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Most every place in the Shop has a place for relevant comments ... the featured post and all the features. It gets kinda messy and can be confusing when banter is mixed with comments relevant to some published post but this here is a special place ... here you can talk about anything, it don't have to be relevant or nothing! Anyone can start a discussion, ask questions ... join in the banter ... meet new folks and make new friends!
Sometimes we'll have a suggested subject for discussion other times not ... currently it's Dealer's Choice. Enjoy yourself ... candy's always on the house, coffee and cokes too!
Return to the Main Shop
Most every place in the Shop has a place for relevant comments ... the featured post and all the features. It gets kinda messy and can be confusing when banter is mixed with comments relevant to some published post but this here is a special place ... here you can talk about anything, it don't have to be relevant or nothing! Anyone can start a discussion, ask questions ... join in the banter ... meet new folks and make new friends!
Sometimes we'll have a suggested subject for discussion other times not ... currently it's Dealer's Choice. Enjoy yourself ... candy's always on the house, coffee and cokes too!
Return to the Main Shop
122 comments:
Hopefully, the GDA is now working properly!
Remember to visit our "Centerfield" Special Feature ... Its face lift is mostly done and Matt has a new entry ... I especially enjoyed the audio and pictures!!
You have one click access to each of the Shop's Special Features from the Menu located in the sidebar.
I enjoyed the audio and pictures as well. Whoever did those did a heck of a job (by the way, thanks Bob...)
"Chipper sits with ingrown toenail"
this march 31 headline was missed by jimmy smith. now, it is revealed and explains everything.
toes are not to be trifled with.
nice centerfield from matthew. jimmy smith is still surprised a toe issue got past this journalist. toes, like spinsters, are not to be trifled with.
an ingrown toenail is not something most ballplayers would report with. most, might deal with the toe issue before coming to camp. certainly before breaking camp.
and how about that play chipper didn't make last night when hanson still had the no hitter? were those tears running down chipper's cheeks after the tumble to the ground? and what would it feel like to fall from a deer stand?
no spinsters here today. good.
Check this quote out from Bobby after yesterday's win: “That’s the way it’s supposed to happen,” said manager Bobby Cox, whose Braves can salvage a .500 record on the six-game trip that ends Thursday. “Hit a long ball once in a while and get some runs, great pitching, defense, the whole works.” That's exactly the kind of thinking with this type of roster that makes us a .500 team instead of a .650 team.
Agreed, JJS. Even I know to keep my toenails trimmed, and my job doesn't even depend on it.
No spinsters? There must be a bake sale somewhere nearby.
prezactly, grinch. that thinking retards this team. and chipper can no longer field chipper's position at third base. liability there. glaus would be an improvement there. chipper moving to first? mathews did. aaron did.
and whither the diaz of old? two really bad at-bats. should be told not to swing until a strike is called.
what some call "aggressive" this journalist calls undisciplined.
bobby ball for the rest of the season. good luck braves.
still no spinsters. good.
So, Bob, you moved the posts to another location . . . were you trying to lose the spinsters? Well, it won't work. A spinster is hard to shake. When shaken, spinsters make funny noises and emit gasses. Spinsters are misunderstood around here. Too bad.
You think Wren is wishing at this point he'd ponied up another couple mil to get Damon? Yikes! We'd be better off with a broken wristed Schaefer. I didn't think we could do worse than Nate last year leading off; apparently I was wrong. Aliens have abducted Diaz...call Bruce Willis!
Did Bobby really say that? Perhaps that's a misquote as it's certainly unworthy of someone ticketed for the Hall.
If that really is his thinking,attitude and approach, it may explain why his recent teams seem to have no game specific plan of attack ... a bit remindful remindful of his "that's baseball" answer for everything.
I didn't see tonight's game but evidently, Hudson had an off night, based on the number of walks.
It's early yet, but Hinske's .375(3/8) is worth noting ... would like to see more of him, methinks.
We're now 5-4 after nine ... probably the best record of any team with 4 players well below the Mendoza Line, including Chipper at .150.
Thank goodness for Jason Heyward and his .303, though his strikeouts are a bit disconcerting ... you can just see the contagion at work ... the other three outfielders are in the Mendoza club, McLouth(.150) ... Diaz(.136) ... and Cabrera.088). Surely, it's misuse and abuse of the term to use Mendoza to describe those averages, especially Cabrera's .088. Could this be the resultant of the thinking articulated by the team's manager or the offensive consistency touted by the media?
Mendoza has been replaced as a standard ... by the Bobby Cox Line!
And what a line he has ...
Sprinkle in Escobar's .243 and Glaus' .235 and the 5-4 record becomes even more impressive! Bobby Cox's magic, that's the word on the street ... "Hit a long ball once in a while and get some runs" ...dang! Why didn't I think of that?!
Yes, Prado's .459 and McCann's .346 helped too but Bobby's Magic, that's what was ... and is!
Methinks they were better tonight and they best be good tomorrow!
Something happened and I lost my post ...
Referring to my last, leaving out Omar was an oversight ... he's tied with Troy Glaus for 5th best average at .235 ... Yunel's .243 is fourth best.
Hopefully, suggesting that 2/3 of our position players have gotten off to somewhat of a slow start would win at horseshoes and all will be well!
It is noteworthy that our two platoon players have the lowest averages on the team ... we know that Matt has some power and is a superior hitter when he plays enough to get his timing down ... can hit against both left and right handed pitching.
Melky is a different story ... basically a "see it and hit it" player with .270 and limited power expectations. I'm not sure of his last year's numbers but playing in the New Yankee Stadium probably inflated them. Failing to get on base 80% of the time is not exactly what you want from a leadoff hitter ... still, he's a decent glove and better than what he's shown out of the gate.
Even hitting .150, McCluth has an OBP of 37.0.
Advance apologies for any errors ... I strike a lot too ... but this is too long and it's too late for me to carefully reread and edit.
It's good to have participation from Grinch, spinsters and occasionally others to go along the Boss, Jimmy, Matt and me.
Some of the monitoring widgets`we use indicate that the Main Shop has an increasing audience, in spite of my ongoing fauz pas and best efforts to discourage them. Much of that success is due to the success of the Stall and SJA's efforts to increase awareness of the Old Barbershop.
My own monitoring efforts indicate that the traffic caught by those widgets reflects about 75% of the actual number of visitors to the shop, based on distinct ip addresses requesting the site each day ... that's good!
SJA's Stall now has wide acceptance with more than 1,000 active registered followers. Long in the making, such success reflects a superior work product combined with proper attention to increasing awareness.
I hope that more will actively participate in the Shop and the Special Features, including the Stall!
While much remains to be done relative to improving the functionality, over time, the General Discussion Area (GDA) should help encourage and facilitate comments and discussion.
During these days of limited participation. it would be good if the regulars would set the`expected standard, by example, for visitors and those watching who may well choose to participate, based on what transpires in the GDA.
While we will promote that anything can be discussed in the GDA, and will so encourage ... I do think it important for us to comment on the featured posts in the Main Shop and each of the Special Features when they are introduced.
Everybody likes to know what folks think of their efforts, sincere positive or negative feedback is always appreciated, methinks.
However, most of the efforts in the Shop share the objective of eliciting relevant comments ... and encouraging the sharing or exchange of ideas and opinions or pontifications on the topic addressed by the post.
It would be good if we could each make a special effort to do that and to respond as well to others who have so done.
My mind trigger for this diatribe has been long in the making ... the situation permeates the blogosphere, methinks ... but here in the Shop, it's exacerbated, perhaps because of our limited number of participants and our sometimes forgetting one of the primary utilitarian purposes of the posts themselves ... to engender comments and discussion.
Pragmatically, Jimmy and I both told Matt we liked his new Centerfield entry but, there were no relevant comments or material discussion that I recall ... from either of us.``
I know I could do better for I truly appreciate all of the posts that have been written by others and been featured over time, in the Main Shop and the Special Features as well.
Heck, I even like some of those that I've written as well!
I do think that so doing (setting the expected standard by good example, making relevant comments and sharing opinions) will increase interest in both the Shop and the GDA and promote participation by making others want to so do ... failing to so do will doom us to eternal stagnation, methinks.
What's an old man know, right?!
My experience with Feedjit's Live Traffic Feed is that it only picks up about 10% to 15% of the actual traffic through any site or blog ... however, the hit counter recently placed in the Shop's sidebar (which is about 99% accurate) indicates that the Shop's main page has received 311 "page hits" from 5:00 P.M. Tuesday until now ... that total does not reflect the additional traffic which was directed straight to the General Discussion Area thus bypassing posts, feature links and the hit counter located on the main page ... consequently, the total number of visitors since Tuesday to the GDA and to the Shop's main page combined is likely double that of the 311 recorded by the hit counter ... in other words, folks are visiting the Shop!
I blog here because of the barbers, not because of the spinsters and riff raff. I must admit confusion though when I read a post and am asked to go to a general discussion area to comment and then I read something from a spinster that makes my blood boil and I comment on that and I forget to comment on the featured post. When I was in cosmetology school at the university we would always open the bottles in the room we were in instead of trying to open the bottles in the next room. Maybe that is why I am having a difficult time posting here because a cosmetologist's attention span is only
I forgot what I was going to say. I like this blog better than most cosmetology blogs and it is a superior haircut blog. You boys don't know much about baseball, though.
" . . .the Shop's main page has received 311 "page hits" from 5:00 P.M. Tuesday until now ... that total does not reflect the additional traffic which was directed straight to the General Discussion Area thus bypassing posts, feature links and the hit counter located on the main page ... consequently, the total number of visitors since Tuesday to the GDA and to the Shop's main page combined is likely double that of the 311 recorded by the hit counter ... in other words, folks are visiting the Shop!"
yes, spinsters and cosmetologists have discovered this haircuts and baseball blog. oh, the humanity!
now, baseball . . . chipper is too old to field the position, right? what third base possibilities exist? wait! what to do with chipper? can teach hitting. right, teach hitting. start with melky and mclouth.
an impotent lineup right now and already 5 wins. move some batters up, move some down. sit some and play others. must find the right combinations and that is not the strength of bobby cox. may tend to stay too long with non-performers. ha! may!
300 out of those 311 were spinsters! ... reflects the Shop's "open chair" policy ...
Prado on Prado ... "I know that I'm hitting the ball well, but I'm not feeling good at home plate. I'm bad right now at home plate. That's not even me. My mechanics and everything are just brutal" ... it makes sense to me ... folks don't know how to pitch to him 'cause that's really not him!
In Centerfield, Matt said "this preacher is willing to take a stab at the role of a prophet. We are watching history in the making, fellow Shop patrons" ... when a young Southern Baptist preacher says that, I have to take notice ... they know the fate awaiting false prophets.
He's not taking much of a chance though, what with Prado on the verge of doing something special ... and four players averaging well below the Mendoza Line. Actually, Peter Moylan's homerunless streak is history in the making!
When I think of Arron's 715th ... I still hear Milo's call, the one I heard as it happened, a history in the making magic moment ... although it's misrembered.
After listening to the audio of Vin Scully's call, it takes on a different suit of clothes!
It's a bit too early for me to venture out of that limb with Matt regarding young Jason Heyward, but I have a lot of faith in the preacher's judgment ... and hope he's right!
Heyward does seem to possess something extra special that most do not ... mainly the ability to recognize how pitchers are trying to exploit his weaknesses, and effectively do something about it.
History in the making? ... maybe!
Fun to watch? ... definitely!
Dang! I thought it was much higher than that ... why my visits alone approached 300 during that time and surely you guys were in double digits as a group!!
Then 300 of the 311 was Bob ... guess traffic wasn't that great after all!
Dumb donkey, I said "approached" ... the exact count was more like 292 ... give me a break!
For those coming directly to the DGA without coming through the front door, the Boss done revived one of me all time favorites and it's now playing center stage in the Shop!
My guess is that it will trigger memories of similar anecdotes for everyone, including our silent majority, whether they be 10, 311 or 10,000.
I hope everyone will share some of their favorites!!
Alert ... there are problems with the audio/video in the shop ... working on it ... let me know if you experience any other problems
Thanks
I tried to listen to the audio portions on this blog and was unsucce
that's when I thought, I'll just g
commentary: journalist jimmy smith on broadcaster chip caray . . .
what's up with chip caray? and how did chip caray get a job broadcasting braves games this year?
chip caray is annoying and jimmy smith thinks chip caray is a closet cubs fan. in fact, chip caray may be cubby. not sure, could be but maybe not.
chip caray is very annoying. did journalist say that already? chip caray says stupid things and makes many mistakes when calling a game. chip caraay calls a ball that bounces in front of the mound a "hard hit" ball.
chip caray may be the worst announcer in some time. could be the best the braves can afford, though.
should lock chip caray and chip jones in a room and see which chip comes out.
"uh, what's up?"
"there's a hard hit ball."
"uh, i musta missed it."
"you miss everything hit to third."
"uh, i am going to kill you."
"i just hate confrontation."
"uh, it's alright with the right music."
Sorry for any problems tou may have experienced here in the Shop ... some files somehow got corrupted ... maybe and overload due to the increased traffic, not sure1
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician ... and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" ... so said our own Jimmy Smith during his 2008 bid for the Presidency.
Well, him or Harry S ... can't remember for sure.
"maybe and overload due to the increased traffic" ... did I write that? No way, my man ... it's them dumb copy editors changing my work again, methinks.
You'd think they'd use Spell Checker or something like I do ... everybody nose "an" is not spelled "and" ... that's a different word!
I was a spinster and I still blog with spinsters but I am no longer a spinster. I like blogging baseball and being a reformed spinster this blog suits me just fine. I tried to listen to the audio a bit earlier and was surprised to hear so much snap, crackle, and pop.
Did you see that play Chipper didn't make earlier? Thankfully, he deflected the ball to Escobar. Shortstop play is very important to this team with an anchor at third base.
Resolution of the problems was frustrating for an old man what done forgot how to write the code he earlier writ ... but Hopefully they have finally been resolved ... it does so appear.
Will Rogers ...
Congress is so strange. A man gets up to speak and says nothing. Nobody listens.
Then everybody disagrees.
They are voting whether to keep a governor two years or four. I think a good, honest governor should get four years, and the others life.
JFK
"Ladies and gentlemen, I was warned to be out of here in plenty of time to permit those who are going to the Green Bay Packers game to leave.
I don't mind running against Mr. Nixon but I have the good sense not to run against the Green Bay Packers."
Dinner honoring Nobel Prize Winners ... I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together in the White House
... with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
Regarding Harry Truman ... I have sent him the following wire: 'Dear Mr. President: I have noted with interest your suggestion as to where those who vote for my opponent should go. While I understand and sympathize with your deep motivation, I think it is important that our side try to refrain from raising the religious issue.
On Bobby's selection as AG ... "I see nothing wrong with giving Robert some legal experience as Attorney General before he goes out to practice law."
I have just received the following telegram from my generous Daddy. It says, "Dear Jack: Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide!"
FDR ...
"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward."
"We have always known that heedless self interest was bad morals, we now know that it is bad economics."
Lincoln and I share one thing in common, methinks ... we both frequently laughed at ourselves; I still do. He`was the grand master, I'm but an apprentice.
When I was nominated at Chicago, I had never before sat for a photograph. One fellow thought that many people might like to see what I looked like, so he immediately bought the negative and began selling photographs of me all over the country. I happened to be in Springfield when I heard a boy selling them on the streets. "Here's your likeness of Abe Lincoln !" he shouted. "Only two shillings! He'll look a lot better once he gets his hair combed!"
New post over in the Stall for those who care ...
Jimmy Carter ... I remember back when I first met him, in 1959 methinks ... he was funny then, a bit nervous but not too political, wanting to know more about me than talking about himself and the campaign.
Years later, we chatted briefly in the Atlanta airport, as he was leaving to announce his bid for the Presidency ... he joked about our being alone.
It doesn't seem very long ago, but it was ... this week, the President said
"It is too early to offer a final, overall assessment, but it is obvious that the elections will fall short of international standards that are expected of advanced democracies. The people's expectations have not been met"
Political Humor?
Well, Miss Rosa Lynn would know better that I but it sure was funny to me!
Jimmy's just too old to be running for office ... he's too old to be running, period!
Actually, that was part of the President's remarks regarding the elections in The Sudan. It's not humor but I do find it humorous ... The Sudan is certainly not an advanced democracies so the expectations of the international standards to which he refers are not relevant, and I seriously doubt that the People themselves were so naive as to have held those expectations.
Yes, the President's remarks brought a chuckle or three ... good stuff, if not original ... it reminded me of Al Gore following his political encounters with Bush, the younger!
Perhaps the funniest part of the whole thing centers around presidential incumbent Omar al-Bashir who appears to have won reelection with about 90% of the counted vote.
The humor comes from the fact that there's a standing international warrant for al-Bashir's arrest for alleged war crimes in the Darfur conflict ... what kind of international standards are these that are being used to judge The Sudan's elections? What are the expectations of standards allowing those with outstanding arrest warrants for war crimes to hold and/or run for high office? I told you it was humorous, indeed, it's a joke!
Well, the expectation before the election was that al-Bashir would win ... and it appears he did! It's unclear as to what percentage of the vote he received ... several of his opposition dropped out in protest and evidently votes they received are not to be counted.
Will Rogers said "Communism is like prohibition, it's a good idea but it won't work" ... the same can be said of democracy, AND IT HAS!
The two keys to democratic governments are first that they not be democracies ... and second, those involved be of the right ilk, placing the best interests of the People above their own, like our boys in 1776. Easier said than done, especially when the incumbents are power hungry, self serving crooks ... "vote for me, I'm less evil than my opponent!"
The President is wrong ... the People got what they expected, just not what they had been promised ... and that for which they hoped.
People Are Funny ... is that political humor?
Art Linkletter said that once ... maybe more times than that ... had breakfast with once when he spoke to a group of us at the MGM Grand.
A friend, CEO of a large insurance company, once said of me that my problem solving ability was without equal ... he said that publicly and privately, so it must have been directionally true, at least in his eyes.
He once said in my presence ... "Give Bob a near impossible problem to solve ... one that would save the company, and he would take it into that closet of his and wouldn't come out until he had!"
Plagiarizing from Paul Harvey, here's the rest of the story ...
"Unfortunately, when Bob came out three years later, the company would no longer exist ... no one would be here and he wouldn't get paid for his work!
I care, perhaps sometimes too much ... but I don't and won't give up, even should there be no one else who does ... a bit like Tom Edison, perhaps!
I care too about what up in the Stall ... best go see. I'm sure that it'll exceed international standards and the expectations od the People, but doubt it's better than what's now featured in the Shop! Old Political Humor is hard to beat!
Adali Stevenson is perhaps nest known for his "Hell Freezes Over" challenge of the Russian Ambassador regarding missiles in Cuba ... serious, effective, with a touch of humor, methinks.
Had he not seized the moment, word was that he would have been replaced.
He was very smart and very very funny ... in my mind the best of those running for ... but not winning ... the presidency in my lifetime.
Here's a few ...
In America, anybody can be president. That's one of the risks you take.
The best reason I can think of for not running for president of the United States is that you have to shave twice a day.
He is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation.
There was a time when a fool and his money were soon parted, but now it happens to everybody.
Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them.
I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.
Newspaper editors are men who separate the wheat from the chaff, and then print the chaff.
We'll get'em in the eighth ... Melky, Jonny Venters, and Nate ... yeah, right!
It could happen ...
It's just a simple little misunderstanding, methinks ... it's a team thing ... the boys are truly consistent. All the the regulars got hits last night, that's real consistency, up and down the lineup!
Tonight, they were equally consistent, nobody got a hit ... nary a one ... can't be more consistent than that!
The one bright spot was Jonny Venters ... 3 innings, no runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. KK gave up 4 but it could have easily been but one.
They are indeed a puzzle ...
What was the undisclosed injury, to which the announcers alluded, that may have impaired JJ's performance last time out?
Colorado tosses a no-hitter against the Braves? ... not sure that's much of an accomplishment!
I know that many are down on Chip Caray as a broadcaster, but maybe a story from ST might make people here feel a bit different.
Grinch and I were sitting by the dugout on Media Day at Disney and we had the opportunity to talk to Chip.
Y'all - The Dude actually thanked us for all we'd done for his Dad by getting the Sid Slid portrait and blogger's comments (mostly us, I you remember) to Skip before he died. He then shook my hand and thanked us again. The Grinch can testify that this is true. Chip then came back a few minutes later and we talked about UGA.
Maybe he DOES use some pretty bad baseball cliches in his broadcasts, but he really is a very nice and classy person who really cares about baseball and the fans.
The Rockies' pitcher did indeed make it look rather easy, did he not ... I'm really surprised there aren't more thrown but, it's a game played above the neck and the pitcher's biggest challenge in so doing comes from within, methinks.
Lew, thanks for sharing ...
Lew, I think most everybody wants to like Chip, in spite of UGA affilitation.
His, while perhaps glamorous and somewhat storybook, hasn't been an easy road ... bittersweet at best, methinks.
I can't speak from having walked in his shoes but following my stint serving me country, I chose to relocate and join another company, for fear of being known as Mr. McBrayer's son! After all these years, I'm not really sure which would have been the better for me ... the hand I played, or the other ... but, it would have hard to top the opportunities and the experiences I've had!
We've all had Great Expectations, even old Charlie but when the expectations of others for you are great, sometimes the only thing great is the weight of the imposed burden.
It's good to have the added insight ... we all seek acceptance and want to excel and make our own mark ... in his own way, he seems to exude those qualities of which you noted, methinks ... but I suspect that his trying too hard paints a different picture for many of us who only see him on stage.
I do wish him well!
that was an exciting ball game. doesn't matter who calls a game like that. chip caray may be a very nice guy, and it sounds like that is the case, but chip is following skip and harry. should work at the craft and get better. maybe its in the genes or jeans or gene's or jean's. who knows which?
watching bobby cox now. scratching a lot but so far no picking. just went to the nose but not in the nose. still watching. oh, the huamnity! bobby cox did not pick bobby cox's nose! reformed!
Dang! I left the room whe the count went 2-2 on Jason Heyward!
I see there have been no posts for 24 hours. I am a lonely spinster and need more activity than that. Will you please step it up?
Poor Bobby, it seems he's just never understood
Tough loss, Bobby ...
Yes, you never want to lose but that's baseball. We played about as well as you can but it wasn't quite good enough.
But Bobby, I can't play baseball very well, that's why I'm a beet righter!
You weren't listening kid, that's what I just said.
Well, we still have three below the Nendosa but the good news is that Chipper(.233), Yunel(.239) and Matt(.222) are above it!
I don't worry about Cabrera hitting .119, the lowest on the team, it won't long before the others catch up with him
New post in the shop ... advance apologies, it wasn't planned, it just happened!
Aha! You sold me a cane backed rocker and the cane is cracking and there is a hole in the seat. I think a rocking chair should last more than 30 years without the cane splitting. How do you propose to rectify this?
Go Braves! Go Spinsters!
Miss Trudy Mae, our Troutman rockers would never do that and you know it!
Of course they carried lifetime guarantees but unfortunately, our store was short lived ... sorry.
I came here looking for Braves news and discussion. I can't find it. I did finally locate Centerfield, but it's almost a week stale now, but I did enjoy playing in the maze!
Welcome Bravesman1 ... wish I could be in Atlanta to enjoy tonight's game ... you going?
Sorry if you found the Shop disappointing but it's a bit like the old song "tearing up Peachtree again" around here ... we hope to soon have the curreny disarray and disrepair taken care of real soon.
Probably keep the maze though ... folks need something to talk about and it's good to have something about which they will!
I personally like Matt's current Centerfield issue ... it's dated of course, but unlike many, its shelf like is much greater than one week and for real Braves'fans, I doubt it has a foreseeable "use by date".
For me, the Arron 715 calls are timeless as I think the "Chipper-Jason" hug may well become!
Still, we'd love to have daily reports on the Braves from fans like you ... it would be a great way to augment Matt's fine work and should you be up to the challenge, we'd love to have you step up to the plate and take your cuts ... we'll accommodate you with space in that feature's sidebar ... and give you center stage on occasion too!
For you, or anyone else so interested, the call is free ... email is even cheaper ... bob.theoldbarbershop@gmail.com ... we'll work out the details so as to make it easy!
I just read the "Beware Of The Obvious" post to my brother ... he assures me that it was long since forgotten and that everyone understood.
Everyone but my creditors ... I had to pay them in full, though it was all them crazy happenings ... including that letter, a no account accountant, small town jealousies and politics what should've had to pay ... at least some of the tab!
It may not always seem like it, but ours is a good clan ... when we opened Regency Galleries, Mama warned "Offer your enemies a fair price, charge your friends the full retail price, and your relatives double!" ... like Dame Agatha, Mama was indeed a smart lady!
Whither?
It's good to get the feedback ... beware of the obvious, it's so easy to overlook!
Indeed it is, especially when it's there at every turn ... for those who missed it, the Braves won another game last night, one it was obvious they were going to lose!
Sakes alive, has Hollywood moved to Turner Field? ... back to back home runs from a rookie and one of the Mendoza boys tied it up with two out in the ninth ... and, another of them Mendozas won it with one in the tenth!
It wasn't supposed to happen that way ... didn't they read the script?
It's not over until it is, so never give up ... a good lesson to learn!
I'm very sorry to learn about Miss Carol.
Hey, the Braves won in dramatic fashion and are in first place for first time in some time!
Where is everybody?
Bob? Jimmy Smith? SJA? Matthew?
I see The Grinch is back, but where is he? Gone again?
Guess I am too! Bye
journalist here. that was some game last night! baby seal was dancing all night. heyward now has 16 rbi. 4 homeruns. could move up some more. who is this glaus with the slow but heavy bat? jimmy smith poses a question . . . would a lighter bat be beneficial to glaus? powerful when contact is made but might be more so with a little more bat speed. hmmm . . .
spinsters seem to be staying away in droves. are known to blog awhile then start their own blogs. then, throw out the bloggers.
fun watching the braves now.
and a note on grinch . . . jimmy smith encourages grinch to come back. last note this journalist saw from grinch was grumpy. could use some cheese.
Grinch is Grumpy?
It's probably all my fault. I'm sleepy, sneezy, bashful, dopey and happy ... didn't leave him much choice!
"spinsters seem to be staying away in droves. are known to blog awhile then start their own blogs. then, throw out the bloggers ... I've heard that too!
Escobar was indeed unlucky tonight ... a bit anxious too, but very unluckly.
I know Lowe has yet lose and I hope we rebound and that continues and I know they touted how he was going a new, improved version ... that is, the old low Lowe.
However, I said in November, February and March ...and I'll say now again in April ... Lowe has to go!
If we are to compete for the Division Title, the best business decision would be to pay somebody in the East to take him!
Our much touted offensive machine is hitting .227 ... though, as advertised, they appear more consistent... unfortunately.
Tuesday, John Smoltz indicated that this was an important series so that they could make a statement and show they could play with the big boys.
What was it ... no earned runs against Philly starters in 26 innings?
That is being consistent and does make a statement, methinks!
Dang! We lost, with our opening pitcher going against a 47 year old who didn't break 85 mph, methinks!
Remember back in March when our only offensive worry was McLouth?
Well, he's coming around ... got a pinch hit double tonight ater his walkoff homer in the first game of the series.
Nate's average is now up to .171! The rest of the Mendoza brothers look like this ... Troy is neck to neck with Nate at .170 and Matt's .167 makes it a three man race ... for runnerup ... It's early yet but Melky's .125 has established him as the early favorite to win the prize!
Cousin Yunel double put him at .203, keeping him out of contention but there's still time and you can't count him out!
Next up ... The Metropolitans!
For those with an interest,
"Magic Moments" has a new look and a new post to boot ... please take a look and report any problems you might see or anticipate.
In Centerfield ... I'm adding pages to allow more than one post to be featured at the same time ... be ready soon but Centerfield is open for viewing too
Now that's a good looking post in Magic Moments, reads well too ...
And commenting has been enabled in Centerfield!
Thanks Boss!
What's your take on the "Now Playing" element in Centerfield's sidebar?
Whither Matthew??
"Now Playing" in Centerfield is magnificent!!
I just read "What’s so great about the all-star game is that it’s a compilation of the best of the best for the current season" ... it wasn't a comment but a featured post!
Goodness no, not here in the Shop ... such nonsense isn't allowed and the culprit would be banished!
It was on a well sponsored blog ... post also included "If you’re two favorite players ..." which explains a lot unless you're Siamese Twins.
"Now Playing" will have several uses, methinks ... one being increased ease in featuring multiple posts and/or guest authors.
Maybe that's two!
Whither Matthew? Being a preacher, my guess is the Lord Knows ... I don't but I'll ask Mr. Cranston!
Sounds like they were your and idiots!
Well, the good news is that we're still ahead of the Mets ... take that!
The thrill of victory ... the agony of defeat!
Chipper well knows of the agony of de feet but this time it's his hip ... wonder what it will be the next time.
In the span of less than a week, the Braves have gone from being in a tie for first in the EAST to being tied for last!
That makes tomorrow's game big ... be the best you can be, even when you're playing for last place!
Sorry I've been away. I've been looking for the Braves' hits with runners in scoring position.
No luck yet. Will update asap.
Also I've been preoccupied with my grandfather's battle with cancer. As many of you know, news relative to a person's cancer can be the cruelest kind of roller coaster. We did receive good news yesterday, so I thought I'd check in. Be patient with this husband/daddy/preacher/teacher/coach/graduate student. We have about three weeks left in high school baseball, and then I should be back in the shop on a more regular basis.
By the way, it's great to see Lew and the Grinch in the Shop! Of course, it's great to see everyone in the shop!
Our prayers are with you and your grandad Matthew ...
Thanks Boss. I have already lost one grandfather to cancer (Granddaddy, whom I write about often), and so the idea of losing Paw Paw to the same awful diseae has been cause for much stress lately. Please keep him in your prayers. He is undergoing radiation and steroid treatments for the next 10-14 days, followed by a new pill that the doctor has stated will get him back to normal.
Well Matthew you have our fervent prayers ... and not to worry about Centerfield, it is yours unless or until you say otherwise ... we quite well understand the reason for your absence, the blogs can wait ... but know that we all consider you as our friend!
Matthew, I think I can relate to what you're going through ... what with Carol's three year struggle. You`know that my prayers are with the four of you!
They're making remarkable new discoveries and breakthroughs every day ... two weeks of radiation and steroids, followed by some pills ... sounds like great news to me!
In spite of all the stress and the final heartbreak, the last three years were among the best we had together as we became closer and got to know each other better ... sounds weird, even to me but it's true.
Closer to God and family ... and closer to friends too, including those we really haven't met, like you, John, and Baby Seal ... good friends meant a lot ... mean a lot, always will!
We're here for you ...it's an important part of barbering, what we're all about here in the Shop ... thoughts and prayers are important and those you know you have ... but if I can do anything, anything at all ... just let me know.
Jimmy and John, ... maybe a few others too ... may remember the name of Ralph Schwartz, who made an appearance or two on the Braves' Beat Blog ... maybe once on the other one too!
He was character of my own creation, back in 1969 ...
He's made another appearance, this time showing up in the Now Playing section of the Magic Moments' Special Feature which is now ready for viewing!
Some have wondered about my using the character of "Bob, Journalist" ... well, it was simply a choice between "Bob" and "Ralph ... a coin flip, to be exact!
Thanks, John and Bob. Bob, I knew you could identify with the stress. I hope it wasn't painful for me to mention Paw Paw's situation.
I cannot tell you how much comfort I have received from great friends like you two (Jimmy and others as well, even Mrs. Carter and the spinsters!)
Losing is seldom fun, especially when you have a great manager, outstanding rotation, a consistent, highly touted offense and superb defense ... but, to be robbed of the chance to win by the rain ... that's had to take!
Tommy did pitch well ... there should be a law against being charged with a loss when you don't give up any earned runs!
The joke of the season to date ... though for full appreciation, you need to have read Chippers earlier comments yesterday, explaining why he expected to miss several games rather than just a few.
After a few dry swings in his hotel room, Chipper called Terry Pendleton to tell him that he would be available to start Sunday night "It's important for me to be in there!"
Mark Bowman said Chipper acknowledged that His quick return to the lineup was influenced by the fact that the Braves had suffered four straight losses since he exited yesterday's game!!
Surely that must be a record!
Which is the bigger joke, Bowman or Jones?
Why all the gloom, things aren't as good as when we were tied with Philadelphia, but we're still tied, only this time, it's with LA, same only different.
It is confusing, we had the same number of wins in both cases, but in the one we were tied for first in the Division and in the other, we're tied for last in the league ... does that mean the league is tougher than the division?
Bobby pulled Heyward ... said he was taking too many pitches ... strange, he and everybody else has been touting and applauding Jason's knowledge of the strike zone and his plate discipline.
Word is that Chipper has a unique perspective on Jason's woes ... basically rationalizing and defending the rookie ... sounded plausible and that probably makes it unique.
Well, I understand Bobby called a team meeting the other day and spoke to his highly touted offensive team ... you know, the one without an easy out in the lineup, according to Chipper, Bobby and Frank ... well, not so long ago anyways.
I think maybe Jsaon is probably in Bobby's doghouse
They know better than I but, one thing I know is that of the nine position players with the most at bats, All Star McCann has the 2nd highest average at .250, four aren't above the Mendosa Line ... and Glauss is at .203..
IF THERE ARE NO EASY OUTS IN THE LINEUP, THEN WE MUST GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE ... THE OTHER TEAMS' BRAIN TRUSTS AND PITCHERS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!
Yes, that was me ... you knew that though ... only Blogger evidently was asleep at the switch ... which is where I'm headed!
from the ajc's dop or whatever:
The Braves have never had a worse start under manager Bobby Cox, who said Wednesday afternoon, "It's hard to say we're playing real good baseball, but we are."
oh, the humanity!
Even the spinsters are staying away. I was reading that the Braves are doing a lot of things well . . . at least according to Bobby Cox.
I would leave a little longer post but I think I may have tweaked something and it's probably best that I sit out the rest of this blog.
"It's hard to say we're playing real good baseball, but we are" ... Oh the humility!
I guess it's a matter of perspective ... and Bobby's is different from mine!
The Braves' batting average ranks last in the National League and second from last(28th) last in the MLB!
The Braves rank last in the National League and next to last in the MLB in Fielding.
They rank 10th in the NL in ERA!
Yes Bobby's right ... well, at least he's half right ... It's hard to say we're playing real good baseball!"
Oh, the humanity, indeed. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a hitting coach? Not that it's all TP's fault; Bobby's philosophy (such as it is) belongs with an entirely different team (one with the best starting and relief pitching in the league plus at least six guys who can hit 40+ homers, which if you think about it wouldn't need much of a genius to coach). When you have a team full of professional hitters and suddenly only four of them can hit (two of which are permanent fixtures on the bench for reasons known only to Bobby), it's time to fire the hitting coach and for the manager (if, as in this case, he's un-fireable)to call the team out in public. Instead, Bobby gets his two homers last night and with Tommy H. on the mound throwing a near perfect game is exactly enough to pull us within three games of fourth place and now we're "playing good." Really? And how about this for Terry supporters: Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche combined are only a couple of homers and RBI behind our entire team. If the players quitting and tanking this season are enough to get the coaching staff blown up next year, I say it's worth it. I just wish it didn't have to come to that; ownership and local media should have run these incompetents out on a rail several seasons ago instead of putting them on an altar and insisting they be worshipped. Yes, they're great guys but anyone notice the Falcons have been able to put together a GM and coaching staff full of nice guys that are still competent? It doesn't have to be mutually exclusive, and if it came down to it I'm pretty sure the fans would rather have a staff of unpleasant people who got results.
You go, Grinch! Those are the kinds of comments we like on a baseball blog. That we agree is coincidental to my enjoyment of the post. Spinsters get lonely and this spinster is just imagining what a Grinch may look like. Big and Green? Ever dated a spinster?
Well, Bobby Ball with this group of players is never going to work. McLouth will find himself ostracized for that foolish bunt and his aggressive nature on the bases. Must wait for the 3-run homerun.
And Chipper, seems to need some adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments. Maybe some things could be shifted and allow him to go to his left to field a ball.
They were keeping him in the lineup for his bat but the bat now appears to be slightly inferior to the rookie right fielder's.
Oh! We must be playin' good! I like to see such games, as do all of us.
Well, it would be nice to see a game like that ...
We were under Thunderstorm, Tornado, and Flood Watches and Warnings all afternoon and were a bit preoccupied ... hopefully, they'll have another.
I used to be a spinster, but no more. I still blog with the girls, though. I am unclear on whether the Braves are hot or whether they have met an inferior opponent. It could be some of both. If I were the manager of the Braves I would move some people up and move some people down in the lineup and I believe we might see a more productive order. They certainly looked better today.
“I’m certainly not going to stick around for a big contract if I’m not having fun and not producing, I’m not saying I’m retiring at the end of this year or the end of next year, but if I become an average player, I’m not sticking around."
I know I said that, probably last year. I said it because of my image
I'm a star and my agent said it would make me look good to the fans and help when we next sit down with Frank. I think it did make me look good, don't you?
I said a lot of things last year because I'm a leader in addition to being a star and that's what leaders do.
I told you that when I went o-fer or didn't play that the teams in trouble and you know that I was right!
Listen, my hitting may be a little off I admit, but my .206 is better than Matt and Nate are doing!
I said that "if I become an average player, I’m not sticking around" - and if I can accomplish that, it'll be good for my image and I'll be happy - not a bad way to go out!
I just put up a new post ... "People Are Funny" ... hopefully some will enjoy the audio ... met Art at a breakfast meeting back in 1983, methinks. He is an interesting man ... age 97!
The post is also part of the new "Now Playing" section of the Magic Moments" Special Feature that is currently featuring "Even a Caveman Can Do It!"
We'll be adding more stories to that "now Playing" section over the next couple of weeks and the Boss plans to promote those what pass his litmus ... so hopefully, commenting traffic will increase here in the GDA will increase!
In case you haven't noticed, the changes to our Lobby have started too!
I was enjoying a bladder of steaming hot coffee with chicory when I realized it has been some time since last I posted here. In that time, the Braves have a new right fielder. It appears he has helped the team. I suspect he will enjoy steaming coffee with chicory served in an old batting helmet. I think I will prepare some and take it to the next home game.
.206 after going 0-10 . . . where is Larry Jones, Sr.? Larry the Elder must come and repair the swing of uh, Chipper Jones. Could work on the glove a bit, too, and going to his left. Still, with a body conditioned for deer hunting and playing a game intended for conditioned athletes, this year could be a struggle for Chipper, bell to bell. And what if injury should rear its ugly oblique? or thumb? or toe? or hammy? or headache? or back spasms? or hammock bone? Is the team better with Infante or Prado at third right now? Hmmm . . .
What makes you think his body's conditioned for deer hunting? We don't get to hear his off-season injury report.
This blog is very confusing and that's what I like about it.
I find this blog charming. Where can I find Bob and is that really his name? Hard candy in a barbershop can get hairy and there's nothing worse than a hairy piece of hard candy. I'd be wary of that if I were you. I don't like chicory in my coffee and I don't drink from a bladder. The coffee ends up there pretty soon anyway.
Jer-e-miah was a bull-frog.
Chip-per Jones was a bat-ting third, he was good hitter so it goes.
I never understood a single word he said but I heard he soaks his toes. He always had some mighty bad toes. Sing it Joy to the
world...all the boys and girls now, joy to the fishies in the deep blue
sea and joy to you and me.
And if i were Bob-by Cox , i tell you what i would do. Id teach Chipper Jones how to limber up
and id make that boy stretch out.
Sing it now : Joy the the world , all the boys and girls , joy to the fishies
in the deep blue sea , joy to you and me.
Yah know I love baseball, love to have my fun ... Im a hard knock
hitter and throw a hard slider ... a strait shootin son of a gun , i said a
strait shootin sun of a gun.
Joy to the world , all the boys and girls , joy to all the fishies in the
deep blue sea , joy to you and me.
Mister Bob that's a mighty fine story!
Thanks Boss ... I had hope that some feedback to the Post and changes to the shop's lobby would have been forthcoming but apparently, it was not to be ... perhaps it's just as well.
That is to say, while active participation is at the very heart of our vision, I'm not sure that I could handle overt disapproval and rejection rejection so maybe it's better to leave it an open question.
Miss Carol's insights and courage came increasingly to the fore as her struggle progressed. She depended upon me to do the right things and realization of the Shop's vision was at the top of her list ... so into the valley ride we ... Thumbs Up!!
Speaking of telling it like it is, Chipper Jones said "in all three games, we had all three facets of the game" ... dang!
Pardon me ignorance, but what are the facets of the game ... and are there but three? Out of curiosity, how do you get them?
Spring Training and playing the Astros are great confidence builders ... Mark Bowman says that the Braves will spend the next six days looking to leap frog both the Nationals and Phillies in the division standings.
Could Happen!
Thumbs Up!
Sorry for all the drive-by posting, Bob; been a busy Grinch of late. When I get done writing this paper (hopefully today) I'll check the site out more thoroughly. I've been meaning to, but you know how that goes.
It sure was nice to finally play a worse team; now we'll see if we're up to the level of the Nats. Anyone besides me think that JJ's shoulder/elbow injury will make itself known sometime soon? I almost wish it would go ahead and do so so we could have him back at full strength next year. I somehow doubt he's just lost his fastball at the ripe old age of 24. As it stands, we'd be just as good stretching Medlen out, IMO.
I haven't been able to see JJ pitch but once this year ... well, a couple of innings of another.
I've always been of the opinion that the sport would be better served if teams did not have ready access to much of today's technology relative to their preparation ... PEDs in another form that have the smell of the rose.
Modern technology may raise performance levels but it decreases the relevance of ability ... whether it be baseball, bowling or golf.
That notwithstanding, I have long supported extensive use of the instant replay in sports where an official's incorrect calls might impact the events outcome.
From where I sit, the objective should be to get it right ... and available technology could and should be better used for that purpose.
What's that got to do with JJ?
Well, nothing, but I thought it might impress the Grinch.
Well, not exactly ... while I think the "radar gun" is abused and misused in baseball almost as much as on the road ... I think it serves a useful purpose in the early detection of serious problems for a pitcher.
Even there we encounter abuse and misuse ... the pitching coach in looking for a reason why the pitcher is getting shelled advises the player that his fast ball is registering 4 miles less than usual.
No problem, in preparation for his next outing, he makes adjustments so as to address the problem, ... and, amazingly, his speed returns and he's himself again ... just a small blip on the screen, that's all.
Take two aspirin and call me in the morning!
The medication hides the problem ... the pitcher's fast ball has returned and all is right with the world!
As a student of history, the inept Christmas Stealer knows full well that the one thing common throughout history is that it repeats itself because we do not learn therefrom.
I think we would be astounded to learn the number of times the radar gun accurately foretold of pending doom but was rationalized away ... not just the number but the percentages as well.
In a word, "yes" ... I share the view that JJ may well suffer the same fate as have so many ... let's hope not!
For members of the one and two digit clubs, the references to pain and pain medication have no relevance to any pain JJ experienced while he was getting shelled, painful though it must have been!
I know the three facets. Think about it. Hitting, Fielding, Pitching, Picking. Is that more than three? Oh, my! When Chipper is asked to count does he strike his hoof on the ground like Mr. Ed? I'm not saying uh, Chipper is not smart but I was thinking if a dog could talk . . . that might sound like uh, Chipper. Then again, there are some pretty smart dogs. Alone in the woods but for a trusted beagle hound, imagine the conversation . . .
"uh, what?"
"woof"
"uh, seen my comic book?
"woof"
"uh, where's my snickers?"
"woof, who you calling 'snickers'?"
"uh, shut up."
"uh, woof"
Hey everyone-Bob, I tried to e-mail you a day or two ago and check to see if you were doing okay. I heard where Nashville and the surrounding areas are looking at massive flooding. Hope you are not having to type from your boat!
The high school team where I work won its 7th straight district title last Friday night. We play in the regional tournament this Friday, and if we win, we'll play again Saturday. The championship is Monday, and then the state tournament begins. So it will be about two more weeks, but then hopefully the heading in Centerfield will read, "State Champs!"
MaTThew, gOOD luCk in tHE tOUrnaMent. StAte ChamPionShipS aRe hArd tO geT. I wAs lOOking aT BOB's posT eaRliER anD I woULd likE to bUy onE oF thoSe ChiP n' daLE SEcreTarys fOR JimmY SmiTH. I waTchEd thE gaME laSt niGht aNd I wAs diSapPoinTed. ThEy werE nOT goOD iN aT lEasT 3 faCetS oF thE GaME. ChIppER nOW caN't gO tO hiS riGHt oR leFt oR ThRoW tO a bASe. MeThinKs hE iS a mEsS riGht noW.
"I tried to e-mail you a day or two ago" ... what address did you use?
Try again ... the only address that sees to be working is bob.oldbarbershop@gail.com
Thanks bAbY sEaL!
And Bob, I tried the Comcast one. Oops!
Bob, did you get my e-ma
didn't seem to wor
I am proud to see all the improvements here on the bl
hope that someday my posts wi
for now, I guess I wil
it iS fRiday aND tHaT's TournAMEnt day. GOod lUck, MaTTheW!
I believe I'm done discussing the Braves until management gets the stones to force the issue (I.E. fire Pendleton, threaten to fire Cox if he doesn't play Hinske, send some veterans down to Gwinnett and play some rookies to make a point...etc.). And since we know said stones don't exist, I will now focus my sporting attention on Falcons training camp.
We're on the road but saw the headline ... "Lowe has uncharacteristic start ..."
He pitched 5 innings ... gave up lots of hits and lots of runs ... what's uncharacteristic about that?
How does Frank's report card look to you?
"Jamie carved tonight, no ifs, ands or buts about it," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "We didn't really barrel much hard. But the guy's 87 years old and still pitching for a reason -- he stays off of people's barrels. That's what he is."
what language is this?
no adjustments at the plate. first pitch swings. unprofessional approach to the game. corporate baseball with a nose picking CEO.
"Bobby Cox couldn't explain why his productive catcher had hit .196 with four RBIs over the course of his previous 16 games... be received some indication on Thursday, when McCann revealed that he has been regularly visiting his eye doctor over the past couple of months hoping to correct the blurred vision in his right eye" ... what is wrong with this picture ... or is it catcher?
It's risky business to assume Bowman has it right but, if on accepts that risk, it supports the notion "das alles mit unserer Braves nicht in Ordnung ist!"
That is to say, something is wrong!
Brian isn't a superstar but it is generally accepted that he is a decent hitter with an adequate skill set for his position ... and, he is under long term contract with the Braves.
Think about it ... what is going on? The Manager just found out that his starting catcher "has been regularly visiting his eye doctor over the past couple of months hoping to correct the blurred vision in his right eye" ... dang!
If that's not proof positive that Bobby has lost control over the team, then my name is Teflon Frank Wren!
Talk about doghouse ... if I found out that my Catcher had withheld such information from me, he would never play another game for me, never! Es kommt nicht in Frage!
Okay ... but what motivation could Bownan possibly have for spreading such vicious lies? No, I may sometimes take license to have fun at his expense but he's a professional and his so doing would be irresponsible, self destructive behavior ... highly unlikely, methinks, even for him!!
Heck, .196 ain't all that bad ... Conrad, Diaz, McLouth and Cabera wish they were doing that well!
A rose by any other name ... even in Denmark and Atlanta, where something is rotten.
Well, my comment was necessary because Professor Smith plagiarized my intended comments regarding Chipper's explanation before I could post them ... almost word for word!
I thought I would return the favor and answer his language question, which is the reason for my using French in my posted comment.
Chipper had a point ... it's just that I couldn't figure out what it was ... maybe it was related to there not being an easy out in our lineup ... Moyer hasn't allowed an earned run in the 15 innings he has completed against the Braves this year but has allowed at least four earned runs and posted a 7.12 ERA in each of his other four starts this season.
Actually Professor, the Chipper quote that I saw was "Jamie carved tonight ... there's no ands, ifs or buts about it. We didn't really barrel much hard" ... in Chipper's defense, the use of the verb "barrel" is uncommon.
I hope my earlier comments didn't suggest that I thought that our Manager was asleep at the switch ... far from it ... "I know we don't have Escobar in there and Heyward and McCann, ... and Chipper is not real hot right now" ... that should silence even his harshest critics ... he's wide awake, alert as ever, and on the job! I'll bet lots of fans didn't know that those three weren't in the game ... but that's okay, Bobby did!
And now introducing the heart of the Atlanta Braves' lineup 3-8 ... Jones .222, Glaus .242, Diaz .180, Ross .231, Cabera .185, and McLouth .179 ... not an easy out among them!
Maybe what Chipper was trying to say was that there's not much difference between them, being a close knit group and all.
Impressions can be deceiving ... I was somehow under the impression that it was the Braves who were being the more aggressive at the plate ... Jamie seemed to barrel through the lineup!
Lowe threw 95 pitches in his 5 innings of work while Moyer threw but 105 pitches over 9 innings.
I would think that supports my "aggressive" impression, except for the fact that Moyer had to throw 10 more pitches while facing exactly one more batter, 28-27.
So much for impressions!
Moyer voiced the notion that positive contagion was an important factor in the pitching staff's success ... strange that it was noteworthy.
"Probably the biggest win of the year for us," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "It was a game that, at least on paper, didn't look good for us. But Med gutted out 4 1/3 and was one pitch from not giving up a run. The bullpen was excellent."
Why do they let him talk? I would not let him say a word. Can you imagine a dinner conversation with him?
"uh, pass the crackers."
"uh, pass the potted meat."
"uh, pass the chocolate milk."
That's hilarious. Anyone wanting public confirmation about how sad the (team I don't talk about anymore) and the Hawks are need look no further than today's notes from Falcons mini-camp. The board is swamped with questions like "I heard that undrafted kid from the Montana School of Bartending caught a pass from John Parker Wilson; can you give us an update on his pulled groin? Please? Please? Anything?"
Happy Mother's Day!!
Try to celebrate it each and every ... you'll be be glad you did!
Carol's "Mama's Day - How Did It All Begin?" ... is now being featured in the Stall!!
Thanks Boss!
Today's Startig Position Players
Infante(.288)
Prado(.312)
Cabrera(.192)
Glaus(.252)
McCann(.241)
Diaz(.167)
Conrad(.133)
McLouth(.176)
Phils
Victorino(.241)
Polanco(.302)
Utley(.297)
Howard(.279)
Werth(.349)
Ibanez(.253)
Ruiz(.325)
Valdez(.172)
Mets
Pagan .262
Cora .163
Reyes .237
Bay .248
Wright .269
Davis .316
Francoeur .241
Barajas .233
Nationals
Morgan .270
Kennedy .244
Zimmerman .325
Dunn .250
Willingham .268
Rodriguez .365
Bernadina .241
Desmond .264
Marlins
Coghlan .206
Helms .343
Ramirez .308
Cantu .267
Uggla .274
Baker .233
Ross .272
Petersen .143
Starting Rotation (Minimum 3 Starts)
Braves
Hudson(2.82, 38.1)
Hanson(2.83, 35.0)
Kawakami(5.73, 33.0)
Lowe(6.16, 38.0)
Jurrjens(6.38, 24.0)
Phils
Halladay(1.45, 56.0)
Moyer(4.38, 39.0)
Hamels(4.53, 43.2)
Kendrick(5.87, 30.2)
Nationals
Hernandez(1.04 43.1)
Olsen(3.54 28.0)
Atilano(4.67 17.1)
Stammen(5.60 32.0)
Lannan(6.34 32.2)
Mets
Pelfrey(2.65, 37.1)
Niese(3.60, 35.0)
Perez(4.50, 30.0)
Santana(4.54, 41.2)
Main(5.97, 28.2)
Marlins
Johnson(3.35, 43.0)
Nolasco(4.08, 39.2)
Sanchez(4.08, 35.1)
Volstad(4.12, 39.1)
Robertson(4.85, 29.2)
No, we didn't have Escobar(.215), Jones(.226), or Heyward(.291) in there today and that would make us look marginally better ... though Prado at 3rd and Infante at 2nd is the smart choice, methinks.
The won't happen best choice would be to replace Cabrera, Pendleton and Wren.
Braves probably lost today's game in the top of the 1st ...
Four position players below Mendosa ... Goodness!
Several days back when I commented in response to The Grinch about JJ's health issues, I somehow deleted the paragraph that made the point I was actually trying to make. Not sure I can recreate it but will try ...
Back when Robbie was taking his time deciding when to make his grand entrance, his Mama had a very small nerve in her shoulder become slightly damaged as a byproduct of muscle stress associated with the extended delivery ...
Unfortunately, the damage was masked by everything else that going on and by the time the problem was properly identified, the situation had significantly worsened ... took a specialist and a year to correct ... and the shoulder was never quite the same.
The radio report was that JJ went down while running in the outfield today ... looked as if he had been shot. Evidently he heard something pop ... in an area slightly different from the location of his current hamstring problem.
Let's hope it's not as bad as it looked and sounded!
oh, the humsnity! bob is blogging baseball and bobby cox is making excuses. did bobby see the same game this journalist was watching?
now, last night's game was thoroughly entertaining. hanson was masterful. what made this journalist sick was watching chipper run to first base and then grimace and groan. what a sissy!
then, when the ball got past the catcher . . . chipper did not advance to second. still grimacing and groaning on first. bobby took him out and let him grimace and groan on the bench.
if jimmy smith were the manager of this team chipper would be conditioned well enough to run the bases or chipper would sit until chipper could run the bases without injury.
that sick grimace and groan is growing old.
still, prado hit a homerun and so did glaus- and neither was a 3-run homer. not according to plan.
what if glaus used a lighter bat? jimmy smith thinks that is something that might help. but jimmy smith thought some adjustments should have been made at the plate by those swinging away at the junk that was being thrown.
ouch! journalist has tweaked something while blogging. grooaaannn . . .
It all boils down to folks hanging around way beyond their usefulness ... such as the once-great Ken Griffey, Jr ... who has been reduced to pinch-hitting, but when finally called upon to do just that - he was discovered lying in the clubhouse asleep at the switch ...
Comes a time all those chunks of deadwood should to go the way of the howling wind!
Well, There's a new Featured Post up ... something put together quick ... "That's Baseball" ... in honor of last night's victory and defeat the night before that!
We'll be out of pocket much of the time over the next few days if things go according to plan.
That's the plan but you just never know ... all you can do is put a good swing on the ball ... do the best you can and hit it hard! It's out of your hands after that ... and of course, there's always the wind!
For those looking for "People Are Funny" ... it's in the "Now Playing" section of the Magic Moments" Special Feature ... as are "Crazy Ralph Schwartz" and "Miss Mildred, Charlie Brown, and Little Joe" ... all related to "Even a Caveman ..."
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