17 Mar
41
So it’s my birthday again. For a while there, it wasn’t too clear that I’d make it this far, but so far, so good. Thanks to everybody who’s been there for this past year.
Braves News (Official)- Braves News (AJC)
- Atlanta Braves: Freeman not getting protection in Braves lineup
- Atlanta Braves: Sizzling Freeman doing his best Kelly Leak
- Atlanta Braves: Braves scoring, winning despite leadoff deficiency
- Atlanta Braves: After 2 months of struggling, B.J.'s got it going
- Atlanta Braves: Braves' Gattis keeps making it look easy
Happy birthday, Mac!
March 17th, 2012 at 10:43 amHappy birthday!
March 17th, 2012 at 10:56 amHere’s to many more birthday posts!
March 17th, 2012 at 11:12 amHappy birthday, and many more.
March 17th, 2012 at 11:13 amHappy birthday Mac!
My fiancé asked about you recently and I’m glad I have something to report!
March 17th, 2012 at 11:32 amHappy Birthday, Mac!
March 17th, 2012 at 11:48 amQuestion about the Braves Journal bracket- What are the bonus points that you can receive, and why do I only have 6 and the leader has 44?
March 17th, 2012 at 12:21 pmHappy birthday, Mac.
http://youtu.be/Te9R-J5i1Qs
March 17th, 2012 at 12:21 pmHappy Birthday, Mac
March 17th, 2012 at 12:49 pmHappy birthday Mac! Thanks for this site! On another note, I just discovered that I can watch both of todays games on mlb.tv at the same time!
March 17th, 2012 at 1:26 pm@7
You get points for upsets.
Pastornicky just had a really good AB
March 17th, 2012 at 1:59 pmHappy birthday, Mac!
March 17th, 2012 at 2:30 pmMy God, Chris Woodward is still around
March 17th, 2012 at 2:33 pmHappy birthday Mac!
March 17th, 2012 at 2:38 pmMany happy returns, Mac.
March 17th, 2012 at 3:45 pmHope you’re having a great birthday!
March 17th, 2012 at 3:46 pmHope it’s a great one, Mac!
March 17th, 2012 at 3:52 pmhappy birthday mac. appropriately, the braves graced the day with not only one but two (mighty irrelevant) wins.
on a more serious note, chris medlen went 4 innings today. he might get a shot at starting again, or am i mistaken? i hope not.
March 17th, 2012 at 4:29 pmHappy birthday Mac.
March 17th, 2012 at 5:06 pmHappy birthday, Mac!
Well, i just beat Mass Effect 3. I can definitely see why so many people are upset.
March 17th, 2012 at 5:30 pmHappy Birthday, Mac.
March 17th, 2012 at 5:52 pmHere Bethany:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H_A7SeawU4
March 17th, 2012 at 6:16 pmHappy birthday, Mac—here’s to 41 more.
And Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all. It’s about time for a Guinness, I think.
March 17th, 2012 at 6:21 pm@22 Yeah, that’s spot on, and so is the Hitler spoof.
March 17th, 2012 at 6:30 pmHappy birthday Mac. Have a good one!
March 17th, 2012 at 6:36 pmStu / Stephen,
Trying to put my obvious bias aside, I think the inequitable treatment with fouls went well beyond that last rebound. I have never seen so many charges called, and the same plays ended up as blocks on the other end. Very frustrating.
Overall, I will take this as a good season, SEC championship and all. The refs just helped it end sooner than it should have.
March 17th, 2012 at 7:42 pmI hate-hate-hate crying about officiating.
VU wons an evenly-called game by 10+. That was just unbelievable.
Of course, Jenkins could’ve just hit one of those open looks he got down the stretch and it’d be moot, but it’s still infuriating.
March 17th, 2012 at 7:44 pmThe officials were terrible the whole game. Unfortunately for Vandy, Jenkins & Taylor weren’t much better.
March 17th, 2012 at 8:06 pmWhile everyone’s been distracted by the NCAA Tourney and dancing on Duke’s grave – and rightly so, mind you – the Braves have won three in a row and started to resemble a major league baseball club down in Orlando.
Spring results are still meaningless, of course.
But Dan Uggla is crushing the ball a little, nonetheless.
And in other good news from spring training, Chase Utley is still out for the Phils.
March 17th, 2012 at 8:18 pmDid anyone get to watch Hanson when he pitched the other day? My brother says the hitch in his delivery is popping back up when he throws the curve.
March 17th, 2012 at 8:25 pmWhen you lose a game by one possession, there are a lot of “what ifs” that change the outcome. The officiating was just one of them.
All the offensive fouls called were huge as we lost possessions and were put into foul trouble all at once.
March 17th, 2012 at 8:27 pmBraves should really consider starting Medlen in the rotation to begin the season while Huddy is out. Nice start by him today.
Happy Birthday Mac
March 17th, 2012 at 8:32 pmIf Medlen starts in the rotation and Delgado and Teheran both start in AAA, there will be 3 bullpen spots available and the Braves will be in the same boat they were in last year. There’s no way Fredi trusts significant innings to any of the other bullpen candidates. The only way Venters, Kimbrel, and O’Flaherty don’t get overworked is if Medlen is in the bullpen as well (or if Vizcaino stays healthy, which is highly doubtful).
On a side note, Parraz and Sutton are destroying the baseball and if we’re giving the last 2 bench spots to guys that can actually help the team should Chipper sit, it would be these 2. Here’s hoping that the Braves don’t drink the Constanza kool-aid.
March 17th, 2012 at 8:56 pmDont trust stats on Spring Training fastballs.
March 17th, 2012 at 9:07 pmI like Sutton, though. And I’m feeling hopeful about Heyward’s new swing.
March 17th, 2012 at 9:14 pmI’d give Jordan Parraz a long look. Sutton seems a little long in the tooth.
March 17th, 2012 at 9:15 pmEither one could be the new Matt Diaz. By which I mean either is welcome to Matt Diaz’s locker, as far as I’m concerned.
March 17th, 2012 at 9:33 pmCan the braves handle this winning streak in the all important ST?
March 17th, 2012 at 10:17 pmParraz is a worthy 4th/5th outfielder if he can still handle CF (minor league numbers shows he hasnt played there since ’08). The alternative would be Durango or Constanza. I’m not reading too much into ST fastballs, rather putting stock in a better player for a last bench spot.
And Sutton can hit. He deserves the spot, no question. He’s proven himself enough and is only solidifying his numbers with a great spring.
March 17th, 2012 at 10:34 pmHappy birthday, Mac! It’s usually kind of weird congratulating someone for getting a year older, but you’ve had to fight for your year, and I respect that. Have a good one, man.
March 17th, 2012 at 11:23 pmWeird that the Braves beat the Mets by beating up on Chuck James.
March 18th, 2012 at 12:34 amHappy birthday Mac. Many happy returns.
March 18th, 2012 at 6:32 amI’ll take one from the Parraz/Sutton group and one from the Constanza/Durango group. That would seem to fulfill all the expected duties of the 4th/5th OF spots.
March 18th, 2012 at 6:41 amFreddie Freeman runs like a caveman.
March 18th, 2012 at 7:00 amIn light of recent comments, Freddie has informed me that we will not be seeing him at the pancake social tomorrow.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:12 am@33 – It will be interesting to see how Fredi uses Medlen; will he really use him to take some of the load off the big 3, or will he just be the 6th inning guy? If the latter, he might be more valuable as a fifth starter. Hopefully, it’s just for a month either way.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:19 amray @33 – so, Constanza beats out a double play, steals second to avoid an inning-ending double play and scores on a single.
Barry Bonds? No. Effective and valuable? Absolutely.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:46 am@46 It would probably be best not to hyper-define Medlen’s role — ideally, he’ll be the glue guy. The new Oscar Villarreal. (Don’t laugh, Oscar wasn’t bad…)
@47 I agree — the bench has room for one pesky fast dude, whether Constanza or Durango.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:46 amSorry I missed your birthday, Mac. I was in “get the kid to the Prom” mode.
I’m pretty sure my wedding didn’t cost as much as this stupid Prom.
Anyway, Happy Birthday, Mac! You’re the best.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:48 am@46 Freddie lacked a reliable 4th reliever last year. If Hudson is back in May Medlin can be a starter early on. It may depend on how the SPs avoid injury and whether the young pircherss develop. It is complicated emough to make my head hurt.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:51 amHappy Birthday, Mac!!
March 18th, 2012 at 9:42 amHappy birthday, Mac. Have a great day, a great year, a great decade, etc. I look forward to checking your blog when we’re both octogenarians.
March 18th, 2012 at 9:44 am@46, 50, most teams lack a reliable third reliever, let alone a fourth one. Any offensive uptick will go a much longer way towards resolving the problem, more so than acquiring a reliable 4th reliever, not that that wouldn’t be a great thing to have. One run games/extra inning games just have too little margin for error regardless of your pitching options.
March 18th, 2012 at 10:04 amHappy late birthday Mac!
I see no harm in starting Medlen in the rotation and moving him to the pen when Huddy’s back. Lots of positives to it: Keep the kids on the farm, slowing their arb-clocks; maybe increase Medlen’s stock for a potential future trade, perhaps even prove to OUR brass that he can handle it, making a trade higher on the depth chart possible; give yourself a longer look to see which of Delgado and Teheran should make the jump first in case of injury, instead of having to decide based on Spring Training; also, have the maximum number of guys stretched out early on, in case Jurrjens or Hanson makes 4 starts and hits the DL again.
Only negative I can find is that starters go fewer innings early on, meaning more bullpen innings. And you’d like Medlen there to eat up some of them.
All of this, to me, is trumped by the fact that I feel Medlen will do the best job. On April 4, in my mind, he’ll be the best bet of those three to go out and get big league hitters out twice and three times through the lineup.
March 18th, 2012 at 10:32 am@54 I agree. I love watching Medlen pitch and I’m rooting for him to earn a spot in the rotation.
March 18th, 2012 at 12:17 pmI should have put this picture up before.
March 18th, 2012 at 12:53 pmWon’t be long before you reach 44.
March 18th, 2012 at 12:58 pmMinor pitching another great game.
I’d like to see Medlen fill in for Hudson during April too. But if he does come out of the pen, I hope Fredi recognizes that he has a reverse platoon split. He should not be a right-handed specialist.
March 18th, 2012 at 1:11 pmFredi has been talking about Medlen’s changeup against LH’rs, so its promising….
David O’Brien –
Do you think there is a chance the both Jordan Parraz and Luis Durango make the team with Matty Diaz being the odd man out? — VaBravesFan
I think Parraz OR Durango could make the team, but not both. No, I don’t see Diaz getting dropped.
March 18th, 2012 at 1:19 pmTERRRRR-DOSSS-LA-VICH!
Nice standup double there.
March 18th, 2012 at 1:49 pmDid anyone notice that Mark Bowman wrote that Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel “do not like the O’Ventbrel tag that some chose to use last year”?
Lame. So what are we supposed to call them?
Jim Powell used to call them “Sit down,” “Shut up,” and “Go home.” I wonder if they’d like that better.
March 18th, 2012 at 2:01 pmParraz with two bad errors in the last three games. If you can’t catch a fly ball….
March 18th, 2012 at 2:27 pm@61, Sounds like another sign that DOB has lost the clubhouse.
March 18th, 2012 at 2:29 pmMac, I too am glad that you continue to be not dead. On the one hand, I approve of your not dead nature in general terms. On the other, I’m pretty sure that your inheritors will ban me from the site before your blood even cools. So, YAY MAC LIVING!
xoxo,
s/
March 18th, 2012 at 2:29 pmBravo, Mac.
March 18th, 2012 at 2:47 pmHappy Birthday, Mac.
March 18th, 2012 at 3:11 pmHappy (late) birthday Mac.
Let’s go Creighton.
March 18th, 2012 at 4:58 pmHot damn, these Braves are on some kinda hot streak! We’re 4-1-2 in our last 7 games.
March 18th, 2012 at 5:34 pmTo paraphrase a great philosopher, we’re all day to day.
March 18th, 2012 at 6:28 pm@69, no doubt. And we’re all in this together.
That said, I’m not happy about losing to a dog.
/bracket fail.
March 18th, 2012 at 6:51 pm@70 brackets are graded on curve
March 18th, 2012 at 7:04 pmMy final 4 are all still in it, but all my bonus guesses failed. As it goes…
March 18th, 2012 at 7:22 pmI, for one, welcome our new dog overlord.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:40 pmAJC Sportswriter Furman Bisher has passed away.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:50 pm@70 and 73-
I’m torn. Are we at least losing to a big dog? Because then it’d be OK. But if it is one of those shitty little overgrown rat dogs, then I’m siding with Urlhix.
March 18th, 2012 at 8:53 pmI know better than to expect much appreciation for Furman Bisher here — but he wrote in a particular style that I grew up reading (Lieb, Runyon, Rice…yeah, I was a weird kid), and did it for so long that he eventually had it all to himself. Style doesn’t matter much anymore, because it isn’t a debatable topic. All that matters now is constructing and defending an argument. But nobody the AJC sports section has ever employed could match Bisher’s ability to paint a picture, and I always loved him for that. RIP
March 18th, 2012 at 9:27 pmHerzlichen Gluckwunsch zum Geburtstag, Mac!
March 18th, 2012 at 10:13 pmGruesse aus Boulder, Co.
I’ll join you in wishing him peace in his passing, Sam. I don’t believe I much cared for the man or his beliefs. But he had talent, and cared about the team I care for.
Also, I kinda bet we were all weird kids.
March 18th, 2012 at 10:22 pmAll that said, congrats to Mac for realizing a stated life ambition.
March 19th, 2012 at 6:03 amHe’s a Labrador. Picks made based on which retrieving dummy he’d pick up.
March 19th, 2012 at 7:31 amBelated Happy Birthday Mac.
Is it baseball season yet?
March 19th, 2012 at 7:39 amHappy Birthday Mac.
I guess it will be safe for the Braves to sign Japanese players now. I will give Bisher a break to some extent on that because Pearl Harbor was to his generation what 9/11 is to ours and, in a lot of ways, worse.
March 19th, 2012 at 7:55 amI think we all know which Braves Journal frequenter is most enraged to be losing to a dog.
March 19th, 2012 at 9:39 amI guess it will be safe for the Braves to sign Japanese players now.
As long as the gentlemen we sign are cool with playing in Pearl, Mississippi…
March 19th, 2012 at 9:43 am@84,
Stu,
I think it would be worse if there was a U.S. city named Hiroshima.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:13 amHappy late birthday from Vietnam, Mac!!
March 19th, 2012 at 10:41 amHa, I wasn’t even thinking about Pearl Harbor. I was just referring to the Braves’ handling of the last Japanese player they signed.
March 19th, 2012 at 10:52 amI guess Tim Tebow is aobut to be traded.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:31 amSo glad I won’t be seeing orange jerseys at Titans games.
March 19th, 2012 at 11:56 amHappy Birthday, Mac.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:01 pmThank you for the fine picture of Eddie.
Can’t wait to see what you post for Hank.
Then Glavine is next at 47, right?
There’s an hilarious story about Bisher and Hunter S. Thompson driving around together at a Super Bowl in Miami.
The details might surprise you.
RIP, Furman.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:35 pmRIP-Furman Bisher….I remember him with more sympathy than many as Aaron, RF is one of the first baseball books that I read. Bisher was a writer from another era and wrote about sports in Atlanta (and the South) at an interesting time. His work may well repay another look….
March 19th, 2012 at 12:39 pmPersonal predictions on the Tebow/Manning situation.
1) In Peyton’s first year Denver won’t be a whole lot better than last year. Manning’s stats will obviously be better, but he’ll be looked on as a disappointment (reason: I’m not impressed with the Broncos’ overall passing game and I don’t expect the players other than the qb to be appreciably better next year).
2) Manning will get a much better supporting cast and things will improve quite a bit in year 2.
3) Tebow will again show some flashes of competence in Miami and will be a little better statistically than 2011.
4) Tebow will eventually either be released or traded again starting the 2013 season and will look at playing a backup role after that.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:46 pm@93
I think the Broncos will find another target for Manning.
I agree with your Tebow predictions
March 19th, 2012 at 12:54 pmI see Sansho remembered that life goal of mine. I won’t say anything bad about the recently departed.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:55 pmRoster cuts: Gattis, Gilmartin, Chapman, Hoover, Avilan, Redmond. No surprises.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:58 pmReally surprised Manning didnt end up at Tennessee. He owns that state already. I wonder how much control he’ll have in Denver and I really cant believe someone gave him a 5/95 deal.
March 19th, 2012 at 12:58 pm96–No surprises, but I would love to see Redmond get his chance at some point this season….
March 19th, 2012 at 1:03 pmjusthank – please relay the story about the Good Doctor and Furman Bisher.
March 19th, 2012 at 3:16 pmHB, Mac. Hope you’re doing well over there.
March 19th, 2012 at 5:47 pm@97
The media was pushing it so hard and people claimed to have sources about him coming. I am not sure he ever was. The one thing about Peyton is he doesn’t tip his hand.
It sounds like he was going there all along. It is a better team and a better chance to win over the next few years.
March 19th, 2012 at 8:26 pmI also love how Clay Travis thought he had the hook up and knew Peyton was a Titan. Now, he is calling Peyton out.
March 19th, 2012 at 8:55 pmClay Travis is a tool.
March 19th, 2012 at 9:50 pm@97 He already owns one state, may as well work on owning two!
March 19th, 2012 at 11:01 pmI’m assuming the Tebow-Francoeur comparisons have already been done to death here and that I’ve just missed them.
March 20th, 2012 at 3:52 am@105
But they’re both winners!!!
March 20th, 2012 at 7:58 am@105,
That’s why Denver will trade Tebow to the Chiefs. Can you imagine one city having both Tebow and Francoeur? It would be awesome!
March 20th, 2012 at 8:41 amhttp://tinyurl.com/6pklmxk
Just me or does this have the feel that the Braves still have Pastornicky in the lead for the SS battle? Bowman and DOB have been reporting that Pastornicky is now more relaxed and playing better. DOB went as far as talking about Pastornicky’s latest 1-3 game and how great his AB’s were in that game.
March 20th, 2012 at 10:41 amI watched Pastornicky the other night have two really good ABs. When I saw him play last year in AA, he had some really good AB’s too.
March 20th, 2012 at 11:03 amPer DOB, Vizcaino having Tommy John surgery today.
March 20th, 2012 at 11:11 amGood thing they didn’t take care of that last year….
March 20th, 2012 at 11:54 amDid the Braves let him visit with Dr. Andrews last year or was it just the Braves medical staff decision to let him rest that partial tear in his throwing arm?
Apparently, someone made a very bad decision.
March 20th, 2012 at 12:04 pmI was just thinking that surgery could have gone down 9 months ago.
March 20th, 2012 at 12:04 pmNot really sure how to read into these tweets.
•#Braves haven’t ruled out Medlen for the Hudson fill-n duty in April, Fredi G. said. Medlen will start a minor league game this wk. 1 hour ago
•Wren also made it clear #Braves planning on Medlen for bullpen. Thinks Medlen helps team more there because they have good starters 47 mins ago
March 20th, 2012 at 12:07 pmBraves – Tigers are on ESPN.
Verlander doesn’t stand a chance.
March 20th, 2012 at 12:08 pmWhy do these teams insist on trying “rest” to heal these arms? It almost always ends up being TJ surgery and they just delay the process? Did anyone really think that a guy with a torn ligament wouldn’t eventually require surgery? Are the Braves concerned about their health care costs and trying to hold down their premiums?
March 20th, 2012 at 12:19 pmNew thread with Vizcaino reaction.
March 20th, 2012 at 12:19 pmAlready 1-0 Tigers. Leadoff double, 2 errors and a sac fly.
March 20th, 2012 at 12:20 pm