Top Ten Baseball Movies

Harper’s Bazaar and Bleacher Report posted rankings of baseball movies, which Wayne Price recently shared. Below are both the lists, but first here’s my top ten. While a couple of the movies on the other lists look promising (Hard Ball, 42, The Phenom, 61, Sugar) several others are hardly worth watching (Rookie of the Year, Angles in the Outfield). My ten:

 

1. Field of Dreams. The book that spawned the movie, Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella, is a good read.

2. Fever Pitch. Hilarious climatic scene.

3. Eight Men Out.  

4. A League of Their Own. 

5. The Sandlot.

6. For the Love of the Game. Vin Scully calls the game.

7. The Natural.

8. The Rookie. I was in the stands when they filmed.

9. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings. Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones, Richard Pryor. Made in my hometown.

10. Bull Durham.

Harper’s Bazaar’s top 18 baseball movies. Makes sense they gave the top spot to the movie about women’s baseball.

 

1. A League of Their Own 1992 Tom Hanks Geena Davis

2. The Pride of the Yankees 1942 Gary Cooper. Haven’t seen.

3. Bull Durham 1988 Kevin Cosner Susan Sarandon

4. 42 2013 Harrison Ford. Seen parts of it.

5. The Natural 1984 Robert Redford

6. Moneyball 2011 Brad Pitt

7. The Bad News Bears 1976 Walter Matthau

8. Field of Dreams 1989 Kevin Cosner James Earl Jones

9. Fever Pitch 2005 Jimmy Fallon Drew Barrymore

10. Eight Men Out 1988 John Cusack Charlie Sheen

11. For the Love of the Game 1999 Kevin Cosner Vin Scully

12. The Sandlot 1993 James Earl Jones

13. 61 2001 Billy Crystal. Haven’t seen.

14. Rookie of the Year 1993. Haven’t seen.

15. Sugar 2008. Hadn’t heard of this one.

16. The Phenom 2016 Ethan Hawke plays a helicopter parent. Sounds interesting.

17. Summer Catch 2001 Freddie Prinze Jr Jessica Beal. Seen parts.

18. Major League 1989 Charlie Sheen, Bob Uecker

 

Bleacher Report’s Top 25 Baseball Movies. Includes several oldies I’d never heard of before. Can’t believe it left off 42.

 

1. Field of Dreams 1989 Kevin Cosner Ray Liotta

2. The Natural 1984 Robert Redford

3. Bull Durham 1988 Kevin Cosner Tim Robbins

4. Pride of the Yankees 1942 Gary Cooper. Haven’t seen.

5. The Sandlot 1993 James Earl Jones

6. 61 2001 Anthony Michael Hall. Haven’t seen.

7. Eight Men Out 1988 John Cusack Charlie Sheen

8. Bang the Drum Slowly 1973 Rober DeNiro. Haven’t seen.

9. Major League 1989 Charlie Sheen Bob Uecker

10. For the Love of the Game 1999 Kevin Cosner Vin Scully

11. The Bad News Bears 1976 Walter Matthau Tatum O’Neal

12. A League of Their Own 1992 Tom Hanks Geena Davis

13. Fear Strikes Out 1957 Anthony Perkins Karl Malden. About my camp buddy Jimmy Piersal. Haven’t seen.

14. It Happens Every Spring 1949 Ray Millard. Haven’t seen.

15. Damn Yankees! 1958 Tab Hunter. Haven’t seen.

16. The Rookie 2002 Dennis Quaid

17. Kill the Umpire 1950 William Bendex. Haven’t seen.

18. Cobb 1994 Tommy Lee Jones. The true story of when Furman Bisher interviewed the elderly Cobb. Seen parts.

19. The Jackie Robinson Story 1950 Jackie Robinson. Haven’t seen.

20. Don’t Look Back: The Story of Leroy Satchel Paige 1981 Louis Gossett Jr. Hadn’t heard of it.

21. Hard Ball 2001 Keanu Reeves Diane Lane. Haven’t seen.

22. Angels in the Outfield 1994 Danny Glover Tony Danza Christopher Lloyd. Seen parts.

23. Fever Pitch 2005 Jimmy Fallon Drew Barrymore

24. Rookie of the Year 1993 Gary Busey. Haven’t seen.

25. The Scout 1994 Albert Brenden Fraser. Haven’t seen.

HM. The Naughty Nineties 1956 Abbott & Costello. Not really a baseball movie, but it included the famous “Who’s on First?” routine.

 

No one listed Richard Pryor’s other baseball movie: Brewster’s Millions. Perhaps for a reason.

 

Had to mention the ESPN 30/30 SEC Storied on Herschel Walker Top notch, but that’s not baseball.

Snakes in the Grass

I had an interesting evening. Worked till six. Stopped by Baskin Robbins on the way home.

Then the library. Picked out four books, including The Nightingale. Went to check out. There was a young twenty-something librarian, more of the librarian type than millennial, but still millennial. She was doing something, and didn't ask for my library card. Instead she asked if I knew my password. Then I figured out that she wanted my to use the self-checkout. Well if she didn't want to check me out, I'd just go check myself out. I was making progress checking out when the older librarian, who had seen how I was treated, came over to help. I made a joke, pointing to the book I was checking out titled "No More Mr. Nice Guy."

Ceil wanted me to pick up a couple of things at Kroger, so that was the next stop. Supper was chicken tenders, baked potato pieces, steamed broccoli, and tossed salad.

We finished up just before 8 pm. Only then did I go outside to cut the grass. Our front yard has tall trees on three sides, so the yard was already in shadow. As usual I started on the outside and cut in squares, moving slowly toward the middle. I was about three quarters finished when I realized I had run over a decent sized snake. It was getting dark but I could see the markings - possible a 12-18" copperhead. I make sure the lawnmower cut it up. I saw part of the snake get slung into the uncut grass, and a middle section two to three inches long in the already cut grass - but I never found the rest of the snake. I was careful cutting the rest of the yard. When I first ran over the snake I had squealed. Later I moved over to the side yard and saw the neighbor boy shooting baskets. I was going to tell him why I had squealed, then noticed he was wearing earphones. He hadn't heard anything.

It was almost nine by the time I got inside. Ceil was watching a series on Amazon prime TV that we've gotten interested in, starring the guy who had played Monk.

Crazy morning this morning fighting several battles. A series of errors needed to be fixed: the mill had shipped the wrong size. Another mill was supposed to ship but no action for a week. The bad material hadn't been moved out, so we didn't realize today's shipment didn't deliver. I had to line up a truck to pick up in Michigan. The truck was willing but the mill couldn't fit me in until tonight, so instead of receiving the material at mid-day tomorrow it would be the next morning.

And that was just one of the battles. I'm out of about ten different sizes, my customer is buying more and more, I can't ship rail and trucks can't be found - yet Purchasing wants me to not bring in more.

Yesterday the Pittsburgh Pirates were flying to their next game. The entire team was dressed from head to toe in NBA jerseys, shorts, and sneakers.

Up on the Roof

Friday night we went to Joel Norman's house for the celebration of their business. Big crowd of young people. We stayed too long. W&MC helped in the kitchen. Beer and toast were served. Also cookies, and a tasting of Bellwood Coffee. Got to talk to Ashley Corbett for a bit. There was a fussball tourney and free throw shooting contest.

Joel rents a room in a big square house just off Chattahoochee Avenue, near Top Golf and Nuevo Laredo Cantina. Several huge bedrooms, plus one floor with a large kitchen and living area. You can keep climbing the steps and go out on the rooftop. Lots of trees, but you can see the lights of downtown and midtown and Buckhead. Later the party moved out on the roof. Joel used his drone to take a picture (note the shadows on the house next door). A far cry from the tiny Hubcap I lived in.

One of Joel's roommates is the chubby-cheeked son of former SPdL members Chuck & Mary Dalzeil, who Edie may remember from children's choir. He still looks the same - just towers over six feet tall. Chuck and Mary live in the neighborhood across from JFBC.

Saturday morning I slept late, then took the CRV and M's Buick to the car wash for emissions tests. That meant cleaning them out first, so the car wash people could clean the interior. Also gassed up both cars and stopped by Wendys. That took till two o'clock.

Left at 2:30 for Gwinnett. Traffic was lighter than usual. Still took over an hour. My usual partners in crime didn't show, but several others took their place. Before gates opened I hung with Dusty, Eric, Alan, and Bobby. Small crowd. Sat a spell with old guys Johnny and Hugh. Yaz's grandson played for the rival Norfolk Tides.

Took unstressful back roads home, with surprisingly few turns. Rock Springs to Old Peachtree to Horizon to McGinnis Ferry to Jones Bridge to State Bridge to Alpharetta Highway to Roswell Road. Bridge Stopped by RaceTrac for a cold drink, Cheeseburger Bobbys for a burger and fries, and two thrift stores. Found a home for a nice pair of old school red suede Nike Blazer high-tops.

Sunday morning I drove down to Macon to see my parents. Taco Bell Breakfast. Olive Garden was super crowded for lunch. Mom had the soup. Dad has the salad. I had the lasagna.

Coming through downtown Atlanta on the way home I stopped by The Varsity for a chocolate shake and onion rings.

Over the weekend Will played gold at the old Chandler Park golf course near Little Five Points. MC went along to snap pictures. They also went to a local farmers market. Anna is knee deep into her duties for UGA sorority rush. Matthew had to work at seven am on both Saturday and Sunday.

Finishing up my book on Apollo 8. As much as I followed Gemini and Apollo back in the late 60's and early 90's, I never realized the Apollo capsule approached the moon flying backwards, facing away from the moon - so the rocket could fire to slow down the spacecraft, putting it in orbit around the moon. I knew that once Apollo left earth orbit the capsule turned around and pulled out the lunar lander from the third stage of the rocket. I always figured the capsule then turned back around to face the moon. Pretty sure the three TV networks covering the flights used graphics showing the spacecraft pointed that way. Turns out they were incorrect.

Forgetting the Olympics

When David Hall reminded me that we had attended Olympic water polo together, it made me try to remember who went to the Olympics with me. I’m sure I have it written down in my 1996 scrapbook calendar, but without digging that out here’s my best recollection:

 

Track and field (Olympic Stadium) Ceil’s parents

Track and field (Olympic Stadium) my dad

Team handball (Congress Center) Will (he was 3 years old)

Women’s Field Hockey (Morehouse) Mr. Miller

Men’s basketball (Georgia Dome) Ceil

Water polo (Georgia Tech) David Hall

Baseball (Fulton County Stadium) Mark Weeks

Men’s Team Volleyball (The Omni) - Yearwood?

 

I was into the Olympics. Back then I had my own office in the plant. The walls were bare so I hung up a huge chalkboard. When the Olympics came I mapped out all the events for the two weeks of the games on the chaulkboard. That’s how I decided what tickets to order. Those were the days before social media and texting and email. People like me weren’t in contact with people like you and Lang as much. After the games I found out Lang had all these tickets. But I did get to a lot of events.

 

During the Olympics Ceil was eight months pregnant. The only event she wanted to go to was to see the USA men’s basketball team – the Dream Team. So we went down to the Georgia Dome. I knew our tickets weren’t great, but hadn’t looked to see exactly where they were. We went to the upper deck and started climbing the steps. Turned out our tickets were on the second row from the top. I got up there and looked down on the court. The players were warming up, and they looked like ants they were so far away. Ceil never made it to the seats. She couldn’t. So we climbed back down and went out to eat at Houstons instead. To this day she hasn’t sat in the upper deck again.

 

Worked until 6:30 on Monday night. Ceil cooked black beans and rice, and tossed a salad. We watched The Intern, the Robert DiNero movie.

I worked until 6:30 again on Tuesday. Month end plus the rain had traffic jammed. Matthew helped Ceil cook supper: salmon, chicken tenders, rice, broccoli, seasoned baked potato wedges. After supper and cleanup the Braves were just coming on. A pretty good game to watch.  

 

Usually on the first of the month I publish my list of bobbleheads being given away that month. Yesterday I forgot. Last month I also got the days mixed up and published on June 30 instead of July 1. Took me a couple of days to realize what I had done.

 

Went home at six yesterday on Wednesday. Ceil is back at school now. While she was fixing supper I fell asleep on the couch. Supper was a very tender baked chicken. Also tossed salad and whole grain rice with carrots, celery, and onions mixed in. Nothing on TV except a Hallmark Movie Mystery movie that had stolen the plot from You’ve Got Mail. Went to bed at 10:30. Barney didn’t get in the bed again.

 

Thursday: glad I wasn’t out there in the rain. That’s a good thing about working until six o’clock, traffic has lightened up a bit. During the day you got all those crazies out there in a hurry to get where they are going.

 

Ceil is on a health kick so dinner was “spaghetti” – healthy noodles with meatless sauce that had tomatoes and carrots. Also tossed salad. It was ok. Nothing on TV. Ceil watched Cinderella. I watched the football pregame and a little of the second half. Heisman winner Lamar Jackson didn’t look good at all. I missed Robert Griffin III, who usually plays a better QB. I can’t believe Terrell Owens is skipping the HOF induction ceremonies. As Tony Dungy says, for most guys it’s an unforgettable time not just for them, but also for their friends and family.

 

On the way to work Friday I mailed two eBay packages and stopped for bacon egg & cheese biscuits at McDonalds. Gotta stop eating them cause I don’t feel so great afterwards. Big lunch meeting today. Next Friday we’ll have another one – the third week in a row.

 

Anything on tap for the weekend? Not sure whether we’re going to Joel’s coffee party or not (we did).

 

I just traded a mascot bobble for a Bob Uecker bottle opener. They're selling for bobblehead-like prices on eBay.

The Grizzlies unveiled new uniforms yesterday.  

 

Best I ever bowled was between 150 and 179.

Chopper's Birthday

Dark clouds gave way to bright sunshine,

and tonight's Stripers game was only delayed 29 minutes.

Small crowd due to the threat of thunderstorms.

I walked with Hugh to Section 119 and sat for a spell.

 Broke road the road jersey and tomahawk cap today.

The Fishing Chopper, the last bobble of the year in Gwinnett.

Alan helped me, so I easily scored seven bobbles.

Used rainout tickets for the first six, and bought a lawn ticket for one more.

Trading one for Kevin for A SunTrust bobble,

and one for tomorrow's Brewers Uecker bottle opener.

I'll give one to coworker Sam, and sell one cheap to LJ.

I've lowered the price but they're not selling. The market is flooded. 

 A Markakis All-Star tee. Also saw a Folty one.

Nice green jerseys for Norfolk, with large Oriole patches on the sleeve. Several players wore Stance Orioles socks.

Took this panoramic shot while Hugh was off rolling down the bank with Johnny's grandson Josef. That's Johnny on the right.

Big number 24 also wore the Orioles socks.

A better view of the Savannah Bananas kilts.
That's a Macon Bacon player on the right.
Dude at Gwinnett tonight was wearing a nice green Bananas replica jersey.

Shame on the Braves Hall of Fame

Joe Simpson is to the Braves Hall of Fame as Terrell Owens is to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Was I the only one who thought it odd last year when the Braves put Joe in their Hall of Fame? Seems like they only put him in since Skip, Pete, and Don were already in (as much as I like Sutton, putting him in was odd as well). Now that Joe is in the Braves HOF, it’ll be harder to put him out to pasture for making get off my lawn statements. 

They could move Simpson to radio if Sutton ever retired, but when will that be? Sutton may be 73 but seems to be enjoying himself, unlike Simpson. Joe is 66 and may think why quit an easy gig?

 

Francoeur brings a fresh voice to the booth. He tells stories that it doesn’t seem like more experienced announcers would tell. I wouldn’t mind it if they made him permanent. Smoltz is too good to work 162 Braves games a year. Glavine is ok but he’s not Mr. Excitement. I like Lemke and am glad he’s getting more work, but it’s doubtful they’d make him full time.

 

Now it seems like the Braves want to put one or two guys in their HOF every year so they can make a big deal about it, and have a big banquet in the Roxy. Hudson was an ok choice, but who else? Some suggestions: Pendleton, Mazzone, Dews, Torre, Horner, McGuirk, McCann. Levi Walker. Donald Davidson. Walter Banks. Dianne Burge. Tony Cloninger. Pearl Sandow. Bob Uecker. Sid Bream. Francisco Cabrera. Dead inductees aren’t as fun because they can’t give a speech and wave to the crowd.

 

At the July 26 game I went for Cokes after the second inning. Walter Banks was walking on the mezzanine from one place to another. I caught up to him and said hello. He liked the Greenville Braves cap I was wearing.

 

Braves Hall of Fame Inductees, in order of induction:

 

Hank Aaron OF 1999

Eddie Mathews 3B 1999

Phil Niekro P 1999

Warren Spahn P 1999

Ted Turner owner 2000

Dale Murphy CF 2000

Ernie Johnson P, broadcaster 2001

Johnny Sain P 2002

Bill Bartholomay owner 2002

Del Crandall C 2003

Kid Nichols P 2004

Tommy Holmes OF 2004

Skip Caray broadcaster 2004

Pete Van Wieren broadcaster 2004

Paul Snyder scout 2005

Herman Long SS 2005

Bill Lucas GM 2006

Ralph Garr OF 2006

Dave Justice OF 2007

Greg Maddux P 2009

Tom Glavine P 2010

Bobby Cox Manager 2011

John Smoltz P 2012

Chipper Jones 3B 2013

Rabbit Maranville SS 2B 2014

Dave Pursley trainer 2014

Javy Lopez C 2014

Don Sutton broadcaster 2015

Andruw Jones CF 2016

John Schuerholz GM 2016

Tim Hudson P 2018

Joe Simpson broadcaster 2018

A Day Late: August Bobbleheads

Is it August already? I completely missed posting this yesterday. Sorry about that - I know you were devastated. This after posting my July bobblehead list on June 30th. Not sure I can be trusted any more.

 

The Pirates should give away a Barry Bonds playing too deep to throw out Sid Bream bobblehead.

 

Some say there’s a lack of creativity in minor league bobbleheads. Most would agree there could be nothing further from the truth. To expect every single bobblehead to be the greatest ever made is unrealistic. Last month’s Danville Acuna Matata was one of the most creative bobbles ever, breathing new life into an already overused phrase. Unlike their major league counterparts, minor league teams operate with limited staffs and on shoestring budget. Teams are giving away all kinds of different Sandlot bobbles. Syracuse is giving away a salt potato bobble and Brannock Device. Gwinnett has had several creative bobbles, both this year and in previous seasons. What I can’t figure out is why teams cater to children, and not us bobblehead junkies.

 

Can’t fault Rome and Danville for jumping on the Chipper Jones Crazy Train bobblehead bandwagon. Chipper was one of the most beloved players in Braves history, and the minor league teams want a piece of that. I’ll get mine at SunTrust Park, and not make the trek to get the Danville and Rome versions. Hit me up if you need one.

 

My favorite: This Sunday the Brewers are giving away a Bob Uecker bottle opener, which would be a great addition to my Uecker collection. Anyone gonna have an extra? Kevin may like Will Clark, and Bobby Will Myers. For me it’s Bob Uecker. Or Bobby Dews. Or Scott Patterson.

 

As always, let me know what I missed.

 

8.01 WED STL Hello Kitty BH

8.01 WED Portland Rafael Devers BH

8.01 WED Quad Cities used car giveaway

8.02 THU Reds Hall of Fame Tom Browning BH

8.03 FRI Potomac Gnome-ar Garciaparra

8.03 FRI Gateway Grizzlies Squints Sandlot BH

8.03 FRI Nats Anthony Rendon BH

8.04 SAT Gwinnett Fishing Chopper mascot BH

8.04 SAT Potomac Squints Sandlot BH

8.04 NYM Noah Syndergaard Thor BH

8.04 SAT PITT Andy Van Slyke BH

8.04 SAT MIN Johan Santana HOF BH

8.04 SAT Potomac Squints Chauncey Leopard Sandlot BH

8.04 SAT Wilkes-Barre Lord Torres Game of Thrones BH

8.04 SAT WILM Rocky mascot BH

8.04 SAT NW ARK Salvy Splash mascot BH

8.04 SAT Chattanooga’s 25th annual used car giveaway

8.04 SAT Biloxi Brandon Woodruff BH
8.04 SAT Rays Akinora Iwamura BH

8.04 SAT Scranton Game of Thrones BH

8.04 SAT Brooklyn Seinfeld Day

8.04 SAT Altoona Josh Bell BH

8.05 SUN MIL Bob Uecker bottle opener (get one for me!)

8.05 SUN Phillies Brad Lidge bobble figure

8.07 TUE Myrtle Beach Brian McCann BH

8.08 WED Charleston ARod BH

8.08 WED Montgomery F35 figurine giveaway 1000

8.10 FRI ATL Chipper HOF plaque 20000

8.10 FRI Angels Vladimir Guerrero HOF BH

8.10 FRI Salt Lake Bees Sandlot Ham BH

8.10 FRI Satchel Paige Larry LeGrande BH

8.10 FRI Astros Springer replica rainbow jersey giveaway

8.10 FRI Danville App League Pres Lee Landers BH

8.11 SAT Toronto Alomar/Olerud/Molitor BH

8.11 SAT Tortugas Bob Ross BH 1000

8.11 SAT TENN Inky Johnson BH8.11 SAT Akron Webster Slaughter Cleveland Browns BH

8.11 SAT Louisville Incredible Hulk BH

8.12 SUN BALT retro talking alarm clock

8.14 TUE LAD Rich Hill BH

8.14 TUE Reading Old School surprise BH

8.14 TUE Portland Slugger mascot BH

8.15 WED SD 1998 NL Championship rings

8.15 WED Cubs Kyle Kendricks BH

8.15 WED Charlotte Queen Charlotte BH

8.17 FRI Erie C. Wolf sorting hat mascot

8.17 FRI Reds Uncle Sam BH

8.17 FRI Potomac Mo Vaughn BH

8.18 SAT Reds fan vote BH

8.18 SAT ATL Chipper Crazy Train BH 20000

8.18 SAT Danville Chipper Crazy Train BH 500

8.18 SAT Quad City Evan Gattis BH
8.18 SAT Kane County superhero & villain mascot BHs

8.18 SAT Indians Jim Thome jersey

8.18 SAT OKC Cody Bellinger BH

8.18 SAT Lugnuts Pablo Sanchez Backyard Baseball BH

8.19 SUN SD Trevor Hoffman statue

8.19 SUN STL Dizzy Dean watch

8.19 SUN TENN Roy Halladay appearance & BH

8.19 SUN Binghamton Amed Rosario King of NY BH

8.20 MON Boston Snoopy BH

8.20 MON Richmond Sandlot “The Beast” bobbledog

8.21 TUE DET Jack Morris HOF jersey

8.22 WED Reading Roberto Clemente BH

8.22 WED LAD Chase Utley BH. Not sure if he’s wearing socks

8.23 THU SYR Tipp Hill traffic light snow globe

8.24 FRI Augusta Auggie mascot BH

8.24 FRI Rome Chipper Jones Crazy Train BH

8.24 FRI CHAT Trevor Hoffman HOF BH

8.24 FRI TOL Jose Lima BH

8.25 SAT SF Buster Hugs BH (rip-off off Freddie Hugs!)

8.25 SAT DET Micky Lolich BH
8.25 SAT Twins Jim Thome BH

8.25 SAT Potomac fans choice BH

8.25 SAT MIL Snoopy BH

8.25 SAT SYR Salt Potato mascot BH

8.25 SAT WILM Judy Johnson Negro League BH

8.25 SAT NYM Jay Bruce BH

8.25 SAT BHAM Michael Kopech BH

8.25 SAT Akron Ted Buckland Scrubs BH

8.25 SAT BaySox mascot Louie BH

8.25 SAT Altoona Neil Walker BH

8.26 SUN MIL Lorenzo Cain BH

8.26 SUN DET Alan Trammell jersey

8.28 TUE STL Ray Lankford mini BH

8.30 THU LAD Dodger Stadium sand globe

8.31 FRI SD Black Panther BH

Chipper's in the Hall

Chipper Jones is one of four players in history to hit .300 with a .400 on base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, 2700 hits, 500 doubles, 450 home runs, and 1600 RBIs – along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Stan Musial. When I read that I couldn’t believe Hank Aaron wasn’t a part of that group. Here’s their stats:

 

AVG.OBP.SLG..HITS..2B..HR..RBI

303  401  529 2726 549 468 1623 Jones 1409

342  474  690 2873 506 714 2214 Ruth 1330

340  447  632 2721 534 493 1995 Gehrig 790

331  417  559 3630 725 475 1951 Musial 696

305  374  555 3771 624 755 2297 Aaron 1383

 

So although Aaron retired with the third most hits, and the most home runs and RBI, his “low” on base percentage kept him out of this particular group. While Chipper had more doubles than Ruth and Gehrig, he fell short in all the other categories. But hardly anyone’s stats match up with Ruth and Gehrig.

 

I added each player’s strikeouts at the far right. None of these five players struck out 100 times in any season.

 

The Braves are the only team in history with four teammates elected to the hall of fame after playing ten years with the same club: Chipper, Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz. Add manager Bobby Cox and GM John Schuerholz, and that’s even more of an achievement. It’s making experts reconsider the true greatness of the 1990’s Braves: something most Braves fans have known.

A Boston fan complained when Sports Illustrated lauded Mike Trout as a MVP candidate, saying Red Sox Mookie Betts had “nearly identical stats.” I decided to compare, and add Manny Machado as well. Poor Manny probably won’t win MVP since he’s spending half a season in each league. While Betts is new to the MVP discussion, Trout’s past several seasons grant him instant cred. With Betts playing in Boston, if he keeps up his pace he will run away with the MVP.

 

.R..H..2B.3B.HR.RBI.BB..K..avg.OBP.SLG..OPS

80.113.20.3.29..59..98.93.310.462.621.1.083 Trout

84.118.27.3.25..56..48.54.339.423.649.1.073 Betts

51.128.22.2.25..69..52.63.615.388.570.0.958 Machado

 

The Braves put reliever Sam Freeman on the disabled list, so you don’t have to worry about him. The Braves put starter Brandon McCarthy on the 60 day DL, so he’s probably done for the year. Wisler and Simms had been giving fans lots of headaches as well, and now they’re gone.

 

Soon the starting rotation will be Newcomb, Folty, Soroca, Allard, and Touki. Soon Teheran will lose his spot in the rotation. Even the Braves beat writers were calling Julio out.

Braves traded for a Reds outfielder Duvall. Gave up Lucas Simms and Matt Wisler. Duvall has hit more home runs than Bryce Harper. In trades you go for the best player available. Ender has slumped this year and probably wasn’t as good a player as he was last year. Ender plays a great centerfield, almost as good as Andruw did. Acuna can play centerfield, perhaps not as well, but he should be good enough. The Braves were in the running for Chris Archer, the best starting pitcher on the market. Instead they traded for a starter and reliever from Baltimore.

 

Fans have been complaining for the last week that the Braves hadn’t made any moves. Since then they’ve made three, with more on the table. And more moves can be made in August. No matter what the Braves do, people will complain.  

 

CPA: I thought AA did a great job with the trades.  He added 4 players without having to trade any of the top 20 prospects.

 

Wisler and Simms were expendable - they weren't really going to get another shot here.  It sounds like Touki and Wright (last year's #1 pick out of Vandy) will be ready to compete for spots in the rotation next spring (if not in September).  I don't know about Allard - he competes well, but I don't know if he will miss enough bats in the MLB.  I think they will move on from Gohara at some point and do something with Teheran. 

 

Next spring training, this group will be fighting for rotation spots: Folty, Newcomb, Gausman, Soroka, Fried, Wright, Tuki

 

Markakis is a tough call.  After Harper and Machado, the available free agent bats will all be 30+ years old.  I think the Braves will make a limited push at Markakis, but an AL team will throw more money at him (PT OF, PT DH).