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Monday, March 06, 2017

Braves: Trending Upward

Surprise surprise: Sports Illustrated picked the Nationals and Mets to improve this year. The Braves were also picked to improve – and finish third in the division. The Phillies and Marlins were predicted to decline.
 
2017…2016 wins
90.5   95 Nationals
90.5   87 Mets
78.5   69 Braves
76.5   79 Marlins
72.5   71 Phillies
 
Any observations on the Braves? Will they only carry two catchers? Will a fourth outfielder make the team, or will Peterson and d’Arnaud be the backup? Perhaps Coppy will make a move later in the spring.
 
ROB: It sounds like they are serious about carrying an 8 man bullpen, which would then only leave a 4 man bench.  After carrying a backup catcher, that only leaves you 3 spots to cover every other position.  Jace Peterson will have 1 spot, so that leaves 2 spots for versatile players like d'Arnaud (above), Bonafacio and Micah Johnson.  The problem there is those guys can play a lot of positions, but don't have much of a bat.  Johan Camargo is another minor leaguer that fits that mold and could be ready.  They picked up a couple of AAAA 1B/OF types with big bats  - Adam Walker and Christian Walker - who could have good springs and force their way on the team.  Another option is Rio Ruiz could force his way into a platoon role at 3B. All that being said, it would not surprise me to see a trade.


Rick Barry’s son Canyon leads the Florida Gators in free throw shooting: 89.9%. The team average is 70%, yet no one dares to copy Barry’s underhanded form.
 
http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/02/28/canyon-barry-florida-gators

For the past six months the media has been trying to get Tom Brady to say something negative about Deflategate and Commissioner Goodell. Brady remains positive, changing the subject when the topics are brought up. Why spend time thinking about those things when there’s next week’s team to think about – or his family? 
 
But the most glaring article was a short Scorecard blurb entitled “Actionable Offenses” regarding the increasingly slower pace of play of MLB. Since 1946 the average time between balls in play has risen from 100 seconds to 200 last year. In the past ten years there were 9287 fewer balls in play. Plate appearances without putting the ball in play has increased 27% in the past decade, to almost 31%. What wasn’t mentioned in the article was the increasing number of strikeouts by the batters, who swing for the fences instead of trying to make contact.   
 Every four years Steve Martin has Tom Hanks and Martin Short over to spend the night. In the morning they ride to the hospital together and all get colonoscopies. 
 
http://www.thewrap.com/tom-hanks-steve-martin-martin-short-have-colonoscopy-parties-video/
When you reach a certain age, parties really change. Martin Short told Jay Leno on Monday that every four years, he and Tom Hanks attend a colonoscopy party at Steve ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-_-Ah_tgs
 
Another rare Letterman sighting:
 
 
C cooked some BBQ for supper Thursday night. Cooked it in the crock pot with chopped onions and other ingredients. Also cole slaw and a few onion rings. She had “Nothing Bundt Cake” for dessert. Wheel. Jeopardy. The Voice, which is better than ever with four personable judges. Good episode of Chicago Med. Bed.
 
Stopped by McDonalds on the way to work Friday for a bacon egg & cheese biscuit. Leftover BBQ for lunch.
 
King Cake – had some in the office on Friday, compliments of Bayou Steel. They must not send out Christmas gifts and instead send out king cake for Mardi Gras. Like many other businesses in the area, our New Orleans office works on Memorial Day and switches that holiday to Mardi Gras.
 
Left work at 2 pm Friday for a doctor’s appointment in Buckhead. Took Lake Forest home because 400 north was already jammed at 2:30. Pretty much went straight home. Raked the yard and blew the drive. Anna arrived home around 8 pm.
 
M had to be at work at 7 am Saturday morning. C went to her 9:30 am class at the YMCA. I watched the last episode of Hunted. Later C and A went shopping. I took M’s car to get an oil change and car wash. Also shopped for eyeglasses, grabbed a shake at Chickfila, and stopped by the library. Before dusk I took Barney outside and saw three white-tailed deer in the woods across the creek. Barney never saw or smelled them, but they saw him. C cooked Mexican, both A and M were there to eat. TV included WGN’s MASH marathon.
 
Later A and M went shopping, then A drove to Emily’s. Anna and Emily (and Emily’s mom) left early Sunday for Florida. By 12:45 they’d already crossed the state line, and they arrived in Vero Beach around 3 or 4. It was a long way down there so they made minimal stops.  
 
At JFBC Sunday morning a missionary from India spoke in Sunday School, and the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary spoke in the service. According to Bryant all the Baptist seminaries are in good shape these days, and are focused on the great commission. C and I ate at Moxie Burger. Later C read and took Barney for a walk. I worked on my 2017 bobblehead list. Watched a movie classic: Galaxy Quest. Also some GT/Syracuse. Poor GT will hopefully become more consistent in the next few years. Leftovers for supper.
 
Around Christmas 2015 I bought a pair of black and teal Nike Air Max sneakers.  I really wasn’t crazy about them. Sold them this weekend for not quite triple what I paid for them. First I gotta take a photo of all my black shoes with green trim – I have at least three pair.
 
Atlanta’s new pro soccer team lost their home opener, on an own goal no less. Same old …uh, whatever the name of their team is.

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