2008 Atlanta Braves Thread

[throatybeard]

You knew it would happen sooner or later, so why not make a collector thread for all 2008 Braves discussion.

Early observations:

--those new road unis (@WSH) were kind of...monochrome, weren't they?

--damn bullpen blowing Glavine's lead. Just like last year. Likely 0-2 with starting pitching giving up 3 ER in the 2 games. (Currently down 8-4 to PIT in the t8).

--The Braves aren't widely available on TV for the first time in my life, and Dish doesn't have extra innings. BUT, mlb.com is sweet. For $90 I get the whole season, every team except I'm blacked out of the Cardinals.

[Channing]

dang bullpen . . . two nights in a row now --> not a very positive trend to set. On the bright side, while I didnt get to watch todays game, it looks like Glav gave us a decent start, and Hudson looked good last night.

[YmoBeThere]

You guys should pack it in by next week. With a rotation that averages 54 years old the only thing you have to look forward to are a few RBI's from your hitters.

[throatybeard]

I spoke too soon. (And Ymo's pointless taunting was also too soon). It's 9-9. The Pirates should have won 9-7, but Jason Bay lost the 27th out in the lights with the tying run on 1st. Free baseball.

[Lavabe]

You guys should pack it in by next week. With a rotation that averages 54 years old the only thing you have to look forward to are a few RBI's from your hitters.

Oy vei.

Speaking of poor relievers, check out the Philly relief staff today.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[duke74]

dang bullpen . . . two nights in a row now --> not a very positive trend to set. On the bright side, while I didnt get to watch todays game, it looks like Glav gave us a decent start, and Hudson looked good last night.

Glavine's like 90 or something, right?

Go Mets! Go Johan!

[Lavabe]

I spoke too soon. (And Ymo's pointless taunting was also too soon). It's 9-9. The Pirates should have won 9-7, but Jason Bay lost the 27th out in the lights with the tying run on 1st. Free baseball.

Don't worry about Ymo. His Sawks haven't played all that well either.

It's still WAY to early in the year.

And the Mutts play the Braves this weekend in Atlanta.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[blazindw]

--those new road unis (@WSH) were kind of...monochrome, weren't they?

Yea, they were, but I actually thought they looked really good.

[Channing]

2 games - 2 home runs with 2 outs in extra innings. good trend to start.

[devildeac]

2 games - 2 home runs with 2 outs in extra innings. good trend to start.

Doesn't sound like you would be joining the Atlanta Mafia any time soon for a beer/Braves night then.

[Channing]

Doesn't sound like you would be joining the Atlanta Mafia any time soon for a beer/Braves night then.

I would love to! This isnt the first season I have uttered an expletive or two at our bullpen However it will have to wait until the school year is over and I return to Atlanta.

[Matches]

Yikes - bullpen gives up 10 (!) runs?

I think we'll be fine, though. It'll be interesting to see Jurrgens' start in game #3.

[CMS2478]

I am just ready for Braves to spend a little money to get some key hitters/pitchers again. Granted we got Texiera (for now) but we lost Renteria and Andruw in the process. I wasn't a big AJ fan, but I really liked Renteria. There are probably financial limits that I am not in the know about, but I miss the days when we needed a bat or pitcher we went and got one.

[ugadevil]

I am just ready for Braves to spend a little money to get some key hitters/pitchers again. Granted we got Texiera (for now) but we lost Renteria and Andruw in the process. I wasn't a big AJ fan, but I really liked Renteria. There are probably financial limits that I am not in the know about, but I miss the days when we needed a bat or pitcher we went and got one.

I think the issue with Edgar was more about Yunel Escobar than anything else. So far, Escobar has delivered since he's been in the big leagues and the Braves are hoping that he'll really take off when he's consistently in the line-up. I'd think that the mindset was that they can let Renteria go because his back-up has a world of potential (so they wouldn't really be losing much), and they could gain a potential young starting pitcher. We'll see how it works out.

[Lavabe]

I am just ready for Braves to spend a little money to get some key hitters/pitchers again. Granted we got Texiera (for now) but we lost Renteria and Andruw in the process. I wasn't a big AJ fan, but I really liked Renteria. There are probably financial limits that I am not in the know about, but I miss the days when we needed a bat or pitcher we went and got one.

Escobar was called up last year when Renturia went on the DL. In the time he was in Atlanta, Escobar was red hot at the plate and in the field. Giving up Renturia made sense.

Andruw was simply sad at the plate last year. Wilson has a much better take on Andruw. His departure is fine with me.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Matches]

Yeah, I'll miss Andruw's glove, but he was a liability at the plate last year, and he looks out of shape with the Dodgers now. I just can't see committing 15 mil+ per year to him given our limited resources.

[Bluedawg]

In the off season there was talk of Arthur Blank buying the team. is that dead?

[Lavabe]

In the off season there was talk of Arthur Blank buying the team. is that dead?

The talk pretty much died when last football season came along. You remember that thing about Vick and dogs? And the Petrino thing? And the D'Angelo Hall thing? And the GM thing? And the ...

The bigger thing in terms of sports talk with the Braves is when Bobby Cox will retire.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Bluedawg]

The talk pretty much died when last football season came along. You remember that thing about Vick and dogs? And the Petrino thing? And the D'Angelo Hall thing? And the GM thing? And the ...

The bigger thing in terms of sports talk with the Braves is when Bobby Cox will retire.

Cheers,
Lavabe

I still have hope he will buy them. In regards to the Bobby Cox thing my hope is soon.

[Olympic Fan]

I am just ready for Braves to spend a little money to get some key hitters/pitchers again. Granted we got Texiera (for now) but we lost Renteria and Andruw in the process. I wasn't a big AJ fan, but I really liked Renteria. There are probably financial limits that I am not in the know about, but I miss the days when we needed a bat or pitcher we went and got one.

I think we're all going to have to get used to the fact that the Braves are now operating as a "small-market" francise. There's not going to be a lot of money for huge free-agent signings and it's going to be tough to retain great stars -- as the Braves retained Chipper Jones for so long -- once they achieve free agent status.

Time out for a brief discussion of "small market" teams. The Braves offer an excellent illustration of how arbitrary that designation is. It has nothing to do with the market, but with ownership and its ability to manipulate revenue sources.

Back when Ted Turner/TBS owned the Braves, they were a large-market francise, able to spend with the best of them. Technically, the team operated at a deficit, but that was only because of a sweetheart TV deal with TBS that furnished Turner's network millions of dollars of programing for almost nothing.

We see the same thing in a lot of places -- for years the Cardinals "lost" money because all stadium revenues went to another branch of the Busch empire. In Florida, they can protray the Marlins as a financial black pit, when in fact, the corporation-owned TV network (which obtained the rights to Marlin games for $1 a year) made a fortune. The Red Sox became a cash cow when they devolped a TV plan to cash in on their domination of New England.

The Braves are no longer TBS' primary source of programming. They're run by an ownership group that has demanded financial accountability. Maybe they'll make enough on Sports South to start spending again, but I doubt they'll ever match the halycon days of the 90s.

Until something changes -- until Arthur Blank buys the team or somebody else (Mark Cuban?) with money and the desire to win -- the Braves are going to have to win with kids and with a few aging stars on the cheap.

We've just got to change our expectations.