Definitely Moving

Hi Lovvies,

Everything is in the works to move to a "real" website. It'll be up before Spring Training, it's very pretty, and I hope you'll all keep reading. There's a lot more Braves baseball to watch!

Love,
Lauren


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In other news...

- I saw Freddie Freeman and his girl in Midtown today - very random because I almost never to go this store. He looks slim. I didn't say hi; the parking lot was scary. :)

- The Notes section of this FSS article has some great info on what the Braves are up to this January. The first off-season mention of how Mac's thinner! I love that this is an annual thing.

- So happy Marteen signed on for another year, and Jack Wilson will return as well. For Braves fans who aren't familiar with Wilson, take a look at his video reel on MLB.com. His defense is quite impressive.

Answering the Mailbag, 1.9.12

Such a slow news time - *sigh*. Every time I read the Braves Mailbag on the official site, I always answer the questions in my head before reading Bowman's (real) replies. Here's this week's mailbag...

Oh yeah, don't take my responses too seriously... :)

Do you think that Chipper Jones, in some sense, put the Braves in a tougher spot by coming back? Martin Prado would have played third base and they could have gone out to get an everyday left fielder.
-- Steven S., Washington

That's an interesting perspective. I'd like to see Marteen inherit 3B whenever Chipper retires (I don't think we have to worry about Chipper going to another team), and I'm okay with another year of Chipper. Marteen can spell him at 3B whenever Chipper gets injured or needs a rest, and MattE can play LF.

Why do we want to trade Martin Prado? I believe he came back too soon after the staph infection and was not at full strength. He will be back by this season's start and he is a tremendous talent.
-- Art R., Lafayette, La.

Art makes some excellent points. I don't want us to trade Marteen either. Who else on our team can play so many positions so well?

If Jason Heyward doesn't produce like he did his rookie year, do you see the Braves trading him, and if so, what can we get in return for him?
-- Josh O., Avis, Pa.

The Braves love a hometown guy. I think it would take something serious for them to consider trading him. If - heaven forbid - BMac had an off year, would the fans be rallying for Mac to be traded too? I doubt it.

I don't want to part ways with Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado. But what about the traffic jam we have with our starting pitching? I don't want to see the Braves block the career path of Julio Teheran. He has nothing left to prove in the Minors.
-- Michael R., Brooklyn, N.Y.

He says "traffic jam"; I say "insurance for inevitable injuries". We already traded DLowe, so now we're left with Huddy, JJ, Hanson, Beachy, and Minor as proven starters. Then there's Delgado and Teheran. They show potential, but the last four mentioned here need to start regularly working into the 7th inning. Our bullpen is great, but we can't burn them all up 3 nights a week.

I see having seven quality starters - plus Medlen, we can't forget all his talent! - as a positive thing. I don't see a problem here at all. Also, I love my pitchers and almost never want to see them leave. :)

Would you trade these Braves?

Good fans. :)

The AJC has a photo gallery up, asking fans if you want to trade a handful of current Braves. I'm loving the fan support of some of these boys. Click here to see the full gallery. Are there any you'd want to trade? (Right now Mac is the only one with a higher "no" percentage than Jonny -- Mac is at 94% and Jonny, as you can see, is at 93%.)

Answering the Mailbag, 1.3.12

Happy New Year! Hope everyone stayed out of trouble over the weekend. Every time I read the Braves Mailbag on the official site, I always answer the questions in my head before reading Bowman's (real) replies. Woo! Let's go. Here's this week's mailbag...

Oh yeah, don't take my responses too seriously... :)

The Braves do not need to make any big moves to be a World Series-caliber team. Why not sign Ryan Theriot and allow Martin Prado to prove that he is a MVP-caliber player?
-- James H., Altamonte Springs, Fla.

Theriot is gross. I've never liked him, and I don't want his skeevy face in our gameday menu. Um, I mean program. Yeah, program.

Why were the Braves not in on Carlos Quentin? It looks as if we could've upgraded our lineup without giving up Prado or Jurrjens. The Padres got him with two prospects that weren't in their top 10.
-- Greg R., Poca, W.Va.

Too pricey for our needs, I think.

I just read that Andruw Jones signed with Yankees for $2 million. I thought he would have been a good and cheap option for the Braves. Was a reunion ever discussed?
-- Chad S., Crawfordville, Fla.

Andruw's getting old. (Baseball old ≠ real life old, of course.) I'd like to remember Andruw as a Brave with dives in center field and hearing the Superman music blast over the stadium...not as an aging former star who can't play his original position anymore.

Several teams have young players with slugging potential coming up in their system and some are already in the Majors. Do the Braves have anyone that falls in this category?
-- Freddy D., Macon, Ga.

Honestly, unless it's a big name prospect, I usually only pay attention to the pitchers and catchers in the high levels of the system. So many players burn out - I don't have the energy to keep up with the stats of kids who are going to be a high school baseball coach sooner rather than later. (That sounds mean; I don't intend it that way.)

"Already in the Majors"? The only young player on our team that makes me think "slugging potential" is Freddie.

If Chipper Jones retires next season, what are the chances of the Braves picking up David Wright, Brandon Inge or another big name?
-- Jose B., Orlando, Fla.

Why are fans obsessed with getting a big name? Our 2011 team -- with quite a few all-stars but relatively few nationally-recognizable names -- was one game short of making the playoffs. We need to be more concerned with keeping our current team healthy rather than finding a big contract.

Also? We would probably have a higher budget if the stadium was more full. Just saying.

Answering the Mailbag, 12.20.11

I'm a few days late again with my little off-season project. Gotta love the holidays!

Every time I read the Braves Mailbag on the official site, I always answer the questions in my head before reading Bowman's (real) replies. Woo! Let's go. Here's this week's mailbag...

Oh yeah, don't take my responses too seriously... :)

Why are the Braves not trying to go after any big-time free agents like the rest of the National League East?
-- John H., Pittsburgh

I have a few theories on this. First, our current roster is pretty good. I have confidence Huddy and Moylo will come back all healthy and strong, Freddie won't have a sophomore slump, and JHey will be strong in his corner. Second, we don't have an unlimited budget. (I think the people who ask questions like this don't have a budget of their own, or they don't look at the front office as a business.) Third, if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? ;)

I've read recently that the Braves talked to the Orioles about trading Prado and Jurjjens for J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones. Any substance with this?
-- Patrick S., Williamson, Ga.

Someone misspelled Jurrjens and it wasn't caught before being posted. :)

As for the actual question...why can't people separate speculation from fact?

What is the chance we will get Josh Hamilton once he is a free agent after this year?
-- Kaleb H., Dawsonville, Ga.

Do not want. I know this is a ridiculous reason not to want a player on your team, but I feel like I couldn't trust him.

I've been very impressed by Kris Medlen and feel that he's a top-tier starter. Will he be given the chance to compete for a role in the Braves' starting rotation?
--Chris K., Lincoln, Neb.

I think that will depend on whether or not Huddy, Hanson, and Jurrjens are healthy when Spring Training starts. If all three are good to go, he would be a fantastic addition to the bullpen. Frankly, I don't know why it matters where Meds ends up -- he'll be valuable any and everywhere.

If Freddie Freeman can play left field, what about the Braves trading for Mark Trumbo?
-- Scott S., Cleveland, Tenn.

Freddie played 3B for 5 games in rookie ball and literally every other professional game in which he has played defense, he has been at 1B. Have no idea where this guy got the idea FFF can play LF, but I'd rather watch his splits at 1B than watch him chase balls down in the OF.

Has there been any discussion on moving Dan Uggla to third base once Chipper Jones retires?
-- Scott B., Tallahassee, Fla.

Again, let's keep Uggla right where he is. And I hope Marteeeeen becomes our regular 3B when Chipper finally hangs it up.

If Tim Hudson is still injured, who would be the Opening Day starter?
-- Brent W., Kailua, Hawaii

Hopefully Huddy will be fine. If he's not, and JJ is healthy, my vote's for JJ.

Answering the Mailbag, 11.18.11

I'm a few days late with my little off-season project! (Sorry, family stuff, job stuff, you know...)

Every time I read the Braves Mailbag on the official site, I always answer the questions in my head before reading Bowman's (real) replies. Woo! Let's go. Here's this week's mailbag...

Oh yeah, don't take my responses too seriously... :)

I see Mike Minor as only a No. 4 starter. Wouldn't it make sense to trade him now to capitalize on his value before he gets too exposed?
-- Brent W., Kailua, Hawaii

To repeat the first answer from last week, NO. NO ONE CAN HAVE HIM. EVER.

Why have Martin Prado and Jurrjens become expendable all of a sudden? They're both good and young.
-- Ryan B., Madison, Wis.

That last part: mmmph. Yeah they are. ;)

The first part, let's face it... unless you're a 10/5 player an organization will probably listen to offers for you. I don't want our 7-8-9 guys in the bullpen going anywhere, ever, but if the Yankees offered us Swisher for Eric O'Flaherty and a PTBNL... the Braves might take them up. I don't LIKE that scenario, but deals are always in the works and Wren is a sly fox. I don't think he'll make a DLowe-type offer again.

What role do you expect Kris Medlen to have next year for Atlanta? Do you see him ever being a starter again?
-- Zach M., Buchanan, Tenn.

Does it really matter? As long as Meds has a tomahawk on his chest I'll be happy. I just want him to be healthy and happy in whatever role they put him in.

Are the Braves going to give John Smoltz the respect he deserves and retire his number?
-- Brian E., Griffin, Ga.

Sure. Don't ask me when. Has he even filed his retirement paperwork yet? ;)

(I love that Bowman referenced the "homeboy upstairs" quote.)

Answering the Mailbag, 11.8.11

Fun off-season project! Every time I read the Braves Mailbag on the official site, I always answer the questions in my head before reading Bowman's (real) replies. Woo! Let's go. Here's this week's mailbag...

Oh yeah, don't take my responses too seriously... :)

Now that Kansas City has traded Melky Cabrera to the Giants and is projecting Lorenzo Cain to be its starting center fielder next year, where do the Braves look next? Are there any teams out there who'll take Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado?
-- David Y., Atlanta

NO. NO ONE CAN HAVE THEM. EVER.

Josh Willingham seems like he would be a good fit for the Braves. Will he be too expensive to go after?
-- Jason M., Huntsville, Ala.

The problem here is, Josh has said he'd like to be a Brave but the Braves have never returned the sentiment. At least, as far as the media knows...

Why are the Braves attempting to get more outfielders when we already have more than enough? I understand the need to replace Michael Bourn, but why are we so eager to gain one this year?
-- Andrew T., Burnsville, N.C.

Is there any such thing as a perfect baseball team? You can always improve. I see nothing wrong with finding a power bat for LF and moving Marteen back to a utility role. You know Chipper won't play every game next year. Uggla will need rest, same for left and right field and first base. If done right, Marteen could play 80+ games in a utility role. Of course he wants to play every day, but until Chipper retires, I don't see that happening with the Braves. (Sad.) (...Sad that Marteen doesn't have a spot, not sad that Chipper will retire one day. Heh heh.)

And maybe he'd be injured less often if he played a little less. Our Venezuelans have the freakiest injuries.

What are the chances that the Braves bring Rafael Furcal back to play shortstop if they can't sign Alex Gonzalez?
-- Yogi P., Gadsden, Ala.

How have people who supposedly follow the Braves forgotten about Schuerholz swearing we'd never deal with his agent again? I don't see that changing...not as long as Schuerholz is still with the Braves.

I know a lot was made about Lowe's poor performance, which led to his trade. He seemed like he had a poor attitude on the mound. How was he received in the clubhouse?
-- Kevin M., Morgantown, W.Va.

We weren't watching the same DLowe. The Lowe I'll always remember cared. A lot. Do I need to link these videos again?!

Answering the Mailbag, 10.25.11

I've done a few of these in the past, and thought it would be a fun off-season project. Every time I read the Braves Mailbag on the official site, I always answer the questions in my head before reading Bowman's (real) replies. Woo! Let's go. Starting with this week's mailbag...

Oh yeah, don't take my responses too seriously... :)

Jose Constanza really contributed to the team this year. Why didn't he play much toward the end of the season?
-- Bren H., Jonesboro, Ark.

He cooled off; did you not see that? A good manager puts together his best lineup based on who's doing well - could be based on past performance against the opposing pitcher or batters, the guy who doesn't seem to miss a good pitch, or the guy whose glove is so amazing, he can't be benched against a hot team.

Was it a strategic plan for the Phillies to sweep the Braves to end the season? I think the smart thing would have been to lose a game or two to Atlanta and then face the D-backs in the National League Division Series.
-- Brent W., Kailua, Hawaii

Why would any team intentionally lose games? Even with a clinched playoff spot, you want to have momentum going into October. Look where the Cardinals are!

What do you think about moving Martin Prado to shortstop?
-- Jorge Martinez, Key West, Fla.

No. No no no. If you've paid any attention at all, you've heard over and over that SS is Marteeen's "worst" position. Plus, everyone on the team seems to want Alex there. If he'd been playing shortstop behind me when I pitched in softball, I would have been much more confident in our team's ability to win. ;)

Are the Braves planning to trade Derek Lowe?
-- Severin Shultis, Columbus, Ga.

Again, what rock are these people living under?! Yes, of course they are. Can they find someone to take his salary? That remains to be seen. (DLowe amuses me. If he's a Brave next year, we'll deal with it then.)

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Hey, let's do 10/7's mailbag too. Why not.

What do you think happened to Jason Heyward this year, and do you think he will bounce back next year?
-- David P., Omaha, Neb.

I think it was just a sophomore slump. Pitchers adjusted to him. I have no reason to doubt his ability to "bounce back", but I prefer forward positive thinking, not dwelling on the past.

Do you see the Braves signing Mark DeRosa to be a super-utility type of guy?
-- Jeff M., Lakeland, Fla.

YES PLEASE. Oh, I just saw DeRo's name. Lemme re-read the question...

Oh yeah, I already talked about this. He'd fill a need on the team and WE ALL LOVE HIM. So why not?

Do you see the Braves signing Michael Bourn to a multiyear deal?
-- Sandra P., Jacksonville, Fla.

That would be nice. I like him.

What should we expect from Martin Prado next year?
-- Mike A., Clemson, S.C.

Tight pants, great shoes, great smile, funny interviews. ;)

Braves 2012 Wall Calendar

I was walking by a calendar kiosk in Town Center Mall today and just thought I'd see if they had our calendar yet, and if they did, who "made it".

Of course I bought one. I'm such a sucker.

The Braves featured on the back are DLowe, JHey, Marteen, Fredi (?), Huddy, Freddie, JJ, BMac, Tommy, Uggla, Kimmie (!), and Chipper. If you ask me, all our All-Stars should be in it! ...But they didn't ask me. Heh heh.

back view

$15.99 retail, cheaper on Amazon.

2011 "Love Notes": Outfielders

At the end of 2008, I wrote an end of the year wrap-up on each player in the organization. 2009 was skipped, and last year I decided to write “love notes” instead of a semi-objective wrap up for each player. A few people have wondered if I’m doing the same this year – why not? So here are short little notes to the boys, from one of their biggest fans. Ya know. :)

Names taken from baseball-reference.com, hope I didn’t miss anyone...

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#14
Dear Marteeeeen,

Staph sucks. I know – ask the scar on my jaw. Next year will be better. Thanks for making two of my friends so happy by throwing them baseballs.

Love,
Lauren

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#13
Dear Nate,

I really did enjoy the return of your Pittsburgh hair this season. Hope you heal up well and return to form next year.

Love,
Lauren

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#22
Dear JHey,

Sitting in right field so often this year, it was so fun to watch you interact with the fans. You made so many people cheer!

Love,
Lauren

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#20
Dear Ske,

If I had worn a He-Man shirt at one of the BP experience days, would you have come over and said hi then? Probably not, still. Oh well. I enjoyed your sound bites on Braves Live, especially when you called yourself a big teddy bear (in spite of looking “scary”).

Love,
Lauren

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#24
Dear Mike,

Your infusion of speed in our team got a lot of us excited to watch every game. Also, at the Moylo Show thing? You looked like you probably smelled the best of everyone downstairs.

Love,
Lauren

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#1
Hey Jordan,

I did not appreciate paying for parking at the CNN Center to get you to sign an awesome picture I took of you, only to find out you left 2/3 of the way through your autograph session. Not cool. (Not even gonna talk about anything else.)

Hmm.
Lauren

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#17
Dear ConSTANza!

Loved watching you run (always), loved watching how awesome you were with the kids at Family Field Day. You can stay. :)

Love,
Lauren

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#4
Dear Joe,

I hope you heard our “GO JOE!” GI Joe cheers earlier this year. I was truly sad when you left the big club.

Love,
Lauren

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#17
Dear Tiny Matt Young,

You’re still taller than I am. :)

Love,
Lauren

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#23
Dear MattE!

There are no words for how excited I am that one of my favorite former Braves came back so soon. I love how hard you play the game. Next year: goatee. Yes? Yes.

Love,
Lauren

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#4
Dear Antoan,

Socks UP + speed = I’m a fan. Hope to see you in Atlanta again soon!

Love,
Lauren

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Phillies 9-27-11

Is this not one of the cutest Jonny faces you've ever seen?!

Second game in a row with blog reader Kolbi, and she got us some embarrassingly close seats to the bullpen. I mean, CLOSE. When I sit there it's super-rare that I take pictures of things happening in the bullpen. They can see me! It's just weird.

Not only did Kolbi not have a problem with the seats, but she took a few pictures with her phone. Look how close we were, y'all.

Oh hey, Mike. Nice pose, EO.

Pretty sure they can hear us talking. Hmm.

Now I know some people buy season tickets here, or share season tickets. I can't imagine sitting here all year. I mean, y'all know I love my boys... and my friends and I did sit near the bullpen more than anywhere else this year, but... hmm. How do I word this... I don't have a problem talking to them one-on-one (they're just people!) but during games, I don't want to bother them. They're working. And it aggravates me to see people yelling into the dugout or bullpen, trying to chat them up while the games are going on. (Kinda like the grown men yelling for baseballs or the tube tops bouncing for attention down on the wall during batting practice.)

As one of my cousins said a few months ago, she believes the guys are celebrities almost as much as they are athletes. It's okay to take pictures of them - especially when they're doing cute things like wrestling - and it's okay to talk to them if they talk to you.

Personally, I'm on the introvert/extrovert borderline. I can carry on conversations with almost anyone but I don't always initiate them. I like going out occasionally, love traveling, but I'm a bit of a homebody. Anyway... I like being observant. :) So here are some pictures, with my observations / opinions / glee written as captions. Click to enlarge, as usual...

Predicting his homer later that night? :)

Constanza bopped his head and sang along to some reggaeton

Step in some gum, Huddy? What is this.

My last BP of the year, loved seeing JV flipping his glove again.

The teef are so glowy, and the socks so awesome.

I'm really gonna miss Kimmie's BP poses.

So smiley :)

Oh, he's still modeling. More pictures, yes? Yes.

EO might be onto me... ha!

"It looks good. Seriously, it does."

Hey, far away pitchers...

Wrestling!

Jonny wins!

...and picks out a kid in the stands for the ball. Aww.

I could see his calves from a million feet away!

Tongue out? Yep, this might be enough to distract me from MedSocks!

*pat pat*
(...not really)

:(
;)

That's some good company to keep, if we're talking pitching skills.
(I'm sorry, y'all know I love Cliff Lee. Heh.)

BYE BOYS FOR THE LAST TIME THIS SEASON!

For Alison. :) Also, Mr. Lee? I have no idea how you can see the girls with shades that dark. ;)

Fraternizing!

FRATERNIZING!

Mike gettin some Huggla

GO DLOWE! Some of us never stopped cheering...

This just hasn't been his year, though.

They don't always show this - I wish they would.

Mac!

Goooo Vizzy!

Two-Bit won the Tool Race again! WTG D!

Teheran! Where do you think he'll be next year?

They showed Houston winning on our Jumbotron. The stadium went nuts!

A little Bastardo for Molly. ;)

Mattay!

I can't... even...

Love you, bullpen boys. Did you notice Jonny wasn't socks up? I was horrified... but I understand if he feels he needs to change something up. *sigh*

Album.

One more game...

Game Day Pictures: Braves vs Phillies 9-26-11

I enjoy our new bromance. It's not the same as McFrenchy, but it's okay. ;)

Game #48 of the year. Crazy. But when one of my blog readers wants to go to all 3 games and wants me to join her for a couple? Uh, yes. Thank you Kolbi - you're awesome. :) She came to BP early too, which was super-fun. Let's look at the pics! Don't forget, click to enlarge...

He was dancing to the stadium music again!

A lot of people yell for him

Oh, who's he gonna throw to! His eyes are looking one way but his body's facing another! Also, if you enlarge this picture, you'll see the camera focused on Rossy, not Marteen or the fan hand in front of me. Smart camera. ;)

Hi pretty EO.

Hi cute Kimmie.

Marteen is all over the field. JC's like, what. The baseballs can come to me. I'm a catcher. They know.

Glove flip! ❤

DBHA

ostracized today. why, guys?!

Look who's socks up across the field!

I love this infinity.

Yeah, I'm still not tired of pics of Hatless O.
And what's that in his pocket? Bubble Tape? It's significantly larger than the circles in the other pockets.

First time I remember seeing Nate in the outfield lately. Hope his oblique is healing up well and he can have a great 2012.

"After we go home, and I turn into Spiderman..."

Too cute, Dewsy!

O threw his glove at JV, and JV turned and kicked it farther away. :D But he's a nice guy and went and got his buddy's glove. O thanked him by trying to knock his hat off. Sadly, this is the only clear picture I got.

Hey Em, he looks like your brother here. (Heh heh.)

Yes, you should definitely fire a pitch from that range!

Oh, you're just trying out some pitching stances. I see.

Bye, babies.

We didn't watch much of Phillies BP - enough for Hunter Pence to almost hit us with a home run! - but I was SHOCKED to see Joe Blanton pants down. I honestly didn't think long pants fit over the bottom half of his legs. :D I guess baseball pants are pretty stretchy!

Was trying to get Meds greeting the guy after he caught the first pitch, and accidentally got a hilarious Marteen shot in frame.

hee hee, Huggla!

Go kid!

I love what Fredi had to say post-game about Delgado and his performance...

From the AJC:

On only complaint with rookie pitcher was not being able to get six, seven innings:

“The kid did a hell of a job today. Everything considering, he was fantastic. Putting him in this kind of situation, this kind of atmosphere, you can’t ask for anything more. At the very least I think the young man will gain from this experience and he’s going to be better off for it.”

No rookie backpacks, ever.

MattE blew a lot of bubble gum bubbles. I was sad I never got a pic of one.

I heard someone say - and it's bothering me that I don't remember the source - that when watching Hunter Pence play, it's like he's doing everything for the first time. Neither Kolbi nor I care for Pence, so we had a little fun with it. "What's wrong with his pants." "It's like he's wearing pants for the first time!" ... "His mugshot is awful." "It's like he's having his picture taken for the first time!"

Two-Bit won the Tool Race!

He's always been my favorite!

I like Cristhian's hops.

O came in next, ERA of 0.99 at the end of the game, but I was a tiny bit distracted during his warmups by the 1st and 2nd basemen's body language...

Mirroring amuses me, especially when people don't realize they're doing it.

EO vs Utley. I may or may not have yelled, "HIT HIM AGAIN!"

O struck him out LIKE A BOSS.  Aww, him looks saaaaad. :D

Singing God Bless America, Mark Jacoby, the Wizard from "Wicked"

Apparently while Michael Stutes warmed up, he threw two strikes. Heh heh.

Jonny! striking out Ryan Howard. Awesome.

9th inning - go Anthony!

Kolbi: "Stop taking pictures of Ryan Madson."
Me: "But..."
Kolbi: "You're giving him power. It's like Care Bears."

She may have been right. Braves did not win, 4-2.

See Alison, I told you you should have come over here. ;)

Aww, bye boys. See you tomorrow!

I like Ken Rosenthal because he wears bow ties unironically and gives us tidbits like this:

Still, a few stragglers gathered inside the players’ lounge in the home clubhouse late Monday night, unwilling to leave Turner Field until they knew whether the Braves would retain their one-game lead or fall into a tie with the Cardinals.

Two clubhouse attendants were present. Media-relations director Brad Hainje. Strength coach Phil Falco. And one 13-year veteran, pitcher Tim Hudson.

“Got to squeeze here,” Hudson said as the Astros put runners on first and third with one out in the 10th.

Falco said no, not a good idea.

“Expect the unexpected,” Hudson replied.

Second later, the room erupted in shouting and glee.

Here's another article from overnight, this one from Terrence Moore (this time for MLB.com, not the AJC.) Fighting for playoff lives, Braves remain calm

Full photo album here. See you tonight, yes? :)