2009 Braves as of 8/25

The following is a comment on a recent sports feature done on this season's superb play of Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Diaz.

Here is a link to the story: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-braves-diaz&prov=ap&type=lgns&success=1#comments


Watch the replay or highlights of Sunday's game. In the at bat he hit the triple to right, he shifted his body in the box. Matt has an amazing swing. I love his speed, I love his heart. He legs out every play. I love Joe and Boog. Met em in LA July 4 a few years back.
I do love the outfield combination, with two lefties in Church and McLouth and a righty in Diaz. G.A was a great player with the Angels, but he can be the replacement to Terry down the line, in my eyes. Same style hitter as TP, just only hit leftie.
I don't wish to indentify them anymore, because that team has changed its name three times.
Been a Braves fan since i could remember.
Remember wearing Yankee stuff (I know, I Know), but that was younger than 8. I always had a love for the Braves. Maybe it was because they were always in the Series.
So what.
But what those Braves teams had was pitching. Smotlz, Glavine and Maddux.
I need not say more, if you catch my drift. Don't care what happened between management while handling Smotlz and Glavine.
Thought sometimes you do need to look at what works. Look at this pitching staff.
Derek Lowe can be the ace, but so can Javier Vasquez. Don't forget about the young Jair Jurrjens and of course, Tommy Hanson.
Tell me that rotation could be that way if we didn't let go of Glavine midseason.
And bringing up Kris Medlen to help shore up the long relief in the bullpen, letting Peter Moylan and sometimes the combination of Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano.
The back end of the bullpen has been amazing of late. Closing down games, unlike one of the few I saw in L.A. this season when Soriano served up a 2-0 fastball to Andre Ethier, leading the Dodgers to a 5-4 walk-off win. The following series, they cleaned house, and the pitching staff shut the L.A. bats down as the offense awoke late in games two and three before getting to work early in the finale on a Sunday afternoon.
The lineup has had its ups and downs. McLouth is a great leadoff hitter, with a great combo of speend and power.
Prado, regardless of his health, has sparked the Brave offense many times ahead of Chipper Jones.
Jones has done his share this year. Sort of a drop off from last season's amazing batting average of .364, and his current .284 is below his career average, but he has done his job getting to McCann.
And have we got another baseball player. I have seen him go from his first game to handling the pitching staff without any calls from the dugout.
He handles the staff like I have seen only Jason Varitek of recent do so and succeed. David Ross is a strong armed backup that keeps Mac on his toes, but a catcher needs his rest, no doubt about it. even to a 25-year-old.
The bottom of the lineup has broken through. Yunel Escobar in the 5 hole followed by a slew of other formidale hitters, such as recently re-acquired Adam Laroche, Omar Infante, Kelly Johnson Diory Hernandez.
Bobby has known where to put each of these players in the lineup, sticking to a system that he has made work for years.
Don't get me wrong, Roger McDowell is not yet comparable to Leo Mazzone, but I still can't stop remembering Rock n' Jock where he always joked around and wore strange, distracting outfits while on the field.
Some talk earlier in the season said to replace Pendleton, but nothing has gone astray during the season. As far back as I remember, the Braves have been reluctant to release a coach during the season, especially if that area was slumping.
The Braves have been hit by the injury bug, and a few years back, even admitted it.
14 years of winning in a row, and people still expect them to win.
It is a winning tradition, a tradition that I have watched from early on.
And this year, that same bug has hit, but not as hard.
What the future holds for the Braves is extremely bright.
Oh yeah, and I forgot one more thing, Tim Hudson has started rehab.
If he can get back to his old self, that is 5 aces, on one staff, just like it was.
Soriano and Gonzalez are both free agents when the season is up, but the starting pitching staff is locked in for at least another year. There are options to pick up in the winter, and Wren will assess what is best for the Braves, as is his job.
Don't get mad at Frank for doing as he sees fit with the team. He is just like John Schuerholz, with a combination of young and veteran pitching and position players, this team can keep up with the best.
The Braves did fairly well against Boston, unable to take the series in a close third game finale, but the All-Star break saw new life, and the team is pushing forward.
This team has a great ora about it, and it brings back old memories.

Steroids can hurt those not taking them

It takes a lot to lose a persons respect, but in the case of David Ortiz, I really have no other feelings.
You take a guy, who just a few years back suggested a full-year ban, has reportedly been linked to a 2003 report from a former political leader, and you link his name to taking banned supplements by Major League Baseball.
SportsCenter found that Oritz had just 38 home runs in 1200 at bats with the Twins prior to him joining the Red Sox. The next few years, Ortiz hit more than 40 home runs while contributing to two World Champion Red Sox teams.
It really takes a lot for someone to take a piece of paper, and say that this man cheated. But did he? Look at the rules. They are constantly changing.
And as a player, especially one who might not completely understand, you are surrounded by such vices.
With Manny Ramirez recently serving a 50-game suspension, rumor spread that if one teammate tested positive during that time, maybe another would. In walks Ortiz.
Ramirez was a good young player with the Indians before signing a huge contract with Boston.
Ortiz probably didn't have any protection. And the Twins, after Ortiz left, built their way up.
The Twins are still building, but they are doing it right. Trade away Johan Santana and still be able to get players who will contribute and add to a lineup that thrives on speed and gap hitting.
But Ortiz went on to thrive in BeanTown. Along with Manny, they teamed up to form a very scary 3-4 setting.
And now lets turn our heads BACK to steroids.
Why? Because we must? Who says that any of these players really had no clue what they were taking? Who says the person giving it to them claimed it to be something else?
These players, especially foreign-born players, normally had an interpreter or a "friend" to help them through the transitions required in America.
And coming from another country, you had no idea what any of this stuff was, unless you did all of your homework.
Don't get me wrong, I am not sticking up for people who knowingly take steroids. But stuff like this breaks my heart.
Those were some VERY GOOD Red Sox teams. Pitching, hitting and defense were all there. The best thing about the first Red Sox team was having fun while they did it. Look at how Johnny Damon use to look, before shipping out to the Evil Empire Yankees. Comparisons to Jesus.
Damon came alive in the last four games of the 2004 ALCS, and that hair was flowing, as Boston became the first team to ever come back from a 3-0 deficit and win the series.
And the biggest part of the Red Sox winning the championship that year, was shipping Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs for Doug Mientkiewic and Orlando Cabrera, who both thrived in Boston, just like Ortiz and Ramirez.
That team got hot, and they stayed hot.
With pitchers from the names of Schilling, Pedro, Wakefield, Arroyo and Lowe, with Keith Foulke closing the bullpen out, they figured out what to do.
But now, that cannot be looked at as true. Ramirez and Ortiz were apparently juiced, and you cannot feel any worse for the game of baseball right now.
Just think, Ted Williams may have turned over in his grave. Oh, wait, he is frozen in Arizona.
Oh yeah, let me remind you, while I am an Atlanta Braves fan, I still LOVE baseball, so I care. I would love to become a baseball historian. Just go to games, watch them, keep stats at every game. Witness history one game at a time. For a true baseball fan, there would be nothing better for me.

Can the Lakers benefit from the 2009 draft?

As the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans celebrate the 2008-09 NBA Championship, many other teams in the league are focused on something else: the NBA Draft June 25.
With Blake Griffin of Oklahoma, Ricky Rubio from Spain and many others headlining the upcoming draft, Laker fans are left to ponder, if they really do care, which player falls into the team and is sent off to the summer league team and possibly the D-fenders of the NBA's Development League.
But the Lakers seem to have a special knack from developing players quickly that show promise early. Andrew Bynum, despite his injuries, has been one of the biggest recent pieces in the Laker puzzle.
Analyzing the draft can be difficult, as not one player is assured to go to a specific team, especially Griffin, who has been speculated to be a No. 1 pick across the board. Griffin may be ready to go to the Los Angeles Clippers, this years first team on the clock.
The Lakers management needs to decide which area they need to address first.
Having Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol wrapped up for another two years and Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum under contract until the end of next season, many are wondering if owner Dr. Jerry Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak attempt to re-sign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.
But what if these two have a different mindset on how to build for next season, which would go against all hope that Ariza and Odom are offered worthy contracts after perfomances in the playoffs en route to their first NBA title.
With the economy being in disarray, many teams have tried to go away from offering luxurious short-term contracts, instead signing players for longer amounts of time. Luke Walton is signed through 2012, making more than $20 million, but he has shown signs of living up to this contract, especially in key situations in the finals.
One area the Lakers could strengthen would be at the center position. Finding a stable backup to Bynum and keeping Gasol at the power forward spot on a more frequent basis.
The web site DraftExpress.com had the Lakers taking Jonas Jerebko, a 6 foot 9, 22-year-old Swedish native in the first round and Slava Kravstov, a 7 foot, 21-year-old Ukranian, both of whom look like possible picks. Another web site, nbadraft.net, had the Lakers taking two players from Louisiana State, guard Marcus Thorton and forward Chris Johnson. These players might be speculated as possible picks due to their playing experience with former teammate and current Boston Celtic Glenn Davis.
The possibilities on draft day are endless. The Lakers could do what they did 13 years ago, trading an older player to a team looking for veteran experience and getting a steal like Bryant. Players such as Jordan Farmar, Adam Morrison, Sasha Vujacic and possibly Walton all can be used as trade bait in an attempt to gain a higher draft pick.
The names on the draft board have proven they can compete at the college level, but many have seen players never pan out that had such high expectations.
Morrison was just one of these players. So highly touted coming out of Gonzaga after leading his Bulldogs to the NCAA Final Four, he was a bust come draft day. Drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats, he never truly found his place before getting shipped to the Lakers and watching the finals from the bench in a suit.
Despite the speculation of whom the Lakers might or might not draft, it can be assured that Laker fans are not too concerned with the draft. They want to see how the 2008-09 NBA title is defended and whether or not a rematch with the Celtics is something to look forward to.

Laker blurb. Champions baby! But to all serious-ness.

This all starts last year. Trevor Ariza came to the Los Angeles Lakers and made an enormous impact, his defense smothering, his shooting getting better and better. But the best thing of all, is the Ariza is a local product of Southern California. Late in the 2007-2008, Ariza suffered an ankle injury, but came back early and still competed in the playoffs. To no avail, Ariza's presence did no help. Look at this years Finals. Orlando's Jameer Nelson had a breakout first half of the season, giving the Magic a starting point guard presence not found in the Finals. If you watches both Finals series, you could see the difference of performance with Ariza. Nelson did proove he could compete at a high level, as he earned himself an All-Star selection before separating his shoulder, leading to surgery. But this was early in the season. Injuries take even the best players out of their groove. Ariza's ankle. Nelson's shoulder. But what about Kobe Bryant's fingers? or Andrew Bynum's knee, still not fully healed? Or Kevin Garnett's injury, leaving the Celtics another man down, unable to repeat their performance of 2008? An injury can devastate any season, but the 2009 Lakers fought through injury and earned the NBA Championship. But look back at Nelson. His passion for the game. His willingness to push himself, and his body, back from a reconstructive shoulder surgery, to compete, and play big minutes, for the Magic. These same Magic will appear in many playoff series, just like the one just completed, but so will these same Lakers. The parody over the league is amazing. You still have the Celtics, the Cavaliers, the up and coming Nuggets, Hornets, Jazz, Heat, and every other team in the league poised at making a run. The Lakers had the mentality this year to get the job done. The Magic saw just what it takes to get the job done, although unsuccseful in their task. The Magic may not win the title in 2009-10, but they will be a strong contender as long as Dwight Howard is healthy and competing a high level of play. In the press conference after Game 5, Howard felt that Ariza and Lamar Odom were two huge factors in the Lakers 4-2 series victory over the Magic. Looking ahead to next year, as long as the core of the Laker roster remains healthy, and role players, depending on which are signed, resigned or traded, make a contribution, this team can still win championships with Bryant, Bynum (staying out of foul trouble), and Gasol at the helm. Each and every member of this 2009 Laker team was a contributor. Derek Fisher came through huge time after time. Ariza, offensively and defensively and Odom, who some analysts said was one factor as to if the Lakers would win or lose depending on his play. The bench was inconsistent, but still managed to get the job done when it mattered most. Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Josh Powell, the seldom used D.J. Mbengma, Sun Yue, and Adam Morrison (who the Lakers still have not found out what he can do). As Laker fans, we will cherish this win for days to come, but when next season starts, the hunger comes back, and it is time to dance, yet again.

Spring 2009 Final Blog

So procrastination gets you nowhere. I figured this out time after time this semester. I procrastinated in assigning stories, but always had stories to fill pages, although we had one too many ads each week. I procrastinated in doing my final, and I know I could have done a lot better on it. I procrastinated on writing this blog, and now, I am sitting here trying to reflect on the semester past and learn from it. With most of the editorial board I knew leaving and moving on, save for Miles, I do feel that me still being involved with the online and magazine editions will be a positive. I know Lori and Kate have the patience to deal with the new editors, but it will be a new adventure day after day. As for myself, I already feel like I am getting in over my head. I am venturing into two new worlds that I have not experienced, and I am scared for my own well-being. Well, not really, but I do know that it will be a learning experience and I will need all the help I can get from anyone who I can trust to help me. I must say though, it was a very interesting semester. I met a lot of people who changed my life in both positive and negative ways. I will continue to live my life the same way I have over the past year, keep my head up, and let each day happen as it happens.

Manny being Manny? Really?

Its funny. the other week we were talking about who would you rather face, Manny or Chipper. I said Chipper all the way. Manny's numbers have been right there with Chippers, but he hits for more power. I just think its funny that the dumbass dodgers spend all this money on a player, bring in all these fans, name a section "MannyWood" and then he gets suspended for taking women's fertility drugs. Its ironic. Every Yankee fan wishes he was still with the Red Sox. Every Red Sox fan is laughing at the Dodgers. I think it sucks for baseball, because one of its biggest faces just got axed for 50 games. I was happy with him saying he will live with his bad judgement, but what really sucks is the image you are sending to the children around hte country who look up to ball players. Its like, "Hey, you can take a drug to get better." That really just annoys me. A player like that, especially him, now I can really say it was just "Manny being Manny". He has had a great career, up until this point, where now all of his numbers will be questioned. It really was a sad day for baseball yesterday. Dodger fans really must have a sour taste in their mouth. On the same day their star player gets suspended, the bullpen blows a huge lead, allowing the Nationals to snap their record 13-game home winning streak. Of course, Dodger fans being the way they are, will have their heads still above the clouds, thinking that when Manny comes back, he will not be the same player as he was before the suspension. Look back at other players getting suspended early in the season, and see how their production tails off. The Dodgers still have three months with Manny after he returns, but even if he does show up to help, it may be a little too late. Torre will shuffle the lineup, players will go back to their old ways, not having the patience or having fun they did when Manny was on the field. All I can do is wait and see. And that we shall.

Seattle Mariners Baseball.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki. Two players who achieved a milestone in the same game. Griffey his 400th homerun with the Mariners and another Japanese record broken by Ichiro. Talk about two players that mean a lot to Seattle and its baseball team. These two players have basically kept Seattle with a team, unlike its Basketball franchise that moved to Oklahoma City before the 2009 season. This team, which became an expansion franchise before I was born, played in the KingDome, which was like a palace from the outside, but inside I am sure it was a horrible place to be for an oposing pitcher. That stadium did provide a lot of help in Randy Johnson closed out the Yankees in '95, and I would have loved to see the Mariners play the Braves in the World Series that year. -Huge Braves Fan by the way!- Truth be told, I loved Griffey. He meant a lot to the Mariners success in the '90's, but he didn't have the complete team around him needed to get to the final step in the World Series. The team around him was solid, no question in mind: Edgar Martinez. Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson (solid/cluth player). Tino Martinez, Alex Rodriguez (rookie years), Randy Johnson (how could I forget him?), Jamie Moyer. But a lot of great players did travel through Seatlle. The fact is, Junior was THE BEST. Hands down, Ken Griffey Jr. was the best baseball player to ever reach Seattle. And the great thing about the team he played on, was that he started playing with his dad, Ken Griffey Sr. He wanted to do what his dad did in his career, just in his own way. Started his career in Seattle, went to Cincinatti, then mid 2008 to the White Sox and signed as a free agent with the Mariners in the 09 offseason. This just goes to show, in the midst of the so-called "Steroid Era", that great okayers can be unquestioned. Jr. is just one of those players, and I truly do believe that he is a no-questions asked first ballot Hall of Famers.