31 Aug
Game Thread: August 31, Mets at Braves
Alex’s Georgia preview is now up. If you have a preview and it hasn’t been posted, you should probably contact me now.
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Alex’s Georgia preview is now up. If you have a preview and it hasn’t been posted, you should probably contact me now.
Does that ESPN article on Southern football make anyone else teary-eyed?
August 31st, 2007 at 2:09 pmi’m still a little moist.
August 31st, 2007 at 2:42 pmThat’s the best thing I’ve seen Wright Thompson do for ESPN. I’ve been reading his E-Tickets, and they’re usually pretty good but I sometimes find his style a little grating. This was a really good piece, though. And I don’t even follow college football.
Oh well. Beat the hell out of Florida, boys.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:13 pmWhat I would like to ask is why the hell did he go to college at Missouri?
August 31st, 2007 at 3:22 pmBecause of the reputable J-School, I’d imagine. Coulda gone to UGA, but a kid from Oxford prolly had to get out of the SEC if he wasn’t going to Ole Miss.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:33 pmOr he could have gone to Vandy and been the next Skip Bayless.
I don’t know if there will be a recap tonight. I had to get my cable internet box replaced, and haven’t tried it out yet. If so, there won’t be any recaps until Sunday, because I’ll have to go to the University to do them and there’s no way I can get there tomorrow.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:37 pmWell Mac,
I’m hoping you’ll be tearing your hair out because you can’t do recaps of victories. Go Braves!
August 31st, 2007 at 3:43 pmUbubba and AAR, thanks.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:50 pmMac,
Or Grantland Rice.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:58 pmOr Robert Penn Warren, for that matter.
August 31st, 2007 at 3:58 pmDiaz starting batting 2nd!
August 31st, 2007 at 4:08 pm1. KJohnson, 2. Diaz, 3. Chipper, 4. Teixeira, 5. McCann, 6. Francoeur, 7. Andruw, 8. Escobar, 9. Hudson.
great lineup
Tom,
You’re joking, right?
August 31st, 2007 at 4:17 pmDOB put it up in his blog. Even said “no kidding.” http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/braves/entries/2007/08/31/time_for_sizzli.html
August 31st, 2007 at 4:19 pmTom, if you’re not joking (and I’m having doubts), than I honestly say good on Bobby Cox.
Anyone think Pedro Martinez will be any good or that the Mets are hoping for too much?
August 31st, 2007 at 4:20 pmWho’s going to be the hero in this series? I’m putting my bucks on Teixeira. Or maybe Francoeur. Chipper is too easy.
August 31st, 2007 at 4:20 pmOkay, thanks Tom. Diaz playing and Kelly Johnson back in his rightful spot. Nice.
August 31st, 2007 at 4:21 pmYeah, apparently Bobby has now decided that winning is important.
August 31st, 2007 at 4:28 pmi’ve been a braves fan forever, hell, i was a MILWAUKEE braves fan…………………this might be the best lineup i’ve seen them put out there. now, can someone tell me why they’ll either score 14 runs…………or 1?
August 31st, 2007 at 4:29 pmMaybe Bobby believes that losing builds character.
August 31st, 2007 at 4:38 pmYou gotta give Bobby credit for adjustments. Lots of managers don’t do it, and most of them don’t last.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:02 pmJust imagine this lineup (though it will never happen):
KJ
August 31st, 2007 at 5:08 pmRenteria
Chipper
Teix
McCann
Diaz
Andruw
Francoeur
I’d flip Frenchy and Andruw right now, but yeah, that lineup’s a wet dream.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:11 pmStu, if you flip Francoeur and Diaz, I think you will see that lineup down the stretch.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:13 pmAAR,
I put ‘em like that because Andruw’s been better lately, whereas Smurph’s dropped off a little.
Aram,
I think you’re right.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:16 pmWho’s going to be the hero in this series?
Put me down for Andruw, as usual.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:18 pmAgainst the Mets?
I’ll take Shea’s father.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:21 pmI feel like this is 93 and were about to beat the Mets 5/6 times like we beat San Fran
August 31st, 2007 at 5:21 pmI think we all know the answer is Joey Dev– I mean Peter Moylan.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:25 pmLast day for trades isn’t it? Are the Braves going to get anything for Wickman or not?
August 31st, 2007 at 5:29 pmSort of surprised not to see Shawn Green in there tonight. He’s tuned us up this season (.391/.451/.609)
August 31st, 2007 at 5:34 pmRobert,
No fooling. I’ve picked three “stars” after each game this season, and Green has something like four stars. I need to look it up.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:46 pmMaybe Willie’s conceding like Metsblog.com.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:48 pmAnyone think that the Falcons should sign Byron Leftwich?
August 31st, 2007 at 5:49 pmYes.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:50 pmIf he is actually released. Now the Jags may be trying to trade him.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pmHe’s not worse than Chris Redman.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pmAnd I got my internet at home working now.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pmJust read an interview on Metsblog with the guy from Talking Chop. It’s a nice reminder why I post on this page.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:53 pmThe Falcons need Leftwich like a fish needs water. I bet they’d swing a trade for him. Harrington and Redman isn’t going to cut it for the whole year.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:53 pmI can’t say I read that southern football piece. I try to stay away from them because they’re just so, je ne sais pas. But my favorite piece of sports journalism ever was a sort of video diary Curry Kirkpatrick did on I think Vandy a few years back.
It wasn’t really a hit piece or anything. I mean, it was Vandy. But it pretty hilariously showed the absurdly self-important religiosity of whoever was the coach at the time. It was focused around the coach’s banning of cussing by his players, and went through the various punishments they received for saying “shit” or “ass” or whatever else. Its (I think) ending was Kirkpatrick muttering “This is fucking bullshit” while doing push ups.
Someone has to remember this.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:57 pmI’m having a tough time getting fired up for college football right now. USC opens with Idaho-bye the first two weeks, so it’s almost like the season doesn’t really start for two more weeks.
Although I plan to watch Cal-Tennessee and I expect to feel differently after that.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:21 pmThe coach at the time was Bobby Johnson, who remains the coach. There’s nothing self-important about the man—a great coach, BTW—and while part of the motivation behind his no-cursing rule has to do with his faith, I would think it’s pretty easy to see the worth in something like that even if one isn’t himself Christian.
Surely you can understand that most Vanderbilt players will not be playing professional football, and learning how to communicate without profanity is a valuable lesson in the business world or just in regular ol’ polite society.
I find it admirable that Coach Johnson instituted the rule in the first place, and it certainly hasn’t hurt the quality of the product the team puts on the field. What’s hilarious—or sad, depending on how one chooses to look at it, I suppose—is that someone could find fault with such a rule.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:27 pmI get to dive right in with Georgia Tech and Notre Dame tomorrow. That one’s gonna be scary.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:27 pmBut not as scary as the Braves’ next six games. Yeesh.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:30 pmWhat’s hilarious—or sad, depending on how one chooses to look at it, I suppose—is that someone could find fault with such a rule.
Pretty much. Wish there were more out there like this coach. Actually trying to make his players better men – imagine that.
I’m out fellas. I’ll zip through this thing on Tivo later. Obviously every game is a must have this weekend. Go Huddy!
August 31st, 2007 at 6:33 pmI don’t find fault, just absurdity. I respect universities (especially rather good ones like Vandy) a little too much to hope a football coach is the guy to teach his players the proper use of language.
I don’t know if the man is self-important, but I think religiosity by definition is, especially when displayed on a field of sport, and the idea of a sort of corner for cussers to go to is hilarious, especially when juxtaposed with the language displayed at basically every other football field in America.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:45 pmOh my God. It’s like Willie Harris never left.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:46 pmWhen Joe says “aggressive” I almost always hear it with stupid.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:48 pmWho spends the most time with those players, david15? The coach.
And even if teaching them the proper use of language—as an aside, when is profanity ever proper?—isn’t his primary job, why is it absurd that he enforce those ideals?
And the juxtuposition you reference doesn’t make it hilarious—it makes it great.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:51 pm*juxtaposition
August 31st, 2007 at 6:52 pmWow, Phils already up 5-0 in the 2nd. They are just on fire.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:52 pmProfanity is proper whenever someone wants to use it. I’m not a fan of limiting word choice. I do think it’s preferable for people to have a broad knowledge of the language though, and, in this case, to have some reason for using profanity.
I find it absurd because the guy is a football coach. He might have been a Rhodes Scholar, I don’t know, but his chosen vocation is, in the end, pretty meaningless. At any rate the structure he’s using one isn’t one that is great for teaching something as subjective as language and its use. In a good classroom that sort of thing would be debated. On the field it’s dictated.
Football is basically a sports metaphor for war, so isn’t it understandable to see absurdity in the idea of the guy playing general telling his soldiers they can’t say bullshit?
August 31st, 2007 at 6:59 pmFootball is a game, dude, metaphor or not.
Anyway, this:
Profanity is proper whenever someone wants to use it
tells me this won’t be going anywhere, so I’ll drop it.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:05 pmLets git some runs!
August 31st, 2007 at 7:14 pmBrutal.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:21 pmBoy, Diaz swung through some hittable pitches – offspeed stuff up in the zone.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:24 pmThat hurt…
August 31st, 2007 at 7:37 pmHudson seems to be throwing a lot of sliders tonight, and is leaving them up and in the middle of the plate.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:39 pmAnd our vaunted offense didn’t show up to play.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:41 pmShocking.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:45 pmAnother pitch up. Looked like a splitter.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:49 pmWell it looks like this one is over.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:50 pmDown 4-0, Francoeur swings at the first pitch and hits a weak infield pop-up.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:53 pmBraves need to lose TP and get some medicated pads.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:57 pmAre you surprised? He’s been doing that all stinkin’ year. The guy is an idiot.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:57 pmHere we go again.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:59 pmI know Jeremy. I’ve been talking about Francoeur and Thorman’s insame amount of infield pop-ups all year and, for Francoeur, last year.
It amazes me after all the talk the Braves did about getting back in this, they come out and lay a big egg through five innings.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:01 pmBeltran was safe by a mile. That was a terrible call.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:01 pmThat should read “insane”.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:01 pmRemoving Hudson for Orr?????
August 31st, 2007 at 8:02 pmNevermind.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:02 pmPeterson!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:02 pmC’mon Matty.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:05 pmLoaded for Chipper.
Come on Chipper!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:07 pmThis would be kindof a good time to score. No pressure, I’m just saying…
August 31st, 2007 at 8:08 pmTime for the Mets Killer! Go Chipper!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:08 pmARGH
August 31st, 2007 at 8:08 pmChipper pops up on the 2nd pitch with the bases loaded. What an idiot, huh?
August 31st, 2007 at 8:08 pmAlright Tex, pick him up!
August 31st, 2007 at 8:09 pmTex pops up on a 2-0 count. Idiot.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 pmWe’ll take any runs we can get. Thanks, John.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 pmThis is fucking pathetic.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 pmThe difference, disgruntledfan, is Chipper Jones hasn’t popped up about twenty times on the first pitch this season like Francoeur.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:10 pmJust hit the fucking ball to the outfield, people.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:11 pmAlso, Chipper has been in the league 10+ years and is an All-Star. Francoeur was in AA 2 years ago. He gets a learning curve.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:11 pmWhat a choke job. Great, guys.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:13 pmFuck this team.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:13 pmThat was a ball
August 31st, 2007 at 8:13 pmPathetic. Bases loaded & we only get 1 run, & that wasn’t because of anything our hitters did…Maine gave us that run for free.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmThank God for the wild pitch or it would have been yet another inning with a runner on third and less than two outs that the Braves failed to score in.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmThat was way low
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmI’m not the least bit surprised. Ugh.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmThat inning was like the summation of the entire season. Plenty of opportunity, lots of hope — extinguished by two pop ups and a whiff. Tough to watch over and over again.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmDisgusting. This team belongs nowhere near the playoffs.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmToo close to take Reagan.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pmThese guys always do this. During the 14 year streak they needed maybe 20 to 30 key hits and they would have won 2 or 3 World Series and went much further in other playoffs.
Some people produce in the clutch some people don’t. The Braves don’t and have never done it consistantly. Look at their one run and extra innings games record. It is called choking.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:17 pmThe NL East is a freak show.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:20 pmSo much for “Maine hasn’t gone more than 5 and 2/3 innings in a start in forever”.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:26 pmIf he swung and missed we would all be all over him for swinging at an obvious ball 4
August 31st, 2007 at 8:28 pmThis team just appears to be really tight. Maybe the business like clubhouse effectiveness is wearing off.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:28 pmPretty good outing for Yates. I would have bet money on Reyes scoring.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:37 pmLately Yates has been getting into trouble and then getting out.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:38 pm“Lately Yates has been getting into trouble and then getting out.”
So he’s the new Wickman.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:40 pmdoes Randolf not have a lefty in the pen? I mean why not take your chances against woodward here? c’mon Willy make ‘em pay
August 31st, 2007 at 8:41 pmI’m glad I watched Ghost Rider for the 1st part of this game.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:43 pmBecause Willie Harris is worse than Woodward lately.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:43 pmGood AB from Willie. Tough break.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:44 pmWilly’s hit it further than all of Chipper and Tex’s hits combined.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:44 pmah shoot.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:44 pmAnd by “hit” I mean contact.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:44 pmPhillies lead big tonight. This sucks.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:46 pmMets making all the plays tonight.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:46 pmA few minutes back, Joe or Boog said the turning points of the game were the Reyes homer and the Braves getting only 1 run out of the bases loaded situation. There’s no way to be sure, but I think it came much earlier when KJ got caught stealing in the first and Diaz struck out. It would have been better to make him slog through a tough first (face Chipper and Tex with a runner on) rather than give him a free out. If the Braves have managed to score it might have gotten in the Mets’ heads since they’ve had trouble with the Braves and are coming off a sweep by Philly. But we’ll never know …
August 31st, 2007 at 8:51 pmAny predictions for the bottom of the ninth better than 1-2-3?
August 31st, 2007 at 8:52 pmAnd the Braves aren’t.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:53 pmWhy the fuck would you IBB LoDuca to face a left hander in Chavez?
August 31st, 2007 at 8:55 pm“Phillies lead big tonight. This sucks.”
Well, if the Braves don’t win the division, I’d rather the Phillies win it than the Mets.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:55 pmSeriously, why would you intentionally walk LoDuca?
August 31st, 2007 at 8:58 pmMaybe we’ll see what a clutch hit looks like.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:58 pmDie, Bobby.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:59 pmAwesome. Great managing and clutch hitting this game from the Braves.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:59 pmOh well, the Braves weren’t going to come back down three runs anyways.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:59 pm5.5 behind the Mets for first and 3.5 behind the Phillies going into the start of September tomorrow. It’s over.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:02 pmCompare the Mets bench with ours, and you’ll see why we can’t win 1-run games or extra-innings games. Who do we have that could come in and hit a bases-clearing double?
August 31st, 2007 at 9:03 pmPlus, we have Bobby Cox. That costs at least a run a game.
this is exactly what i was talking about…negative clutch. thank god for college football
August 31st, 2007 at 9:07 pmYeah, it’s all good now. After tomorrow, the losses just kind of roll off, instead of daily crushing our hopes.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:09 pmdisgruntledfan,
Concur.
Piss poor job by Schuerholz of assembling a bench.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:12 pmWhy blame the bench now? They looked a lot better than the regulars. Recap is up.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:13 pmNot blaming it now, just saying it’s played a role in why we can’t win close games or extra-inning ones, games we seem to be in a lot. Tonight notwithstanding, of course. Tonight PETE ORR did more than Chipper, Tex, and McCann combined. Ballgame.
August 31st, 2007 at 9:15 pm