More on Oliver

Okay folks.  I suppose sharing pics of the dog but no real info on him was a bit unfair.  Here he is. SAM_0388.JPG (image/jpeg) 318K Oliver has had quite the life.  He was born in 2003 and has just recently turned seven in August, which is middle aged for Greyhounds.  I've been wanting to get a dog and have always felt that adopting a dog from some sort of trust or a pound would be the best thing to do as there are tons of them out there.  Greyhounds seemed a good choice because they're pretty lazy sleeping up to 18 hours a day and ones for adoption generally come fully potty trained. 

Oliver originally raced in Great Yarmouth.  After racing for 3 years he was dumped on the Retired Greyhound Trust in Yarmouth.  The RTG homed him with a very elderly man who he did fine with until there was an incident where a Jack Russell got in his chili and he didn't know how to react and bit it fairly badly.  The police were convinced by the RTG to not put him to sleep if they removed him from the area so he was sent to the Suffolk RTG.  It was at this point that his name was changed from his former racing name, Dicky Doo Daa, to Oliver where he lived quite happily next to another Greyhound named Twist.  Due to the incident in his past he was overlooked by many potential adopters because there are plenty of other dogs that haven't had any incidents before. 

When we( Annabel and I) went to check out dogs at the Suffolk RTG I had pretty much decided we were going to get a black one or one that had been there the longest.  Black Greyhounds are the least adopted for a reason that I can't seem to figure out because they look amazing and all have really nice coats.  A lot of people also apparently just go and decided one day they want a dog and adopt.  We decided to go for several weekends and walk as many as we could to try to get to know them so we could decide on the correct one.  After we walked Oliver we knew he was the one for us and had been there for quite some time. SAM_0283.JPG (image/jpeg) 297K We went back for 4 weekends and continued walking him so he would get to know us.  Took him for a few rides and he instinctively jumped right into the Land Rover without hesitation so I knew he definitely was the one.  He's the most affectionate dog ever and is incredibly polite.  He won't beg you for your food but he's always thankful when he gets it.  Loves to eat seafood.  Is super excited to see you when you get home and likes giving hugs.  Which I haven't been able to get a picture of yet, but he'll politely bring his front paws up to your shoulders and bury his head into your chest while standing on his hind legs. 

So Oliver was brought to the new place and has fit in very well.  I'm living in a small village north of Bury St Edmunds now.  It's near tons of open space and loads of fields and paths and national forest area.  He's getting used to doing normal dog things like chewing on smoked pig ears.  I walk him in the mornings before work and when I get home.  When I'm not able to Annabel does it and everything works out fine.  He's had zero problems since we've had him though he does get excited when he sees other dogs and wants to say hello and smell them. SAM_0448.JPG (image/jpeg) 270K

Testing pictures.

Just testing pictures cause I never did this before and think it'll be easier than linking to my photo albums. 

Who let the dogs out?

Hello.  Easiest way to introduce you all to Oliver.  He's a retired racing greyhound.  Incredibly loving.  http://community.webshots.com/album/578902341tyAHuW

Fun Dog Tricks

If I'd have known a dog could be trained to do ALL this, I might not have had kids...

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs: Isn't the Internet Great??

These days, there are really 3 major means of social networking, and, if you're not using them all, you're likely missing something.  You may think whatever you're missing is no big deal, and it may not be a big deal to you at all, but, if you're going to be connected, you need to be using one of these networks, and probably all of them.

If you're reading this, you're already a reader of blogs and a fan of blogging.  Keep it up.  To make your blogging more productive, I suggest you look into using an RSS Reader, such as Google Reader.  RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication, and basically, since blogs are structured formats, with each post being date/time stamped, it means they can be sorted into a hierarchical format and displayed in a reader.  There are many RSS readers (one is included as part of Internet Explorer and in Outlook), but my favorite is Google's Reader.  I prefer it because it works within the browser, and the settings follow you to any computer you use.  All you need is a google account, which you already have if you're a gmail user, but it's easy to sign up and use all of google's products.  You also have one if you're a Picasa user (for sharing pictures).  Now, you may not agree with Google's founders politics (they're morons), but, their technology is great.  With an RSS Reader, you don't have to go to 400 websites to troll for news, you'll find it all aggregated, right there.  Try it.

The next thing you need to look into is Facebook.  Like AOL of old, Facebook is the destination site on the Internet for connecting with your old and new friends.  I use Facebook mostly for connecting with old friends and an occasional snarky post, but, mostly, I just try to see what people are up to.  For interest, I started myself to keep tabs on my kids.  A requirement of their use of it was that I had to be their friend, so I could see what they were up to.  It's expanded somewhat.  If you join Facebook, you'll be able to connect with me, but, you'll be surprised with all the groups that exist there, how quickly people you knew from your past will find you.  I don't use Facebook that much for politics, but, it can be used for that as well.

Finally, there is Twitter.  I love Twitter.  The kids are not in to Twitter.  That makes it more appealing to me.  Basically, I described it to the youngest as "Facebook without the fluff, and you have to learn to speak in 140 words or less."  With the increasing use of URL shorteners like bit.ly, though, Twitter is a way to quickly link people to articles of interest, and to stay even more connected to anyone.  Because it's near instantaneous, you can sometimes engage in short conversations with people who you would normally not have anything to do with, like the Braves AJC beat writer, or CBS's White House correspondent.  It's like having a real time feed of your RSS Reader.  In fact, that's really what I do online - watch my Twitter feed and scroll through my RSS reader for interesting stuff.  Most bloggers these days link their blogs to their Twitter feed, so, once they post something, if you're following them on Twitter, you'll see it, with a link.  In fact, this post, once posted, will show up in my Twitter feed - the title, with a link.

So, I encourage you all to create twitter accounts and then follow some people you find interesting.  Here are some recommendations:

• HumanEvents - Get a twitter feed of Human Events articles
• rsmccain -Robert Stacy McCain
• BigJournalism - Breitbart's Big Journalism site
• DanRiehl - conservative blogger
• RichLowry
• ByronYork
• AoSHQ -Ace Of Spades
• politico 
• krauthammer
• ajcbraves - Dave O'Brien, Braves beat reporter
• ESPN_ACC - Heather Dinich - covers the ACC for ESPN
• RedState - a feed of Red State's home page posts
• NROcorner - A feed of NR's Corner posts
• greggutfeld - Come on, you don't know who Greg Gutfeld is?  You should.
• ThadMcCotter - Michigan congressman, and rock music lover
• Buster_ESPN -Buster Olney, ESPN baseball reporter
• SarahPalinUSA
• newsbusters - twitter feed of newsbusters blog posts
• LegInsurrection - twitter feed of LI's blog
• sistertoldjah - she's an NC based conservative blogger.  Prolific
• jaketapper - ABC's WH correspondent
• gatewaypundit - Jim Hoft's twitter account
• KarlRove

Those are just a few.

Braves Outfield Options

I have discussed Nate McLouth previously in depth and I believe the Braves will give McLouth every opportunity to win the CF job next spring.  My opinion is he's a left fielder masquerading with CF speed, but, given the market for center fielders (Colby Rasmus is really the only potential candidate we hear mentioned in trades), my guess is CF is McLouth's job to lose, so, the Braves are looking for an everyday, power bat for LF, preferably right-handed.  With McLouth, you will have Freeman, Heyward, McCann as lefties, and the Braves are going to need a right hander who can fill the 4 or 5 spot in the order.

MLBTraderumors.com has the skinny on 2011 free agents and I posted on the 2011 class here.  Looking at other trade possibilities, let's look at the 2012 class, and see who might be trade bait.  The top 2012 outfielders are going to be (and here we'll look at all OF positions):

1. Jose Bautista - After hitting 54 homers and 124 RBI's in an amazing 2010 (he never hit more than 16 in 7 previous seasons), Bautista's stock has skyrocketed. He's arbitration eligible and whether the Blue Jays are in a trading mood, probably depends on what he gets in this arbitration year.  He's a righty who could regress back to a middling power guy.  
2. Josh Willingham - made $4.6M this year, and is arb eligible.  Hit 16 homers in only 370 AB's for Washington.  He has a great eye, with an OBP of .383 in 2010, career .367.  Again, Washington may be building around Willingham and some of their other good young players and be unwillinging to move him.  But, I could see a Lowe or Jurrjens for Willingham trade being done. Nationals get (in the case of Lowe) a seasoned vet for their young staff, and Braves get a needed RH power bat at a decent price.  The Nats have indicated a willingness to go after Cliff Lee, but they can't afford Lee.  Would they settle for Lowe?
3. David DeJesus - Is a relatively weak powered left fielder.  He can play center, but, he's essentially McLouth, slightly better defensively.  Will make $6M in 2011.  I don't think he's a good fit, certainly not as the LF beside McLouth.
4. Cody Ross - Now, we've seen what Ross can do in the playoffs, and he is a guy the Braves tried hard to get this year and lost out to the Giants.  He's arbitration eligible in 2011 and made $4.5M in 2010.  Don't know what the Giants may do with Ross.  They don't need pitching, and if the Braves had any good hitters to trade, they'd be keeping them anyway.  I don't think we're likely to see the Braves and Giants making any trades.
5. Michael Cuddyer - Twins former first round pick is having arthroscopic surgery in the off-season.  His numbers have been all over the place in the bigs, mostly good.  He's signed through 2011 and will make $10M next year.  He's honestly not worth that kind of money unless he returns to 2009 form.
6. Ryan Ludwick - struggled after the mid-season trade to SD.  He's got good power but strikes out A LOT.  Just an average outfielder.Made $5.5M in 2010, arbitration eligible in 2011.  Again SD doesn't need pitching, so not a good candidate for trade with Atlanta.

Braves Player Round Up - Nate McLouth

In the off-season, I am going to review some of the Braves question marks, and discuss the pros and cons of these players.  I'll largely use Baseball Reference.com and my own personal observations of players, but, I'll try to use stats where available.

The first player I will analyze, because he creates such strong feelings among Braves fans, is Nate McLouth.

McLouth was aquired in a 2009 trade with the Pirates that saw pitching prospect Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, and Gorkys Hernandez.  Only Morton really had any major league potential, and has failed to live up to it.  McLouth was coming off an All-Star season with the Pirates in 2008.  Of course, if not for the requirement that each team have an All-Star, McLouth's credentials were debatable. His 2008 season numbers were good, however, .276/.356/.853 and he led the league with 46 doubles, and he had a WAR of 4.6.  He seemed poised for stardom when he signed a large contract with Pittsburgh (3 years with a 4th year team option) after that 2008 season, so the 2009 trade appeared to observers to be a typical Pirate salary dump. He also battled some injury problems in 2009 which saw McLouth's numbers slip, and he had long periods with the Braves, as I started observing him, where he was awful.  A streaky, pull-hitting, 100+ strikeout lead-off hitter often down in counts with a poor caught stealing percentage indicated some potential problems with McLouth in 2009.

McLouth is owed $6.5M by the Braves in 2011.

While 2009 could be called a normal year for Nate, you need only look at the details of his at-bats to see something happened in 2010 to lower his average by 60 points and make him functionally useless.

What happened was:

• Nate struck out looking in 44% of his strikeouts.  This is up significantly from his career average of 34%.  If you watched Nate this season, you can recall many times screaming at the TV, "How could you take that pitch!?!?!?!?!?"
• Surprisingly, Nate saw more 2-0 and 3-1 counts than he historically saw, and well above the league average (could this be a product of the Braves philosophy of working pitchers deeper into the count?). As you would expect, Nate was at his best on these counts, hitting .500 on 2-0 pitches, and .333 on 3-0.  Nate's real problem is if you could get 2 strikes on him in 2010, he was nearly a dead-lock cinch to make an out, hitting .152 with 2 strikes. Nate's other issue - first pitches.  In 28 at bats where he put the ball into play on the first pitch, he hit .071.  Seriously, Nate, you're better off taking the first pitch in 2010, but, this was one of the things Nate came to Atlanta notorious for - swinging at first pitches, and 2010 was an aberration.  He's a career .299 first pitch hitter.
• McLouth didn't get many AB's against lefties this year, but he was woeful against them, hitting .135.  Nate was similarly awful in road games, hitting just .134
• As a baserunner, McLouth's caught stealing percentage declined from about 90% in Pittsburgh to roughly 78% in Atlanta.   Not good.

I think you get the picture of Nate hitting in 2010.  Horrible, with lots of aberrations from his norm.

Fielding:

• Nate was a Gold Glove outfielder in 2008 with Pittsburgh.  Did he deserve it?  In a word, no.  While he only made one error, he only had 5 assists, and his sabermetric ratings are those of a below-average outfielder.
• That is much more consistent with the Nate McLouth I observed in Atlanta.  I'd call him an indifferent fielder, frequently fielding fly balls with runners on 3rd and less than 2 outs and not even attempting a throw.  I know Braves broadcaster Joe Simpson called him on this on more than one occasion.  In fact, I vividly remember a game where with a runner on 3rd, McLouth called off Jason Heyward who was setting up to make a throw home, and McLouth didn't even make the throw.  He lost balls in lights on more than one occasion, and generally played a rotten CF.

What will the Braves do?  I don't know any major league club who is going to be willing to take on McLouth.  Given the money the Braves have to pay him in 2011, they will have to eat a significant portion of his salary to get anyone to take him.  Given that, I expect McLouth to get every opportunity in spring training to prove that he's regained the form that made him an all-star in Pittsburgh.  If he can't, and if he's willing to start the year in AAA Gwinnett (as he was gracious enough to spend time there in 2010, I don't know option status) he could be the highest paid minor leaguer, or seek his release.  Given the money involved, I don't expect to see him leave the Braves organization in 2011.  

CFB Wrap-up: 10/16

An interesting day in the college football world.

Let's get the home teams first.  Georgia Tech manhandled an inferior Middle Tennessee State team 42-14, Georgia whipped a woeful Vandy 49-0, and UNC took out 30 years of frustration at UVA and one year of frustration with agents beating the Wahoo's 44-10.

So, that handles the locals.  The big news is this was a great day for TCU and Boise State.  Ohio State proved why they're a perennial disappointment, losing to Wisconsin, and Texas told Nebraska to go F themselves as they leave the Big 12 for the Big Nothing sending 2 potential national title contenders to the garbage dump.

So, who can spoil the non-BCS schools' party?

1. Auburn beat Arkansas in a defense optional game, 65-43 to stay undefeated, and putting them on a collision course with...
2. LSU, who handled McNeese State to remain unbeaten, despite Les Miles' best efforts.
3. Michigan State dispatched Illinois, but, I don't expect to see them in the BCS contenders.
4. Oklahoma killed Iowa State.
5. Utah and Nevada won, but they have to face TCU and Boise St, so, don't expect them to make it undefeated.
6. Oregon was idle, and the number 2 team still has some tough Pac-10 games to play.

The first BCS rankings are out tomorrow, and everyone agrees Boise St will be number 1 in those rankings.  Everyone also agrees that they will drop as their strength-of-schedule component declines.  Oregon will benefit, assuming they can remain undefeated.

But, we're faced with the spectacle of the first BCS number one winning out, and ending up, perhaps 3rd in the BCS standings, because, if LSU or Auburn win out, they will almost certainly end up 1 or 2, and if Oklahoma wins out, so would they.  

Wow!  Great season ahead.

#Braves 2011 and Interesting Free Agent Outfielders for the Bravos

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that Thursday, Fredi Gonzalez will be introduced as the next Braves Manager.  Not much of a surprise there.

Anyway, now that the season is over, let's take a look at the Braves for 2011 and what Fredi will have to work with and some payroll numbers:

Pitching Staff (Starters):

• Derek Lowe - 2 years remaining at $15M per year.  If the Derek Lowe we saw in September and October is the new Derek Lowe, I doubt the Braves will attempt to move him like they tried last year.  
• Tim Hudson - 3 years left at $9M per year.  Well worth it and will be remaining until 2013, when he's 37.
• Kenshin Kawakami - has 1 year left at $6.7M.  The Braves will try hard to trade Kawakami in the off-season. He's 35, has been awful and is going to be tough to move.  I think he'll get traded, but the Braves will have to eat most of his salary.
• Jair Jurrjens is arbitration eligible.  He has 2 good years, but this year was a disaster due to injuries.  I don't know how that affects his value or what it will be.  He's arbitration eligible.  I expect the Braves to be looking at $3-5M for 2011 for Jair and that they'll sign him.
• Tommy Hanson is not arbitration eligible and will make around $400k next year.
• Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy are rookies and will also make the league minimum.  One of them will be the 5th starter.  The other will start the season in AAA Gwinnett or the bullpen.
• Kris Medlen - would be the 5th starter, if he wasn't going to spend the entire season rehabbing from TJ surgery.  League minimum, probably covered by insurance.

Relievers:

• Peter Moylan - Moylan got $1.15M coming off Tommy John surgery.  I expect he will get about $2M in arbitration and the Braves will keep him.
• Eric O'Flaherty is arbitration eligible.  After an up-and-down season that saw him battle non-baseball related physical health problems, hard to say what O'Flaherty's worth is.  If the Braves can re-sign him for less than $1M, I expect they would.  A reliable lefty is hard to find.
• Johnny Venters - everyday Johnny will get some rookie of the year votes, and deservedly so. Venters came up through the system as a starter.  It will be interesting to see if Gonzalez and McDowell (hope he stays) keepVenters in the pen or let him compete for a 5th starter spot.  If the decision is made to move Lowe or Jurrjens, this could happen.
• Craig Kimbrel - the rookie is going to be given the closer job.  League minimum.
• Michael Dunn - another left-handed rookie, Dunn will get a chance to re-earn a bullpen slot.  However, with Venters, O'Flaherty, and Dunn, another left-handed reliever may become trade bait.  My guess is Dunn's the odd man out.
• Christhian Martinez - not real sure his contract status, or if he's technically a rookie.  He could make the bullpen, if he's not traded.

Pitchers NOT coming back:

• I think we can count on these guys not coming back, due to age/salary/ineffectiveness:
• Takashi Saito - he's 40, made $3.2M in 2010, was injured alot and is subject to arbitration. I doubt the Braves will offer him arbitration and let him become a free agent.
• Billy Wagner - duh!  He means it, he's going to retire.
• Farnsworth - with a $5.25M team option, he is not coming back.  Farnsworth will be lucky to get back to KC at $2M.

Pitching was what got this team to the playoffs in 2010.  It will carry them again in 2011.  Largest question mark is whether Kimbrel can handle the closer role.

Batters.  

This is the Braves biggest question mark.  These things I think are certain:

• Chipper Jones will return.Chipper is going to make $13M next year.  He's worth it still.
• Martin Prado is arbitration eligible.  The Braves will offer it and he'll get about $6M (compare him to Placido Palanco).
• Brian McCann is signed through 2013.  He's going to make $6.5M next year.
• Omar Infante - the team has a $2.5M team option on him.  They'll exercise it.
• Alex Gonzalez - another guy for whom the team holds a $2.5M option. They'll exercise it, too.
• David Ross - the Braves signed Ross to a 2 year extension at $1.6M per year. May be the best back-up catcher in baseball.
• Jason Heyward - the rookie RF will make the league minimum. He'll be arbitration eligible about when Chipper retires.
• Freddie Freeman - the rookie 1B should make the club.  League minimum for him.  If he falters in the spring, we'll see who's available on the cheap then...
• Nate McLouth - looking at McLouth's contract, you learn why the Braves wanted him to get his stroke back and play.  He's signed through 2011 at $6.5M next year.  He has no trade value, so, he needs to work this winter and get his swing back.  
• Matt Diaz - suffered through a rough year with an injury to his hand and never really got rolling.  He's arbitration eligible and made $2.55M this year.  My guess is Diaz wants to stay here, and would take around the same to stay.  Is an OF of Heyward, McLouth, Infante what the Braves really want, with Diaz as the 4th OF?
• Brooks Conrad - the 30 year old rookie makes the league minimum.  The Braves will keep him as a pinch hitter, occasional IF replacement.
• Rick Ankiel - if not for Ankiel's $6M mutual option for 2011, I'd expect him to stick around.  I don't know where Ankiel can go.  The Braves will not exercise their option, so, he'll become a free agent.  I just don't see a market for Ankiel.  He'll get invited to someone's camp in the spring, probably not the Braves, though.

Not coming back:

• Troy Glaus improved his value to someone this year. He's a free agent, and someone will likely sign him. Not the Braves, though.  Hard to believe that Troy is only 33.  Maybe an AL club looking for a DH. Wish him well, because he carried this team in the spring.
• Derrek Lee - Free agent first baseman will need to find a job somewhere else.
• Melky Cabrera - Arbitration eligible, but, I doubt he fits into the Braves plans in the OF.  He made $3.1M this year.  Depends on how Fredi feels about the choice between him and Diaz.  
• Erik Hinske - a free agent who made $1M this year.  Never saw Hinske at 1B.  Would he take another $1M contract to be a PH and potential back-up in case Freeman falters at 1B?

That pretty much sums up the Braves existing players.  They are going to add another LH power bat (Freeman) making them very left-handed, and increasing the need for a RH power outfielder.    Their ability afford that kind of depends on whether they can move Kawakami and McLouth and their salaries.  As I said, though, these guys have little trade value.  If you see them traded in the winter for low-upside players, you know it's a salary dump.

Looking at MLBTradeRumors list of free agents, the best RH outfielder in the FA pool is clearly the Phillies Jason Werth (Carl Crawford's a lefty with not as much power).  Inasmuch as he's been a Braves killer, it would be nice to bring him to Atlanta and get him away from the Phils.  I'd expect he's looking for $18-20M.  Xavier Nady as recently as 2 years ago hit 25 homers, but has really declined due to injury.  He could be had for around $3M so could be a value shot.  The Yankees Marcus Thames will also be a FA.  He has never had the chance to play full time, but hits righties ok, and has a lot of pop.  He's a just so-so outfielder, so LF would be his home. Pat Burrell will also be a FA.  He's at the end of a 2 year deal at $8M per year.  It'll be a push if he can duplicate that. He's a big RH bat who is a good fielder. Jose Guillen is 35 and has played for every team in MLB (almost).  He's got good pop still, but is well traveled and made $12M/year on his last contract.  Is he worth the $6-8M he'll command?

Braves Loss - It Hurts, but Cox screwed this up

Every day, I take a 30 minute break and walk around the parking deak and listen to the ESPN Baseball Today podcast.  It's hosted by Seth Everett and Eric Karabell of ESPN.

 

Today, Eric commented that Friday night, after the BillY Wagner injury, that Bobby Cox had other options in the bullpen beyond Farnsworth?  It was the 10th inning.  His only other choice was Christian Martinez. 

 

Seth described the awful way the Braves lost Sunday as being the worst he could remember.  Does he remember Friday's game and how the Giants lost?  They had a 4-1 lead after 7 innings and their closer lost it for them in the 8th.  Then Billy Wagner gets hurt and Rick Ankiel (Rick Ankiel!) joins the Babe by hitting a GW homer.  I actually think the Giants loss is worse (the Braves are crippled and saddled with Brooks Conrad), but since I am a Braves fan, Sunday's is much more painful.  They were right to ask why wasn't Diory Hernandez in at 3rd in the 9th and move Infante to 2nd.  On Friday, after Glaus's heroic DP, Cox had enough sense to replace him with Hernandez for the bottom of the 11th.  Why not Sunday replace a guy who's single-handedly trying to give this thing to the Giants (in addition to the lousy defense is lost the awful bunt he made ahead of Hinske's homer)?

 

Eric is out to lunch on Aubrey Huff's splits ("Aubrey Huff can't hit lefthanders.").  Going lefty-lefty against Huff did nothing to improve the Braves' chances.  Sure, he proportionally strikes out and hits into more DP's, but, the Braves needed neither of those, and if you were looking for a strikeout, Kimbrel was certainly the go-to guy, not Dunn. Yes, a poor decision by Cox.  But, not as bad as the 2-2 slider to Sanchez, who couldn't hit Kimbrel's fastball.  A little league coach would never have thrown that pitch to him seeing his swings against Kimbrel.

 

Huff's 2010 Splits:

Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHP	145		480	407		117	28	2	19	59	6	0	66	60	.287	.388	.506	.894	206	10	3	0	4	5	2	.295	101	138
vs LHP	90		188	162		48	7	3	7	27	1	0	17	31	.296	.378	.506	.884	82	7	6	0	3	0	4	.323	98	158

 

Look at Dunn's splits.  Sure, he strikes out lefties more, but he's not that much more effective against them:

Split	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	SB	CS	BB	SO	SO/BB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHB	21	44	33	4	7	1	0	1	0	0	11	9	0.82	.212	.409	.333	.742	11	2	0	0	0	2	0	.261	125	104
vs LHB	24	44	38	6	8	2	0	0	0	0	6	18	3.00	.211	.318	.263	.581	10	0	0	0	0	0	1	.400	76	73

 

Is Kimbrel awful against lefties?  Let's look:

Split	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	SB	CS	BB	SO	SO/BB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHB	21	47	38	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	9	22	2.44	.079	.255	.105	.361	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	.188	58	8
vs LHB	20	41	34	2	6	1	0	0	0	0	7	18	2.57	.176	.317	.206	.523	7	1	0	0	0	1	1	.375	146	44

 

I think the numbers make the argument here - Kimbrel against lefties is essentially Mike Dunn with a better chance of a strikeout. 

 

Stupid moves of Sunday's game:

1. The 2-2 pitch to Sanchez (McCann, Kimbrel?)

2. Taking out Kimbrel (Cox)

3. Having Conrad in the game at all in the 9th (Cox - and I am cutting him some slack for having him in the game in the 1st)

 

To give you something else to think about for the rest of the week, when the Braves are eliminated, how many days until Freddi Gonzalez is announced as the new manager?

 

Finally, we all love VJohnny enters this year,  but, he's a starter, and that's how he came up.  I expect the team to give him a chance to win a rotation spot next year, with Kimbrel getting Wagner's job.  With Medlen out for the year, that will give the Braves choices of JJ, Lowe, Hudson, Hanson, Minor and Venters.  Someone's getting traded (Lowe, JJ?).  I think Lowe improved his value in September and October and the Braves may try to move him again to get a bat and dump salary.  Kawakami is toast.  Welcome to Kansas City or Seattle, Kenshin.

Braves Magic

The Phillies are clearly the class of MLB again this year, and it would appear they are on a course to meet the Yankees again in the World Series.

However, if you did not stay up for last night's 5-4 Braves victory over San Francisco, you missed one for the ages and a game that sort of sums up the Braves' season.

Down early 4-0 with one of SF's aces, Matt Cain delivering shut-out pitching against the Braves anemic batting order and with Bobby Cox ejected after the same umpire who blew last night's call on Buster Posey blew another one, the Braves battled out a run in the 6th to make it 4-1, then took advantage of some shoddy SF fielding and timely hitting by Alex Gonzales (who was 4 for 43 coming into the game) to tie the game against SF's closer (Brian Wilson, who had 48 saves) and force extra innings.

That would be drama enough, except, in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Braves were forced to play the gimpy Troy Glaus (who carried this team in May/June, but had been battling nagging injuries since, and compelled the Braves to trade for Derrek Lee at the deadline) at third base (for just the second time this season) as Billy Wagner was brought in, in all likelihood to pitch two innings (hopefully).

Former Brave Edgar Renteria led off, and knowing Glaus's health issues, bunted at him and reached first base.  On the play, Wagner likely hurt an oblique, and fortunately, the next batter sacrificed Renteria to second, with Wagner getting the out, visibly in pain.

If you were, like me, going UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH at the site of Wagner flinching in pain, you thought, ":This is it.  Season's over."

Kyle Farnsworth, who did not distinguish himself in his last time through Atlanta, was brought in to replace Wagner, and promptly hit a batter and then walked a batter to load the bases with 1 out.

If you watched the game, you know what happened next.  If not, a ground ball was hit to Glaus (again), who, instead of going home to get the out there, started a double play, and the Braves were out of the inning!  At that point, you had some inkling that something special was going on here.

In the top of the 11th, Rick Ankiel, the former Cardinal's pitcher, and reconstituted center fielder, hitting just .220 for Atlanta since coming over from KC in July, hit a monster homer into McCovey Cove to make it 5-4 in the 11th.

Farnsworth worked an uneventful bottom of the 11th, and the Braves return to Atlanta having split the first 2 in SF 1-1.  In 5 game series since the format began, teams that split 1-1 are 25-10.  So, the odds favor the Braves, but, Wagner is out for the series and the season, and we may seen him throw his last pitch.

It's too bad he's not planning on coming back next season, but Craig Kimbrel and Johnny Venters have been awesome.For now, Wagner is out this series and the next (if the Braves make it).  The guess is Takashi Saito will take his place.

NL Wild Card Race

With the Padres getting beat 1-0 by the Cubs tonight, the Braves path to the NL Wild Card just got a little easier.

The Braves magic number is now 2 over San Diego.  Here are the scenarios for the Braves:
- Braves get swept by Phils, leaving them 90-72 for the season.  Padres take 2 of 3 against San Fran to finish 90-72.  Giants still win West, and Padres have to travel to Atlanta to play a one game playoff against Braves.
- Braves get swept by Phils and Padres sweep Giants.  This is the only scenario that stops Braves outright.  Braves finish 90-72, but both Padres and Giants finish 91-71.  No playoff for West division - division winner is season series winner of Pads/Giants.  Wild Card goes to the other team. This is a playoff seeding scenario only, thus, no playoff.
- Braves go 1-2 against Phils, making them 91-71 for the season.  Padres have to sweep in this case against Giants.  If they do, all three teams will be 91-71.  In this case, the Padres/Giants will play one game for the NL West title.  Loser of that will travel to Atlanta to play 1 game playoff for Wild Card.  If the Braves win 1 against Phils and Padres lose 2+ to Giants - Giants win NL West, Braves win Wild Card.
- Braves go 2-1 against Phils - Braves win Wild Card, period, as they would have 92-70 record.  Best Padres can finish is 91-71, so, if they do sweep the Giants in this scenario, they would play SF in a one game playoff for NL West crown.  Loser stays home.

So, for the Padres, the challenge is clear - they really must sweep the Giants.  The Braves can make this even more important for the Padres by winning Friday against the Phillies.  Unlike last time, when the Phils swept the Braves in Philly, the Braves get to face Kyle Kendrick, Cole Hamels, and rookie Vance Worley (as opposed to Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt).  And, I doubt Hamels or Kendrick even, will go deep in the game, exposing the Phillies middle relief.  I'm not saying the Phils would throw the games against the Braves, but, it is the difference between facing Cincinnati or San Diego in the first round (or, God forbid, San Francisco and that pitching staff).  It'll be interesting to see who plays in this series.  Werth, Victorino, Howard, have all gotten significant rest since the Phils clinched on Monday.

If you're a Phillies fan, thank Brian McCann that the home field will be with the Phils the entire post-season.

Update: Jay Brings Bad Luck

I am in Norfolk for an exercise this week and my regular weekend.

This trip is an example of how deviating from your routine screws you over.  I have driven from Atlanta to Norfolk exactly once in 6 years coming here, and that was in July when we were in Corolla for vacation and I was up here anyway.

Due to some scheduling issues with my orders, I decided to drive this time.  I left home early Sunday and stayed in Greensboro for a couple hours before heading to Norfolk.  We've all had that odd feeling when we travel that we've forgotten something, and I kind of had that, but I didn't fully realize it until I got here, unpacked my bag, and realized my Navy Working Uniform (NWU, or "Blueberries") blouse and pants were still hanging in the closet at home.  Haha!  Joke's on me.  I had my cap, boots, belt, and all the undershirts, just not the important parts.

Amy agreed to run them over to Fed-Ex and send them to me, so that they will arrive tomorrow (Tues), but, I needed to go to the Exchange and buy some khakis to tide me over.  Which I did.  Oh, and some new black shoes.  Fortunately, the nice ladies at the new uniform shop (much larger) agreed to hem the pants for me right away, so that made it easier.  And we didn't actually start the exercise until noon on Monday, so I was able to make the start, although I stood out pretty well from everyone else.  Luckily, I think most people just assume an airline lost my luggage, so, I get some sympathy.  To top it off, this morning, I thought I had lost my wallet.  I hadn't.

If you live in the East, you know today is the continuation of a 3 day deluge.  No different here in Norfolk.  So, after the day ended at 7:45 tonight, we (myself and one of my shipmates who drove this morning to the waterfront) took the long walk from the ship, down the pier to his car, and got soaked in the continuing flood. Got in the car, and within 5 minutes, were broad-sided in the parking lot by an idiot who apparently didn't know what his brakes were for.  My bad luck rubbing off on someone else.  Ever see that commercial where the guys are talking, then all of a sudden, they get broadsided?  That's what it was like, except it was my side getting hit.  It was a parking lot, so, the hit wasn't that hard (no airbags deployed), and I am not sore or anything, but, both cars were undriveable.  Again, not my car, so I was lucky.

I also found out this week that I got another reserve job starting in December.  Back to the submarine force, but staying in Norfolk.  This will likely be my last tour, as I will have 27 years when it runs out, and being unlikely to make Captain, the Navy will force me out at 28 years anyway.  It'll be time to retire then.  But, I said that I would stay in as long as the Navy continued to pay me, and they're going to, and this gives me another 3 years to get an AT in Japan, so, I am going to effort that.

In some good news, Randell got a job today.  She's going to be a hostess weekends (Sa/Su) 8a-2p at IHOP.  Yum.

In case you missed it on SleepyEyedWhiners, here is my post on college football 2010.

One thing I forgot to add there, UGA is 1-2, after a last minute loss to Arkansas.

Braves Update

It's now crunch time in the baseball stretch run.

The Braves managed, with a rotten early September, to play themselves out of the lead in the NL East.  Of course, the Phillies great second half play helped, and they're now in a 3 game lead in the NL East.  This week, the Phils and Braves will square off in Philly, with this being the Braves last gasp at taking the NL East.

At the same time, the Rockies have done their usual end of year push, and have become players in both the NL West and Wild Card races.  As many predicted, the Padres finally swooned and are now fighting the Giants and Rockies for that division lead.  It's right now 4 teams for 2 spots, with no clear leader in the NL West, and the Braves nursing a 2 game lead for the Wild Card.

As I write this, the Braves have a 3 run lead to sweep the Mets today, which would put the Braves at 86-64 and headed to 90 wins easily, which has been the number to hit for an NL Wild Card team.  Only a couple of times in the last ten years has an NL team had more than 90 wins and not won the division or wild card.  If the Braves play .500 the rest of the way and end up 92-70, that should do it.  Over in the AL, there have been several occasions where teams have won 93 and not made it.  Still, 90 is usually the number.  This year, in the NL, with 4 good teams chasing those two spots, I think it may take 92 or 93 wins.  For the braves that means they go 7-5 in their last 12 and I think they are definitely in.  If they do that and end up 93-69, the Rockies would need to go 11-3.  The Giants would need to go 10-3, and the Padres would need to go 10-4.  So, there you have it.  The path to the Wild Card is much simpler for the Braves right now.  So, keep the faith, Braves fans!

But...if the Braves go 2-4 against the Phils in those last 6, that means they need to go 5-1 against the Marlin and Nats, 2 teams that have given the Braves fits.  So, better to go 3-3 to the Phils and then it's just 4-2 against those two teams.

Ryan's 18th Birthday

This week was Ryan's 18th birthday.  If you remembered, thanks, and, if you remembered and sent him a gift, double thanks.  The note's in the mail to you.

For his birthday, he received an iPhone 3G (because I still can't order a 4G and because they're only $99 right now), some new headphones, Halo Reach, and a trip to visit his girlfriend, Alex, in Mississippi. Of course, as part of that gift, I got a trip to Mississippi, seeing as how Ryan still has no license to drive, nor a car I would trust to go to MS.

Anyway, it's an easy trip from Atlanta to Jackson, and thanks to Priceline, one can stay in a decent hotel for about half price.  If you're willing to take a chance on the hotel Priceline picks for you, I recommend using it to get a great rate. Priceline can be manipulated a little to get you the hotel you choose, but, if you stick to their star ratings, you can good good prices on otherwise expensive hotels.  So, I stayed at the Marriott in downtown Jackson for half the listed price (which isn't much to begin with for a weekend in Jackson, MS).

As WC Fields used to describe Philadelphia, I spent a week in Jackson one Sunday.  Really, I did.

As with many mid-size Southern cities, Jackson's downtown is largely abandoned, except this is the seat of MS's government, so, lawyers offices and churches dominate the landscape.  I took a bunch of pictures, which you can see here.

Another house story

We've been doing some landscaping, and have created a little peace garden in the back yard.  I think you'll all agree it really makes our formerly very dreary back yard much nicer.





Action shot of the painter in the background.  Yes, that's a can of black spray paint.

Our most recent addition...

In the last couple of weeks, out trusty 2005 Nissan Pathfinder had been making some odd sounds.  So, fearful of the potential results, and with the knowledge that this car has 109,000 miles on it and the model has some transmission issues, we decided now might be a good time to put it to pasture.

So, I set about finding a suitable replacement for Amy.  One that retained the utility of a SUV with the driving characteristics and mileage of a car.  I have wanted a VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI for some time, so, I though that might make an ideal vehicle for our needs.  Big enough for 5, enough room for catering stuff, and 45 MPG highway (the "D" in TDI is "Diesel").

Here's a review on Edmunds.com and a pic of my favorite.



Turns out that after Amy saw the car, she decided, "No way!"

But, she did like the VW Beetle convertible.  Hmmm, this was not the plan.  So, after a test drive, she liked it even more.  Fortunately, the dealer was near closing time, and we had brought the Pathfinder to trade.  When the plan changed to a "fun" car, we decided keeping the Pathfinder was a necessity, so trading my 2004 Jeep Liberty became the plan.  That worked for everyone because we all basically disliked this perfectly respectable and reliable car.

Why all the hatred? I don't know.  Most people complained about the stick shift and the somewhat uncomfortable ride, due to the short wheelbase.

Since the VW dealer was closing, this meant no car that day (Sunday).  And, since the Ford dealer was across the street, I thought we should check out the Mustangs.  Ford introduced a significantly upgraded Mustang for 2011 in February 2010, but with few cosmetic changes.  That meant we could perhaps grab a 2010 Mustang at a good price, and no one would really be the wiser.  The Ford dealer was closed, but they did have enough Mustangs on the lot so that Amy pretty much decided the bigger and more manly car was better than a Beetle.

To cut to the chase, after some Internet work, we found 2 2010 Mustangs at a dealer about 45 minutes away, with low miles (15k) below Edmunds' average trade price.  Use carfax.com if it's available, because for both these it was.  One was a former rental, and the other an off-lease.  So, bye bye Liberty, and hello new Mustang:

If I can get a tow hitch put on it, we may take it on trips!  Not.

Baseball stretch run starts now

Well, back on June 1st, I posted this about the Braves.

Back on June 1, the Braves had turned their season around, and the Phillies, in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal, were moving backward, into 2nd place, where they remain today.

What's more interesting about this whole thing is that if you looked at the performance of players back on June 1 versus September 1, you see that the Braves have largely changed their entire starting 8.  Of the players we looked at back on June 1, the following are no longer getting any significant playing time:

• Chipper Jones - torn ACL - probably a career ending injury.
• Yunel Escobar - traded to Toronto for Alex Gonzalez
• Troy Glaus - knees finally caught up to him, back on the team with roster expansion, but, not likely to see much playing time at first base with Derrek Lee and Freddie Freeman occupying that spot now.
• Nate McLouth - Got seriously injured in a collision and spent most of the summer in AAA.  Back now, but, just as bad.

In case you didn't notice, that means 3/4 of the Braves infield on June 1 is no longer starting.  The only constant has been Martin Prado, who was hitting .323 in June 1 and is hitting .317 now and was the starting 2B in the all-star game.  Of couse, Martin has replaced Chipper at 3B and that has allowed super-sub Omar Infante to play 2B, and contend now for the batting crown, where, once he qualifies for it, is nearly 20 points ahead of Joey Votto (.347 vs. .327 as of tonight).  Alex Gonzalez was acquired to replace the powerless, sulky Escobar, and has been a general upgrade.  The fact that guys in the clubhouse cheered when he arrived tells you all you need to know about Escobar.

In the outfield, Matt Diaz has rebounded nicely from his early season injury, Rick Ankiel (acquired from KC), while not spectacular at the plate, has been an upgrade from McLouth, and is one of the best defensive CF's in the game.  Jason Heyward, batting .292 on June 1, battled a thumb injury, saw his power decline, and his average dip into the low .250's, but, is back up to .285 at press time with 5 homers this in the last 30 days and will probably be rookie of the month for August.  

Brian McCann has improved his power and average and is getting back to his normal numbers.

The other constant has been the strength of the bench.  While Infante was forced into an everyday role, the LF platoon of Melky Cabrera/Diaz has worked out pretty well, and Brooks Conrad has been the PH force, with Erik Hinske, and David Ross has been such a good back-up catcher, the Braves signed him to a 2 year deal recently.

The other constant on this team has been good pitching.  Tim Hudson has 15 wins, and is in the Cy Young conversation.  Kris Medlen was great until tearing up his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery (read his blog as he recovers).  Mike Minor, last year's #1 draft pick, has stepped into Medlen's spot and been pretty good.  Tommy Hanson has pitched good enough to win 15 games, but has been the victim of no support.  Jair Jurrjens has returned to form.  Only Derek Lowe has been awful, as well as Kenshin Kawakami.  Lowe hasn't been bad enough to lose his rotation spot, but, he's been pretty bad.  KK spent the last month in Gwinnett, but, with Lowe missing his next start with elbow soreness, KK will get a chance to redeem himself.

The real constant this season has been the bullpen.  Billy Wagner has been amazing mostly, and Johnny Venters has turned out to be a beast, and, while he's nominally a starter, Frank Wren must be thinking he's a potential replacement for the retiring Wagner for next year.  No one has been a real bust in the pen.  Takashi Saito has been quite good, as has Eric O'Flaherty and even the sometimes spotty Peter Moylan (what's interesting is that Venters seems to have replaced Moylan as the 8th inning guy, with Moylan likely being used against predominantly RH batters and when a ground ball is desperately needed).  Even Christian Martinez has filled a long relief role, and looked good (leaving hope that he might be a potential valuable starter some day).  

Anyway, the Braves bashed the hapless Mets again tonight, and hold on to their 3 game lead over the Phils.  If you're a Phillies fan (and I know some of you are), you have to wonder how the Phils can play so well lately and still be 3 games back.  Take heart, the Braves go to Florida this weekend, where the Marlin give them fits.  But, then it's on to Pittsburgh against the worst team in the NL before coming home again.

Personally, I think both Atlanta and Philly make it, as well as Cincinnati and San Diego.  Doesn't matter, because the Rays will win it all.

Funny, Creative, Real(?)

Watch this ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=201pgTaEseQ

You won't be sorry

Jay's Reading List

Jay's reading recommendations.  Check it out.

What if All Americans Had at Least Catastrophic Health Care Coverage?

How about something simple like this as a health care reform? Why won't this work?

What if All Americans Had at Least Catastrophic Health Care Coverage?

Mountain Pictures, too...

I also posted our pictures from our trip to Boone.

Here.

Beach Trip Pictures

I have uploaded to my Picasa site some of the pictures from the beach.  This doesn't include the last day's pictures, which I will get up soon.

Until then, enjoy these, and post your own and link them here.

Independence Day Weekend in Atlanta

Amy and I decided to take a little staycation in town, since neither of the kids wanted to enjoy the traditional Independence Day Braves game. So, we booked a hotel room in the Perimeter Center area, rather than downtown, close to MARTA so we could take the train to the game and made a long weekend, Saturday-Monday, of it.

Staying at Perimeter Center, saves some time (keeping us closer to home) and saves some money since, obviously, these hotels are geared towards business travelers and are about 50% less on a Holiday weekend than if we stayed downtown. Not as many choices, but, enough.

Anyway, we settled on the W Perimeter Center, since it was a "four star" hotel, was in our price category (more on that later) and had an outdoor pool. Amazing how many nice hotels in this area do not have outdoor pools (most have indoor), so that really limits you. We were all set to stay in the Marriott, which is right across from the Dunwoody MARTA station, but I waited too long, and it was booked.  My other thought was - since parking isn't a problem in this area, we'd also save the $20 downtown hotels charge per day for parking. Wrong! Despite having plenty of parking, the W charges $12/day to park there. I negotiated that to $6, but, they really should include that on their web site (other hotels do, and you should know that for a downtown facility).

Anyway, we checked in early Saturday, and that was slow (I am not thrilled with the W, if you can't tell). The room, though, was as expected, and the hotel is nice, if not truly a 4-star affair (3.5 maybe). The pool was decent, though cold. How a pool could be cold when every day for the last 2 weeks it's been 95 degrees here, I don't know, but it was. They must change the water daily.  The a/c, while it wasn't broken, never seemed to really cool the room down.  The nights were cool, so we just kept the balcony door open at night anyway.  I would put the W's "wonderful" king beds a notch below the best we've stayed at - the Beacon Hotel in Miami Beach and the Westin Peachtree Plaza in downtown Atlanta.  It's going to take a pretty nice place to top the Beacon (#17 of 199 in Miami on Trip Advisor).

At the pool, we met a woman who visits Atlanta often (to visit step-kids), and she uses Priceline, and her rate was 50% below ours. Now, we wouldn't have been able to assure ourselves of the outside pool using Priceline, but, if you're flexible, you should use it for hotels.

Saturday we just hung out at the pool, then we ate dinner at the Atlanta Fish Market, one of the Buckhead Life group restaurants, in the Buckhead entertainment district. This area of Atlanta is undergoing major renovations to improve pedestrian safety (and to destroy the rotten establishments), so, it's not nearly as much a destination as it was years ago. The changes came at a time when the clientele in Buckhead was changing to a demo that really didn't suit the upscale residents of the area, if you know what I mean. So, we'll see when it's all done what happens. The Fish Market is a pretty good place. It was a nice night to sit outside and enjoy a long dinner. We went back, enjoyed our room, and prepared for the next day (July 4th) by sleeping and renting one of those hotel movies (Brooklyn's Finest) that you sleep through for your twelve bucks.

July 4th was pretty much a pool day and then the Braves (5pm start time - thanks ESPN). The Braves played well, but lost, and the fireworks show was 15 minutes and lame. The team does fireworks every Friday home game, and this was the same show, with patriotic music subbed in.  They filled in the time from the end of the game until dark with a local cover band, Yacht Rock Revue.  It was 1979 for an hour or so.

We pretty much just rested today and then went to granma's pool, as it's bigger and less crowded than ours, after doing some window shopping at Perimeter Mall, and actual shopping where we can afford it (Wal-mart).

I had decided finally I was going to buy an iPad, but when I went to the Apple Store to get one, I discovered (doh!) that the wait is 2 weeks. Time to rethink it.

Ran's boyfriend just got a 4G iPhone, so he has loaned her his 3G until she can get her own when her contract allows in January. I am jealous. But, I still think I prefer the iPad. Now I have another couple weeks to think about it...

Well, that is it.  3 more work days until vacation!

Daisy and Bentley

Check out these two dogs:

Okay, that's not actually our dog on the right, we were just watching her.  But, if I was given the opportunity to keep her, I probably would.

Goodbye Eddie.

Today, we had to finally do something we've been discussing for months, and that's put our 17 year old Jack Russell terrier, Eddie, to sleep.  Eddie had been suffering for some time with a neurological disorder that preventing him from using his hind left leg, and coupled with blindness and deafness, he had become basically unable to walk, so, today we bade him farewell and happy trails as he takes his place in doggie heaven.

Daisy has not been taking the loss of her brother too well, as we think she is still waiting for him to come home.  Say a little prayer for Eddie tonight as he makes new friends in his new home.

Braves. Was I wrong? Now the Phillies stink.

Back in early May, I posted this, "Braves stink."

This was as the Braves were recovering from a 9 games losing streak and their continued inability to win on the road.  Since then, buoyed by series against Milwaukee, Arizona, and going 5 for 6 versus the Pirates, they have been the NL's best team in May.

At the same time, since May 12th, when the Phillies were called out for cheating for stealing signs from the bullpen, they have been in a tailslide, were shut out 4 of 5 games, and scored 2 in the final 18 innings of their just-completed series against the Marlins, only winning when Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game.

But, this is about the Braves, not those cheating Phillies.

Back in the May 7th post, I said some of these hitters would improve - so what have they done since then:

• Matt Diaz - .178 (.190 on 5/7) - on DL, perhaps out for an extended period.
• Melky Cabrera - .241 (.191 on 5/7) - definitely improving
• Nate McLouth - .179 (.187 on 5/7) - there is still a problem with this guy. There are 2 starting pitchers hitting better than him.  Trade?  Would anyone take him?  DFA?
• Chipper Jones - .250 (.228 on 5/7) - still only has 3 homers, but Chipper's bat seems to be coming around
• Troy Glaus - .274 (.228 on 5/7) - Hitting now ABOVE his lifetime average, Glaus has carried this team for the month
• Yunel Escobar - .212 (.215 on 5/7) - Yunel spent 15 days on the DL during this time, and has only now gotten back in the lineup.
• Brian McCann - .259 (.243 on 5.7) - McCann also has spent some time injured but is improving of late, and he still has

The one batter I didn't mention then was a guy not getting much playing time, but who, the last 3 weeks has been fantastic, and that's been Eric Hinske, who is now hitting .329 with 4 HR's and 22 RBI's in very limited playing time.  Of course, Martin Prado (.323/4/26) and Jason Heyward (.292/10/38) have stayed consistently good.  I look forward to Chipper moving to the 2 spot and Heyward batting 3rd.  Those three guys have been the spark the last few weeks - moving Prado to lead-off and Heyward to 2, then Hinske gatting a lot of playing time.

Meanwhile, I lambasted the pitchers, and they have improved as well, to wit:

• Hudson - Lowered his era from 2.82 to 2.24
• Hanson - Had one rotten start (the 10-9 comeback versus Cincinnati), and his ERA has climbed from 2.83 to 3.83
• Lowe - has been resurgent, lowered his era to 4.86 from 6.16 and leads with 7 wins.
• Kawakami - despite still not recording a win, has lowered his era from 5.47 to 4.66
• Jurrjens remains injured, but, in relief, Kris Medlen has been very good and has era at 2.85.  What will the Braves do when JJ comes back from the DL because Medlen has earned a starting spot, while KK has also earned the right to keep his.
• The bullpen has been just great and Billy Wagner who I believe had 2 saves on 5/7, now has 7, but, the Braves haven't been in that many close games since then, either.

My new prognosis?  Dramatic turn-around, and a team capable of 90 wins. Capable.  We will see

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day all you mothers out there!

Braves stink.

The Atlanta Braves stink.

Let's face it, our hometown South team is awful.  The hitting sucks, the pitching is so-so.  Only the bullpen is decent, as a unit.  At least since they don't hit, the losses only take a couple of hours to endure.  Tonight, the Braves were shutout on 2 hits by Jamie Moyer.  Jamie Moyer!  The guy is 101 years old (ok, 47), and throws 82 mph with a tailwind.

Here in the ATL, people are fretting that this team is too awful to even compete.  I am starting to worry that they are digging a hole too large to get out of.  We could follow the Bobby Cox "stay the course" routine.  We have nearly an entire team hitting at levels way, way below their career averages.  Surely, that can't continue.  Only two regulars are hitting better than their career averages, Martin Prado, and Jason Heyward (and, who knows, .296 might be below his career average).  Let's look at the other regulars:

• Matt Diaz, LF, .190 (.304 career)
• Melky Cabrera, LF, .191 (.266 career)
• Nate McLouth, CF, .187 (.257 career)
• Chipper Jones, 3B, .231 (.307 career)
• Troy Glaus, 1B, .228 (.255 career)
• Yunel Escobar, SS, .215 (.297 career)
• Brian McCann, C, .243 (.292 career)

So, if we assume these guys will come back to their career averages, we should see some improvement in the Braves run scoring.  Since hitters tend to find their natural averages, we have to assume that most of these guys will find their way back.  If I were playing GM, though, I'd have to have some concern about a couple of these guys career averages.  Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth are not that great to start with, and you have to wonder how much Cabrera's stats were influenced by playing at Yankee stadium.  So, that's 2 guys without much of an upside to begin with.  Two other guys, Chipper Jones, and Troy Glaus, we have to wonder what they have left in the tank.  Chipper's power numbers have been way down the last two seasons, and Glaus has not shown that he's recovered from his injured 2009 year.  Yunel Escobar is a head case, so, that leaves only McCann and Diaz that we can have any real confidence that they will recover and produce. 

Now, how about the pitching.  Turns out, not that great.  Braves starters are only 7th in ERA in the NL.  And, look at these guys ERA's:

• Hudson: 2.82
• Hanson: 2.83
• Lowe: 6.16
• Kawakami: 5.47
• Jurrjens: 6.38

Ouch!  Jurrjens escaped the sophomore wall last season, but it appears he has hit it here at the beginning of this one.  Kawakami was never that good, and Lowe, like Chipper, is probably at the end of the road.  Of course, the Braves management knew this, and tried to unload him during the Fall and Spring, with no takers. Unfortunately, the rest of baseball knew it as well.

So, what do the Braves do?  Tomorrow, Kris Medlen, who I really like, is getting a start as Jurrjens is on the DL, but he's really auditioning for Kawakami's slot.  If it goes well, look for Kawakami to audition for Lowe's spot.  Here we run into problems, because although Lowe had a great career as a closer, he's not going back to the bullpen for the large contract the Braves gave him.  So, KK is the odd man out here.

What's my prognosis?

Continued losing.  I think this is a 75 win team, at best.  By late June, the Braves will finally be acknowledged sellers.  Perhaps Lowe will right himself enough that a sucker can be found to send us some prospects.  Although I think the organization has largely soured on him, I expect we'll see Freddie Freeman before the all-star break and Glaus will get traded.  Could Chipper be on the block?  That would hurt in Cox's last season, because I think if Chipper has another sub-par year, he's going to retire, and he wants to do it in a Braves uniform.  So, if Chipper is playing well, he stays.  If he's not, no one is going to want him anyway, and he's going to veto a trade.  So, Chipper stays.  I think it's a possibility that Escobar goes. If Bobby was staying, he'd be gone, because he is the kind of player Cox can't stomach.  With Bobby going, it depends on his trade value.  I could see him going.  

I don't think any of the other pitchers go.  Jojo Reyes (remember him) may get thrown into a mid-season trade, but KK has no value to anyone, and Hudson and Hanson aren't going anywhere.

So, dismal!

Go Phillies.

Happy Birthday!

Today, is Nana's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

As always, there's a package in the mail, should arrive sometime in May :)

Project Time!

Well, it's project time around our house.

This winter we completed the redo of the kids bathroom, we did some minor changes to the kitchen (replaced our old nasty vent fan with a microwave and did some painting in the kitchen), replaced the roof and hot water heater, and now it's time for some other items that have been lacking.

The Grand Cherokee is getting fixed (by Ryan and I) after being involved in a fender bender last fall, the house is getting painted soon, and we're finally! going to get our shower repaired and the laundry room who's ceiling it destroyed repaired.  We think we've found a great contractor to handle those chores and replace our gutters, repair our front porch, and remove wallpaper in our master bathroom and kitchen, so we can paint them.

We shall see how those projects go.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Tech Advances to second round

Proving that if you don't turn it over (only 13 TO's) and you shoot 96% from the line (24/25), you win, Tech uncharacteristically played like a good team and beat a decent Oklahoma State team tonight.

I don't care who's next, I am just happy we're playing.

Still think the team would be better with a different coach, but Hewitt got it done tonight.

CIA preventing former engineer from writing book on K-129 salvage

CIA preventing former engineer from writing book on K-129 salvage: "David Sharp, now 75 and one of the CIA engineers behind the Glomar Explorer's attempt to raise the Soviet submarine, K-129, has been trying to write a book about the mission.

The CIA has been denying him the ability to tell his story based on 'security' concerns, although most of the details of this story have been revealed already.

You may have read and seen it in Blind Man's Bluff, but there have been several documentaries about this, as well.

Hopefully, Mr. Green will get to write his book, and tell us something new about this exercise. Sounds like his angle is the engineering challenges this project faced.

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