01 Sep
September game thread: Sept 1, Nats at Braves
This is the home stretch, guys. You don’t even have to play that well to make the postseason.
SEC Picks, home teams in CAPS:
ALABAMA 48, Kent State 6
MSU 26, MEMPHIS 7
Kentucky 30, Western Kentucky 20
AUBURN 56, Utah State 21
OLE MISS 34, BYU 23
FLORIDA 54, Fla. Atlantic 0
ARKANSAS 63, Missouri State 12
SOUTH CAROLINA 21, East Carolina 13
VANDY 45, Elon 10
GEORGIA 34, Boise State 31
Montana 7, TENNESSEE 6
Thanks for the Georgia pick, Mac. Hope you’re right.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:06 pmNo LSU/Oregon pick?
September 1st, 2011 at 3:10 pmGood to see Mac’s picks back
My barber says:
September 1st, 2011 at 3:13 pmALABAMA 55, Kent State 10
MSU 34, MEMPHIS 14
Kentucky 30, Western Kentucky 7
AUBURN 40, Utah State 28
OLE MISS 14, BYU 28
FLORIDA 42, Fla. Atlantic 18
ARKANSAS 63, Missouri State 6
SOUTH CAROLINA 32, East Carolina 9
VANDY 30, Elon 10
GEORGIA 21, Boise State 23
Montana 12, TENNESSEE 42
LSU 21, Oregon 26
Agree with Spike, what about LSU/Oregon? Kind of left off an important one there.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:15 pmApparently, all the weight I lost due to various cancer treatments has put an end to my diabetes. Yes, cancer is the cure for diabetes.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:20 pmI picked Oregon 51, LSU 0 after the Jefferson suspension. More seriously: Oregon 38, LSU 16.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:21 pmMac’s weekly Tennessee pick never fails to make me laugh.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:29 pmWe just released Wes Helms. I wonder if we even bothered to make him a uniform.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:45 pm@5, Not a bad silver lining.
September 1st, 2011 at 3:50 pmSo as far as the roster goes, we apparently designated AAA LHP Dustin Richardson for assignment (according to DOB), moving him off the 40-man roster and making room for Wilson. (FYI Richardson cleared waivers and accepted his Gwinnett assignment.) So, given that Moylan, Medlen and Stephen Marek are all on the 60-day DL, it seems that we have 39 guys on the roster now. That would go to 40 when Moylan gets activated, but that would mean that we don’t have to dump Lugo or a reliever to get to 40. We should be good. Now, we might dump Lugo, who will be pretty useless with Wilson there, and that would make room for a Pastornicky, Gartrell or Gomez, but by my count, we don’t have to do anything else to get to 40.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:13 pmLugo would make a pretty good pinch-runner in September, no?
September 1st, 2011 at 4:16 pmDidn’t seen anyone post the lineup, so here goes:
1. Bourn CF
September 1st, 2011 at 4:18 pm2. Pressure on the Defense LF
3. McCann C
4. Uggla 2B
5. Jones 3B
6. Hinske 1B
7. Heyward RF
8. Gonzalez SS
9. Hudson P
Yeah, but so would Hicks, who’s already on the 40-man. Though admittedly Lugo would be eligible to pinch-run in the playoffs, while Hicks would not, barring injury.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:19 pmCongratulations, Mac, if that’s the right word.
By the way: Mets, LOL.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:28 pmWhat is this nonsense, starting Constanza in place of Prado and not Heyward?
September 1st, 2011 at 4:33 pmHave you seen Prado’s numbers lately? There isnt much difference between he and Heyward.
September 1st, 2011 at 4:40 pmDays off for Prado & Freeman… why not? (Hope Hinske can hang onto the ball tonight.)
Also, I don’t mind the fast guy returning to the lineup vs. the extreme sinkerballer.
September 1st, 2011 at 5:00 pmMac I was afraid you’d go and do something like that.
September 1st, 2011 at 5:06 pm@16
September 1st, 2011 at 5:08 pmI think he was being sarcastic.
Hey, jorgbacca, any feelings about BYU this weekend?
September 1st, 2011 at 5:10 pmJurrjens is going to see Dr. Steadman (apparently the knee equivalent of Dr. Andrews) about his knee after a bad bullpen session and will probably miss Sunday’s start per DOB.
September 1st, 2011 at 5:10 pmLets see it supposed to be 96 degrees with a 113 degree heat index. I’ll be there and I’m sure BYU will somehow cramp less in the heat than we will. They have a good quarterback and we had one of the worst secondaries in the country last season. We have to have improved a great deal over last year to have a chance.
September 1st, 2011 at 5:24 pmAnd it’s Barry Brunetti’s first career start.
I’d probably give Brandon Bolden about 50 carries.
September 1st, 2011 at 5:30 pmJorgbacca,
You’re giving us wayyyyyy too much credit. Jake Heaps will not start another year for BYU. JJ Di Luigi should not be a starting RB at the Division I level. And our receivers… well, our receivers.
I’m going with the Utah State/Boise State upsets this weekend, but no way does BYU beat an SEC team this year. I’m thinking an 0-3 start vs. Ole Miss, Texas, and Utah.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:03 pmTo psych them out, the band should play songs from Book Of Mormon during the game.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:16 pmI vote we let the dog from the commercial that sits Fredi for Bar in the Park night manage the team
September 1st, 2011 at 6:24 pmYes Constanza, you took the fun out of that home run.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:27 pmMCCANN!
And misapplied pressure on the defense.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:27 pmGreat job, Jose!
September 1st, 2011 at 6:28 pmDesert (@24),
I’m not too sure if I agree with your BYU comments. Heaps was pretty good as a true freshman, and has the tools to be a BYU great, which is saying something. To say that he will not start another year at BYU makes no sense to me at all. Diluigi does well within the BYU scheme (catches the ball very well out of the backfield), and there are other backs to do things that he can’t do. To say that BYU won’t beat an SEC team this year – I don’t get that either. They wouldn’t beat LSU or Alabama on the road, but I think Saturday is a pick-em game. Ole Miss didn’t set the world on fire last year, so there are question marks. You seem pretty dismissive for game one of the year.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:33 pmChipper! I’ve got some friends who’ll be a mite disappointed with his next two home runs, though, since he’ll tie and pass Yaz on the all-time list.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:45 pm26: May well have been Constanza running on his own. In which case: still dumb, but not a symptom of a long-term problem, at least.
Also, anyone else listening to the commercials on the radio feed, wondering exactly who the hell wants to talk to their “banker”? No one cares. The day we are able to do all our tedious banking tasks through machines rather than waiting in line for surly tellers will be a happy day.
September 1st, 2011 at 6:50 pmChipper with the power surge.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:04 pmThere are a bunch of empty seats at the Wisconsin game. Hard to imagine that at an SEC for a home opener on a Thursday on national television.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:07 pmI am in Hilton Head, SC. Ergo, I am in Braves Blackout Country on MLB.tv.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:07 pmI’m in Baltimore and I can’t watch them, John.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:14 pmWay to go, Hinske!!!
September 1st, 2011 at 7:16 pmCan we get refunds? This is beyond ridiculous. What a ripoff. Who are they marketing their product to? I like baseball but not enough to watch teams who aren’t the Braves at these prices.
UPDATE: Oh, yeah! Go Hinske! [/quit yer bitchin' and root for your team!]
September 1st, 2011 at 7:17 pmNice rip Jason.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:17 pmI’m afraid I don’t understand this ‘ beating the nationals’ thing.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:20 pmWell, AAG hits after him, so it’s all for naught.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:20 pm40: It is rather a unique experience. I’d like to keep the sensation going.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:22 pmBethany,
September 1st, 2011 at 7:22 pmAre u sure? When I was in B’more this summer (OK, Glen Burnie), I watched the Braves on my iPhone app, which is the same thing, really.
@43 I have no idea what the issue is. I thought maybe it was that my 4g modem (no cable internet here) was giving me a weird IP address, but that’s not it, and any attempts to chat on the phone have been wastes of time.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:24 pmBethany: Isn’t Baltimore blackout country for the Nationals? I thought the Nats and Orioles had pretty much fully coextensive TV markets (on MASN)–part of the deal that brought the Nats to Washington, as I recall.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:30 pmMobile internet blackout regions are based on billing address I thought. Maybe a cell internet plan from a non-blackout state would work bethany. Got any relatives up north whose residency you could borrow?
September 1st, 2011 at 7:31 pmPerhaps PeteOrr/46 is correct about mobile Internet, but if it is going geographically, I checked the blackout map (http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3157&Itemid=170) and confirmed that a person in Baltimore is supposed to be blacked out for Nationals games.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:35 pm@46 Unfortunately, no. @45 Doesn’t matter who the opponent has been, I can’t see them. I actually watched a Phillies/Mets game, so it must be the cell bill thing.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:35 pmI went to NY recently and was able to watch Braves games on my phone after it verified my location. My billing address for my phone and mlb.tv is smack in blackout zone.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:47 pmCan you just go to a sports bar or something? The Nats have to be on TV in Baltimore somewhere.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:49 pmConstanza is hitting .000/.000/.000 in September. Cold hand.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:49 pm@50 And be OUTSIDE at night in this city? No way.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:50 pmReally? You’re never going to step outside at night the entire time you live there?
September 1st, 2011 at 7:52 pmNot if I can help it. Kids get mugged here during the day just walking the two blocks from school to their home.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:54 pmHis name is A-Gon!
September 1st, 2011 at 7:56 pmI’m not sure about pulling Hudson here, especially since we just used O’Ventbrel last night.
September 1st, 2011 at 7:57 pmBoy, huddy is pissed and at 86 pitches, he probably should be.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:00 pmStrongly disagree with pulling Hudson there.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:00 pmWith a large WC lead and a September bullpen, I’m in favor of pulling starters early the rest of the season.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:05 pm34 – It’s a sellout, but ok.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:06 pmBut we’re not in favor of overusing O’Ventbrel. We don’t want the magic going away in October.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:06 pm54 – I walked around every day and night when I lived there. True, I’m a guy, but it really depends on the neighborhood and your own sense. What neighborhood do you live in?
September 1st, 2011 at 8:08 pm@59 That might make sense if we were utilizing the enlarged bullpen, but I’m betting it will be straight O’Ventbrel. Hudson is one of the few starters we have who can actually eat some innings, and he just got extra rest, so let him take some weight off the pen in a tight game. If he went even one more, we could have avoided using Kimbrel for a third game in a row by pushing backing O’Flaherty and Venters, for instance.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:08 pmI think what everyone’s missing is that Kimbrel got some work in on Tuesday in that 9-2 loss. That makes him good to go for the rest of the week and possibly into next week!
September 1st, 2011 at 8:11 pmAlso, does Fredi know Conrad is a switch hitter? I’m seriously asking.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:11 pmIs the dog sitting next to Gonzalez in the commercial for ‘Bark in the Park’ night at Turner Field his lineup adviser?
September 1st, 2011 at 8:18 pmIt talks to Fredi. See “Son of Sam” for more details.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:21 pmNo, Smitty said the dog’s too smart for that.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:21 pm@62 You’re underestimating the significance of you being a guy. I’m near Penn Station.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:22 pmThat split looked painful.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:27 pmQuick, someone get Todd Coffey an emergency hamburger. That guy is a disgraceful blob. Maybe some of these “athletes” like Coffey need to set a better example. We go after steroid users, yet we avoid those who have hand-to-mouth disease even though obesity is a deadlier killer.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:28 pmYes. Then we’ll kick out the smokers and dippers. Then the drinkers. And once all unhealthy habits have been excised from baseball, we’ll have two teams, both made up entirely of Mormons.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:30 pmThere have been plenty of good, overweight ball players. The NFL is the one with all the fat athletes though.
How prevalent is chewing tobacco in the game? Also seems to be a lot of drunks.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:31 pmReally hope this isn’t the innings starting to catch up to Venters.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:34 pmBunch of nailbiters to kick off the college football season.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:35 pmTime to go get Venters.
Or not? One more Jonny!
September 1st, 2011 at 8:36 pmWell crap, Chipper!
None of this would be happening if Fredi had given work to Venters in that 9-2 loss…
September 1st, 2011 at 8:37 pmThat strikeout was so clutch. He’s like the Jeter of left handed relievers.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:40 pmThat strikeout was also so clutch.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:41 pmDespite the ump’s best efforts, Venters got out of it.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:41 pmWell that could’ve been a lot worse.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:41 pmThat Venters is so hot right now.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:42 pmAfter Venters got the first strike on Ramos, he went into full beast mode.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:42 pmHey, I’m not leaving out the tobacco users either. Athletes, in general, should maintain a healthy lifestyle. That’s what separates them from us normal folks (NFL linemen aside in this discussion, as they must be the size of small cars). I understand that parenting plays a large role, but these guys get lots of media time to show kids an example, positive or negative. The negative makes a bigger impression. So the David Wells and Terry Forster obesity or the Chipper tobacco use is just not a good thing for them personally or for sending a message to folks.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:42 pmConstanza’s speed would have made that a home run instead of a triple.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:47 pmSAC F*#$%ING FLY!!!!
September 1st, 2011 at 8:49 pmStretching that to a triple actually ended up mattering. Nice.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:49 pmHeyward still sucks.
#speedismyfather
September 1st, 2011 at 8:49 pmWow. AAG drives in two runs on two separate non-failures in one game. Maybe the pickup of Jack Wilson spurred his bat to new life.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:49 pmIt has been a sac fly bonanza lately!
September 1st, 2011 at 8:50 pmI like AAG batting 8th.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:50 pm85: Nope. The pressure on the defense would have caused the outfielder to bobble the ball trying to hurry it to the cutoff man, thus resulting in an error scoring Georgie’s run. Still be a triple…
89: He looked at Wilson’s stat line and said, “Okay, no more messing around. I gotta pick up my game now or no more batting 7th!”
September 1st, 2011 at 8:51 pm@84,
My take is that they’re adults, and thus can smoke, drink, dip, eat 8,000 calories a day or do any other legal activity they want. As long as it’s not affecting their performance (Melky), it really shouldn’t matter. Their profession shouldn’t matter because “the kids are watching”.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:52 pmSo Todd Coffey is a bad example because he’s fat.
But O-linemen are okay, because it’s part of the job.
When do we get to talk about wide receivers who murder people in the street (AND use HGH?)
Of all the “role-model” nonsense to complain about… seriously? Being fat?
September 1st, 2011 at 8:55 pmAnd Mac, I’m certainly not warring with you or anyone else on the board on this topic. I have just always felt that guys who get paid lots of money to be professional athletes (the ability to afford personal trainers, nutritionists, etc) should keep their bodies in prime condition AND set a good example for everyone, especially kids. Heck, all of that aside, team owners have made an investment in these players, so they should do it out of contractual obligation and a sense of duty. There’s no reason for players to show up out of shape for spring training or for drinking milkshakes from Chik-fil-A instead of running.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:56 pmCome on, jjschiller, don’t bring in the strawman about murderers. I never excused them or the ones who use PEDs.
Is Coffey an offensive lineman? No.
September 1st, 2011 at 8:59 pmEasy peasy
September 1st, 2011 at 9:00 pmCheer up, Nats. You did get a single against Craig, and that’s more than most teams manage. Your honor is preserved.
Fortunately, so is our win.
September 1st, 2011 at 9:00 pmSo, Kimbrel’s K/9 is up to what now 19.something?
Just heard Joe Simpson say Kimbrel has struck out 2 or more in each of his last 9 appearances. Sheesh, I bet when opponents DON’T strike out, they go back to the dugout and brag they made contact.
September 1st, 2011 at 9:03 pmDid we just take a series against the Nationals? Yes! Did we get outscored 12 to 9 doing it? Yes.
I’ll take it!
September 1st, 2011 at 9:04 pmForget the role-model aspect – Coffey is an assault on the eyes. We watch people play games with balls for the beauty of parabolas and the grace of muscle-bound bruisers perfectly controlling their bodies. And then there’s Coffey, waddling out to the mound, disgracing athletes everywhere.
September 1st, 2011 at 9:06 pmTodd Coffey gives the average man hope that he too can be a professional athlete.
September 1st, 2011 at 9:08 pmRecap includes Phil Fulmer fat joke. Yeah, it’s football season.
September 1st, 2011 at 9:09 pmIf you think kids are eating McDonalds because Todd Coffey is fat, you’re an idiot.
Todd Coffey is nobody’s role model.
But if I had a kid who was overweight, I’d show him that players like Heath Bell, Todd Coffey, and Eric Hinske are able to play baseball at the highest level, even though they struggle to control their weight. Maybe it would make him feel better about getting beat up at school.
September 1st, 2011 at 9:11 pm