Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Brewers traditional doubleheader! 5-4-11

Huddy!

Happy birthday to me, the Braves won two!

1. I took the first game "off" -- no pictures, just hung out and watched the game -- and my lovely friend Jennifer ("Girl JV") hooked us up with sweet seats in 104 for game 2. Jennifer, you're amazing. ❤

2. My phone has been having problems (a replacement is supposed to arrive today) and it died during the game. Sorry for the lack of tweets!

3. My brother jinxed Huddy's no-hitter by mentioning it right before Huddy gave up his only hit of game two. Next time you see him, smack him in the arm, yes? Yes. Good.

4. I tried a McCann's Burger burger. It was tasty; I will get one again. Alison and I split an order of fries and didn't finish them -- it was a lot of fries.

5. We dropped some cookies to Eddie for our shared birthday -- homemade Nutella Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Craisin Pecan. There was a bag just for him and a bag for the bullpen boys. We were glad Eddie seemed to like his little present, and when we left for game 2 my brother said the big bag for the rest of the boys was nearly gone. Yay. :)

6. Laura bought me a new Braves shirt. I adored it on the hanger... it may need to be returned. It's a little... um... different than what I usually wear.

There are almost no pictures in the album. Sorry. I was busy being a regular fan and enjoying the game. :) Here are a few...

Pittsburgh Nate hit me a home run! haha

Huddy got RickRolled!! Who did this?!

Me: Look, Beardy.
Girls: Oooh, where?
Me: Through there!
Girls: Oooh, hot.

Kots! During game 1, when he was playing RF, they played Mac's intro song and Kots put his hands up in the air!! LOVE IT.

Good game grin!

Ske gives the best fives. :D

Win!

Thanks for such a fun day, boys! And thanks to all the friends who wished me well today -- love you all! ❤

Happy...November...

Kots was traded to the Red Sox on August 27, 2008. Jenna texted me on Saturday morning to say Mr. January for 2010 is Schafer (*sigh*), and you'll never guess who Mr. December is!

Yep, Frenchy.

He was traded to the Mets July 10 of this year, if I recall correctly.

These calendar people...geez...

BoSoxBoSoxBoSox

I LOVE the Red Sox. They are my #2 team in all of Major League baseball, and I'm so excited we'll be playing them the next two weekends! I don't remember how or when I started loving the Boston team -- I've always been one to root for the underdog (see: Rocky) -- and I remember going to a medical conference in Boston with my volunteer group in early April 2000. Our hotel overlooked Fenway and I was repeatedly told by my roommate to "stop looking at it" (ha!). Had the Sox not been out of town, I'm sure I would have gone to a game (even if I'd had to go alone). :)

So! In preparation for this weekend, let's discuss some of my favorite Red Sox. You can see the entire active roster here; I've only chosen my faves below...

Josh Beckett -- Remember when he was a Marlin? He's sometimes cute and almost always an awesome pitcher. (We don't see GL coach shots very often!)

Jon Lester -- Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2006, he returned in 2007 to earn the win for the Red Sox in the deciding game of the World Series. In May 2008, he pitched a no-hitter. If you aren't familiar with his determination and drive, look up a few articles -- it's truly amazing. (picture)

Jonathan Papelbon -- Quite possibly the craziest man in Baseball...and I mean that in a fun way, of course. As a matter of fact, this is the fifth time on my BRAVES blog I've mentioned him. ;) What else can I say? :D

Tim Wakefield -- A 42-year-old knuckleballer who's still effective. Batters HATE facing him. I wouldn't want to face him either!

Man, why don't our guys do fun stuff like this?

Jason Varitek -- Catchers have always been my favorite, and here's a cute catcher who's The Boss Of The Team, went to Georgia Tech, and wears his socks up. Did I mention he's cute? ;) (The flat top, though...that's gotta go.)

Nick Green -- Former Brave! A looooot of girls loved some Nick Green when he was here. (Suzanne, what's up!)

Mike Lowell -- Very, very good 3B.

Dustin Pedroia -- I could write a novel on the Lil' Chipmunk. As it is, I'll just let you watch his Playstation commercials. :D Dustin vs. Playstation ~ Pedroia and Batting Practice Pitcher ~ Joe The Fan

Kevin Youkilis -- I'm more interested in Youk's beard than Youk himself. He's not pretty, but he's dang good.

Jason Bay -- Former Pirate, awesome outfielder.

J.D. Drew -- Former Brave, frequently injured, still love him.

Jacoby Ellsbury -- He's SO delish, y'all. No kidding. He's one of those rare guys that can fall into all three Hot, Pretty, and Cute categories. I knew he was of Native American descent, and Wiki says he's the first Navajo to play MLB. Pretty awesome.

Mark Kotsay -- We all know Kots. :)

David Ortiz -- I LOVE BIG PAPI. He might be the huggiest guy in all MLB, and when he and Manny were teammates, there were multiple hugs per game. Love the love, baby...


Oh yeah... Go Braves. ;)

"Too precious to move"

If I've ever seen a quote that describes Baby, that might be it! Hey, I didn't say it, ESPN did in their Offseason Outlook for our Braves.

And while you're at ESPN, take the Salary Crunch challenge. You can compare your annual salary to Teix's salary (which is totally depressing). I compared the median annual household salary in Atlanta here.

Dear Atlanta: "You will need to work 647.11 years in order to make Mark Texeira's annual salary."

Love,
Teix

PS -- I'm awesome.

(Hee.)

In other, real news, Kots will be a Red Sox for another year.

Braves 2008 Wrap-up: Outfielders

Josh Anderson -- Joshie! I don't have enough good to say about him. I was very disappointed when Gregor was chosen over him to be the 4th outfielder out of Spring Training, but since Kots was traded I think Josh may have surpassed Gregor in the race for next year's starting CF job. I love how his feet never seem to touch the ground, and I love his interviews. He's clear, concise, and gives credit where he believes credit is due. Good boy. I hope he's a keeper.

Gregor Blanco -- Our little gloworm's season has tapered off, but he's still fun to watch. One of my favorite Gregor moments this season was him translating a post-game interview with Yunie, and adding in things Yunie did NOT say. My Spanish isn't the best, but I understand enough to have gotten that!

Matt Diaz -- MattE's injury in May was a real heartbreaker. I know the Braves are openly shopping for a "power" left fielder, but I hate the idea of letting MattE go. He's one of my favorites!

Jeff Francoeur -- Lots of people, both in the media and casual bloggers, have given Jeff a hard time over his performance and attitude this season. He looks like the same Frenchy to me, just with a little less success at the plate. His official website has a very positive look back on 2008, and I think hearing Will Ohman call him "a body double for Guy Smiley" makes everything okay. Here's hope for a better '09!

Brandon Jones -- BJones still hasn't impressed me. What do you think we can get for him and Lilli and Buddy Carlyle? A solid starter? A power LF?

Mark Kotsay -- Kots! I have to be honest here; I didn't have much love for Kots when he joined the Braves. I called him "Mug Shot" and some other names, but the more I saw of him, the more I liked him. I told a friend the other day that I can't believe I'm saying this, but I kinda miss him! Maybe I just miss Frenchy kissing him, is all. ;)

Greg Norton -- Pinch hitter extraordinaire, and funny to boot! Hope to see you next year, Greg.

Jason Perry -- Cute replacement for Mr. F during his brief trip to Pearl. I'm afraid he's blocked in the system unless he learns another position, because he's not getting any younger and JBF's not going anywhere. Good luck, Jason! :)

Mark Kotsay traded to Boston

There's nothing on the Braves website yet, but Yahoo is reporting...

NEW YORK – The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night pending a physical, according to a baseball source with knowledge of the deal. The Braves will receive a minor-league pitcher in return if the pitcher passes a physical.

The article does note that the deal is not official, but it sounds done to me, considering the reports from Ken Rosenthal and others.

Good luck, Kots. It was nice having you here. :)

--------------

12:45pm ETA:

ESPN.com says we get a single-A, 20-year-old outfielder named Luis Sumoza for Kots. Is that an even trade? Seriously??

Maybe we are "rebuilding"...

Back from injury

MLB.com has a couple of video interviews with Kelly Johnson and Mike Hampton about battling back from season-ending injuries. I especially liked Kelly's interview; his honesty is refreshing. (Sometimes I think we get a lot of B.S. in interviews, because the player wants to be seen in the right light.)

While I was there, I also saw this pre-series interview that features Kots and Frenchy, along with the Mets' David Wright. I know he's a Met, and I'm fundamentally supposed to hate him, but I just can't. He's so cute!

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Giants 8-18-08

This is going to be a very abbreviated Game Day post. :) Best things first:



You can hear how surprised I was; I was on the phone, explaining why I was recording the ab work, and... hahahaha, that guy is really getting into it! He is fun; I wish I could find out who that was.

-------------------------------

Batting practice!



Notes:

- Charlie hung out with the ball boy in CF most of the time.
- Baby and KJ and Clint hung out together, and Frenchy kept his distance by staying on the other side of the field with Will Ohman. If McFrenchy acted friendly towards each other, I sure didn't notice. Wonder what's up there...
- KJ has gorgeous calves. I feel like I talk about that all the time, but they deserve it!
- Eddie Perez waved at me. There was no one else close to where I was sitting, and he was looking right at my face. If that was intentional, that was pretty cool! He's hilarious. (Also? We have the same birthday.) :)

-------------------------------

I know it was a 4:35 start time on a Monday, but I didn't expect the crowd to be so sparse. I went with a group from work and took this video during the 8th inning, when it was still pretty full (relatively speaking):



The official "paid" attendance was just over 18,000, but if there were over 10,000 there, I'd be shocked.

Also!! Our section was chosen as the Doubles for Double Cheeseburgers promotion, and Campy hit his double in the inning! We all got cards for a double cheeseburger value meal at McDonald's. I don't know if I'll eat mine, but here was our section on the Jumbotron:



Other crap I got:



Since work gave us $15 in Braves Bucks, I decided against spending it on overpriced food and drinks and got a new t-shirt instead. (The "front" view is my friend Jenna's tee -- with Chuck James' #36 on the back!). After the Braves bucks and the 30% off sale, my shirt was only $1.75. I'm so proud of that! :) The red thing is a rally flag that a random stadium employee gave me. Good times!

The game was so boring, I spent two whole minutes videoing Baby in the batter's circle. Booooooring. BORING! (Not you, Baby -- the game.)



Here is the full album of pictures. Inside you'll see some gay lumberjacks, Yunie, Baby, KJ, Clint (or, if you prefer the typo-nickname, "Cling"), Gregor, Ruben, Blaine, Jeff B, an empty stadium, Frenchy, Clint's bum, Omar Infante, far too many pics of Charlie, Chipper and Kots, Will, some clouds, Tim Lincecum, his wonky tooth situation, more empty stadium, the Atlanta skyline, a sticker on the armrest between two co-workers (who unknowingly dressed alike), Zito on the mound, Charlie's legs reclining from the bench, Clint with SmartWater again, Baby with his hat off, a guy getting escorted off the field after tumbling in over a foul ball, Martin's super-cute jumbotron pic, Baby toweling off in the dugout, and the stupid game of the day, Pict-O-Word. Enjoy!

I guess I won't miss Huddy as much if we keep seeing things like this...

Way to try to run like Baby while sitting on the bench, man. Heh. I love it.

Have you ever seen an angrier "I love you"?

Seriously, though -- congratulations on hitting for the cycle, Kots! :)

More on last night's game to come, along with gameday pics of tonight's game. Watch for it this weekend!

Rain Out #2! :(

I can't believe I've been to two games postponed by rain this season. Crazy! Yesterday was pretty fun, though. Ask LizzieBeth about the pigeons. ;)

I was really looking forward to seeing Charlie pitch, not to mention Rich Harden, who's pitching tonight instead of last night...



Mmm, mmm, good. Allow me to counter with our team's best behind! :D



Anyway, here are some of the pics I took at the rain-shortened BP. Some are not as clear as usual, depending on how much rain was coming down at the time, and the Cubs never took the field. Enjoy!



Actual batting practice:
- Baby in the cage while Frenchy watches
- Kots
- Hey, is that Boog in the background?
- Yeah it is! What up, Boog! Love you!
- "Little Havana", as I'm told they're collectively called


Fielding practice, sort of:
- KJ's pretty calves
- Clint Sammons!
- Big Picture
- High five!


Pitchers pitching:
- Pic 1
- Tommy
- Pic 3
- Pic 4
- Pic 5
- Pic 6


Pete Moylan:
- Pic 1
- Pic 2
- Pic 3
- Pic 4 (run, Pete!)
- Playing with Phil Falco, who I didn't know had a uniform number
- Contemplative...
- Underhand only. Good boy.
- For Crista :)


The Baby Braves tell stories:
- Pic 1
- Pic 2
- Pic 3
- Pic 4
- Pic 5
- Lean on in, Frenchy ;)
- Pic 7
- Stop biting your nails, Baby.
- Fight! Fight! Fight! (...I kinda wish they would.)


Our boy El Duderino played an inning or two at shortstop:
- Pic 1
- Pic 2
- Pic 3
- Pic 4
- Then talked to Ryan Theriot for a minute before moving into the visitor's dugout.


Bye, boys! Time for the tarp.



One last thing: Who the heck is driving this neon blue...vehicle?

Passion Players

Matt over at gaytlsports.com brought this article to my attention...it's from July's Atlanta Magazine, and features some deliciously gritty pictures of some of our favorite Braves. There's an online interview exclusive with John Smoltz, too. The pictures, though...yummers...












Sorry about the rip on KJ -- the magazine pages were really thin, and I had to remove them from the 'zine to scan.

The hand isn't credited in the photos, but I have it on good authority that it's Smoltzie's hand...and that he's not a freckly guy. (I don't have any problems with freckles -- I was just surprised to see them there and thought it might be Huddy's hand.)

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Nats 7-20-08

Well, this wasn't a game I personally attended, but I do have some amazing pictures to share, courtesy LizzieBeth and Jug. The first six are from LizzieBeth, and the last shot is Jug's. Enjoy!

Kots really likes to grab Charlie's face, doesn't he? Not that I wouldn't want to, but y'know, it's not nice to get handsy with people you don't know. ;)

And your McFrenchy moment of the mid-year:

Finally, the best solo picture I've seen in a very long time, courtesy Jug at Talking Chop...

I really want to make a Lumberjacks comment about this one, but all I can think about is a little boy learning to potty. That's sad.

Thanks for sharing, guys!

Article Catchup

Taking an All-Star break along with the players leaves a lot of fun stuff to read after the break is over. :) Here are some articles that you may be interested in...


Braves' McCann cleans up at plate, not locker

Before Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, an attendant reached into the messiest locker stall in the National League clubhouse, picked a jersey out of a pile of clothes, cleats and catcher's gear on the floor, and hung it neatly from a hanger.

It was Brian McCann's jersey.

Braves teammates call him "Heap" for a reason — it's where McCann's stuff is often found, in heaps.

But his disheveled appearance and easygoing demeanor belie a driven, fiercely competitive player who happens to be one of most polished 24-year-old hitters you could ever want on your team.

(Well, that's not the only reason they call him "Heap". Heh.)


Young arms throw Braves staff lifesaver

"I had Kotsay come up to me [the next day] and grab my face and say, 'If I ever hear you doubt yourself ever again, you're going to have a problem,' " [Charlie] Morton said. "Guys have been like that. Everybody I've talked to has been supportive. That's sometimes what you need as a new player and a young pitcher."

AJC Photo Gallery: What's your favorite Braves jersey?


Francoeur working way back

"Shave!" the bearded McCann yelled during batting practice Friday. "Be original."

Of course, who can blame Francoeur for trying for a look that has worked for his long-time friend?

"He's copying me," McCann joked later. "I don't like it. Tell him to get his own identity."

Smoltz tests his TV savvy on SportSouth shows

He will work for the network on pregame and postgame shows for Wednesday and Sunday home games when possible. He's not doing postgame Sunday because he's re-joining the Braves for the upcoming road trip.

And here are some fun Google searches that led people to Braves Love in the last couple of weeks...

• who is gregor blanco's wife
• Gregor is single, ladies. :)
  
  
• what did brian mccann shirt at the all star parade say
• I would really like to know!
  
  
• how long did brian mccann date ashley
• According to the stories, they first got together in 10th grade.
  
  
• is matt diaz married?
• He is, and she's a cutie! He's another one I need a single clone of, like Teix. ;)
  
  
• brian mccann shirtless
  brian mccann shirtless photos
• You...you really want to see this? Okay, you asked for it.
  
  
• will ohman is awesome
  
  
• mark teixeira eating a gatorade bar
  
  
• buck commander chipper jones
• You know, every time I say this aloud, it always comes out "Butt Commander".
  
  
• brent lillibridge cute
• To each her own. Have at him.

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Nats 7-18-08

GAMEDAY! Wooo!

A few Braves Love friends came along to this game (Jo and LizzieBeth), along with 5 more buddies. We were in section 412, which offered a great view into the dugout and, importantly, was in the shade. :)

Jo and I got there super-early for BP, and settled in just to the left field side of the center field blackout / grass farm. A guy was standing up with his kids right in front of us, so we didn't get a *ton* of pictures, but...BP's the same, usually. Not much fun stuff happened (that's fit to print), except as noted below... (click the links for pics, as usual)

• Baby seems to be losing weight, and he has a very small hand. Are they both that small? Have I just not paid a lot of attention to that before? He mostly just talked to Kots and MattE, who stayed in left and fielded everything that was hit to his general area. He did stand by himself for a little bit, biting his nails. pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3
  
  
• Kots has a lot of gloves.
  
  
• Frenchy, with all his fans cheering him on. (Kidding, Frenchy! xoxo)
  
  
• Glav and Charlie played toss.
  
  
• Yunie testing his shoulder at his regular shortstop position.
  
  
• The pitchers usually hang out together -- here's Jair and Gonzo.
  
  
• And speaking of pitchers, Royce Ring is awesome. He always plays center field hard during batting practice, and on Friday night, he lost his glove over the wall while trying to leap for a ball that landed over the CF wall, in the grass patch. Not a problem; he just jumped the wall and went to get his glove! While back there, he tossed all the balls in that area to the kids around, then scaled the wall back onto the field. Jeff Bennett was very amused.
  
  
• The clouds were quite pretty, and the guys were quite intrigued by this banner airplane.
  
  
• Gonzo is working on his "smell-the-fart" acting.
  
  
• When the Nats came out to start their workouts, Odalis Perez (former Braves pitcher) walked slowly around the warning track, registering what felt like every fan face in his mind. Was he looking for someone?
  

Before heading to our seats, we checked out the player parking lot. Thanks to some eagle-eyed fans' observations, we were able to identify the owners of a giant purple truck, a white Pacifica, and a few of the other trucks and Beemers. Didn't see any of Baby's known vehicles, so we just assumed Baby and Frenchy carpooled. :)

Gametime! I took an extraordinary number of pictures of former Brave Ryan Langerhans for my friend Suzanne. Langy's still a lovvie, but he really doesn't photograph well. He's like a cross between Christian Bale and an angry robot. :D Photo proof! pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3 He warmed up with Pete Orr!™ before the game, greeted a grounds crew guy, and he and Pete Orr!™ behaved nicely during the national anthem. Awww, I miss you guys. Oh! One more former Brave -- Willie Harris -- was greeted by KJ. I know a lot of girls who are jealous of Willie in that pic. ;)

Other notes from the game...

• The beard. I still don't like it.
  
  
• Some good fans...
  
• "Ms. Teixeira" -- his sister? ;)
• Toddler boy in a #8 Lopez tee -- he was cute.
• This girl knew all the guys' first names during BP, then happened to be sitting in our section. Her Braves knowledge was a lot like mine when I was her age; I was proud of her.
  
  
• Someone must have realized their error -- they blacked out the price of the Fritos!
  
  
• Glav's sitting on the right end of the bench here, with his leg propped up. I don't know what to think about that picture.
  
  
• Jo pointed out how the tomahawk is cut out of the regular grass...isn't this odd?
  

We had a wonderful time, and really enjoyed the fireworks show. Well, that's what we're supposed to say! In actuality, the wind was blowing in and we were getting rained on by Braves Firework Shrapnel. Not fun. A few families enjoyed the fireworks from the field, but we can't figure out who the girl in green is -- she came out to greet one of the blankets of people.

Oh, and thanks to Jenny for pointing me to this part of the broadcast...



He's desperate for your attention, Baby! Do...something! :D

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Astros 7-4-08

Hi lovvies! Happy 4th of July! The awesome LizzieBeth offered some tickets again, so a few of us went and sat just a few rows up from the visitor's dugout. We were on the jumbotron after the game, and our boobs were on TV in the 5th (but not our faces! sad).

We got to the stadium before the gates opened, ready for BP! My friend Kristen and I parked in my usual area in Mechanicsville (free!) and had this little exchange with a guy on his front porch as we walked past on the sidewalk...

Guy: Y'all going to the game?
Me: Sure are! Go Braves!
Guy: There gonna be fireworks tonight?
Me: Should be. [walking faster]
Guy: You got some fireworks in the back of those pants! Have a good time, baby!

Um, thanks. Heh.

Once we met up and got inside, the first guy I got a picture of was Jason Perry, Frenchy's temporary replacement. He's actually pretty cute, and he really got off to a great start, making Braves history as the first Brave to get a triple in his first Major League plate appearance.

Royce Ring and Jorge Campillo, high-fiving.

Blaine was wearing an arm brace of sorts. I'm sure he's looking forward to the all-star break. More Blaine: pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3 ~ pic 4, very excited

Baby in the outfield during BP: pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3

Mike! Here he is playing pitcher-catcher with Manny ~ cracking up Jeff ~ looking cute ~ looking for a hug ~ looking cute again

The oh-so-pretty Jeff Bennett

KJ fields some BP

Kots, Baby, and Blaine

Ohman & Kots, Baby & Blaine

I took an extraordinary number of pictures of Peter Moylan. I think I was just excited to see him again -- he was such an important part of the team last year, and I'm sad his season was shortened. They said on the broadcast for last night's game that his tattoos weren't compromised by the surgery (sweet) and that he's going home to Australia for a couple of weeks on Sunday, "to visit his girls". I'm sure his family will be happy to see him again.

Here's a little video of Pete "helping" with BP, followed by some pictures.



pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3 ~ pic 4 ~ pic 5 ~ pic 6 ~ pic 7 ~ pic 8 ~ pic 9

I'm pretty sure Pete recognized me in that last picture. I do go to a lot of games, and go early to BP, and the guys do look into the stands. (One of the coaches recognized me at a charity golf tournament from the stands. He was pretty nice about it.) Anyway, hope your recovery goes well, Pete, and that you come back better than ever! In the meantime, hold still, Buddy, you've got an eyelash:


Kots has been practicing his posing using his wife as his model, while Manny's warming up to this "hug" concept.

The grounds crew had some patriotic shirts!

Game time! Glenn, Pete, Jo-Jo, and Charlie started the game hanging out on the rail. Baby was a TOTAL FLIRT with EVERYONE, ever. I guess with Frenchy gone, he had to get it out of his system somehow. ;) Huddy pitched a great game, and looked good doing it.

Lineup pics! The American Revolution has recruited some very talented soldiers:

Gregor Blanco

Yunel Escobar

Chipper Jones

Mark Teixeira

Brian McCann

Kelly Johnson

Mark Kotsay

Jason Perry (later, his pic again with BA listed at 1.000!)

Tim Hudson

And pinch hitting later on, Martin Prado

Aww, Baby in the dugout: Bat + Shin Guards ~ Sweaty ~ Stretchy

And Teix on the basepaths: pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3

Jason's first hit! Way to go, hon!

Every time the Astros' Darin Erstad came to bat, I did a double-take at his picture, thinking it was Pete Orr!™ Sadly, Darin ≠ Pete.

After KJ's home run, the camera guys caught this little gem in the dugout:



About halfway through the game, in the next section over, a guy stood up and was yelling for security. Security and the ushers came down, and Loud Guy was all, "This guy was CUSSIN'." People started tittering around, and the usher was trying not to laugh while reminding us to keep our eyes on the field in case a ball or broken bat came our way. They got into a big argument, and the usher finally succeeded in getting the CUSSER to sit down. Hey, nothing says classy like a camo tank top and camo hat at a baseball game. Ooops! Almost didn't see you there!

Um, speaking of flirty Babies, check out this little guy that was sitting a few rows down. He's BMac in training, with the hair and all. So adorable! :) pic 1 ~ pic 2 ~ pic 3

Blaine comes in to relieve Huddy. If his arm falls off this season, I'm blaming Bobby.

Baby hanging out on the rail, very cute.

Mmm, Gonzo in to pitch!

Braves win! Game totals

After the game, Friday Night Fireworks were pretty good! Some of the players brought their families out -- I saw Will Ohman with his twins, Buddy and Carter Carlyle, Jeff Bennett with one baby, and several other Braves in civvies.

Great game! I'll be there again tonight, in some amazing seats from my employer. Maybe more than my chest will be on TV this time. ;)

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Brewers 6-23-08

First, THANK YOU to LizzieBeth for the tickets to last night's game. Even though we lost (4-1), it's always fun to go to the stadium and cheer for our boys!! Jenny thanks you too. :)

I hadn't been to a game in over a month, and I felt like I was going through withdrawal. It was so exciting to walk through the gates and head down to watch some BP. As I was trying to identify the groups of guys to see where I wanted to camp out for a few minutes, I almost laughed out loud at my boy Jair. He was jogging around the outfield, randomly hugging his teammates from the side. No one reciprocated while I was digging in my bag for my camera, until he got to Manny. Manny hugged back! I was shocked. They hung out and talked for a good while.

Wait, what's this? Pete Moylan! In the outfield for BP! He was out there for about two minutes after I got there, then took off to the dugout. (I know, I should take it personally. Hee.) Before he went though, I was surprised to see him catch a fly ball. He kept the ball in his glove, put the glove under his right arm, took the ball out with his left hand, and threw it back (again, using his left arm). Bye, Pete! Good to see you! Hope your arm's getting better!

Other fun BP stuff...

KJ talking to Bobby Dews.

Will Ohman wearing a "Bat Boy" jersey. (AWESOME, I love it.)

Charlie doing some long-toss. (Jair did some too.)

They're always fascinated by what goes on in the stands.

Martin taking some grounders -- hopefully he'll be back soon. Kots also took a lot of balls (...) and practiced leaping, running to the side, and throwing while running. He looked pretty good out there!

For those of you who Like Mike: Mmmm!

But I won't lie; Huddy's was better. :)

There were some nice displays of athleticism...

...and some secrets swapped.

Teix! He's great.

Okay, Braves BP was over. I'm trying to finish a book before Wednesday when it's due back to the library, so I went to find a bench on the upper level (windy, shade, not bad). There was no one up there. It's been a long time since I've been to a game this deserted! The few people who were there were peering over the side into the player parking lot. Now I've never personally seen any of the players in their current vehicles, but I hear things...and if what I hear is correct, Baby and Frenchy were parked next to each other. Awww. The back window of Baby's car was a mess. (Not surprising!) There were more Cadillac sedans than I expected, a lot of trucks and SUVs, and a couple of sensible cars. (Someone with a bit of common sense drives a Ford Focus -- Gas is $4/gallon, people!)

Moving on...

Baby likes to stretch, and he totally pops his butt out when he bats. You just can't always see it because he wears his pants so big.

We did cheer for Frenchy, unlike most of the stadium. He needs a full day off -- no pinch hitting, no filling in in RF for the last inning. He's got to clear his mind. Also, he's back to his country intro song from last year. It didn't help him tonight, but maybe it will soon.

Hi, Teix. *sigh* He was also featured in the "Who's Hot" on the scoreboard between innings, and every single picture was adorable. <3!

Waiting for Buddy. His picture is so weird, y'all. I'm not a fan.

Pete, Skip, Joe, and Boog.

Guys hanging out on the rail! ~1~ ~2~ ~3~ ~4~ ~5~

I have no idea why I took this, but at the end of the night, here's a shot of KJ's jumbotron pic. *shrug*

Even if we didn't win, it was still a great time. Go Braves!

Happy Father's Day!

Awww, aren't the Kotsays cute! MLB.com is running special articles today for Father's Day, and the Braves have spotlighted Mark and his relationship with his father.

Still the strong father-son bond that still exists with the Kotsays extends far beyond the memories and privileges they've gained on the baseball diamond.

"The main things that I miss more than any of the sports-related stuff are the family activities we shared together," said the younger Kotsay. "I loved the days when we'd go fishing together in the High Sierra. The older he gets and the older that I get, the more I want to recreate those memories."

Full article here. Happy Father's Day, all!

"Doctor, doctor, gimme the news; I've got a bad case of lovin' you!"

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a list of players on the Braves 2008 Opening Day roster, along with their injuries / health concerns. I only counted ones that have caused our Braves to miss innings so far this season. Players in bold have not sustained any injuries this season.

Pitchers

Manny Acosta
Jeff Bennett -- flu
Blaine Boyer -- twisted knee
Tom Glavine -- hamstring, elbow
Mike Hampton -- strained boob (fine, pectoral muscle)
Tim Hudson -- flu, hamstring
Jair Jurrjens -- blister, sprained ankle
Peter Moylan -- bone spur in elbow
Will Ohman
Chris Resop
Royce Ring
Rafael Soriano -- elbow tendinitis


Catchers

Brian McCann -- previous ankle injury aggravated, dinged up knee
Corky Miller
Brayan Pena -- "back spasms"


Infielders

Yunel Escobar -- "flu", bruised finger
Ruben Gotay
Kelly Johnson -- knee strain, back spasms
Chipper Jones -- quads, hamstrings, back spasms
Martin Prado -- sprained thumbs
Mark Teixeira -- back spasms


Outfielders

Matt Diaz -- torn PCL
Jeff Francoeur -- previous ankle injury aggravated
Mark Kotsay -- stiff neck, back spasms, sciatica
Gregor Blanco


As Goose would say, "This is not good!" I'm seriously starting to wonder if someone put a hex on the Braves. This isn't normal.

Where is Smoltzie, you ask? He started the season on the DL (therefore, not on the 25-man) and is currently on his 4th trip this season. Jorge Campillo has had problems with blisters, but he started the season at AAA. :(

DL Photo Gallery at the AJC. I've said it a million times this season -- please get well soon, guys.

June 2 injury update

By David O'Brien
June 2, 2008 5:12 PM | Link to this

Just up from the clubhouse: Yes, Smoltz is activated and Stockman sent back to Richmond.

Bobby Cox said if there’s a closing situation tonight, Smoltz is getting the call. They’re going to evaluate on a daily basis and use Smoltz, Soriano and Acosta to close for now. But tonight it’ll be Smoltz.

He’s still sore and is probably going to stay that way, but he thinks he can pitch through it. We’ll see. Only time will tell.

BOYER’s MRI was fine, just a bit of fluid on a bursa sac in the knee, doc said he could pitch today long as the discomfort is tolerable. Boyer said he feels good today.

HUDSON doesn’t think his hammy is a big deal at all and would be very surprised if he can’t make his next start. Bobby said Braves would probably have someone on standby from minors (Charlie?) just in case, but he, too, believes Hudson will be ready.

KOTSAY isn’t doing any better, has pain running down a leg, etc.

My comments on each, now...

Smoltzie -- glad he's back. Let's hope he doesn't overdo anything, in case he wants to pitch again next year.

Stockman -- sad he's gone. If he ends up being this year's Joey "Odysseus" Devine, I'm not going to be happy.

Blaine -- Awww, *pet pet*. I hope Bobby gives him a couple of days rest. He's appeared in just under half our games so far this year, and that's an awful lot for a relief pitcher. Not that we don't like seeing him, just that we want him to last the whole year and not have a bone spur in his UCL next spring training when he comes back from Australia...er...Marietta. ;)

Huddy -- Good, glad to hear he'll be OK. Hopefully we won't hear about some delayed bleeding in his hammy, which is what sidelined Tommy earlier this season.

Kots -- the one I'm concerned about. In addition to my day job, I'm a nationally certified massage therapist. I specialize in sciatic / low back pain, among others, and zaps down his leg make it sound like his sciatic nerve is impinged somehow. Whether that's muscular or skeletal I don't know, but if it was muscular, the massage treatment is really fun -- part of it involves an elbow to the piriformis muscle.

Get well soon, everyone!