Braves Dog Days

Appears we’re going to the game tonight. Somehow we managed to go to wild west night last year as well. Still couldn’t talk Ceil or Anna into going…the little dog we’ve been sitting for the last week is being picked up tonight. Don’t know if I can get Matthew to wear his jersey in this heat.

…That fan they kept showing in the late innings last night was funny…All we need is for Horacio to get hurt…McBride pitched great on Sunday, but not good last night…Our whole family watched just about the entire game last night, all sitting together on the couch……even the dog. Very rare. Ceil’s been interested lately, and Anna hung out as well…A FoxSports blogger commented on the MLB.com Hometown Hero picks, so I chimed in as well.

Sunday it was great to see JF drive a pitch to RF. Last night he reached out and drove a low outside pitch to the LCF gap…Gant was happy he didn’t try to pull it down the line, but it seems like had he went with the pitch, he could drive many outside pitches over the RF fence, like Dale Murphy used to do…LaRoche has done that a few times lately as well.

Picked up a Score tabloid…I.J. Rosenberg thought the Betemit trade was a good one. Rathburn had a column on pronouncing Betemit…said ESPN made a big deal about it and still got it wrong. Wilson says the final T is silent.

Just read the SI article on the great Joe Mauer, so I guess I need to take back using his name in jest. I’d heard in the past about how good he is, and it’s refreshing to see a guy like that come into the league. OK in my book that he doesn’t have much power (yet) but hits for a high average. Ever since the first WS, I haven’t been a big Twins fan. That might’ve showed with my AL votes, taking a shot at Hrbek. I do like how Mauer went the extra mile to wear a throwback helmet while catching.

All the conspiracy theories continue about the Andruw/waivers thing…some say JS leaked it. With AJ becoming a free agent after next year, you can’t blame JS for exploring options. Andruw gave JS a discount last time, but you never know what’s going to happen with Boras. JS might’ve just wanted to feel around to see what Andruw’s reaction would be, or to goad AJ into signing early. And who knows how bad AJ’s back/body is? He’s taken a beating over the years and could become another Chipper or Griffey. Whenever it seems he isn’t running out a grounder, I have to remember how bad he’s hurting. Seems like he’s about 95% of the centerfielder he once was, which is still just about the best ever.

Amazing stat that this weekend was only the third time since the club has been in Atlanta that they failed to score with the bases loaded and no out. Friday and Saturday’s game wore me out…it was nice to finally come back and win yesterday.

Nice that Aybar’s baserunning gaffe wasn’t costly, though it did rob Giles of his hit streak. Seems like more and more this year the Braves are doing one or two things like that a game, and often it’s the difference between winning and losing. Nice that Wickman didn’t let his drop at first effect him, just like the other night when the ball hit third. I thought about what you had said. Baez was also impressive…as was McBride.

Good article about Bobby Dews Sunday…Ceil even read it. JS has book signings before games (did you get yours signed?)…they ought to let Dews have a signing. I need to show Matthew the article.

Last night ESPN began(?) a series on the three best WebJems for each MLB team. They started with the Phillies. It was nice to see Gary Matthews honored with the third spot, for a playoff play in left. How Mickey Morandini’s unassisted triple play wasn’t first baffles me, but this year’s centerfield catch/broken nose beat it. The announcer said you’d never see a better catch by a centerfielder running full speed into the fence…but I have…a Phillies centerfielder, at that. In the 80’s they had an excellent centerfielder…was his name Elliott Maddox? He wasn’t running at an angle, he was running straight back to dead centerfield. He made the outstretched catch at full speed, and immediately crashed into the wall. He fell down and didn’t get up…until LF Greg Luzinski approached to check on him. Then Maddox leaned up and threw the ball…hitting Luzinski in the face.

Makes you wonder if Willie May’s catch off Vic Wertz will make the list. The Braves top three were Monday night…they appear to be a diving catch in left by someone, Walt Weiss’s play in Houston to save the playoff game, and Otis climbing the wall. The Mets could include last year’s Betran collision, the collision between Mookie and Dykstra, and Ron Swoboda’s World Series diving catch, which I loved…though Agee’s catch at the wall looked tougher.

For McCann to qualify for the batting title, he’ll need 502 plate appearances. Right now he has 313 at bats…I’ll have to refigure to add BBs and HBPs. The Braves have 52 more games, but McCann could sit once a week, missing eight. It’ll be real close. Funny if McCann wins the batting title and Mauer doesn’t.

Will was worn out from his camping trip, when I picked him up Saturday. Usually he says he had a good time, but he didn’t say so. Then he told me about stepping on a yellow jacket’s nest and getting stung ten times. Later when he was talking about the fishing, he said the stings “kept him out of the action” for about 30 minutes. Coach Tim took him to the Ranger station to be looked at. Will also talked for a long time about the football game and trying to start a fire. Tim said the boys stayed up late, and got up early as well…so I’m sure he was tired. After church yesterday he didn’t want to do anything…until there was a big whiffleball game last night! He even slept until after 9 am yesterday…late for him.

Got my car washed Saturday, then while running more errands ran over something that exploded some white paper like substance on the entire side of my car.