Google searches

Sometimes the oddest google searches bring people here. 19 people have googled "braves love hazing" and clicked through to here in the last two weeks. Lots of people are looking for info about Baseball 101 (there still isn't a date set for 2011 - I just asked again). Tons of people want to know how tall Jerome Jurenovich is - I've walked past him in the concourse, and he's over a foot taller than I am. He's very tall. Here are some other searches since June 1 that you might find interesting... and I'd love to know what brought you here!

• martin prado interview ~ This phrase is my #2 search since the beginning of the month. He's so popular!
  
  
• jeff francoeur catie ~ Zillions of searches (still) on Frenchy, his wife, their wedding pics, if they have kids, etc. Nosy little fans! haha
  
  
• dan uggla at-bat music 2011 ~ The intro songs page is by far my most popular individual post for 2011.
  
  
• peter moylan girlfriend ~ Pretty sure they're just trolling for pictures, as often as he mentions his fiancee on twitter! ;)
  
  
• jordan schafer shirtless ~ This post has become very popular again after Schafer's callup. I still want to know where he was when that pic was taken.
  
  
• braves commercials ~ I'm sorry, I will always giggle at DLowe and Huddy. "You wanna see this thang?" "Very impressive! Very impressive..." You can see them all at braves.com/commercials
  
  
• joe blanton's calves ~ Two whole searches for this! YES. I am not the only one who loves them (and his high socks).
  
  
• katy temple ~ We miss her horribly. Wonder what she's up to these days? She was an awesome clubhouse reporter.
  
  
• song with get your hands up played at braves ~ Another intro song question, and there are a lot of searches about BMac's song (All I Do Is Win). I do love seeing all the hands go up at the Ted when BMac comes to bat. :)
  
  
• atlanta braves quotes on love ~ ...What?
  
  
• bill hohn sucks ~ Popular opinion among Braves fans. Heh heh.
  
  
• brian mccann balding ~ ;)
  
  
• chipper jones ringtone iphone ~ I don't know what this means. Is this person wanting to know what his personal phone's ringtone is, if Chip has an iPhone? Do they want a ringtone for their phone with his intro song? Do they want a ringtone of him talking? :D At any rate, my blog doesn't have a wealth of Chipper Jones information. There are plenty of places for that, people who are bigger fans of Chipper who can provide more information.
  
  
• clint kimbrel hair ~ I don't know who this "Clint" is, but Craig has the bro-hawk, which also has a lot of searches. FSS did a pre-game interview about it when the guys were just in Florida. I really like Kimmeh's, but I'm a little partial to him because our hair is pretty much the same color.
  
  
• cute alanta braves player ~ What, do you want a list? They all have their own qualities. I talked about this with CABravesFan briefly, trying to come up with a short list of guys you could apply the label "cute" to... She said Kimmie, then Mac, and said my suggestion of Huddy was inappropriate, that Huddy's too good-looking to be "cute". She's probably right. I agreed with her assessment that Meds is "cute", and I said that if Cory Gearrin was up right now, he'd be on the list. (Love that guy!)
  
  
• is ______ married ~ Hmm. Probably. Or he probably has a significant girl. They pretty much all do.
  
  
• jessie venters walk out song ~ Oh no. I have failed.
  
  
• massage therapist job position for atlanta braves ~ I would like this job. I do have the education, I did an externship in the AHL in school, and I do have a high level of professionalism and integrity. How do I get this job? Obviously other people want to know too, but I'm sure it's a closed system.
  
  
• pink freeman shirt braves ~ Cute! I would wear a pink #5 shirt.
  
  
• subscription refund choptalk ~ I asked, and they were sending the checks in the mail in order of how much money they owed you, biggest checks first. I received my refund already (it was somewhere around $30, I don't remember the exact amount).
  
  
• what are good seats for a day game at braves game ~ Terrace level or Golden Moon Casino Level. I prefer the even-numbered seats for a day game because the sun sets on that side, so it gets cooler faster over there. (That's the visitor's side. You're not on top of our dugout, but you can see into it, if that helps?)
  
  
• who are the people who take your picture at a braves game? ~ Photographers who put your picture up on the Braves website. I don't let them take my picture anymore because the pics never come down. There's one still up of a friend and I from 2007, and everyone can flip through all the albums every day. I'm not a fan. I go to so many games, a few of the photogs and I kinda know each other and joke about it now. One's really cute and let Alison and I take his picture for our blogs. :) ...On the other hand, I do feel sorry for them. They have a quota and have to take something like 500 pictures before they are free to watch the game / go home every night, and they're only paid something like 7 cents a picture. Maybe it's 10 cents now? I don't know, but it is an incredibly crappy amount of money.
  
  
• y is smokeless tobacco better with mountain dew ~ This question makes me cry inside.

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A few pics to share from the last few games, then I need to run some errands before heading to the Ted...

I love the road navys.
June 8 - Getty Images

Love it when guys just smile as a reaction to a bad call.
June 12 - Getty Images

June 12 - Getty Images

June 12 - Getty Images

(from AJC.com) JONNY VENTERS

On pitching ninth in save situation, second time in four days

“I just try to go at it the same as I would the eighth [inning]. I felt good today. Just keeping the ball down, and it worked out.”

You knew you might get the ninth inning today after Kimbrel threw 30 pitches Saturday, right?

“Yeah. Craig threw a lot of pitches yesterday and they wanted to give him the day [off]. That’s the only reason I was in there today, I think.”

"The only reason"?? No. You are amazing, and you're going to be an all-star. I called it last All-Star game - I have a lot of friends who can back me up on this!

Beautiful shot of the field (and Schafer, I guess) ;)
June 14 - Getty Images

Go Joe!
June 14 - Curtis Compton, AJC

Love ya, JJ. We all have off days.
June 14 - Getty Images

Two Contests!

First, please vote for my friend Matthew Kaminski, the Braves Organist, for the Sprint All Together Favorite award. If you're logged into your MLB account you're entered to win some prizes and junk, but the most important part is getting Matthew his recognition for all the entertainment he brings us every game!

VOTE HERE NOW

Every time he plays "The Office" for Ryan Howard (my suggestion! still cool to hear!) or plays "Don't Bring Me Down" when he knows I'm there for batting practice, it brings a smile to my face. (I still don't know how that became "my song" - the only part I know is the oooOOOooo! - ha - but it's "our song" with my BFF Holly too, and we don't know how it became our song either...)

Anyway, read more about the Braves Organist here, and you can listen to his NPR special that ran last summer here. You might even hear my nervous voice for a few seconds! And hey, I forgot to mention this here, but it won a big time award recently, too. Way to go, Philip and Matthew!

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Second, there's a wonderful Father's Day contest going on in MLB. From the MLB press release:

Major League Baseball has launched the “My Dad, My MVP” online contest as part of the MLB Father’s Day celebration, giving fans a special opportunity to celebrate the father figures in their lives. The contest on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, allows fans to submit a short narrative about why their fathers or father figures should represent their favorite MLB Club as the Father’s Day “MVP Dad.”

During MLB’s annual Father’s Day activities, one “MVP Dad” per MLB Club will take part in pre-game activities, be recognized during an on-field ceremony and receive special MLB merchandise and two tickets to the game. For Clubs that are away on Father’s Day, another home game in June will be selected to recognize its contest winner. Entries may be submitted beginning Wednesday, May 11 at MLB.com/mvpdad and will be accepted until the submission period closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 1.

“The love for the game of Baseball has historically been passed down through generations, and this campaign recognizes our fans who make a difference in the lives of their loved ones,” said Tim Brosnan, Executive Vice President, Business, Major League Baseball. “We feel that it is a fitting way to commemorate our Father’s Day celebration, and as a Dad, I know how special it is to be an important part of my children’s lives.”

I entered my super-cute dad and will post the link to ask y'all to vote for us if we're selected to be on the MLB website. He's wonderful and I love him so much!

Eeee! Vote here please!

Freddie Bieber

Sometimes I wonder if the players read their Twitter mentions...

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Freddie! COME ON. Gross. (Also, hilarious.)


ETA: Thank goodness, Freddie tweeted he was teasing about Bieber. :)

2011 Intro Songs

Like last year, let's keep track of the Braves' intro songs (aka walk up / coming up to bat / at-bat / going to pitch songs)! This was a very fun project and one we definitely should keep up this year.

As y'all know, I can usually pick up on the urban music but rock escapes me - I can definitely use your help identifying everyone! If you have an addition or correction to the list, please share the title and artist via comment, Twitter, FB, IM, email, whatever works for you. Thanks! :)

This post links to songs that may not be considered family friendly. I didn't choose these songs; the players did. ;) Use your discretion with kids in the room and your speakers on 11.



Catchers

#8 David Ross - Reminder, Jay-Z

#16 Brian McCann - All I Do is Win, DJ Khaled

(McCann's career intro songs)

#27 J.C. Boscan - No Hands, Waka Flocka Flame ft Wale & Roscoe Dash


Infielders & Outfielders

#1 Jack Wilson - Headstrong, Trapt

#2 Alex Gonzalez - Que Buena Tu Ta, Fuego (this isn't the mix he uses, but this is the song, according to Shazam) -also used- Hey Baby (Drop it to the Floor), Pitbull ft T-Pain

#4 Antoan Richardson - (never got Antoan's song!)

#5 Freddie Freeman - The Show Goes On, Lupe Fiasco -also used- WOP, J Dash -also used- No Hands, Waka Flocka Flame ft Wale & Roscoe Dash

#7 Brooks Conrad - Country Must Be Country Wide, Brantley Gilbert

#10 Chipper Jones - Crazy Train, Ozzy Ozbourne

#13 Nate McLouth - (never got Nate's 2011 songs!)

#14 Martín Prado - Dancehall Rock, Barrington Levy & Cutty Ranks -also used- King Without A Crown, Matisyahu

#17 Jose Constanza - (never got Constanza's song - so much cheering!)

#17 Matt Young - My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean

#20 Eric Hinske - Walk, Pantera

#22 Jason Heyward - (first half) Georgia, Ludacris, Field Mob, and Jamie Foxx -also used- Bang, Young Jeezy, T.I., Lil Scrappy -also used- Welcome to the World, T.I. ft Kanye West & Kid Cudi -also used- Moment of Clarity, Jay-Z -also used- Public Service Announcement, Jay-Z (never got a second half update)

#23 Matt Diaz - Take My Life, Jeremy Camp -also used- Go Hard, Lecrae

#23 Brandon Hicks - (never got BH's songs!)

#24 Michael Bourn - I Luv It, Young Jeezy

#24 Diory Hernandez - Fuego, Pitbull

#26 Dan Uggla - Party Rock Anthem, LMFAO -also used- Right Above It, Lil Wayne ft Drake

#30 Wilkin Ramirez - (never got Wilkin's!)



Pitchers

#15 Tim Hudson - Country Girl (Shake It For Me), Luke Bryan -also used- Carry On Wayward Son, Kansas

#19 Scott Linebrink - Good Ol Boys, Waylon Jennings (used a different song the last game of the season - couldn't get it on Shazam)

#32 Derek Lowe - Low, Flo Rida ft. T-Pain -also used- How Low, Ludacris

#34 Eric O'Flaherty (oh, our lil hipster ♥) - Caribbean Queen, Billy Ocean -also used- Little Secrets, Passion Pit

#36 Mike Minor - Sound of Madness, Shinedown (pitching warmup) -also used- Devour, Shinedown (batting walkup)

#37 Brandon Beachy - Numb Encore, Linkin Park -also used- New Divide, Linkin Park -also used- What I've Done, Linkin Park

#38 Anthony Varvaro - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, AC/DC

#39 Jonny Venters - Crazy Town, Jason Aldean -also used- Kickstart My Heart, Mötley Crüe

#40 Randall Delgado - (never got Randall's!)

#46 Craig Kimbrel - Welcome to the Jungle, Guns N Roses (used a different song or two at the beginning of the season, but settled on WTTJ and the teal swirly vines and lotus leaves pretty quickly) ;)

#48 Tommy Hanson - Stranglehold, Ted Nugent -also used- Holy Diver, Dio

#49 Jair Jurrjens - Out Here Grindin', DJ Khaled

#50 Cristhian Martinez - Shut It Down, Pitbull ft. Akon

#52 George Sherrill - Blood, Milk, and Sky, White Zombie

#53 Cory Gearrin - Take My Life, Jeremy Camp

#54 Kris Medlen - (Meds had one appearance in the Ted in 2011, and you have no idea how loud it was by the bullpen when he ran out - unless you were there, of course, ha. Sadly, didn't get his song.)

#57 Julio Teheran - (never got Julio's!)

#58 Peter Moylan - TNT, AC/DC

#59 Arodys Vizcaino - Give Me Everything, Pitbull ft Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer


Former Braves

#1 Jordan Schafer - I'm on One, Drake -also uses- Hustle Hard, Ace Hood

#4 Joe Mather - never got GI Joe's, sorry! always too busy cheering... :(


#28 Julio Lugo - never got Julio's


#43 Scott Proctor - Separate Ways, Journey -also uses- Jump, Van Halen


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What would your intro song be?

Backpack switch!

I wondered what happened to 2010's original rookie backpack!! This was a random story embedded in a Yahoo Answers response to a survey about how many games you attend and if you've ever met any players. "Alex" says:

i'm a huge braves fan and i attend many games a year. two years ago, i met kris medlen and he signed my little pony backpack (rookies in the bullpen have to wear girly bags like that and that's the one he has). i also met eddie perez (bullpen coach/former catcher) last year. i always get right field seats next to the bullpen and before each game i hang out by the bullpen and watch the pitchers warm up. so he always recognizes me because of my backpack. he's thrown me baseballs and he told me that if i brought another girls bookbag that he would get the bullpen to sign it. so i did. and instead of signing the one i brought, he took the one i bought and made jonny venters take off his and gave me venters' backpack. so everyone in the bullpen (with the exception of saito and billy wagner) signed the backpack. it's my prized possession and i dont let anyone touch it. i cant wait for the season to start so i can get some more autographs

Eddie's so friendly; I love it. What a fun story! :D


More stories...

- Bleacher Report article on Kimbrel as next year's closer

- Comment #123 here makes an odd accusation about EO. Is he diabetic? Is this just BS?

- Great stats-heavy article on Jonny's rookie season

- MattE says he's been getting to know his new teammates

- This was new bullpen guy George Sherrill's intro song when he was with the Orioles. Think he and Ske are going to be friends? :)

"A Musical Home Run"

A great profile on the Braves organist was just posted on the Georgia State University website, and there's quote of mine in there. Nice! Thanks to Matthew, the Braves, and GSU for including me -- it's always appreciated when a fan to feels like her voice is heard. :)

"Taking My Time" - the Braves Organist's CD

My friend the Braves Organist has a CD. You should buy it. :)

OK, there's more to it than that. It's actually a pretty good CD; I bought one for myself and one for my mom for Mother's Day. You all know I don't do advertisements here, and I wouldn't be endorsing this unless it was something I genuinely enjoyed and thought you would enjoy as well.

Let's be honest, jazz isn't usually my thing. To quote SATC:

Carrie: This might be a good time to tell you. I don't like jazz.
Ray: Why would you say something like that?
Carrie: You can't follow it and there's no melody. It's all over the place.
Ray: You've got to stop trying to make it be something else and appreciate it for what it is.

Well, Ray is right. Jazz is a truly unique art form and should be appreciated as such. So for the first four tracks of the album, I was thinking, "Okay, I could have this on in the background of a dinner party and it wouldn't bother anyone." To use a phrase of my dad's, it's not monotonous. At all, really.

The rest of the album is so good, I listened to it several times for fun. Shocker! I really, really enjoyed the last 2/3 of the album, and the CD is still in my car three weeks later. Since I'm more of an ADD radio what's-on-the-next-station person, that's kind of a big deal.

If you want to listen to a few of Matthew's songs before buying the CD, check out his YouTube channel. The CD is all instrumental and appropriate for all age groups. And frankly, $15 is a perfectly reasonable price for a CD that supports a local artist who entertains us for 81 home games a year.

You can buy "Taking My Time" at www.matthewkaminski.com, and don't forget to follow him on Twitter @bravesorganist. Thanks for making the Braves games more fun, Matthew!

Heyward's intro music predictions

As we've discussed around here before, I don't really listen to rock. ...Or country. Or Christian. Heh. I like hip hop/R&B, love funk and disco and anything with a good groove. (This is one of my favorite songs of all time. This is another.) Naturally, I'm always very interested in the songs the ballplayers choose for their intro/at-bat songs!

At this point, we'd all be surprised if Jason Heyward didn't start the season in Atlanta. He's very active on Twitter and great about answering questions from fans, so I tweeted him a question this afternoon when I saw he was actively answering questions...

@JasonHeyward I'm excited to hear what your intro song will be this season - do you have one in mind already?

He almost immediately answered -- how cool!

I got plenty in mind, and one definite . everybody will have to wait and here when the season starts @BravesLove

Anyone want to take some guesses? You may want to read through some of his tweets to see the kind of music he usually listens to... I'd be willing to bet it won't be any Jason Aldean or Ozzy Osbourne. ;)

My official vote: Big Things Poppin', T.I.