tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-312520132011-07-08T01:39:43.497-04:00Ruminations and commentary on the Atlanta BravesJ Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-35164792829924194232010-09-06T16:48:00.000-04:002010-09-06T16:48:32.787-04:00

A few thoughts, in mostly random order... The trade with the Royals hasn't worked out very well.  Blanco's doing well in KC, and Ankiel is terrible - bad enough that he's been largely benched in favor or Melky and McLouth.  Ouch.  (Farnsworth hasn't been any better than Chavez had been, either...) The offense seems to have disappeared completely of late.  Is this related to sacrificing OBP for

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-35379728454385396842010-08-05T00:17:00.000-04:002010-08-05T00:17:06.894-04:00

After a 3-6 road trip, it was nice to see the Mets on the other side of the field.  The Braves apparently agreed, as they took two of three in the series. Unfortunately, it looks as though they may have lost Kris Medlen in the finale, possibly for a full year.  He'll be getting an MRI, but "ulnar collateral ligament injury" is not something you want to hear about one of your pitchers. The

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-15378283150188060122010-08-02T15:24:00.000-04:002010-08-02T15:24:36.512-04:00

I’m not sure that it will make much difference in the long run, but I do think that this was a slight upgrade. Since the trade included an outfielder and a reliever on each side, it makes sense to compare the players traded directly. Rick Ankiel / Gregor Blanco: Ankiel has more power. Blanco has a total of one home run, and only 22 extra base hits, in his major league career. And he only

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-65902473846612189052010-07-28T21:31:00.001-04:002010-08-02T15:22:36.704-04:00

So, a few months ago, I said that Yunel Escobar was the second best player on the team. And now he’s a Toronto Blue Jay, replaced by one of the Alex Gonzalezes. Why? The easy, and obvious, answer is that he wasn’t hitting. But I think that’s probably a bit too simple of an answer. The other easy answer is that he was a problem in the clubhouse. But I doubt that he was any more of a problem

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-71776625372096674732010-07-27T21:24:00.000-04:002010-07-27T21:24:34.139-04:00

Yeah, as usual, not a lot of posts here...  So this will be something between a preview and a review, I guess. Melky Cabrera started out even worse than I expected, and has managed to progress all the way to "almost useful baseball player".  To be fair, the "almost" is probably not necessary, but he just doesn't look like he should be even useful, so...  He looks like he's out of shape, and

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-77155636213922903152010-02-10T22:44:00.000-05:002010-02-10T22:44:26.254-05:00

So, with Spring Training just around the corner (and it's about time, too), let's look at the Braves roster for 2010.  (And maybe, just maybe, I'll get through the whole thing this year!  I am on a roll.) The team has two apparent strengths going into 2010 - the infield, and starting pitching.  We'll get to pitching later, but I want to start with the infield. I'm going to include catcher in

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-40807119289726732172010-02-01T14:35:00.000-05:002010-02-01T14:35:22.895-05:00

To say I'm disappointed in the offseason moves the Braves made would be an overstatement.  On the other hand, I've been anything but impressed by them. First, the good. 1)  They didn't give up any young players.  OK, they let KJ go, but while I like him, I don't think that it makes sense to pay $4 million or so for a guy without a starting job, and limited defensive versatility.  But they didn't

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-29873425325375907732009-09-25T11:41:00.003-04:002010-01-18T15:21:33.601-05:00

So, Bobby Cox has announced that 2010 will be his last year in the dugout. Interestingly enough, when I first became a Braves fan, Bobby was the brand-new manager of the team. So for me, it's really the end of a very long era - albeit one that was briefly interrupted by his sojorn north of the border...The moves that the front office has made this offseason are especially odd given Bobby's

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-33248964162167692802009-07-28T21:58:00.002-04:002009-07-28T22:21:59.292-04:00

Well, maybe they're not a .500 ball club after all. Since I last posted, the Braves have gone 15-9 in July. Of course, the big move was unloading Francoeur for Ryan Church. Although Jeff's done OK in New York, he needed to go, and the team seems to have responded.I'm still of the opinion that any moves should be made with 2010 and beyond as the focus. While it's nice that we're a contending

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-56774760785922060752009-06-18T11:34:00.003-04:002009-06-23T11:27:56.435-04:00

We're approaching the halfway point of the 2009 season, so it seemed like an appropriate point to do a season preview. Or a season review. Or at least, for the blog to surface once again. Plus, this week is a bit of a "down week" for me, and I'm currently copying files off my laptop in preparation for a rebuild. So...At the end of the 2008 season, the Braves were in rough shape, looking ahead

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-81553616485259201842008-08-22T14:06:00.003-04:002008-08-22T14:22:47.576-04:00

Since the season is over, at least in the sense of making the playoffs...If Tim Hudson weren't hurt, I would say that the Braves should approach the offseason with the goal of contending in 2009. Does Hudson's injury change that? I think it does.Without Hudson, the Braves rotation (assuming no acquisitions in the offseason) is:JurrjensCampilloReyesMortonJamesThat's bad. Jurrjens is fine,

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-9723716805654738062008-07-29T16:46:00.002-04:002008-07-29T16:59:32.777-04:00

As the first trading deadline approaches, it's clear to everyone (even the Braves front office) that the Braves are sellers, not buyers. But the question should now be: How much to sell?Obviously, Mark Teixeira and Will Ohman should be traded. They're both free agents at the end of the year. Teixeira, with Boras as his agent, will almost certainly not sign any new contract until he hits free

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-29072402543074280512008-07-10T11:09:00.002-04:002008-07-10T11:20:20.005-04:00

Now, on to one of the things I like about the Braves.Surprise. Mike Hampton is one of those good things.I think that you just have to admire a guy who has worked so hard to try and keep playing, despite repeated setbacks. The sheer tenacity required to go through never-ending rehab. The doggedness required to ignore the fact that your body is refusing to keep things together well enough to

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-56271358403280437232008-07-01T00:07:00.002-04:002008-07-01T00:20:40.225-04:00

I'm supposed to be writing about the things I like about the Braves. But I have to get this one off of my chest first.Greg Norton is, to me, the worst thing about the 2008 Braves.It's not that he's a useless player. As a corner utilityman, he's perfectly fine. The problem is this:.251 .336 .423 93.296 .374 .520 130Those are his 162-game averages, and his career high (which was 2006).And

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-14890314994713959852008-06-27T12:08:00.004-04:002008-06-27T22:48:30.142-04:00

First of all, he shouldn't be the cornerstone for a team. But it goes too far to say that he has no value.He's a decent defensive outfielder (although he seems to not be as good as he was before, oddly), and has a bit of pop in his bat. He plays hard. And, most importantly, he's cheap.That being said, he shouldn't be batting in the middle of the lineup. He doesn't walk enough, and his lack of

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-76287366847239456732008-06-25T11:33:00.003-04:002008-06-25T11:48:13.356-04:00

Well, it's been quite a while. The last post here was over a year ago...But I do have a good excuse as to where I've been, and why I haven't updated things here. On January 24, I welcomed a new Braves fan into the world. Yep, I've got a baby boy now. And so I spent all my formerly free time last summer getting the house as ready as possible for him. And all that time has been used this year in

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-49927068494333504822007-05-16T11:01:00.000-04:002007-05-16T12:12:02.633-04:00

That was a very good week. OK, it didn't end so well, getting blown out by the Pirates. And it did start with a loss. But everything in between was a win. A 5-2 week is very good indeed.Chuck James had a terrible start on Monday, but then followed it up with an incredible start against the Pirates. Consistency would be nice, though. He's supposed to be the #3 starter, but he's only

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-7153853600482386012007-05-07T14:39:00.000-04:002007-05-07T14:49:17.122-04:00

While it's never good to waste a strong start (this one by Hudson on Saturday), there's no denying that winning two of three games every series is an excellent way to win the division. (In case you're weak in math, that equates to a .667 winning percentage, which would be 108 wins on the season.) OK, so the Braves haven't quite won 2 of 3 every time, but it's close enough.Anyway, since the

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-73216379028906754032007-05-02T18:56:00.000-04:002007-05-02T18:58:39.204-04:00

J:Well, I guess we should consider doing a season preview thing for the blog. It's pretty much traditional, right? But let's try something a little bit different. You had mentioned trying to do some back-and-forth stuff like Rob and Rany do, but we obviously haven't gotten around to that yet. So how about if we try the preview that way? We could try taking turns on players on the 25-man

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1531762619683625522007-04-26T13:09:00.000-04:002007-04-26T13:23:29.761-04:00

Since I last posted. My bad.There was an ugly split with the Cubs, where the Braves won the game with a bad start from Kyle Davies, and lost the game that featured what was likely the best start Mark Redman will ever turn in wearing a Braves uniform.Then there was a weekend series where the Braves took two of three from the Mets. Again, they won a game with a less-than-ideal start (from Smoltz

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-81461587162820962642007-04-18T16:21:00.000-04:002007-04-18T16:32:53.133-04:00

After a weekend homestand, the Braves traveled to Washington for a two game series, which they split. Then they come back home for two games against the Cubs. Then, back on the road, for over a week. Is it just me, or have the schedules gotten weirder over the past few years? There seem to be a lot more two game series, and a lot more travel.Anyway, like I said, the Braves split their series

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-72249352772007847582007-04-17T13:27:00.000-04:002007-04-18T09:28:16.362-04:00

It's obvious to me that it's a bad sign when the Braves lead a game 8-1. That's twice already this season that they've had an 8-1 lead going into the ninth, and the bullpen's done badly enough that Wickman ended up pitching to finish it off. That's a very bad sign.Even worse signs: Macay McBride's inability to find the strike zone. Mark Redman's inability to look like even a fifth starter. Ryan

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-11263385252833352482007-04-13T17:10:00.000-04:002007-04-13T17:20:03.158-04:00

Well, obviously, when you miss the opportunity to sweep the Nats, that's when. The first two games went the way they all should have gone, but someone lost the script for Thursday's game.There are some worrying signs, too. I think at this point John Smoltz needs to be considered to be a 100-pitch maximum pitcher. He really doesn't seem to have enough to go longer than that. Last night, there

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-18253711662156195302007-04-11T14:36:00.000-04:002007-04-13T17:09:06.625-04:00

After the worst loss in a home opener ever (for the Atlanta Braves, at least), things got better as the weekend went on. I wish I'd seen more of the games, but the holiday weekend kept me away from the TV. (Not that I didn't have a good weekend - it's just that the games tended to be on at the same time as I was visiting with family. So it goes.)I look at Friday's game as just one of those games.

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-37584981864507238302007-04-06T16:08:00.000-04:002007-04-06T16:23:39.073-04:00

Real life has been hectic, so I need to apologize to the readership of this blog. All four of you."I'm sorry, and I'll try to post more often."It'll be easier now that the season's actually started. And the Braves got off to a good start, sweeping the Phillies, in Philadelphia no less. Good starting pitching (if this season is to go well, that's going to be incredibly important), just enough

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1161441591827382742006-10-21T10:36:00.000-04:002006-11-03T15:32:00.390-05:00

For those of you not paying attention, that would be Ramirez and Hampton. To me, they're both big question marks. Hampton had shown signs of being at least league-average again in 2005, but who knows whether he'll be able to do anything after a whole year out? And Ramirez looked to be McDowell's big success story last season, but couldn't stay healthy at all. My gut feeling is that if you put

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1159931059362520042006-10-03T22:57:00.000-04:002006-10-04T09:29:45.806-04:00

Well, one coaching change, at least. Fredi Gonzalez jumped at the first job offer he got, taking the Florida Marlins managerial opening. That's a step up, although I'm not sure how much of one. (Manager of completely dysfunctional franchise vs. third base coach of model franchise.)I suppose it's possible that Terry Pendleton could be gone as well - there are three openings right now, including

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1159765588611925282006-10-02T01:06:00.000-04:002006-10-02T01:06:28.720-04:00

Ok, the playoffs are here, and for the first time since 1990, you can't root for the Braves. What do you do? If you're like me, games aren't as fun if you're not cheering for a team, and a World Series that includes two teams you hate isn't even worth watching. Well, help is here. I've taken time out of my super busy schedule to help you out. Here's a team by team breakdown of the playoff rooting

Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10207457555725275301noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1159755395706349562006-10-01T22:06:00.000-04:002006-10-01T22:19:00.880-04:00

I could see no possible way that the Braves wouldn't pick up Smoltz's option for 2007, and indeed they have done so. Yes, he's not the pitcher he once was, but they'd need to spend $8 million on someone else if they didn't keep Smoltz. That's less than or equal to what Kris Benson, Livan Hernandez, Kerry Wood, Tim Hudson, Mike Hampton, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, or Randy Johnson made in 2006.

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1159304884492079152006-09-26T17:03:00.000-04:002006-09-26T17:08:04.503-04:00

Unlike the Braves' postseason hopes, I'm not dead - despite the lack of posts in almost two weeks. How did that happen? Real Life has gotten too busy lately....I've got a second "2007 Rotation Possibilities" post (on John Smoltz) mostly written; I will try to get that up by the weekend.While I've been silent, the Braves picked up Smoltz's option and signed Wickman for 2007. I like both of

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1158281535551993642006-09-14T20:38:00.000-04:002006-09-14T20:52:15.573-04:00

It's been obvious for a while (since July or so, I'd say), but now it's official. The Braves string of division titles (either 14 or 11, depending on how you feel about 1994) is over. Note that however you count it, no other team has matched it in any major sport. Currently, only the Yankees are even within striking distance of the record, and they'll need to win either two more or five more

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1158095625398601482006-09-12T17:07:00.000-04:002006-09-13T12:46:58.436-04:00

While a lot of fans would like to see him traded, it seems unlikely. His value has never been lower; even if the Braves wanted to trade him, it's unlikely that they could get anything of value for him.Here's his line the past three seasons (stats from Yahoo!):G W L IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP BAA 27 12 6 188.2 194 82 74 8 44 103 3.53 1.26 .267 29 14 9 192.0 194 79 75 20

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1157821530070709782006-09-09T12:07:00.000-04:002006-09-11T17:14:26.016-04:00

This is something I haven't experienced for a long time as a Braves fan. In fact, there are probably a lot of Braves fans out there who have never experienced it. But it's true; the Braves aren't going to the playoffs, and therefore these games don't really "matter".Fortunately, the Cubs are well past the point of playing out the string, and aren't even bothering to show up any more. How else

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1157337320054090002006-09-03T22:10:00.000-04:002006-09-03T22:35:20.100-04:00

The Braves could only manage a split of the four game series in Philadelphia, effectively ending whatever small chance they had of making the postseason. With 26 games remaining, they're five games out, and in seventh place. This is basically where they've been for weeks; there's no evidence of a forthcoming push.Of course, all that pales in comparison to the news that Marcus Giles may have a

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1157145042758997912006-09-01T16:56:00.000-04:002006-09-01T17:10:42.790-04:00

What does he add to this team that Scott Thorman doesn't? The good news is, at least all that he cost was an injured pitcher. And he's a free agent at the end of the season, so he's not blocking anyone next year.So, I guess it's not a big deal. Unless, of course, he gets a new contract. Then I'll be upset.To quickly recap the San Francisco series: Offense good, bullpen bad, starting pitching

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1157059798686912232006-08-31T17:22:00.000-04:002006-08-31T18:42:19.803-04:00

The Braves find themselves in a very inconvenient position as they enter September. Realistically, there's next to no chance that they can make the playoffs. (Baseball Prospectus's Playoff Odds Reports give them a less than 4% chance.) On the other hand, they're only four games out of the wild card, and this is not a team used to giving up, so they're not likely to concede anything - and I

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1156886085405203092006-08-29T17:07:00.000-04:002006-08-29T17:14:45.416-04:00

Winning the last two games of the Nationals series gave the team the first two game winning streak at home since the All-Star Break. If you're looking for a reason that the Braves have failed to seriously challenge for the wild card, that's a fine place to start.Anyway, the offense broke out in the two wins, and the pitching wasn't bad overall. The bullpen is still as shaky as ever. I'm

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1156470249116911672006-08-24T17:35:00.000-04:002006-08-24T21:44:09.196-04:00

If you're trying to make the playoffs, there are a few things you can't do. Losing a series at home is one of those things. Losing a series to the worst team in baseball is another of those things. Let's not even talk about losing a series at home to the worst team in baseball...But there is some good news: Brian Jordan is almost ready to come off the DL. Now, I like and respect Brian Jordan

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1156297850084143532006-08-22T21:48:00.000-04:002006-08-22T22:46:07.793-04:00

Sorry about the gap between posts; I was on a long vacation. Thanks to byrd for keeping the blog from being completely dead while I was gone. I'll try to write up some thoughts on the past three weeks or so as soon as I can. In the meantime, here's something like a mission statement...So, now that I've got this place to post in, I guess the reader might wonder what I intend to do here. That's

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1154836721637868082006-08-05T23:58:00.000-04:002006-08-05T23:58:41.670-04:00

Get ready for some idle speculation!I don't know what the deal is with Andruw, but he's been complaining the past two days about being placed on the waiver wire. He considers it a personal insult.""I know they wouldn't do this with Chipper or Smoltzie," Jones said of teammates Chipper Jones and John Smoltz. "But they aren't in the situation that I'm in. They can say no to a trade.""Now, Smoltz I

Byrdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10207457555725275301noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1153967474091114592006-07-26T22:23:00.000-04:002006-07-26T22:31:14.100-04:00

We lose a 2-1 game, then win a game 6-5. Chuck James continued to walk that tightrope in game one, but managed to only give up runs on two bases-empty home runs. Smoltz is definitely not an ace any more. A solid #3, maybe a #4. That's still valuable, but if he's our best starter, we're not going to win in the playoffs.Jason Shiell tomorrow night, against Scott Olsen. He's not pitched well

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1153868343757042002006-07-25T18:42:00.000-04:002006-07-25T18:59:03.766-04:00

As long as we keep winning series, things will work out. A 7-2 road trip has to be considered a success by any measure. It would be nice if the Mets would go on a losing streak, but that's probably not going to happen. Keep your eyes on the wild card race; that's the only race we're likely to be in.Well, that, and the race for heaviest bullpen, according to a bunch of the posters over at

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1153521602596596762006-07-21T18:28:00.000-04:002006-07-21T18:40:02.606-04:00

When did that happen? I must have been asleep or something. Anyway, that means instead of using this series to catch up, we need to use it to at least hold the measly one game lead we have on them right now. It's one of those oddball four game series that runs through Monday, and we don't use our fifth starter (whoever that is this week) in it, so that's good.MLB.com's transactions still don't

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1153426759124685402006-07-20T16:01:00.000-04:002006-07-20T16:19:19.133-04:00

As long as the Braves don't have to face Chris Carpenter too often, they'll be all right, apparently. It didn't help that they were using yet another emergency fifth starter. It seems like thats 27 starting pitchers this year. Anyway, Jason Shiell did about what you'd expect, giving up four runs in four innings. That should be good enough to get him another start - it wasn't any worse than

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1153344880040934102006-07-19T17:34:00.000-04:002006-07-19T17:34:54.040-04:00

As the non-waiver trading deadline approaches, it's worthwhile (or at least entertaining) to speculate as to what moves the Braves might make. The obvious question is whether they should be buying or selling at the deadline. I think the last two weeks make it clear that they won't be selling. However, they're still four games below .500, and in seventh place in the wild card race. (

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31252013.post-1153245745282797472006-07-18T13:39:00.000-04:002006-07-18T23:42:28.963-04:00

Is it possible to sweep a series in a bad way? I guess not, but the Braves' weekend sweep of the Padres comes close.What was good? Well, they won all three games. The offense was impressive. Any time you score at least ten runs in three straight games, that's a good thing. Chipper in particular is playing out of his mind right now. Smoltz pitched well.But there were a lot of bad things over

J Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15729933968705442483noreply@blogger.com1