Blogs – bravesworld

Hank Aaron Is Tired of Bobby Cox Taking All the Credit for Drafting Chipper Jones

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:12:00 +0000

This is interesting (and completely random), but Hank Aaron is upset that Bobby Cox likes to take all the credit for drafting Chipper Jones with the first overall pick in 1990. How upset? So much so that he apparently called Terence Moore of the out the blue to set the record straight:
“I was listening to something [last week] on television where Bobby was talking about how, when Chipper came to the team, he took him aside to tell him what we did to get him here, and I was stunned, really,” said Aaron, before recalling a conversation he had with Braves officials in 1990 when they owned the No. 1 pick before that June draft. By the time of the draft, Aaron had been promoted to senior vice president.

Said Aaron, with a sigh, “I told Bobby. I told them all, and I told them, ‘Y’all better go and get Chipper Jones.’ “
At the time, Cox served as GM in addition to manager, and Aaron served as farm director before being promoted to senior vice president. As Aaron tells it, Cox was dead set on taking Todd Van Poppel until Aaron spoke with Van Poppel’s father and discovered he’d be difficult to sign.Continue Reading

From The Windup: Open Letter to Braves’ Hall Of Fame Trio

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:17:00 +0000

Dear John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine:

First of all, I just wanted to say I’m a huge fan of all three of you. Obviously, being a Cubs fan, I have a soft spot for Maddux, but all three of you exemplify what it means to be a major league player both on and off the field. You are great teammates, and you care enough to work on hitting and bunting in addition to taking pride in fielding your position well. You three should all be admired for this, in addition to the stellar pitching accolades you have accrued for the better part of the past two decades.

That is why what I’m about to do is so difficult. I’m begging you three to all retire after this season.

From the Windup: The Evolution of Loyalty

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:23:00 +0000

It took me roughly six hours to formulate any sort of attack plan for this column. And that would be embarrassing if the column wasn’t about the very thing that was really screwing my head around backwards: John Smoltz’s comments to Jay Busbee.
“I say this for the first time, without reservation, if I’m going to bust my butt and if I feel like I’m good enough and it doesn’t work out here, I will be pitching somewhere else … My dream scenario would be to pitch in the playoffs again, and that’s coming from a guy who’s been in 13 of them. (Smoltz missed the 2000 playoffs with Tommy John surgery.) To me, that’s what I’m about. So if the door gets closed here, it’ll have to be explored somewhere else.”
This is a terrifying statement for any fan of baseball and particularly for any lifelong Braves fan who places Smoltz as his favorite ballplayer ever. In fairness to Smoltz, of course, he didn’t know the interview was going in (not sure how that actually matters) and he did point out that the ideal situation was to finish his career with the Braves.

Rockies To See Mike Hampton For the Last Time … As an Employee

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:31:00 +0000

Mike Hampton last pitched for the Colorado Rockies in 2002. They are still paying him.

It’s one of those things you knew, but had forgotten, since it had happened so long ago … but when I saw the headline, my memory was jogged and I started to remember. The Rockies have paid Hampton for the past six seasons so he could play for another team four of those years, and not play at all for two of them.

Remember?In their free-spending days, the Rockies gave Hampton an eight- year, $121-million contract in December 2000.Wow. You might notice that there should still be yet another year left on that contract, and the Rockies have already bought out the option for 2009.

I’m not a Rockies fan, so I don’t know what the proper reaction is to this. Anger? Sadness? Indifference? It could be anything. Just know that from an outsider it’s purely hilarious.

Of course, fans could and should take the view that this colossal gaffe led to a chain reaction that indirectly helped your team reach the World Series last year. I’ll let the GM explain.

John Smoltz May Leave the Atlanta Braves

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:26:00 +0000

When they first came together in the 1990s, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine gave the Atlanta Braves a starting rotation that was a huge factor in the team winning 14 straight division titles. Of course, as time passed, both Maddux and Glavine moved on to pitch in other places. Smoltz, on the other hand, was the constant of the Atlanta Braves pitching staff.

The only thing that ever changed for Smoltz was his role with the team, as he spent the three seasons from 2002-2004 as the team’s closer. That all could change next season, though, as Smoltz admits he may not be an Atlanta Brave when he returns from shoulder surgery next summer.”I say this for the first time, without reservation, if I’m going to bust my butt and if I feel like I’m good enough and it doesn’t work out here, I be pitching somewhere else … My dream scenario would be to pitch in the playoffs again, and that’s coming from a guy who’s been in 13 of them. (Smoltz missed the 2000 playoffs with Tommy John surgery.) To me, that’s what I’m about. So if the door gets closed here, it’ll have to be explored somewhere else.

“Make no mistake,” he said a few minutes later. “I am absolutely, 100 percent committed to playing the rest of my career for the Atlanta Braves. But this can’t be my only option … I may not be in the [Braves’] plans. It’s no given right, where I’ve spent 21 years here and [so] they owe me whatever I want.”Smoltz has an option for the 2009 season in his contract that would have kicked in had he hit 200 innings this year, but the shoulder surgery kept him well short of achieving that. Still, the Braves can pick up the option if they want to, but Frank Wren doesn’t plan on making any decisions about 2009 until the end of this season.

John Smoltz Will Likely Be Part of the TBS Playoff Announcing Booth

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:35:00 +0000

Yes, yes and more yes. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to hear John Smoltz talk to the announcers during the game, or appear in the booth of a baseball game, you know that he is a high quality, on-air type. And that he would be superb if he ever got a permanent job as an announcer.

Well, since he’s not retired (and I honestly think he’ll be back next year) getting to run color in the TBS announcing booth for the duration of the playoffs is about as good as it will get. And it will get good (via AA/SBD).
TBS is close to signing injured Braves P John Smoltz to be an on-air color analyst during MLB playoff games, sources confirmed. The two sides have been talking, and an agreement is said to be close. The plan is to have Smoltz work the booth at one of the games. It’s not known which play-by-play announcer he would be paired with. TBS is expected to announce its broadcasting teams during the playoffs in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, TBS’ studio show for the playoffs is expected to be the same as its All-Star selection show, with Ernie Johnson, Cal Ripken Jr., Harold Reynolds and Dennis Eckersley. Frank Thomas is not expected to return.
Quite the craziness that will be going on in the studio, eh? Smoltz is, as you can see above, not officially signed. But this should end up happening — it’s certainly a win for TBS and I would imagine that even Smoltz is tired of playing golf every day at this point.

The Flip Side of Surprise Is Disappointment

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:39:00 +0000

If you’re a baseball fan who likes surprises, then the 2008 season has been a special treat. The Rays are the most notable team that has exceeded expectations, but the Twins, White Sox and Marlins are also surprise contenders.

Of course, those pleasant surprises have come at the expense of several clubs expected to be much better this season. Whether because of a big free-agent signing last winter, a deep October run last season or the (hint, hint) crushing burden of a massive payroll, the baseball landscape is littered with flops as August comes to a close.

The following is a countdown of the seven most disappointing teams this season.

7. Padres: Mired in last place in the abysmal NL West, it’s easy to forget that this team won 89 games last year and was a (phantom?) Matt Holliday slide away from a playoff spot. Even when they were winning division titles, the Padres operated on a thin margin. Injuries and underperformance are at the root of their strugles.

Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles are the only offensive regulars who have played more than 100 games. Ace Jake Peavy spent a month on the disabled list, while No. 2 starter Chris Young has made only 13 starts. Veteran closer Trevor Hoffman has also been extremely shaky.