Atlanta Braves

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

as i said in the mlb thread, im sad about Tommy Hanson getting traded, he was my current favorite player. whats the word on the dude he got traded for, ishe any good?

[Biff Pocoroba]

Atlanta got Jordan Walden, a pretty good set up guy.
I understand why they traded Hanson (he never could quite the turn the corner from could be really good to being really good, and the starting pitching was getting crowded and the time was coming where the Braves were going to have to start paying him to keep him) but would have thought they would have been able to get more for him than they did.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

I definitely understand but still sad, he showed flashes, but thought the injury issues were the reason for the inconsistencies. Hope he does well for the Angels and hope the other young starters show up big this year

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

ATLANTA -- The Braves have reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Justin Upton from the D-backs in exchange for five players, including Martin Prado.According to a Major League source, the Braves will get Upton and Chris Johnson in exchange for Prado, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed, Class A infielder Brandon Drury and right-handed pitchers Randall Delgado and Zeke Spruill. The deal is pending the completion of physicals.With this trade, Braves general manager Frank Wren provides his club arguably the game’s best outfield. Earlier in the offseason, Wren signed Justin Upton’s older brother, B.J. Upton, to a five-year, $75.25 million contract. Atlanta's projected outfield over at least the next three seasons will consist of Jason Heyward and the two Upton brothers.Heyward expressed his satisfaction with the trade on Twitter, saying: "Waking up to Christmas in January."To complete this trade, Wren had to part ways with Prado, who is one of the Braves’ most popular players among his teammates and the fans. But he was able to acquire Upton without giving up either of his top two pitching prospects, Julio Teheran or J.R. Graham.The departure of the versatile Prado signals that the Braves will likely enter the season with Juan Francisco and Johnson sharing third-base duties.Upton has hit .278 with 108 homers and an .832 OPS since making his Major League debut during the 2007 season. The 25-year-old was one of the game’s top outfielders in 2011, hitting .289 with 31 homers and a .898 OPS. A thumb injury limited him this year to a .280 average with 17 homers and a .785 OPS.

[nah]

the new england patriots are becoming the 90's atlanta braves

[doug rr]

the new england patriots are becoming the 90's atlanta braves

Sid Bream slides way better than Tom Brady though

[Biff Pocoroba]

I like the move. Hated to see Prado go of course but he was going into his free agency year and it seemed unlikely that the Braves would have signed him to a long term deal. We should have a very good outfield for the next few seasons; something that we have not been able to say for a while. There's already a cutesy/annoying nickname, Up Up & JHey. Don't know much about our new 3B but at least we know who will be in the starting lineup. It's a young team too full of talent, both on the mound and at the plate. The outlook for the next couple years is bright.
Nah, I wouldn't go that far.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

I like the move. Hated to see Prado go of course but he was going into his free agency year and it seemed unlikely that the Braves would have signed him to a long term deal. We should have a very good outfield for the next few seasons; something that we have not been able to say for a while. There's already a cutesy/annoying nickname, Up Up & JHey. Don't know much about our new 3B but at least we know who will be in the starting lineup.
Nah, I wouldn't go that far.

im always sad to see the young pitching prospects go, especially when i got to see them pitch in the minors, ive gotten to see both Zeke Spruill and Randall Delgado pitch and was hoping they would eventually become long term players on the MLB roster. but they have a good amount young pitching talent right now anyway, so i guess they had enough to spare. Chris Johnson, is he the one who played for the Astros for a bit? he seemed promising when he was first brought up, will he end up as an every day player?

[Electromatic]

Well, this could be good or blow up really quickly.

I like trading for a 25 year old very good defensive left fielder with power.

I hate giving up Prado who can play anywhere and is one of the best people in MLB. Add that to Randall Delgado who has shown a lot more ability at the major league level than Julio Teheran frankly.

If the Uptons aren't a hit immediately, the fans heat on Wren is going to be immediate and vociferous. He can't afford another Uggla.

Chris Johnson/Juan Francisco just became the new (why can't we find better players there position?)

At least he fixed the Outfield though in theory.

[Electromatic]

the new england patriots are becoming the 90's atlanta braves

Sid Bream slides way better than Tom Brady though

FTW

[verb_to_trust]

.230 averages and loafing............that is what the Uptons will bring your team

[Biff Pocoroba]

Watching the Winter X Games & basketball at a bar tonight makes me really miss baseball.

[Dr. Van Nostrand]

.230 averages and loafing............that is what the Uptons will bring your team

plus it seems like every time the braves make a trade or bring in a FA to try and get some better power and over all better hitting they just end up sucking, and yes i am talking mostly about mister Dan Uggla Mendoza

[Electromatic]

.230 averages and loafing............that is what the Uptons will bring your team

plus it seems like every time the braves make a trade or bring in a FA to try and get some better power and over all better hitting they just end up sucking, and yes i am talking mostly about mister Dan Uggla Mendoza

There will be multiple league strikeout records set against this team I have no doubt. 24 - 25 strikeouts in a game is not out of the question.

We're going to get really tired of Francouer esque whiffs at outside curveballs.

I'm hoping they make up for it in the field, but yeah it's worrysome. Dan Uggla is a freaking disaster.

[Biff Pocoroba]

First spring training game today.
Hopefully I can catch a couple innings of the radio broadcasts over the weekend. Looking forward to seeing baseball scores on tv again too. You know, the type of stuff that says baseball is back.

[Brainof23]

Dave Justice turned me into a Braves fan. Actually it was three things...

1. Dave Justice
2. TBS (Living in Buffalo with no MLB team in the pre YES/SNY era the Braves were the only team I could follow every day)
3. Greg? Maddux

I have done some small time freelance media type things over the last few year and two of them overlapped with the Braves and you might want to check them out.

First a twitter interview I did with David Justice. He promises a phone interview but I still haven't been able to work it out.

http://thesportscasters.blogspot.com/20 ... stice.html

The other is a phone interview I did with John Smoltz the day his book came out.

http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sp ... s02e19.mp3

Smolt starts at 18:54. We also did interviews with Tom Verducci and Chris Ballard.

A few Braves lists because lists are fun:

Braves 91-99 Top Moments

5. Walk off Pennant Win vs Mets in 99 LCS
4. Maddux shuts out Yankees in Game 2 of the 96 WS
3. Sid Bream
2. Fred McGriff home run in first game (Fire in the Press box)
1. Dave Justice Home Run vs. Cleveland, Game 6

Goals/Jobs for Braves fans in 2013

1. Put the mess of the infield fly behind us
2. Pray for Beachy and a potential post all-star game return
3. Take a road trip to a Braves game. Maybe Pittsburgh? PNC Park is a gem
4. Be nice to the third baseman. He isn't #10 but we dont want a Cliff Burton/Jason Newstead situation
5, Get ready for trip to Cooperstown for Maddux/Glavine induction

[Electromatic]

Dave Justice turned me into a Braves fan. Actually it was three things...

1. Dave Justice
2. TBS (Living in Buffalo with no MLB team in the pre YES/SNY era the Braves were the only team I could follow every day)
3. Greg? Maddux

I have done some small time freelance media type things over the last few year and two of them overlapped with the Braves and you might want to check them out.

First a twitter interview I did with David Justice. He promises a phone interview but I still haven't been able to work it out.

http://thesportscasters.blogspot.com/20 ... stice.html

The other is a phone interview I did with John Smoltz the day his book came out.

http://www.garbageradio.com/podcasts/sp ... s02e19.mp3

Smolt starts at 18:54. We also did interviews with Tom Verducci and Chris Ballard.

A few Braves lists because lists are fun:

Braves 91-99 Top Moments

5. Walk off Pennant Win vs Mets in 99 LCS
4. Maddux shuts out Yankees in Game 2 of the 96 WS
3. Sid Bream
2. Fred McGriff home run in first game (Fire in the Press box)
1. Dave Justice Home Run vs. Cleveland, Game 6

Goals/Jobs for Braves fans in 2013

1. Put the mess of the infield fly behind us
2. Pray for Beachy and a potential post all-star game return
3. Take a road trip to a Braves game. Maybe Pittsburgh? PNC Park is a gem
4. Be nice to the third baseman. He isn't #10 but we dont want a Cliff Burton/Jason Newstead situation
5, Get ready for trip to Cooperstown for Maddux/Glavine induction

This is excellent stuff. BTW, #10 is going to be retired, and inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame June 28th.

[Norris]

There were 2 reasons why I rooted for the Braves in the 90s and still fill a very slight affinity towards them:

1. TBS
2. The 1996 World Series.

I remember watching the 1996 ALCS with my mom and dad and all three of us rooted hard for the Orioles over the Yankees, obviously. I remember when the Yankees won and I asked my mom who she wanted to win the world series, and she said the Yankees. It made no sense to me. We hated the Yankees, but my mom said that despite that, she would always root for the AL team in the World Series. At that point I said "fuck that, I don't want to see the Yankees win anything. Go Braves!"

[E.H. Ruddock]

There were 2 reasons why I rooted for the Braves in the 90s and still fill a very slight affinity towards them:

1. TBS
2. The 1996 World Series.

I remember watching the 1996 ALCS with my mom and dad and all three of us rooted hard for the Orioles over the Yankees, obviously. I remember when the Yankees won and I asked my mom who she wanted to win the world series, and she said the Yankees. It made no sense to me. We hated the Yankees, but my mom said that despite that, she would always root for the AL team in the World Series. At that point I said "fuck that, I don't want to see the Yankees win anything. Go Braves!"

Ugh, was 96 the year the Orioles got scr*wed because of that kid reaching over to turn the fly ball into a home run?

That was a sad day.

[Norris]

There were 2 reasons why I rooted for the Braves in the 90s and still fill a very slight affinity towards them:

1. TBS
2. The 1996 World Series.

I remember watching the 1996 ALCS with my mom and dad and all three of us rooted hard for the Orioles over the Yankees, obviously. I remember when the Yankees won and I asked my mom who she wanted to win the world series, and she said the Yankees. It made no sense to me. We hated the Yankees, but my mom said that despite that, she would always root for the AL team in the World Series. At that point I said "fuck that, I don't want to see the Yankees win anything. Go Braves!"

Ugh, was 96 the year the Orioles got scr*wed because of that kid reaching over to turn the fly ball into a home run?

That was a sad day.

That's the one.