — and (b) took about 150 PA away from Ryan Klesko, who didn’t. He’s one of the big reasons why the Braves “finished” 1994 in second place.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:23 pmI thought Travis Smith and his home runs would make a better fifth starter for your hate list.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:24 pmSo he was an AB-sucker. I gotcha. You should make an All-Time Wasted ABs Team, players who stole ABs from other players.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:35 pmThere was a time when I didn’t hate Reitsma. The standards for relievers are so high that his occasional good work was enough to push him off the team. The relievers who made it are basically guys I always hated.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:35 pmWyrn,
Saw that…I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I would wager that this would be one of the first teams that was a #1 seed that went to the Elite 8 the previous year to not only miss the NCAA tournament but in danger of missing the NIT the very next year.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:37 pmThe Falcons signed WR Joe Horn.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:42 pmTake off Russ Ortiz. Sure, he proclaims his love of christian rock and somehow managed to win 36 games in 2 years with an ERA around 3.9. But, he did start 34 games per year, ate up over 400 innings, and his ERA was a good .30 points below league average. I think that’s a lot better than we can hope for from this years #3 or #4 starter.
I nominate Albie Lopez to replace him.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:44 pmHow did Rico Brogna not make it?
March 7th, 2007 at 6:48 pmHow ’bout backup players ? I am so disappointed not to see Todd Pratt here, 2006 Brian Jordan, Raul Mondesi, and some others
March 7th, 2007 at 7:36 pmOritz may have been infuriating, but the Braves DID get the two best years out of him, relatively speaking.
March 7th, 2007 at 7:39 pmAtlanta Braves: Braves starter John Smoltz was hit on the chest by Curtis Granderson’s drive in the third inning of Atlanta’s exhibition game agaist Detroit. Smoltz, who caught the ball after it hit his chest, was on the ground for several minutes but stayed in the game and got the final out of the inning.
Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said Smoltz was sore but shouldn’t miss a start. Smoltz allowed three hits in three scoreless innings with a strikeout and no walks.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2007/news/story?id=2790939
March 7th, 2007 at 7:58 pmAs opponents, both Ortiz (SF, ’02) & Lopez (Az, ’01) helped defeat the Braves in extremely wrenching playoff games.
As Braves, Russ Ortiz walked the ballpark, but he gave us lots of innings and wins. For the most part, he succeeded. Albie Lopez was a full-on disaster. No contest.
Though he certainly wasn’t any great Brave, Ozzie Guillen had one of the great clutch hits in Atlanta Braves post-season history, and one that nobody talks about. Game 6, 1999 NLCS, 10th inning off Benitez. Tied the game & saved us from a dreaded Game 7. I was there & I’ll never forget how relieved I felt.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:06 pmThere is a special place in hell reserved for the doe-eyed ‘tard-stain that is Reggie Sanders.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:42 pmIt really is amazing just how few bad starters the Braves had throughout the Cox-Mazzone partnership, isn’t it? And not that many bad relievers, either.
Another name for consideration to fill out the squad: Brian Jordan. Yes, he was fine during his first tenure as a Brave, but honestly, why did we invite him back? Repeatedly? (Other than The Pictures.)
March 7th, 2007 at 8:56 pmI felt bad for Brogna. Seemed like a good guy, but he just couldn’t hit for the Braves.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:06 pmVinny Castilla was the only guy I ever cheered for to strike out with runners on base, just so he would ground into a rally-killing DP, which I hencforth dubbed “Pulling a Castilla”.
My friends and I were discussing this when Auburn 1B Andy Bennett (having a rough start to the year so far) came up with the bases loaded last night. We were trying to figure out how many more times he could let us down to get the Vinny treatment. As if he knew, he smacked a bases-clearing double. Andy Bennett is no Vinny Castilla.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:16 pmJamal Lewis signs with the Browns….I wonder if that changes Adrian Peterson’s draft position.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:20 pmYou dislike Hessman more than Fick?
March 7th, 2007 at 9:28 pmNo Jorge Sosa? Even though it was just one season he got a lot of hate.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:29 pmI mostly hated F*ck after he left the team, since he only got hateful during the playoffs.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:31 pmOh, and I must admit I forgave a lot of annoyance at Ozzie Guillen after he got that big playoff hit in the tenth inning of game 6 of thte 1999 NLCS off Armando Benitez.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:32 pmAlbie Lopez, Reggie Sanders…Russ Ortiz, Bret Boone…ugh
And I never liked Juan Cruz for some reason.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:43 pmI had almost forgotten about Albie Lopez (thank goodness), but he is a very worthy candidate. I’m also disappointed that Andres Thomas or Jorge Sosa didn’t make it. I know the Jason Shiell wife jokes are fun, but Travis Smith should really get the nod there. Hessman was bad, but you gotta’ give Caminiti some consideration. Wow, this list could go on and on.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:48 pmI’ll grant you Albie Lopez. (Andres Thomas’ career ended in 1990.) I, too, had mercifully forgotten the Albie Lopez Experience.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:52 pmWhat’s wrong with being hateful? Hate, hate, hate!
March 7th, 2007 at 10:22 pmquestion – Why is Kali on the list? I know we all hate him for good reason. But he does not fit in the category of “ex-brave” although I wish he was.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:30 pmI’m an optimist.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:34 pmIsn’t yates still on the team?
March 7th, 2007 at 10:50 pmJames,
March 7th, 2007 at 10:59 pmi’d be willing to bet a Dan Kolb rockie card and a self help book signed by Bill Curry that Javy hit into just as many if no more double plays with one out, it drove me crazy.
Albie was the sorriest excuse for a Braves starter i’ve ever had the misfortune to watch. I say he has to be Mac’s Opening Day starter.
raul mondesi?
Castilla has to be up there. He started off the Chipper injury string
March 7th, 2007 at 11:07 pmDeWayne Wise should make it too!
Great point Godot,
If it wasn’t for Castilla Chipper wouldn’t be playing in only 110 games a year…
March 7th, 2007 at 11:33 pmSo, the hamstring injury caused Chipper’s bad feet?
March 7th, 2007 at 11:45 pmProbably not, but Chipper wasn’t really known as an injury plagued player before he moved to left field. And as Godot said, that hamstring injury started the string of injuries which led to the bad beet. So maybe if he wouldn’t have moved to left he would be so injury prone. But I guess ya never know.
Look i’m one of the most biased posters on here and Chipper is my favorite player so if I can find anything or anyone else to blame for his injuries other than bad luck, i’ll take it.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:56 pmYes, we wouldn’t know. Something different may have happened. He could have injured himself another way. I just don’t want to blame it on Castilla. Hell, I liked him.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:10 amI like Castilla too. I was glad to see him leave the Braves since he wasn’t a good hitter anymore, but he seemed like a good guy. It also seemed to me that I was the only one who didn’t scoff at the Rockies’ Vinny Castilla Day last year. He is a very important piece of their franchise history and immensely popular there. Classy move. (And it probably sold them a lot of tickets for that day’s game, too.)
March 8th, 2007 at 12:33 amAnd he has a cool mullet.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:34 amhttp://www.mulletsgalore.com
March 8th, 2007 at 1:09 amBama baseball – no hit by Southern Miss, tonight they fall 8-6 to Tennessee Tech.
Still an optimist, Mac?
March 8th, 2007 at 1:12 amThey weren’t no-hit. They broke it up in the eighth. I blame the Machine.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:24 amI expected “glove boy” –Vinnie, but I would not have been surprised by DeWayne Wise.
I agree with Flournoy–why would anyone hate Raffy?
March 8th, 2007 at 2:14 amDeWayne Wise is the one I can’t believe didn’t make this list.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:03 amI have spent the last 30 minutes clicking through that mullet site.
I really don’t know what to say right now….
March 8th, 2007 at 7:28 amMichael Tucker would be my only addition to the list, maybe Castilla. Brogna had to retire because of some sort of illness, that is why he sucked. Right on Mac!(glad I didn’t make the list, but I do good work!
March 8th, 2007 at 8:47 amThanks for the laugh this morning Mac…Albie Lopez is the only obvious addition I see. As bad as Belliard was, I never hated him as a Brave.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:07 amWhere’s Lonnie Smith, Mark Wohlers, and Jeff Reardon? The Braves might have won 4 titles if not for the efforts of those 3. Oh and you need an umpires section that would have to include Eric Gregg and Bob Davidson.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:37 amHampton out for atleast a month after yday’s batting practice
March 8th, 2007 at 10:04 amI’ll bite. What are the Shiell wife jokes?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:07 amIf you’re going to hate Lonnie Smith for Game 7, why not Ron Gant or Sid Bream, who couldn’t get the runners in with less than two outs. I blame them a lot more than Lonnie–his baserunning problem was at least partially caused by that millstone around baseball’s neck called the Metrodome. Second and third, no outs, you ought to score. And Lonnie helped keep them alive in 1992.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:11 amShiell’s wife Morgan ostensibly posted here to defend her husband when everybody bagged on him after his first start with the Braves.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:12 amI was looking forward to seeing Hampton pitch on Saturday, that blows. It says that the Braves will likely search for another starter. I looked the through the list of “available” starters, and the only one who jumped out at me was Brad Penny. Apparently the Dodgers need some outfield help, so, Langerhans and Salty for Penny?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:16 amWhat, no Bill Pecota or Bernard Gilkey?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:26 amI think we should reserve a special spot in Hell–right next to Ozzie Guillen and Shane Reynolds’ lockers–for Kent Hrbek.
Can we have a visitors’ clubhouse of people we despise?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:36 amThe Dodgers have Russell Martin, why would they want Salty?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:37 amHow can I find a link to the posts by Jason Shiell’s wife?
March 8th, 2007 at 10:38 amAAR,
Yep, Mr. Wrestling Move definitely pulled a fast one on Drew Coble.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:40 amHate King,
Try looking on the day that Shiell made his first start or a bit past it. They’d be somewhere around there. I think.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:41 amOk, if not Salty throw in one of our glut of IF prospects….
March 8th, 2007 at 10:46 am*looks at the list again* … why is Bret Boone on there anyway? He gave the Braves the best offensive season at second base since Davey Johnson. and he was the only one who actually hit in the World Series.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:54 amLance,
They’ve got a bunch of those too. Don’t think they need another one.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:56 amCan we get insurance to pay Hampton’s salary again. Get Porter to tell him that his injury is too serious to continue rehabing and he’s needs time off. Maybe that’ll get him so frustrated that he’ll allow us to trade him, then resign Smoltz. Time to package Escobar and Salty for someone….
March 8th, 2007 at 10:58 amhe’s not experienced, but maybe the Twins will give us Matt Garza…
What vet’s are available?
March 8th, 2007 at 11:00 amWhy do we need a veteran? We will get by fine with Davies and the DBack twins. Or Harrison might get that early call up.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:02 ambeen a while since we jumped someone from AA !
Hate King:
Morgan Shiell
March 8th, 2007 at 11:03 amThe Dodgers don’t need OF help…. In addition to the asinine Pierre signing, they’ve got a couple of youngsters in Kemp and Ethier who are very good (and should both probably be getting PT ahead of Pierre….). I mean, if they want to trade for Langerhans, I’ll take Penny… but I don’t see what’s in that for the Dodgers, especially given that they’ve got a good young catcher in Russell Martin.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:09 amOk, any other suggestions as to who we go after and we offer?
March 8th, 2007 at 11:13 amCormier will do fine the first month. Breaking ball, soft throwing pitchers always have a head start on hitters. One of the reasons why Aaron Sele always got off to those 6-0, 7-0, 2 ERA starts
March 8th, 2007 at 11:16 amRotation of Smoltz, Hudson, James, Davies, and Cormier…nice
March 8th, 2007 at 11:22 amMaybe Noah Lowry from San Francisco is an option…The Giants have a ridiculously old middle infield with Durham and Visquel and they currently have 6 starters. Just a thought.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lowryno01.shtml
March 8th, 2007 at 11:28 amVizquel*
March 8th, 2007 at 11:29 amAdd Hampton to your list, Mac.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:35 amHere’s the Hampton link:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2007/03/08/0308hampton.html
That’s an extreme bummer, but I can’t say I had the highest hopes for him.
Davey,
March 8th, 2007 at 11:36 amYeah, the Classification section of the mullet site is pretty spectacular.
Im guessing that his left side will be the hardest on him throwing also. We need that insurance money to kick in. If we can find another starter via trade or someone stepping up, then keep him on the DL
March 8th, 2007 at 11:58 amDid he tear it pitching or hitting?
March 8th, 2007 at 12:30 pmhurt it hitting, his 3rd round of BP for the day
March 8th, 2007 at 12:32 pmThanks, well that actually makes me feel a little better. Suggests it wasn’t a pitching mechanics issue (e.g., compensating for something else that’s hurting).
March 8th, 2007 at 12:35 pmThis hurts. I was cautiously optimistic Hampton would return, but to lose him to an injury that has nothing to do with his tommy john surgery makes this even harder to swallow. Hopefully he can make it back this year and provide some help and energy midway through the season.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:44 pmI’m guessing he cant do anything for 6-8 weeks based on this injury. So Im guessing he’s at least 2-3 months away from being able to make a start, in which will now be Richmond. Could be a long process before he can join the Braves roster…
March 8th, 2007 at 12:45 pmBig trade in football a few minutes ago.
BAL- RB Willis McGahee
BUF- 2007 3rd and 7th round draft picks and 2008 3rd round draft pick
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2791831
March 8th, 2007 at 12:49 pmWho knows, maybe this is a blessing in disguise. It was becoming abundantly clear that he isn’t ready to pitch, so now there is no chance that he’ll push his arm too hard, too fast. Maybe 6-8 weeks will end up allowing him to come back and stay back.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:52 pmI think we have to go get a starter
March 8th, 2007 at 12:58 pmHudson sat them down in order…all three outs were ground balls. I know its early, but damn, Huddy looks like he’s in great shape.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:11 pmi only have one primary qualm with the list.
at second base, you HAVE to put Keith Lockhart there, bar none.
i absolutely hated that guy, and the inexplicable loyalty they had to his mediocre playing
March 8th, 2007 at 1:14 pmi meant to put that he should be the starting second baseman lol
March 8th, 2007 at 1:15 pmOur lineup is what I imagine it’s going to look like on Opening Day.
2B- KJ
March 8th, 2007 at 1:15 pmSS- Renty
3B- Chipper
CF- Andruw
C- McCann
RF- Frenchy
1B- Thor
LF- Diaz
Renteria doubled down the line.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:16 pmOHH Chipper just missed a 2-run homer…foul by a foot or so.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:18 pmandruw singles… 1-0 braves
March 8th, 2007 at 1:20 pmChipper lines out to Cano…but Andruw singles in Renty…1-0 Braves
March 8th, 2007 at 1:20 pmMcCann grounds out….Braves lead 1-0 at the end of the 1st.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pmGiambi just went deep…1-1
March 8th, 2007 at 1:24 pmKelly Johnson made a throwing error…he probably wasn’t going to get him out anyways…no damage though runner didn’t advance…scored as a single and then an error.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:27 pmRBI single for Kevin Reese…2-1 Yankees
March 8th, 2007 at 1:30 pmI think a trade at this point is highly unlikely. Anyone with a decent starter to spare will want an arm and a leg and he will probably be too expensive for the Braves anyway. When you are operating on a tight budget, anything that goes wrong can have a really devastating impact. I thought that expecting Hampton to win 15 games was unrealistic anyway, but this puts a lot more pressure on Hudson to come back to something approaching his prime.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:30 pmDouble play…Renty to KJ, ends the top half of the 2nd…2-1 Yankees
March 8th, 2007 at 1:31 pmFrenchy Homer….2-2
March 8th, 2007 at 1:34 pmMatt Diaz just missed a homer to deep center…but he settles for a double, the ball is flying out today.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:36 pmI just bought (subscribed to) the MLB online radio thigger-ma-jig, and man it feels SO good to hear a Braves game again!
March 8th, 2007 at 1:37 pmI don’t see a major trade either. I can see us picking up some vet pitcher who gets cut during spring, but no real investment anywhere.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:38 pmThats all…Diaz is left at third as KJ flys out to left… But frenchy ties it up, 2-2 going into the third.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:40 pmToday’s Buster Olney blog focuses on Tim Hudson, for those interested…
March 8th, 2007 at 1:45 pmDamon stole second….it looked like a great throw by McCann, but it took a short hop right before it go to Johnson and he missed it…Andruw was right there though…
Huddy strikes out Jeter.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:46 pmCano grounds out…ends the top of the 3rd…still 2-2.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:47 pmJay, ‘cuse or ND?
March 8th, 2007 at 1:50 pmWell…I really dislike both teams…hmmm, thats a tough one but I gotta go with ND.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:51 pmInning over…we go down 1-2-3.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:52 pmI guess i’m picking Notre Dame because they didn’t beat us this year. Of course we didn’t play them either.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:55 pmFree Jesse Orosco!
March 8th, 2007 at 1:56 pmHudson struck out Giambi…that’s a little payback for that 2nd inning bomb.
March 8th, 2007 at 1:58 pmbattle of coaches on the hot seat….Tubbs vs Gottfried
Tubbs up at half 35-27
March 8th, 2007 at 1:58 pmGreat defensive play by Renty…360 spin and throw….ends the top 4th…still 2-2.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:00 pmNothing in the 4th…only a McCann single…still 2-2.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:08 pmHudson’s day is done, Wickamania is coming in now.
Hudson’s line:
4 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs(1 earned), 3K’s and no walks.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:11 pmI didnt think Hampton would be back .. I mentioned that in
March 8th, 2007 at 2:13 pmearlier threads .. doesnt surprise me … if Davies cant get it goig then we are in deep dodo .. you cant have a 4th and 5th starter sruggle .. does Villareal or McBride get a chance ?? or do we see one of our young SS’s get shipped ..my guess is JS will wait to see what happens with Davies / Cormier ….
Yanks leave a guy at third….Thorman made Wickman run to first to cover…hahahaha…still 2-2.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:19 pmKelly Johnson with a ground rule double.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:24 pmFrom the official site:
“With Hampton unavailable for an undetermined period of time, the Braves will likely begin to explore the trade market in search of a veteran starting pitcher.”
Meh.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:26 pmWe left two more on…at the end of the 5th it’s still 2-2.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:30 pmSoriano is coming on to pitch now…and Gregor Blanco is now in center
March 8th, 2007 at 2:33 pmalso coming in is Yunel Escobar at 3rd and Lil Tony is at short.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:34 pmSoriano gives up a couple of hits, but no damage done, he finishes the inning with a strike out…still 2-2
March 8th, 2007 at 2:40 pmsoriano looks sharp- yanks leave two stranded
March 8th, 2007 at 2:40 pmDiaz hits into a double play…still 2-2.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:46 pmMike Gonzalez is coming on to pitch now…and of course the Yanks booth is bringing up the rumored three-way trade that involved us shipping Gonzo to them.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:49 pmLet’s see…over the last few days I’ve heard that KJ has twice misplayed throws to second and also has a throwing error. He may be able to hit but from what I have heard thus far I’m starting to have serious doubts that this guy can field the position.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:50 pmOf course this is all speculation since I have yet to see him take the field but still… Are the commentators saying anything about how he looks fielding? It seems awefully quite concerning his fielding. His position change is one of the Braves bigger stories this spring. It seems like we should be hearing something. At this point I’m inclined to the think that the silence is a bad thing.
Amazing play by Pena Jr…..ball hit off of Escobar’s glove and Lil Tony had to change directions to pick it up and throw it as hard as he could and just go the runner.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pmgot*
March 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pmLil Tony flashing some nice leather there…
March 8th, 2007 at 2:53 pmWord on Hampton from Rotoworld:
X-rays on Mike Hampton’s ribs have reportedly come back negative and the Braves believe he suffered a strained oblique.
Given how long oblique injuries can linger, the busted ribs might have been better. Hampton is almost certainly ruled out for Opening Day and may instead be looking at a May return as the best-case scenario given that he has to both heal up his side and get his arm into pitching shape.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:56 pmDirt,
In my opinion he’s hasn’t been all that bad at second although he has made some mistakes…but he hasn’t been spectacular either by any means. Once again in my opinion, Martin Prado has really out played him defensively and maybe even offensively so far this spring. It seems like Johnson is trying to do too much too quick…making throws that anyone who has played second knows he shouldn’t..for instance their was a left-handed hitter with good speed at the plate today and he hit a ball that KJ fielded cleanly but he was almost in center field…and he threw it anyway off his back foot and almost threw it away. It’s things like that he needs to really work on if he’s going to be the starter at 2nd. He also misplayed a short hop on a throw from McCann when a guy was stealing.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:04 pmsorry guys, but I gotta run out for a little while…maybe someone else can update for the rest of the game.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:07 pm79-67 Kentucky over Bama in SEC Tourney.
The evolution is complete; Bama basketball has fallen faster than a Wimp Sanderson secretary.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:08 pmWryn,
I have this vision in my head where Mac whales away uncontrollably on you while telling you to never badmouth Alabama again.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pmI wouldn’t be surprised to see Tanyon Sturtze getting a fair number of chances to pitch himself out of the rotation as a 6th-starter type, behind Cormier and Villarreal on the depth chart, but getting more innings than he’s ever shown in his career that he deserves… hopefully as a career AL guy he’ll be able to befuddle the poor simps on the senior circuit with some smoke, mirrors, and a crappy fastball.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:18 pmI will watch my back next time I call a game in Tuscaloosa, which will be sometime this fall.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:20 pmgame tied at 3-3 prado at the plate
March 8th, 2007 at 3:32 pmprado out…extra innings
March 8th, 2007 at 3:33 pmbohn, jurries and some other guy are in.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:37 pm1 on no outs
pitcher -collier throws a double play ball into center. runners at 1&3
6-2-3 double play
March 8th, 2007 at 3:40 pm2 out runners @ 1st and 2nd
March 8th, 2007 at 3:41 pmfly ball…4-3 yanks
March 8th, 2007 at 3:44 pmWho is Collier?
March 8th, 2007 at 3:45 pmone more scores 5-3 yanks
March 8th, 2007 at 3:46 pmhopefully collier isn’t hamptons replacement…he’s batting practice for the yanks
March 8th, 2007 at 3:47 pmcolon or cologne ois into pitch
March 8th, 2007 at 3:49 pmescobar singles, blanco up
March 8th, 2007 at 3:49 pmdouble play : (
March 8th, 2007 at 3:50 pmfly to center …turn out the lights…5-3 yanks in 10
March 8th, 2007 at 3:51 pmI think Hampton is cursed–and that the curse won’t be lifted until he films a commercial for Aflac.
March 8th, 2007 at 3:52 pmonly if yogi co-stars
March 8th, 2007 at 3:54 pmermoore,
March 8th, 2007 at 3:59 pmthat was Steve Colyer non-roster invitie
MLB Rumors…
Hampton Injury May Force Trade
Mike Hampton injured his side this morning and could miss all of April or more. At the bottom of his article, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman mentions that the injury may prompt the Braves to scour the trade market for a starting pitcher. Right now the front four are Smoltz, Hudson, James, and Davies. Lance Cormier could fill in for Hampton if Schuerholz doesn’t find a reasonable trade.
One available starter might be the Cubs’ Wade Miller, assuming he is healthy but does not win the fifth starter job. I imagine the Phils won’t send Jon Lieber over to the Braves. Brad Penny’s stock seems down lately, and he could be an option. And don’t forget that the Braves may have had someone on hand to watch Carl Pavano pitch a few days ago.
The Tigers might have a small surplus with Zach Miner apparently pushed out of the rotation by Mike Maroth. The Braves sent Miner to the Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth in July of ’05. Paul Byrd is another former Brave who might be available. And I’m sure Shawn Chacon could be had for a decent-sized bag of peanuts. Plus there’s the Rockies, with Josh Fogg or Byung-Hyun Kim seen as expendable. Finally, as mentioned in the comments, Mark Redman is still a free agent.
March 8th, 2007 at 4:10 pmshould we try moving Diaz/Escobar or Salty/Escobar, or just let Lance and Kyle try it for a while
March 8th, 2007 at 4:13 pmI think you have to be careful about just flipping all the prospects for a short-term pitching solution. I have these visions, of course, of Doyle Alexander-John Smoltz. I don’t think the Braves have enough depth in their system to start shipping good prospects out for a number 4 starter. And trading out of desparation is never a good idea. It’s not even through the second week of spring training; let’s not panic yet, let’s wait at least until Opening Day and then panic.
March 8th, 2007 at 4:24 pmHere’s my list for what it’s worth:
C Todd Pratt (the other catchers that sucked at least caught Maddux so they provided something)
1B Ken Caminiti (don’t want to rip the dead, but has there ever been a more awkward first baseman in the history of baseball??)
2B Quilvio Veras
SS Jose Hernandez (honorary mention to Rafael Furcal when he thought he was a home run hitter)
3B Vinny Cash-steal-a (hard to believe they couldn’t have spent the money they were paying him on something better)
OF Kenny Lofton (a-hole and complete puss, plus Justice and Grissom were gone, so I had a grudge from the start)
OF Reggie Sanders
OF BJ Surhoff
OF Roberto Kelly (traded for Deion, and I liked Deion, I know I shouldn’t have, but I did)
OF Mike Kelly (glad he was brought back for another go around)
OF Raul Mondesi
OF Todd Hollandsworth
Bench
C/INF Tyler Houston
SP Fat Albie Lopez
SP Andy Ashby
SP Marvin Freeman
SP Charlie Liebrandt (I know I shouldn’t because he shouldn’t have been in the game, but he made me cry multiple times as a kid)
RP Gregg Olson
RP Norm Charlton
RP Dennis Martinez
RP Tom Martin
RP Dan KolBB (of course)
I’m not a hateful person. Really, I’m not.
March 8th, 2007 at 4:30 pmMarvin Freeman? C’mon, now…
March 8th, 2007 at 4:54 pmLike I said before, there’s nothing wrong with being hateful.
March 8th, 2007 at 5:05 pmHey, at least Dennis Martinez had that 10 hit shutout–giving a whole new meaning to the word “scattering.”
But, yeah, thanks for reminding me of Gregg Olson… I couldn’t have hated him more.
March 9th, 2007 at 9:45 am