So I pull up my facebook this morning and my buddy has sent me a link to a column written by Mark Bradley. You can find this jock sniffing article here: http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/09/16/am-i-the-only-one-in-the-world-who-likes-the-braves-chances/?cxntlid=sldr
Before I completely dismantle his entire article let me start by saying that this is what is wrong with Atlanta sports. Their is absolutely no accountability in this city whatsoever. You can play shitty baseball for 2 weeks at the most crucial time of the year and everyone in the "media" just turns a blind eye. I hope Bradley reads this and responds. He prob wont but that I would leave to see how he defends it. Mark Bradley has his nose so far up Bobby Cox's ass he cant even see straight.
As he says in his article:
"Nobody likes the Braves anymore because (pick one or more) Cox is a moron and Frank Wren is a moron and Derek Lee is a has-been and Troy Glaus was a one-month wonder and these players have no heart and would just as soon lose now as lose in the playoffs."
I will tell you what. I will take all of the above for $500 please Alex.
Bobby Cox IS a moron. Tell me another manager who has been given a team that consisted of 3, count them 3 Hall of Fame pitchers on the same team in their prime? And we win 1 world series? My 10 month old could manage that team and get the same results. Oh and by the way the Marlins, yes the freaking marlins have 2 WORLD SERIES TITLES since 1997! But you are right Bobby Cox is awesome. He is easily the most overrated manager in the history of baseball. Oh wait, he gets thrown out a lot so that must count for something right?
Frank Wren IS a moron. Derek Lowe 4 years 60 million. Kenshin Kawakami 3 years 23 million. Chipper Jones 3 years 42 million. He has traded for Nate McLouth, Rick Ankiel, Kyle Farnsworth, Ryan Church, Casey Kotchman and Melky Cabrera. Thats about as close to an All Star team as you can get right there. He has made some good moves in trading for Jurrjens and Infante but this isnt even close. Dont forget we have our hands tied bc of the first 3 contracts. He has also signed Troy Glaus and traded for Derek Lee. The Glaus signing (regardless of the fact we got him for 2 million) is just awful. Quikrete shoes hit .194 in march/april, .330 in May, .237 in June, .182 in July, .208 in August and is currently hitting .273 in 11 at bats thus far in September. Derek Lee has been a disaster since coming over. I give a pass on this one since we got him for nothing. Long story short knowing everything I have just written what grade would you give him?
"The Playoff probabilities on ESPN.COM show the Braves, Padres and Giants in a virtual dead heat."
Your right, I feel much better now knowing that the espn probablities still like our chances. Is this a joke? My BRO meter says your a dousche. A rather large one.
"It will come down to the Braves and the second-place club out West, which could be the Padres or the Giants, neither of which hits very much, but it could also be Colorado, which is the scariest team in the world in September."
And the Braves hit?? Please tell me your joking? Do the Braves have better pitching than the Giants? I dont think so. But its all good we have Troy Glaus and Derek Lee and Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami and Nate McLouth all lined up and ready to do good! Thanks alot Frank Wren.
"Not to be pedantic, but the Braves must win as many of these remaining 15 as they can, and 10 ought to do it."
WTF does pedantic mean? You do realize 6 of those games are against the Phillies? And you do know the Phillies have set their pitching up so we face Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt in all 6 of those games? That would also require the Braves to acutally score some runs. Not get shutout by guys you have never heard of. Dont worry though, you dont want to be pedantic.
"Folks, this can still happen. So why do I feel like I’m talking to myself"?
Your not. Bobby Cox and Frank Wren are listening.
Something else that this article doesnt bring up but I want to address again. Getting to the playoffs does not equal a successful season. Winning the World Series is the goal and anything short of that is a failure. I for one am sick of the "if we make it great, if we dont ehh" attitude. Enough already! Man up and make a play.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
perfection.
Jesus dude. Really heating up now. I also think Bradley is only talking to himself because Braves fans are pretty lackadaisical and don't give the Braves shit like they should. C Mac, you are certainly setting the bar. Well played sir.
Thanks for the comments guys. Im just sick of the lack of accountability. Its gone on for wayyyy to long. Bobby should have been called out a longggg time ago.
Like it or not, Bobby Cox is not only a hall of fame manager (obviously), but he is probably the most underrated manager in baseball history.
Cox took over the Blue Jays---a half dozen years after they were an expansion team----while they were an annual joke of a franchise and making no progress. Cox immediately transformed them from being the laughingstock of the American League and got them to one game from winning the Eastern Division (before the stupid wild card days). He then took over as GM of the Braves, who were the National Leagues' laughing stock,in the mid-80's and made some administrative moves and then took over as the manager and not only transformed the Braves to no longer be a laughing stock, but he managed them to a record that will NEVER be equalled----13 straight division titles. Dimaggio's hit streak will be broken before that record ever is. Yes, he only wins one world series with 3 hall of fame pitchers----true, but if you've watched baseball for a long time, you know that junk pitchers like Glavine and Maddox often thrive during the regular season, but get bombed in the post season. During the regular season, players are often looking to pad their stats and you can throw junk off the plate, getting players to try to pull outside pitches, swing at bad balls. In the post season, players tend to have more discipline at the plate and they make the junk pitchers throw strikes and they smoke them. Glavine and Maddox were not successful in the series that the Braves lost the last half dozen times they lost in the playoffs.
As far as this year's Braves team, they have very little talent for a contending team and it is amazing they could even stay close to the Phillies.
As an Atlanta baseball fan, you were lucky to have him. Like most things, you won't realize what you had until it is gone. But I sympathize with you, because when I was your age, I thought Jerry Sloan was a terrible coach. Now I know better.
However, I will agree with you on one thing. Mark Bradley is an idiot.
Your former Pal.
Coach! good to hear from you! Hope you are doing well. I have to disagree. You cant give him credit for the regular season success and then give him a pass in the playoffs. The 13 straight division titles will prob never be done again. I will agree with you on that. However, that kind of proves my point. Winning division titles doesn't really mean anything. The Braves went to the playoffs 15 straight years! 1 world series title? All he needs is 1 more and the bashing from me will stop. That is all he needs. I am not saying he hasn't been successful since that would just be dumb. Im simply saying he has been put into a class for which he doesn't belong.
Hows the team looking this year? Slobby?
Mathematically, since 8 teams make the playoffs since the dopey wildcard was added, then a team who makes it every year should win it once every eight years they make the playoffs. For the Braves to win two world series, mathematically, they need to make the playoffs 16 times.
Managers who are great get their teams to play good baseball day in and day out----which shows in the regular season. In a short playoff series, the players determine who will win, not the manager. If Glavine lets up for homers in the first inning of his playoff start after leading the league in ERA, it is hardly the manager's fault.
Your passion for the Braves has gotten in the way of your rational thought process, but that is OK.
Anyway, keep writing your opinions, they are fun to read (and I'll be sure to point out to you whenever you are wrong!!)
My basketball team should be pretty good this year----although they are still slobs.
Wait until basketball season starts! Nothing makes my blood boil more than Paul Hewitts Offense. Not to mention his zone offense. If I can break down a slobby zone then those guys should be able to. Barrett and I still laugh about how teams would play us zone and they would last about a quarter until they realized it wasnt working. Remind me the school name again of your team? I will follow you guys
Hewitt is far from the only college coach who doesnt know how to attack a zone. It is amazing how many big time college programs don't attack zones with any intelligence at all.
Here's a link below to following my slobby team:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116203779447&ref=ts
Post a Comment