As I write this, the Braves are tied for first place in the NL East, which they accomplished by not playing last night while the Nationals lost. Tonight the Nats are down 8-0 to the Astros in the 7th with Clemens still on the mound. So far, so good on a Fri. night.

Gryboski's trade to the Rangers was unexpected, but no great shock. I do believe that they could have gotten more for him than a questionable prospect who got busted down a level in the minors last year and is going to Myrtle Beach for the remainder of the season. I've heard a lot of good things about Macay McBride, but how many more times can the Braves be expected to get lucky with their minor-league talent? I realize, of course, that there's more than just luck at work here, and most of the team's success is due to their juggernaut of a farm system. But despite their obvious talent, luck is a huge, huge factor at this point in these guys' careers. Let's see how long it holds out for them.

West Coast Series
Although I have built and maintained my own websites for years, this is my first foray into blogging, and right now I'm regretting it. Why did I decide to open this blog? What the hell did I expect to gain from it, except maybe a little extra traffic for my other sites? Did I even think I would get that? Why do I have this compulsion to develop useless web space? Why am I asking myself all these fucking questions?

Enough. It's time for a little stream-of-consciousness action while watching a few innings of this west-coast game. Frank's boys already won -- victory a must -- Phil Niekro's nephew starting at first for the Giants -- Who are these umps? -- only one I recognize is Larry Young, the crew chief -- Is Furcal trade bait? -- he looked horrible on that last swing, everything flying open toward first -- Kelly Johnson continues to look good -- Giles .750 lifetime against Schmidt after that 2B -- Andruw less so, but drives in Johnson w/groundout -- the infield's ability to turn two has been a tremendous asset -- Will the Braves be the only team in the NL East to lose tonight?

Drowsiness setting in, tomorrow will come too early. I'll check the score in the morning.

UPDATE: They blew it. How the hell are they supposed to win the division without a bulpen?

Post-All-Star Musings
I had intended to post a long, involved entry on the All-Star Game, but that did not materialize because despite the highlight of Andruw going deep on Kenny Rogers, the game was predictably dull and contrived, and before long I realized that anything I were to write about it would be equally so.

All I have is this one thought regarding the midseason classic: tying the outcome of an exhibition game to home-field advantage in the World Series is inappropriate and a bit bizarre, and does not appear to provide any additional motivation to the players, who are solely responsible for determining the level of play. Take John Smoltz, for example. He gave up a home run in his inning of work and took the loss for it; but he told reporters afterward that he was not concerned about his performance, and was simply pleased to have played an All-Star Game in his home state. Now, what does it say about the effectiveness of the home-field advantage in motivating players if it does not motivate a fierce a competitor as John Smoltz?

If MLB wants the make the All-Star Game more competitive by making it "count," they should simply make the stats count by figuring them into the statistical totals for the regular season. I guarantee that Smoltz would have been more concerned about his All-Star performance if it had resulted in another tally mark in the L column of his season numbers and an increase in his season ERA. I'm not trying to trash Smoltz; that is simply the reality of the situation. As players on a contender for postseason play, Smoltz and Andruw at least had a small stake in the game's outcome; but what about Jason Bay? Mike Sweeney? Shea Hillenbrand? All they have besides the thrill, the prestige, the bonus (wait a minute .. shouldn't that be enough?) is the possible added incentive of having their performance in the game count in their season totals. That's something they will care about -- especially if they are in a contract or arbitration year. It would have to beat the hell out of tying the game's outcome to something so incongruous.

Youthful, not innocent
The more I watch these young guys play, the less I care whether the injured veterans ever come off the DL. It's no secret to anyone who follows baseball that half the Braves' current starting lineup is barely old enough to shave; yet they continue to win ballgames at a much more consistent rate than the veterans were winning them before they started bruising, tearing, and straining stuff.

Make no mistake, though: these guys are no Cinderella men. Most of the younger ones were virtually bred in vitro to be major league ballplayers; for example, Jeff Francouer's goal this spring was to make the big club, and he was quite disappointed when he didn't. And the rest of the suburban Atlanta crew is pretty much the same in terms of ambition; they think that it's their birthright to be there, and despite the arrogance that must accompany such a mindset, it's one of the reasons why they play with a confidence that belies their experience. Most of the others I saw come through Greenville when their AA club was here. Wilson Betemit and Ryan Langerhans were once the organizations' top prospects, but their stocks dropped as they languished at the AAA level for a few years until they finally made the big club by default. In fact, Betemit only made the team because he was totally out of options and the Braves wanted to hang onto him for his potential trade value.

In short, there are no Charles Thomases in this class of rookies. Yet there is still some degree of inspiration and drama in the way they have performed so far, especially if one factors in the contributions of the team's two grand old men: John Smoltz, who at the end of his last complete-game victory had something specific to say to each of his teammates about how they contributed to the victory, and the new ambassador of graceful aging, Julio Franco. Go get 'em!

Why the Hell is Kenny Rogers Still an All-Star?
I know the official reason he still gets to go to the game, despite being caught on camera beating the crap out of two innocent men. He is free to play pending his appeal, and under most circumstances I would support that decision; after all, in America we are supposed to presume that people are innocent until proven guilty, even if their crimes appear to have been captured on video. But given the severity of the offense, I do not think it unreasonable that he be suspended with pay pending further investigation and the disposition of an appeal. That's what would happen to me if I were accused of beating the crap out of people on my job -- except for the "with pay" part. No one has the constitutional right to work for a particular employer, as employers are often wont to point out, and suspensions, with and without pay, pending the outcome of such cases are common practice.

As I was reading about Rogers' upcoming trip to Detroit, I was distracted by CNN video footage of Chicago police taking down a man who had been caught by one of their numerous surveillance cameras preparing to shoot up on the street. He was getting some rough treatment for such a petty, victimless crime; but that's par for the course these days for people in his socioeconomic class. Meanwhile, people like Kenny Rogers get to romp freely across the terra, cracking heads as they go and hiding behind their wealth, celebrity, and privilege when the bill comes due for their transgressions. Yes, I know he's facing a huge fine and a 20-game suspension, but an All-Star? Please.

Signing on
I have created this blog against my better judgment as a means of making public things that I would normally say behind closed doors. Some of these things will be controversial, others banal, and some may be downright offensive (apologies in advance for those). Though I make no promises as to the frequency with which I will post entries, I plan to do so regularly and substantively. For now I am the sole audience, and although I would be perfectly content to remain so, I welcome all visitors and encourage them to post comments.

Here's to an interesting remainder of the season.

MHB