The blue unis are awesome.

Hey, Brent Lillibridge got called up. Maybe one day he'll get a hit!

4/28/2008 10:07:54 PM

^I love the hats, but the jersey's remind me too much of the black mets alternate. But, they are a ton better than the red alternate.

4/28/2008 10:57:21 PM

Quote :

" They won't even have the chance to choke this year"

i lol'ed so hard the neighbors heard me.. lol

4/28/2008 11:04:28 PM

Why so much hate on the red alternate? I think they are just as awesome as the blue. Anything is better than the fucking drab grey.

4/28/2008 11:14:58 PM

Soriano should be back this week. And Acosta hasn't given up a run in almost a month -- how long until he breaks both his arms?

4/29/2008 2:52:40 PM

Glavine comes off DL... to replace smoltz who will likely take his place.

4/29/2008 4:09:45 PM

hampton is making a start tomorrow night in durham... wish i didnt have an exam

4/29/2008 7:01:40 PM

GD Blaine Boyer...how many times do we have to run his ass out there just to see him blow the game up. Absolutely ridiculous.

4/29/2008 9:58:37 PM

The ghost of Mark Wohlers is upon you!

4/29/2008 10:33:16 PM

Smoltz heading back to the bullpen?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3374786

4/30/2008 1:41:34 PM

Quote :

"Ernie All American 23674 Posts user info edit post How long until the "move Smoltz to the bullpen" retard chorus starts up again? 4/10/2008 9:51:33 AM"

4/30/2008 1:59:01 PM

I don't like that. Sure, it'd be good for right now, and I guess Moylan's out for a while, but Acosta is doing well, Soriano should be back in a week or two, and Gonzalez:

Quote :

"Apr 27 LHP Mike Gonzalez has progressed so steadily and beautifully that his estimated return, once hoped to be after the All-Star break in July, is now anticipated mid-May. "

Plus whoever Campillo is seems to be doing well, but I've never seen him throw so I don't know if he's good or just lucky so far. So I think the bullpen should end up being fine, but he needs to come back as a starter to replace Chuck James.

4/30/2008 2:00:42 PM

James is in Richmond, Reyes is supposed to take Smoltz' start saturday.

[Edited on April 30, 2008 at 2:02 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2008 2:01:46 PM

Quote :

"hampton is making a start tomorrow night in durham... wish i didnt have an exam"

No worries... he left in the 4th inning after reinjuring himself. I think Hampton and El Duque are having a contest on who can be more worthless this year...

4/30/2008 3:02:32 PM

Can we put Hampton on the 1200 day DL, retroactive to April 2005?

[Edited on April 30, 2008 at 3:11 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2008 3:04:50 PM

^^ el duque is fighting a losing battle if thats the case

4/30/2008 4:42:41 PM

1-1 with the Nats, going into the 12th. This won't end well.

--

2-1 now, bottom of the 12th, Acosta pitching his 3rd inning. This won't end well.

[Edited on April 30, 2008 at 7:46 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2008 7:26:50 PM

Acosta gives up 2 in the bottom of the 12th. That didn't end well.

4/30/2008 8:11:45 PM

And you were right.

4/30/2008 8:12:20 PM

and we lose another 1 run game. whadda ya know

4/30/2008 8:12:23 PM

Smoltz officially said he'll be in the bullpen. Though it's unofficial official.

4/30/2008 8:45:30 PM

He said he's open to the idea. There's no way Bobby would move him unless he physically cannot pitch six innings. He's too valuable as a starter.

--

I really don't even think he's explicitly said that he'd move to the pen -- it's just what everyone is implying.

[Edited on April 30, 2008 at 8:53 PM. Reason : ]

4/30/2008 8:50:35 PM

Quote :

""I'm coming back as a reliever first and then we'll see what happens," Smoltz said during a late Wednesday afternoon telephone conversation. "I'm content with this." "

4/30/2008 9:28:22 PM

Quote :

"I'm coming back as a reliever first and then we'll see what happens"

4/30/2008 9:29:52 PM

Well, if you want to bicker about semantics, that's fine.

But he'll be in the bullpen for at least a few weeks. Long enough to be so far removed from any postseason hopes, if there are still any left.

4/30/2008 9:39:28 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/roster?team=atl

that pitching staff just looks sad right now

5/1/2008 6:57:18 AM

Quote :

"WASHINGTON -- Bobby Cox prefers having John Smoltz in Atlanta's rotation. That doesn't mean the Braves manager isn't open to talking about having the right-hander return to the bullpen after his stint on the disabled list. Asked Wednesday whether Smoltz could go back to being a closer, Cox said: "We are always thinking about it." In the next breath, Cox added: "I like him as a starter.""

5/1/2008 1:17:01 PM

still winless in the road blue

5/1/2008 1:44:32 PM

Hudson's dominating tonight. 8 k's, 2 hits, no runs in 5 innings so far.

5/2/2008 8:58:05 PM

Thanks Huddy, for not relying on your hitters. They pretty much wouldn't have bailed you out. Smoltz needs to be a SP for the entire season, I don't care what anybody says.

Final: 9 IP, CG, SO, 10 K, 3 H

[Edited on May 3, 2008 at 4:03 AM. Reason : Hudson]

5/3/2008 4:02:37 AM

we need to make a trade and acquire a nice young arm. after hudson and jair, we've got no short term help. glavine is doing great this year for us, but he can't have that much left in the tank after this season (what will he do after this 1-year contract is up?). smoltz may not return to the rotation ever again and yeah, hampton too. i absolutely despise jojo and chuck. bennett is ok at the back of the rotation. so in 2009, what do we have, seriously?

1. Hudson
2. Jurrjens
3. Bennett (meh)
4. Reyes (ugh)
5. James (ugh)

this is assuming glavine doesn't sign an extension, and smoltz stays in the pen, so you could say this is worst case scenario. we don't have any decent minor league help in the near future, most of our highly rated young arms are deep in the system right now. i think we should throw a ton of money at tex, and not let him walk, but if we do that, how realistic is it to sign a FA pitcher next offseason? i think trade is the only way to go.

5/3/2008 7:31:18 AM

well it appears I might be on the right track, Ken Rosenthall suggests the braves will be looking to trade:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8096428/Where-to-hit-Soriano-is-becoming-Chicago's-debate?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=3498
in Notes of Importance:

Quote :

"The Braves were not blindsided by John Smoltz's announcement that he would return as a closer; they were only surprised that he embraced the idea so enthusiastically after initially expressing reluctance in discussions with club officials.Without Smoltz in the rotation, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine and Jair Jurrjens become the Braves' top three starters. Right-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, who had a 1.17 ERA in five starts at Class AAA, will pitch Saturday against the Reds, and the Braves also plan to explore trade options. They've got enough minor-league depth to pull off a deal, but will not overpay for a mediocre pitcher. "

5/3/2008 12:54:40 PM

Please don't deal Jason Heyward.

5/3/2008 2:47:52 PM

If they have no intention of throwing big money at Tex to keep him after this year, they need to deal his ass right now for some top young arms.

5/3/2008 5:24:31 PM

Quote :

"Right-hander Jo-Jo Reyes..."

reyes is definitely a left-hander

5/3/2008 11:30:57 PM

Sportsline's recap of yesterday's game said in the notes section:

Quote :

"... Braves RHP Peter Moylan had to put an early end to a bullpen session before the game as he tested his strained right elbow. He will be examined by team doctors Sunday and could face season-ending surgery. ... "

http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/recap/MLB_20080503_CIN@ATL
GD it. when it rains it pours.

5/4/2008 9:30:51 AM

Quote :

"If they have no intention of throwing big money at Tex to keep him after this year, they need to deal his ass right now for some top young arms."

nope

5/4/2008 12:10:16 PM

and here i thought 8 runs was gonna be enough today

come on tommy, damn

5/4/2008 3:17:08 PM

Boyer is in with a 6 run lead. Lets see how much we're down after he leaves the game

5/4/2008 4:28:57 PM

are you insinuating that we dont have a good bullpen?

5/4/2008 4:33:42 PM

im insinuating that Boyer sucks. 0-3 with a 5+ ERA before he just pitched a 1-2-3 inning

5/4/2008 4:35:29 PM

hey whats the prognosis on smoltz...i heard hes on the dl with an elboy injury

5/4/2008 4:43:19 PM

Quote :

"nope"

So we should just keep him the rest of the year, a year where we aren't going to contend, and let him just walk at the end of the year and get nothing in return for him? Yeah, that sounds like great planning for the future of the team.

[Edited on May 4, 2008 at 5:01 PM. Reason : .]

5/4/2008 5:00:38 PM

who says the braves aren't going to contend? you have to wait til at least the all-star break to know something like that. .500 right now, with a bunch of 1-run losses that should even out, and a lot of injuries that should help them get better soon. Teixeira is a huge bat in that pretty good lineup, and probably a lot of the reason chipper's been so good to start.

5/4/2008 5:09:57 PM

Well considering our pitching staff is complete shit right now, we aren't going to contend if it doesn't get better.

Don't get me wrong, I love Tex, he is a fantastic player. And someone I would love for us to keep and build around well into the future. But we gave up a lot to get him. I am pretty sure the Braves already know if they are going to spend the money to keep him. If they aren't, we need to look to the future and atleast get something for him considering how much we gave up to get him.

5/4/2008 5:25:54 PM

^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/standings

Why trade a guy who can produce over the next three months for a group of pitchers who won't? If we're going to deal him before the offseason, it won't happen until July. I doubt it'll happen though. Which is just fine with me.

And another thing!

If Tex gets traded it won't be for pitching prospects. It'll be for a reliable #2/#3 type starter and a prospect or two. We have enough pitching in the minors, we don't need a zero sum trade.

[Edited on May 4, 2008 at 5:43 PM. Reason : MacGyver ]

5/4/2008 5:37:48 PM

Royce only threw one pitch today and was credited with the win. Poor Tommy

5/4/2008 10:09:33 PM

That's what happens when you give up 6 runs in 4 2/3. All you Kotsay haters, he's over .300...yeah I know it probably won't last, but dude's playin well and I'll take it everyday over Andruws bullshit. And Ernie maybe Chipper will just hit over .400 this year? I heard one guy on ESPN say he's a bubble HOFer, yeah right, he's in all the way in my opinion.

5/5/2008 2:40:31 AM

if Dale Murphy can't get in, anything can happen

5/5/2008 8:48:19 AM

Chipper is in. Didn't he have some crazy streak of .300 avg with 30 homers and 100 rbi?? like 5 or 6 seasons straight? Maybe not, but it was something close

5/5/2008 10:41:50 AM