Eddie Update 2
This is the second time I have tried to post this entry, and I am growing extremely weary of Tripod's blog service. I am growing equally weary of watching Hudson get pounded this afternoon, so I thought I would take this opportunity to pass along some news about a fan favorite, Eddie Perez.

At the beginning of the season, the Braves announcers were reporting that Eddie was on his way to Mississippi to serve as a player-coach under Jeff Blauser; yet I found no trace of him on the M-Braves roster. I finally located him on the roster for the Richmond Braves, with no number. I don't know whether he is supposed to be a player-coach there, os is just doing a "rehab assignment." If I find any additional info, I'll pass it along.

Sorry I missed last night's raucous victory, and even sorrier that I missed Bobby's first ejection of 2006. My wife and I were speculating just the other day about how long it would take him to get run for the first time this season.

Roster Moves. We Got Roster Moves.
OK, I'm a little behind the curve here. I went to bed early again last night, despite the fact that the Braves had come back to tie after three, because of this annoying little matter called a day job that I just can't seem to resolve. When I turned on this afternoon's game, I found out that the Braves had called up Joey Devine and Ken Ray -- apparently at the last minute, as there was some question as to whether they would get to Balco Field or whatever the Giants' ballpark is called this year. It didn't take me long to get the news of Horacio's injury, but I still don't know why two pitchers were called up. I saw no indication that anyone else was injured last night, and know of no other issues that would warrant such a move.

Holy shit -- McCann and Sosa go back-to-back! Sosa crushed it, and that's no. 2 of the young season for McCann. Two-zip, and Sosa's looking good on the mound, too. So far, so good.

Oof. That was ugly. Real ugly. Yet it was worth watching just to see a 31-year-old rookie strike out Bonds. I don't know who this guy Ray is, but he could be this year's Charles Thomas.

Oh, by the way: that shelling that Boyer took the other night got him sent back to Richmond, which is why two pitchers came up today.

Some Positives from Last Night:
1) The first five hitters in the lineup each got one hit, two of them homers, and as a group drove in three of the team's four runs.

2) The bullpen didn't allow a single run in three innings.

3) Wilson Betemit. He'd be starting on any other team in the NL.

4) Matt Diaz. Soft contacts are one of the greatest inventions of the late 20th century.

5) Brain McCann. Need I say more?

I would list more, but I didn't watch the whole game. In fact, I went to bed after the grounds crew covered the tarp. They don't get to do that very often in L.A., so I was kind of expecting some impromptu slapstick entertainment. Where's Vince Coleman when you need him?

The Lowdown on Eddie
I spent a good bit of time this morning trying to find information on the status of Eddie Perez, to no avail. But according to Skip Caray, Eddie will be joining the Mississippi Braves as a player-coach. There is not info up yet on either the Braves site or the Miss. Braves site (which is woefully outdated), so for now my dinky little blog has a web-scoop.

A Lot of Ifs
and I mean a lot. Here's a few that I've come up with while watching this game.

Will Brian Jordan make the team?

I thought that one would be easy, until I saw how good Matt Diaz and James Jurries really are. Still, I think his chances are good, as there are two positions open and Bobby likes to have a reliable, personable veteran on the bench -- and Julio Franco, his mainstay of the past few years in that role, is now gone.

Who's Going to be the closer?

For now, it's Reitsma. But how long is that batch gonna have to sit out before it smells? I mean, Rietsma is not as bad as his numbers seem to indicate. In fact, his changeup is so filthy that hitters sometimes squib balls through the infield like pool shots and cost him runs -- and games. What's more, he has been good in the past. Bobby likes him, and Bobby is going to give him a shot; but if he doesn't do the job, then Johnny is going to step in -- and when Johnny steps in ... well, that may not even make a difference, because there are no, repeat NO, closers on the market. In other words, it's Rietsma now by default, and out of desperation.

More questions later. I promise.

Too Little, Too Late
I have no excuses for my tardiness in reviving this blog for the 2006 season, other than my usual busy schedule, a lot of laziness, and a diminution of my interest in the Braves after Greenville lost their AA farm team. The general atmosphere of disappointment in the loss of the Braves and apathy over the continuation of baseball in Greenville in their absence is palpable, and has been exacerbated by the ham-handed manner in which the new team has been introduced to the city.

The crowing moment of ineptitude was the assignment of a new name to the Greeenville team. One might think, given the extensive baseball history that this town has, that there would have been a serious effort to choose a name that would do justice to that history; yet the only serious effort to do so was a "grassroots" campaign (as if anything that happens in Greenville is grassroots) to name the team the Greenville Joes, a name that was supposed to honor the late, unfairly maligned Greenvillian Shoeless Joe Jackson but was so silly-sounding that it would not have passed muster even if Major League Baseball accepted it -- which, of course, it did not.

So what name did they come up with? Get this: The Greenville Drive. That's right, Greenville Drive. What the hell is that supposed to mean, you might ask. It is supposed to be a reflection of the city's growing ties with the auto industry, given the presence of BMW, Michelin, etc. According to Wikipedia, the name is also supposed to reflect "the strong entrpreneurial spirit in [sic] the business community. Lovely. With that in mind, I could have suggested another name: perhaps the Greenville Greed would be more appropriate.

As construction workers struggle furiously to complete the stadium before opening day, the club is winding up a contest to choose a new mascot. I can't wait to see the result of that one. I think that they should make it a Bavarian auto executive. I mean, wouldn't that be fun for the kiddies? "Enjoy Zee Competition."

Now, after they've lost the best ballclub they could possibly have had in this town, they are pulling out all the stops to promote this joke of a team, in a joke of a stadium, in a location that can only hope to draw a few curiosity-seekers and party hounds looking for free beer and a new place to park their butts for a couple of hours.

I predict total failure for the "Drive" and its promoters, who deserve no less. For ultimately, Greenville's new ballclub, like this blog entry, is simply too little, too late.

Welcome Back, Remmy
Looks like the Braves are going to take a chance on Mike Remlinger's 40-year-old arm after all. Not a bad deal, I think. They allegedly passed the first time around, but after Remlinger rested his arm a while in the offseason, he found himself able to throw without pain for the first time in a long time -- shades of Dennis Martinez. Anwyay, Remlinger's been with The Organization before, so he knows how things are done there -- and he wants to be there.

Readers of the linked story will notice that he had high praise for Bobby Cox and Bobby Dews. Many fans will also recall that he did not seem very fond of Leo (remember the dugout shouting match?). I suspect that one of the reasons he wanted to come back to Atlanta so badly, presumably to finish his career, is that Leo is no longer around. He has a minor-league contract, and an invite to camp. Let's see what he can do with it. Perhaps some rest for the arm and a familiar, nurturing environment will breathe new life into his career and make him a valuable asset to the bullpen.

Happy New Year
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. It's been a busy month, for the Braves and for me, and a lot needs to be covered. But for me, paid assignments and course preparation must take precedence right now.

I do want to take this opportunity to recap the year. Have a good 2006, and I'll see you soon.

Andruw got Screwed
Well, it's official. The Baseball media in their infiniate wisdom thinks that Albert Pujols was more valuable to the talent-laden veteran Cardinals than Andruw was to the also-talent-laden but very young and erratic Braves this season.

I beg to differ.

While the Cards rolled over the opposition this season on their way to an easy division title and a surprise postseason choke, the Braves did their usual roster shuffle with the requisite injuries, pitching meltdowns, and diamond-in-the-rough surprises, with a new twist: the emergence of the cadre of Metro Atlanta Suburban All-Stars that the organization has been incubating rather quietly in their farm system the past few years. Those guys played with an incredible amount of poise and maturity, not too surprisingly given that they have been raised from birth to be Braves. But even the most polished prospect needs guidance and leadership, and that's what Andruw stepped up to provide this year. I, for one, never would have predicted that, no more than I would have predicted that this would be the year that Andruw would finally live up to his potential at the plate.

Anyway, for those who may have forgotten, MVP stands for MOST VALUABLE PLAYER, which means the player that is MOST VALUABLE to his team. I would argue that Andruw, with his consistenly phenomenal defense, his surging offensive numbers, and uncanny leadership, was much more valuable to the Baby Braves than Pujols was to a team with the likes of Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Ray King, Jason Isringhausen, and two -- count 'em, two -- players under 25 on their active roster.

But when one plays for a team that has been as good for as long as the Atlanta Braves have been, one can expect to encounter a little bias -- and that's one obstacle that Andruw could not overcome this season.

Quick update
I've been out for a while preparing for a marathon, which I finished yesterday. Quite frankly, I didn't see a lot in the postseason that was worth writing about. It went pretty much as I predicted, although that shouldn't take away from what was really a quite remarkable season for the Braves given their youth and the obstacles they had to overcome throughout the season.

Of course, the biggest news since then is the departure of Leo, something that didn't surprise or particularly alarm me. One can hardly blame him at this point in his career for opting to return to his hometown to play for an old friend for twice as much money (and although a $250,000 pay raise is something that most of us can only dream of, it still does not approach the realm of players' salaries, & thus is a bit more significant than the million or two that Chipper and Smoltz are offering to lop off their salaries if the Braves can resign Furcal). I've also suspected for some time that Leo was not exactly the best-loved man in the Braves' system -- suspicions confirmed in a recent "Mailbag" column from Mark Bowman. But Roger McDowell? A man with no major league coaching experience whose reputation does not seem in keeping with the stoic, businesslike philosophy of The Organization? That seems rather strange to me. Maybe he is some sort of wunderkind who has gotten great results from his pupils in the minors. Maybe he's a players' coach who will fit in well with Bobby's system and bring out the best in his pitchers. Maybe he's just the blank slate that they wanted to start the post-Leo era. But then again, maybe he's the result of an administrative misstep, the baseball equivalent of Harriet Miers. Only time will tell.