Random predictions
These are all off the top of my head, don’t hold me to them. Unless they’re right, in which case I’m a genius.
Carlos Delgado: .210/.299/.340, 84 games
First manager fired: Ned Yost
Number of accusations that now I’m just baiting Brewer fans: 23
Dusty Baker throws Homer Bailey under the bus: April 17
Dusty throws Joey Votto under the bus: May 22
Jay Bruce: June 11
Dodgers’ most usual starting outfield, left to right: Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones, Delwyn Young
Number of times media points out that Joe Torre doesn’t know what he’s doing: 0
Number of times media will say that the Yankees would be winning with Torre: too many to count
Number of times Hank Steinbrenner says something stupid/insane: even more
Yankees not winning the division will be the fault of: A-Rod, of course
A-Rod’s numbers: .311/.430/.622, 47 HR
Best year nobody will notice because the team sucks: Roy Oswalt
New record: JJ Putz, 59 saves
Should have been a new record: Dusty benches Adam Dunn with two weeks to go, with Dunn trying to break the 200 strikeout plateau. Oh, and with 47 homers.
Worst team: Giants, 59-103
Best team: Red Sox, 100-62
Surprise team: Nats, above .500 until late July
Worst race: Cubs win NL Central by 12 games… with 87 wins
Best race: Braves, Phillies, Mets divided by three games
Most tediously overcovered race: AL East
Rangers finally turn catcher over to Saltalamacchia: Sept. 17
Stu’s new second-favorite team: Rays, when they pick Pedro Alvarez first overall
Worst token All-Star: Brian Wilson, Giants
Over/under on ESPN Beach Boy jokes about Wilson: 62 1/2, not counting repeats
Braves clinch: Saturday, Sept. 27, in Houston.
Last out: Brad Ausmus
Great picks- growing up quite a bit in Tampa, I’m all for the Rays turning the page and winning some games. But if they pick Alvarez, when they already have Longoria, I might cry.
Oh and if the Delgado prediction is even a little bit true, the Mets will be screwed. Can’t wait for the season.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:02 amGo Braves!
I will be somewhat surprised if Alvarez makes it to the major leagues as a 3B. He’s athletic with good hands, but he’s incredibly inconsistent defensively. His bat can carry any corner position, so I’d expect to see him as a LF (a la Pat the Bat) or a 1B eventually. Anyway, I think they’ll have a place for both Longoria and Petey.
And, if they do go for Commodores with the top pick in consecutive years, they will enter a tight race for my second-favorite team with the Indians, who have both Jeremy Sowers and Jensen Lewis, two guys I actually knew in school. Both really good guys, too, by the way. (Of course, I’m Facebook Friends with Price and Alvarez, so there’s that.)
March 20th, 2008 at 7:42 amStu,
March 20th, 2008 at 8:11 amYeah I am just worried because the Rays have been so incompetent for so long. But the buzz around town is excited- I was home for a bit last week and people were actually talking about them.
Hey –
Cross posted from end of previous thread:
Jair Jurrgens rated as one of the top 4 underrated prospects in baseball
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles/most-underrated-prospects.html
I think that’s a compliment of some kind…
March 20th, 2008 at 8:23 amThe ominous injury prediction is terrifying, though…
March 20th, 2008 at 8:25 amJust a note, Hudson vs. Verlander on SportSouth and MLB.TV tonight.
March 20th, 2008 at 8:47 amNicely done, Mac. I think your prediction about Williams is just plain Fun, Fun, Fun.
I definitely agree with Mac on the Giants’ chances this year; I don’t think anyone’s thinks they’re giving off Good Vibrations.
Frankly, that team plays like a bunch of California Girls.
.
.
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SLOOP JOHN B!!!!
March 20th, 2008 at 8:58 amWilson and his team certainly don’t make anyone smile.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:06 amI’ll take the over on ESPN Brian Wilson jokes, please. Anyone want to let me take their money?
March 20th, 2008 at 9:10 amAs I’ve mentioned before, this year’s Yankee season is about “the trade they didn’t make.”
So if and when the Yanks trail Boston for any extended period—assuming Hughes & Kennedy aren’t exactly lights-out—the talk will be about Brian Cashman “passing up Santana.”
Also, look for an ugly crash landing from their $12 Million #5 starter Mike Mussina.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:14 amI think you’re off on the Nats. They seriously overperformed sending out assorted retreads and rookies to the mound (were led in Ws by setup man Jon Rauch with 9, I think). They needed to pick up some real pitchers this winter and did nothing. I don’t think they’ll be as lucky this year. They’ve got in their lineup:
1. A newly roid-free 36 year old Paul lo Duca;
2. A two-headed first baseman, one coming off an 18-month recovery from a broken femur and one reporting 40 lbs over.
3. A two-headed shortstop, one with an OBP of .306 last year and one who was the worst hitter in the league in 2006.
4. A “high-upside” wifebeater;
5. This decade’s version of Dave Kingman;
6. Three above average hitters in Zim, Belliard and Milledge.
69-93. And never above .50 after April 15.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:39 amI’m really worried about the final pick. I hate Ausmus. Sumbitch kills us!
March 20th, 2008 at 10:00 amI’m really worried about the final pick. I hate Ausmus. Sumbitch kills us!
He is an excellent out maker though.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:03 amBraves clinch: Saturday, Sept. 27, in Houston.
That would be a nice birthday present for me. It’s also Mike Schmidt’s birthday, but he probably wouldn’t like it as much.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:25 amGo-o-o-o Georgia Bulldogs!
March 20th, 2008 at 11:41 amAh, hell. I had UGA as my cinderella. Well, that screws my bracket.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:38 pmRan out of gas, but it was a good run for sure.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:51 pmThe Nats just released John Patterson, their erstwhile ace. I’d say it’s the end of an era, but it really isn’t. Maybe they’ll find a pitcher off the scrap heap who stays healthy…
March 20th, 2008 at 1:13 pmPatterson semi-burned some bridges by refusing to accept doctors’s advice and just seeking additional opinions until he wound up in Canada seeking treatment for his arm nerve problem by going into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Not making this stuff up.
The real reason was that 1)the Lerners (new owners)are cheap and save a half-mil this way and 2) they didn’t want to send down Matt Chico, who they believe earned the right to stay with his performance last year. Still, he was supposedly the No. 2 starter as of yesterday.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:28 pmWow, Patterson’s a guy I would take a chance on. At his best, he had great stuff. I remember watching him pitch against Smoltz a couple of years ago and he was dominant. Of course, if the Nats are giving up on him, they must really think he’s done.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pmmy prediction…….april 17-18………braves lose two in a row…………blame and accusations fly among the braves journal posters. wild talk about the “curse of chris woodward” angry mobs surrounding bobbys’ house because kotsay is 1 for 23.others demanding a personal refund from mike hampton for screwing up “their” payroll. ……….several of them go off looking for tall structures to jump from and are never heard from again.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:33 pmYeah, but he was mostly living on a live fastball, and he wasn’t cracking 88 in spring training.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:47 pmI’ve seen Patterson pitch a few strong games, but his track record of injuries should scare most clubs away.
And then there’s the velocity factor…
March 20th, 2008 at 1:51 pmNumber of times “Andruw would have caught that” said here after flyball drops in center, right-center or left-center?
March 20th, 2008 at 2:30 pm@23,
Number of times that ball falls anywhere in the outfield.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:45 pmI think Tim Lincecum will beat out Roy Oswalt in the “best year ruined by an awful team” sweepstakes, and that this is the Brewers’ year once they move some people around to positions where their gloves won’t kill them.
If Patterson would accept a trip to Richmond, I’d sign him… but if Patterson would accept that trip, he wouldn’t be available.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:03 pm#23…
that’s until Schafer comes aboard in late August.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:09 pmI’m really liking all these crazy predictions. Keep it up guys!
March 20th, 2008 at 3:10 pm#23
Another question would be how many of those balls people would say would have been caught by Andruw would have really caught by Andruw. I say less than half…
March 20th, 2008 at 3:17 pmI think Tim Lincecum will beat out Roy Oswalt in the “best year ruined by an awful team” sweepstakes…
I’ll take his teammate, Matt Cain.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:21 pmI predict March 20th as the first time someone writes “I wish Arthur Blank would buy the Braves and increase payroll over $100mil regardless of how much money it causes the team to lose”.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:24 pmBest season no one will notice: Nick Markakis.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:33 pmBest season no one will notice, even though his team isn’t terrible: Michael Cuddyer.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:39 pmMichael Cuddyer sucks. And I will certainly notice Nick Markakis’ great season, as he is the cornerstone of my keeper team.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:49 pmI like Cuddyer’s arm.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:01 pmI’ll be noticing Markakis, meanwhile, because I have him in the Bravesjournal league, which I will lose because I forgot that steals didn’t matter and my top pick went to Jose Reyes.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:36 pmI badly need pitching in the Braves Journal league. Especially relief pitching, because I have no save accumulators, but starting pitching, too. Anyone besides the two good starters I have–Matt Cain and AJ Burnett–is available on my team. And I have a pretty good, deep offense, so someone make me an offer.
I got the the draft late (came in for my 3rd pick—fortunately, though I got two stealsy guys with the top two picks, they aren’t otherwise useless) and had to leave after Round 9, so only 10 or so of my picks (including ones from the queue I was able to fill up just before leaving) were actually my picks.
Not that anyone cares at this point. I just felt like sharing. Oh, and soliciting trade offers.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:54 pmNot to turn this into a fantasy baseball board, but I just messaged you, Stu.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:04 pmAlso, apparently, a UGA fan was holding a sign up today that said “Georgia basketball: a tradition since last Friday.” That’s setting the bar pretty high for fan signs.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:22 pmken rosenthal just picked us to win the world series.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:41 pmGod only knows where Braves Journal readers would be without Mac…
Number of times Ned Yost getting fired (according to Mac’s prediction) leads to posts questioning whether he’ll leapfrog TP as the heir apparent?
March 20th, 2008 at 7:00 pmBraves win 3-2 in bottom of ninth after Mike Hessman (!) made a retarded error and Josh Anderson got the winning hit.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:34 pmHudson went 6, looked sharp. Tyler Yates sucks.
Replay on. Too bad about UGA. They had absolutely nothing in the second half.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:10 pmJust bought Braves/Mets tix at Shea on Friday night, April 25. Seems like plenty of decent seats available. I’m in Section 7 of the Mezz, behind home plate.
If anyone’s headed to Shea that weekend, gimme a shout. I may go to the Saturday or Sunday game, too.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:55 pmMarch 21, 2008: Bobby Cox says about Tyler Yates (12 walks this spring), “he’s not wild, he’s just missing.”
September 2, 1939: Bobby Cox, Sr. says that “Poland is ok; those German soldiers barely got in there.”
March 21st, 2008 at 6:57 amI was at the Verizon center yesterday and all I will say is this. 33 free throws for Xavier, 5 for Georgia.
And that had nothing to do with fatigue.
That was the worst & most lopsided officiating I have seen in march Madness in years and I am still simmering angrily about it.
To the point, a couple of Xavier fans I talked to after the game on the Metro said, “yeah, we got the majority of the calls, that’s true.” (I was nice to them because it was one of the girls’ birthdays yesterday).
re: Miguel Ascancio
The Cubs cut him. We should pick him back up.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:11 amOur guy was Jose Ascanio.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:30 amIt was Jose Ascanio that the Cubs cut.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:11 amHe was just sent to AAA, not released.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:15 amWait, they did? Yeah, we should definitely pick him back up. He was good enough to net us a couple useful role players, and you can never have enough random assorted minor league live arms.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:16 amOh, OK. Alex didn’t provide a link, and I didn’t bother to look it up.
Plus, I knew Jose had options, so the “cutting” narrative made no sense.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:17 amHere’s the link. Yeah, they sent him to Iowa. The AJC awkwardly used the word “cut” — meaning, kicked from the varsity to the JV, not kicked to the floor.
I didn’t know whether he had options or not. Oh, well.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:23 amThey listed him as “being cut” and sorry for not providing a link.
Sorry, I went back to the link and the headline is “Cubs cut ex-Braves pitcher Ascancio making me think he was available.
Did anyone see the news that John Patterson was released by the Nationals??????
HERE’S THE LINK:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=3303750&campaign=rsssrch&source=atlanta+braves
Besides the obvious question of should we be taking a look, the Nationals are a team with HORRENDOUS starting pitching options. The last team that should be cutting a potential ace (if healthy) are the Nats.
Sorry, but I will say it again: Jim Bowden is an idiot.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:33 amYay I’m annoying!
Last call for the bravesjournal3 fantasy baseball league.
yahoo sports. league id = 140411. password = coxrox. live draft is scheduled for saturday the 22nd at 1:30pm EST.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:37 amSmoltz scratched for today due to shoulder tightness.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:58 amNot good. It may not be anything but the possibility of Smoltz starting the season on the DL is sobering.
March 21st, 2008 at 9:28 amI wonder what happened — did Smoltz accidently touch Hampton?
March 21st, 2008 at 9:35 amStiffness means he didn’t feel free and easy with his delivery. He probably would have went if it were in the season. No need to pitch through it in the Spring though. I’m not worried.
March 21st, 2008 at 9:43 amYeah, I’m not worried about stiffness. Plus, Smoltz is a BA.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:06 am“Stiffness” can be something they call an injury they don’t know about yet. I’m not saying it’s a big deal, but he is a guy that has a history of arm problems.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:06 amHe might have woke up with a minor pain and just didn’t wanna pitch today.
Though if he’s hurt, we’re effed in the blank.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:22 amFrom the AJC: “Smoltz said if it were a regular-season game, he would have started. “That’d be a no-brainer,” he said.”
Good to know.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:32 amSpam filter got me but please see my comments now added late, via Mac, at 53.
My apologies again on the Ascancio mix up.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:34 amRe: Patterson, I did notice it, and wrote it up at CnC. I’m guessing that we won’t be able to pick him up — there are too many people who’d act first. Plus, I hear he’s a bit of a diva.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:19 pmWow, Ryan Drese is horrible. 5 walks, a hit batter and 4 runs given up in 1 inning.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:28 pmSix walks.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:29 pmAdd to the predictions – Drese will not make the team.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:39 pmSix runs now.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm