Quote :

"Betemit still filling in well for Chipper.."

Just had to dig up that old gem from a week or so ago...

4/24/2006 12:04:52 AM

abonorio, i dont think villareal ever saw the field. Remlinger came in to get the last out

4/24/2006 12:29:25 AM

My apologies... it was Remlinger. Both he and Villareal were in the bullpen ready to go in in the 9th.

4/24/2006 8:36:25 AM

Also, Remlinger recorded a save in last night's game, although he only pitched for one out, the final one. I thought to get the save, you had to have pitched at least 3 outs.

What's the rules on getting a save?


I found it.

Quote :

"In baseball statistics the term save (abbreviated SV, or sometimes, S) is used to indicate the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, usually the closer, until the end of the game. A save is credited to a pitcher who fulfills the following three conditions: 1. The pitcher is the last pitcher in a game won by his team; 2. The pitcher is not the winning pitcher (for instance, if a starting pitcher throws a complete game win); 3. The pitcher fulfills at least one of the following three conditions: 1. He comes into the game with a lead of no more than three runs, and pitches at least one full inning. 2. He comes into the game with the potential tying run being either on base, at bat, or on deck. In other words, the potential tying run is either already on base or is one of the first two batters he faces. 3. He pitches at least three "effective" innings (this is the only subjective criterion and is judged by the official scorer). If the pitcher surrenders the lead at any point, he cannot get a save, even if his team comes back to win. No more than one save may be credited in each game. If a relief pitcher satisfies all the criteria for a save, except he does not finish the game, he will often be credited with a hold. Save rules have changed over the years; the above rules are taken from the Official Baseball Rules 2004. The save is defined in Section 10.20 of Major League Baseball Official Rules. The statistic was formally introduced in 1969, although research has identified saves earned prior to that point."

[Edited on April 24, 2006 at 8:49 AM. Reason : i found it]

4/24/2006 8:46:18 AM

Great game last night - it was nice to actually see a picthers duel.

Anyway more news on the sale of the Braves. It sounds like they'll be owned by a damn corporation again. I'm hoping that Liberty buys the Braves and then puts them back up for sale so that Arthur Blank can buy them.

Quote :

"Braves sale may be close Taxes, not sports, drive possible deal By TIM TUCKER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/24/06 Time Warner is closing in on a deal that would make Colorado-based Liberty Media Corp. the new owner of the Braves, two people familiar with the negotiations said Sunday. "It's getting very close — down to fine points," one of them said. Both sources cautioned that the deal isn't done yet and declined to predict when it might be completed, noting that details can be time-consuming and snags could develop. Time Warner and Liberty Media have been discussing for months a complex transaction in which the Braves are not the driving factor. The people close to the talks said that, under the proposed deal, Time Warner would receive a large block of its stock that currently is owned by Liberty Media as well as Liberty's 50 percent stake in Court TV, the other half of which already is owned by Time Warner. In return, Liberty would get the Braves, a large amount of cash — and significant tax benefits. Time Warner, which has owned the Braves since its 1996 acquisition of Turner Broadcasting, put the team up for sale in December. As a Liberty deal gets closer, Time Warner also continues to talk with other bidders — Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and, to a lesser extent, local groups led by real estate executive Ron Terwilliger and radio executive Lew Dickey Jr. People close to the process said that if a Liberty deal doesn't go through, talks with Blank could be completed fairly quickly. Liberty's motivation for a Braves deal has little to do with baseball and a lot to do with taxes. Liberty CEO Gregory Maffei told investors on a conference call last month that his company wanted to redeem much of its $3 billion worth of Time Warner stock in a tax-free transaction. Liberty spokesman John Orr told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month that, under tax laws, such a transaction could be accomplished by returning the stock to Time Warner in a deal that would bring Liberty a Time Warner-owned asset, such as the Braves, as well as cash. From Time Warner's perspective, a deal with Liberty would allow it to make a dent in fulfilling its corporate commitment to reacquire $20 billion of its own stock. Liberty Media is a publicly traded holding company with vast holdings in the media and entertainment industries. Its chairman and major shareholder is John Malone, a dealmaker with a penchant for tax efficiency. The Englewood, Colo.-based company's holdings include the QVC home-shopping network, sizable equity stakes in News Corp., Sprint Nextel and Motorola, and a 6.5 percent stake in Denver's professional basketball and hockey franchises. Liberty's Orr declined to comment about the Braves when reached on Friday, but last month he said: "If we acquired any asset ... we would be hoping to acquire a strong management team that could continue to operate the asset as it has in the past." All four Braves bidders — Liberty, Blank, Terwilliger and Dickey — have been preliminarily approved by Major League Baseball but would have to go through a second, more detailed approval process after a deal is in place. While the trend in pro sports is against publicly traded corporations owning teams, MLB — unlike the NFL — does not have a rule against such ownership. "

4/24/2006 10:19:53 AM

great

as soon as i turn on the game i see davies get jacked

3-1 brewers in the 7th

[Edited on April 24, 2006 at 10:14 PM. Reason : ahaha i feel like i'm watching major league]

4/24/2006 10:08:56 PM

ahahahaha

bob uecker just said laroche had one of the sweetest swings in baseball

and we're down to our final out

4/24/2006 10:38:42 PM

laroche can die. He's a horrible hitter v. LHP... and not even that great v. RHP

4/24/2006 11:00:10 PM

francoeur is getting handled like i said he would this year

i said this last year

4/24/2006 11:11:43 PM

Quote :

"francoeur is getting handled like i said he would this year i said this last year"

he just has got to learn to not swing at everything except pitches that bounce b4 the plate or that are above his head completely

4/24/2006 11:13:05 PM

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=337201&page=1

4/24/2006 11:16:38 PM

Quote :

"BoobsR_gr8 it is gettin better 22913 Posts user info edit post im just saying as a former pitcher, if i saw a guy that was hitting that well and not taking any walks, id throw him garbage, high tight fastballs and very low breaking balls. 7/29/2005 10:56:33 AM "

Quote :

"BoobsR_gr8 it is gettin better 22913 Posts user info edit post im just saying its premature to jump on the kid's bandwagon, he has a lot to learn still and pitchers will begin to figure him out. I think he's gonna be a great player in the future, i just think he's gonna struggle the rest of the year. Next year i wouldnt be surprised if he hit 30hr though, but his eye and patience has to improve. he struck out 76 times in 84 AA games this year. There is a reason why corey patterson got sent down, he had the same type of #s Francoeur has had his first real call up, but he didnt improve his OBP and his K #s. Just something to watch for. "

4/24/2006 11:18:36 PM

I agree. I could probably strike out francouer. He'll learn. He's got a lot of raw talent.

4/24/2006 11:20:42 PM

I still think andy marte will have a better career

4/24/2006 11:22:11 PM

I disagree there. Francouer is also a fiend in the field. Once he finds patience, we could see something special in him.

4/24/2006 11:28:11 PM

i think chipper and giles are back tonight unless there is a misprint on gametracker.

4/25/2006 8:41:40 PM

yup they are, right now marcus is 1-1 and chipper's 0-1

4/25/2006 8:44:18 PM

welcome back chipper!

2-0 braves

4/25/2006 8:50:02 PM

Ernie for sports talk mod. he was so damn fast with the homer update.

4/25/2006 8:51:14 PM

god the brewers have the worst fucking announcers ever

4/25/2006 9:00:35 PM

pardon me for double posting

but sweet god damn

uecker and this other dumb shit have been talking about the braves losing in the playoffs for FOUR STRAIGHT INNINGS

4/25/2006 9:21:21 PM

^ I like when people who are affliated with teams who haven't sniffed the playoffs in 20 years talk shit about the Braves losing in the playoffs. At least we get in there.

4/25/2006 10:30:04 PM

when are they gonna get a power hitting first baseman like rest of the major league?

4/25/2006 10:30:35 PM

Rentería will be back on fridays game. Hopefully we can get a little streak going and have some pitching and hitting in the same game.

4/25/2006 10:34:42 PM

pitching hasn't been bad lately...just those first few games and I wish Time Warner Cable in Raleigh had turner south...in Charlotte I used to never miss a game

4/25/2006 10:38:44 PM

i agree but we have not had hitting and pitching in the same game. Fucking raleigh. In greensboro every game was picked up. I hate watching it on gametracker

[Edited on April 25, 2006 at 10:45 PM. Reason : sdf]

4/25/2006 10:44:43 PM

mlb.tv is the bomb

and i agree with the baseball tonight crew, send francoeur back to richmond

i just don't know who else we're gonna send out there

4/25/2006 10:46:33 PM

yeah gametracker is pretty annoying...I don't think Bobby will send Frenchy down cause like you said nobody could truly replace him defensively except brian jordan 5 years ago

4/25/2006 10:55:35 PM

our lineup is already thin as it is

4/25/2006 10:56:52 PM

Quote :

"mlb.tv is the bomb and i agree with the baseball tonight crew, send francoeur back to richmond i just don't know who else we're gonna send out there"

Bobby could send Matt Diaz out and give him some regular PT. Diaz was awesome this spring and has played well when he's had the opportunity this year. Plus he's made a few nice catches and made a huge play throwing out a runner at home last week so his D wouldn't be that much worse than Frenchy's

4/26/2006 12:47:00 PM

How good is the MLB.com gameday audio? I was thinkin about doing this, rather than mlb.tv cause I don't have that much money to drop on it.

4/26/2006 2:12:12 PM

You boys better start playing some ball.. Don't look now but the Mets are getting healthy again (If Beltran is back Friday like expected) and Cliffy is starting to hit.. things could get UGGGLLLYYYY quick with the rest of the NL East playing like dogshit.

^ I get it free w/ MLB.tv. It's pretty good. All pre/post game shows and you choose the feed you want..

[Edited on April 26, 2006 at 2:36 PM. Reason : x]

4/26/2006 2:36:24 PM

I'll be in Atlanta on the 30th.

LGM

4/26/2006 2:37:44 PM

when the brewers come to atlanta should kolb be booed or cheered

4/26/2006 3:10:07 PM

^ He should be burned at the stake

4/26/2006 3:11:05 PM

but everyone should be like YAYAYAYAYAY WOOOOO WYAYAYAYAWHOOOO HE'S FUCKING UP GAMES FOR SOMEONE ELSE NOW WYAYAYYAWOOYAYAAAYAYAOWOWOWOWWOOO

4/26/2006 3:15:15 PM

this is really fucking pathetic... why the fuck can't we pitch. The Atlanta Braves were always a defense heavy cy young machine...

THAT'S IT! FIRE COX!

4/26/2006 3:53:33 PM

hell yes jeff francoeur

4/26/2006 4:00:08 PM

come on Willy dont swing at that slop

4/26/2006 4:01:40 PM

damn what a rally

4/26/2006 4:11:10 PM

Quote :

"damn what a rally killer"

4/26/2006 4:27:03 PM

yeah strikeouts do that.

4/26/2006 4:30:24 PM

Mother fucking Braves can't hit the damn side of a barn right now. Fucking Brewers swept them for the first time ever!! Now I know the Brew Crew is better this year, but damn it to hell anyway

And of course the Mess just keep on winning too...

4/26/2006 6:27:25 PM

maybe we should just hope for the wild card, cause the world series hasn't exactly been good to us winning divisions

4/26/2006 6:31:15 PM

Article on Francoeur's recent slump. I really like this kid for some reason... even painfully watching him swing at wild pitches.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060427&
content_id=1421098&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnered=rss_atl

Quote :

""You know you're going to have some good weeks or months and you know you're going to have some bad weeks," Francoeur said. "There's going to be no good come out of it if I just come in here and sulk in the locker room. I think your real character comes out in adversity.""

Quote :

""You could never tell he's in a slump the way he walks around the clubhouse," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He stays the most motivated individual I've ever seen.""

Quote :

"Contrary to some thoughts being voiced by members of the national media, the Braves haven't even discussed the possibility of sending Francoeur back to the Minors. Instead, they're anxious to see what he does when he's surrounded with better production."

[Edited on April 28, 2006 at 9:00 AM. Reason : big ass link stretching margins... copy paste to see]

4/28/2006 8:59:56 AM

Hey Ernie. I'm not going to be able to troll this weekend since I'm heading out of town until Sunday here in a few hours. I'll just throw this pre-emptive troll out..

Mets take 2 of 3 and extend lead over soon to be 4th place Braves to 6 games.

4/28/2006 10:35:08 AM

you mean like the last series? Oh that's right, it was the Braves who took 2 of 3.

4/28/2006 10:39:51 AM

Look. I know it's tough to be out of the race in April. I'm a seasoned vet at this type of disappointment though. Just take it in stride and you'll get through it..

Healthy Floyd, returning Beltran, no Victor Zambrano this weekend.. can you say SWEEP...

4/28/2006 10:45:52 AM

Healthy Renterria, healthy chipper, healthy giles, undisciplined francoeur will smack 3 homers, smoltz on the mound for game 1. Can we say... we're taking game 1, 2, and 3?

And you're a fool (or just a troll) if you think the season is over in April. I don't want you to come to my basebally practices anymore

[Edited on April 28, 2006 at 10:51 AM. Reason : .]

4/28/2006 10:51:17 AM

A couple of interesting articles on the Braves from the AJC today:

What I found interesting in the first article is how the Braves are the third youngest team in the NL and play 32 of their first 50 away from home WTF is up with that!

The second article is on how Frenchy got an endorsement deal with Delta.

Quote :

"Trying to regroup at home By DAVID O'BRIEN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/27/06 Milwaukee — Because the Braves made a habit of overcoming sluggish starts in recent seasons, many observers assume that manager Bobby Cox's 14-time division champions will do it again. The Braves appreciate the confidence, but know it's not so easy. Not when chasing a balanced team like this year's New York Mets (14-7), who have a five-game NL East lead over the Braves (9-12) entering a weekend series that begins Friday at Turner Field. "There's no doubt we have the ability to recover," third baseman Chipper Jones said. "We have the ability to win the division. But I think we all realize when we're not playing well. We're not playing well, plain and simple." The Braves limped home after losing four of their last five games on a 3-5 trip that ended with them being swept at Milwaukee. Nearly forgotten was their 2-1 series win against the Mets to start the trip. "It felt like we won one game the whole trip," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. The Braves played 15 of their first 21 games on the road. They are 6-9 on the road and 3-3 at home, and their .239 road average is second-lowest in the NL. In the last six games of the trip, they hit .183 and scored 16 runs. They lost three of four one-run games during the trip. "Definitely a long road trip," pitcher Tim Hudson said. "When the schedule's not in your favor, you deal with it. Suck it up and try to win on the road." They've hit .270 at Turner Field, where the Braves play five games against the Mets and Rockies before a three-city divisional trip to New York, Philadelphia and Florida. "We're on the road a bunch now, which means we're going to be at home later," Jones said. "We've still got some home cookin' before we get too far into the season. Hopefully, going home will cure a lot of ills instantly. "But if we don't start playing better than .500 on the road, we're going to have a tough time." The Braves have overcome far greater and later deficits than five games at the end of April. These Mets, however, could be the most talented divisional foe the Braves have faced since the 1997 Marlins. "Everybody in our division knew the Mets were going to be legit," Jones said. "They've got a National League East All-Star team. But we can't pay attention to them. We'll pay attention to them this weekend, but we've got to start getting it done against other teams, against pitchers we should dominate and against lineups we should dominate." No one was more eager to get back to Atlanta than right fielder Jeff Francoeur, who's batting .190 overall and .117 with no homers and three RBIs on the road. He hit .375 with three homers and six RBIs at Turner Field. "It's good to get home," said Francoeur, who was encouraged by a triple in his final at-bat Wednesday at Milwaukee. He said he closed his stance to stop his hips from turning too soon, something he noticed on video between innings. But the Braves play 32 of their first 50 away from home, and must improve their road work. They hope for a boost from the return of shortstop Edgar Renteria, who's set to play Friday. He's been out since April 15 with a strained side. Jones missed the first six games of the trip before coming off the disabled list and homering in his first game back. Second baseman Marcus Giles missed three games on the trip with a finger injury. "We're not making excuses, by any means," Giles said. "But we've got some new faces, some guys who maybe need to get more comfortable at this level." The Braves had the NL's third-youngest opening day roster, which got younger with the additions of rookie infielders Tony Pena and 22-year-old Martin Prado. When Jones returned from the DL, Prado went back to Class AA Mississippi. The rookies impressed with defense and an occasional hit, but the lack of an experienced bench has contributed to the Braves' offensive woes. "You can't lose your numbers 1, 2 and 3 hitters and replace them with guys from Triple-A and expect it not to affect you," Jones said. The payroll-conscious Braves lost free agent Julio Franco to the Mets and were outbid for free-agent veterans including Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Conine. They began the season with a bench that included Matt Diaz, second-year major leaguers Pete Orr and Wilson Betemit, and 39-year-old outfielder-turned-first baseman Brian Jordan. Franco platooned with left-handed hitting LaRoche the past two seasons. The Braves planned to use Jordan in a similar role, but so far he's 1-for-11 against lefties (LaRoche is 2-for-6 with two doubles). Diaz thrived against lefties in the minors and in brief stints with Tampa Bay and Kansas City, but he's 2-for-11 against them as a Brave. As pinch-hitters, Diaz is 0-for-6 and Jordan is 1-for-7. In close-and-late situations, Diaz is 0-for-7 and Jordan is 2-for-8 with three strikeouts. Atlanta is hitting .211 against lefties with an NL-low .280 on-base percentage. It remains to be seen whether the bench will improve and Francoeur will break out of his funk. The Braves hope being home can help get the ship righted. "I guess the higher-ups in schedule-making wanted to make it tough for us, try to bury us early," Jones said. "But I'll take it. It means we'll be home later." "

Quote :

"Francoeur, Delta team up Struggling hitter to appear in commercial for faltering airline By CHRIS VIVLAMORE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/27/06 Jeff Francoeur has hit some long home runs in his short career with the Braves, but he's about to hit one that lands in Denmark. Francoeur has signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Delta Air Lines and a new commercial starring the Braves rightfielder will debut on the Turner Field scoreboard just before the start of Saturday's game against the New York Mets. In the commercial, Francoeur gets a letter from a young fan in Copenhagen requesting an autograph. He goes to home plate with a bat and a bucket of balls and tosses a ball into the air, hitting it out of the ballpark and over the Atlantic Ocean, where it falls into the glove of a boy in Denmark. After the catch, Francoeur is shown reaching for another ball. The commercial will be aired during Braves broadcasts on TBS and Turner South beginning with Saturday's game. It's part of Delta's new campaign for its international routes, including six new markets: Budapest, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Kiev and Tel Aviv. Also, the first 45,000 fans who arrive at Turner Field for Saturday's game receive a free Braves T-shirt, featuring Francoeur's name and No. 7 on the back courtesy of Delta. "I wanted my first endorsement deal to be with a great hometown company like Delta Air Lines," Francoeur, a metro-Atlanta native, said in a statement. Francoeur has struggled offensively early this season and Delta is reorganizing in bankruptcy court. "Obviously, we're in a similar situation relative to our own fight," said Tim Mapes, Managing Director of Marketing for Delta. "I'm a firm believer it's always darkest before the dawn. We believe better days are on the horizon for Delta and are confident Jeff can turn it around as well." "

[Edited on April 28, 2006 at 11:31 AM. Reason : grammar]

4/28/2006 11:30:30 AM