Kicking

Heard about the ARod beaning but didn’t see it. Umpire went crazy? If umpires have forgotten their place in the game, perhaps it’s time to replace them with technology. I was worried that by hitting Harper two times Saturday, the Braves wound wake up a sleeping giant.

On the way home from work Friday I bought a football at Play It Again Sports, and went to the nearby elementary school to kick. After all those years I didn’t do too bad. But Saturday my instep hurt. Forget the Falcons and GT…I’m shooting for # 1…Alabama. In the Dome August 31.

Saturday morning I cleaned upstairs. Late Saturday afternoon I took Matthew to a party in Acworth. While I was waiting on him I walked a mile in flip-flops. Almost turned my ankle. Got home and stayed up and watched the rest of the Braves game.

Passion City Church took the Sunday off. Anna opened birthday presents. Ceil baked brownies and sweet rolls (I had neither). I drove up to Walton High and kicked in the Astroturf stadium until my leg started hurting. Took Matthew to Roswell and bought Anna a nice Rosemary beach t-shirt. Drove back to Roswell with Anna. Paid bills and watched Duck Dynasty.

Dock accepted the SPdL job. Drew Kelly mentioned it on Facebook. Dock can retire from Mercer, I suppose.

Duck Dynasty: I’d rather watch re-runs of DD than the LLWS, which I have avoided so far.

Don't Confuse Me with the Facts

Concerning Deion Sanders, some guy Paul tweeted "sometimes it gets forgotten that he played in the World Series and nfl game on same day". I had to point out his error.

I found a nice explanation in the LA Times saying how stories like Deion's get exaggerated over time. It was the 1992 NLCS, not the World Series. Deion had doubled the night before, but didn't get in the Sunday baseball game after playing for the Falcons the next day. I linked the article.

Last night he responded: "he suited up. he was on the roster of two diff teams in two diff sports on same day. that was the point". That's not what he said, but I won't argue with him any more.

Signs You are an Introvert

1. Find small talk cumbersome.

2. Go to parties, but not to meet people.

3. Often feel alone in a crowd.

4. Networking makes you feel like a phony.

5. Been called “too intense”.

6. Easily distracted.

7. Downtime doesn’t feel unproductive to you.

8. Giving a talk in front of 500 people is less stressful than having to mingle with those people afterwards.

9. Sit at the end of the bench on the subway – not in the middle.  

10. Start to shut down after you’ve been active for too long.

11. In a relationship with an extrovert.

12. Rather be an expert at one thing than try to do everything.

13. Actively avoid any shows that might involve audience participation.

14. Screen all your calls – even from your friends.

15. Notice details that others don’t.

16. Have a constantly running inner monologue.

17. Have low blood pressure.

18. Been called an “old soul” – since your 20’s.

19. Don’t feel “high” from your surroundings.

20. Look at the big picture.

21. Been told to “come out of your shell”

22. You’re a writer.

23. Alternate between phases of work and solitude, and periods of social activity.

I am 1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,21,22, and 23. Eighteen of 23.

From the Huffington Post, not my usual source for information.

Uecker Jersey

Well, I did it. Ordered this early 60’s cream-colored Braves Bob Uecker jersey from Amazon. Had to guess what size to order, since sizes vary greatly among MLB jerseys. I own some XL/52’s that fit great, but I also have a size 56 that fits well too. Comments for this seller said the jerseys run small, so I ordered a 54, and crossed my fingers. The jersey ships from China, so I’ll see it in a month. From the photo it appears the letters on the back are smaller than the original huge letters, and there’s no Indian patch on the sleeve.

What’s different (and nice) about this jersey and a current cream jersey is the color of the name on back (old = thick red, new = thin black) and sleeve stripes (old = yes, new = no). The jersey is made from modern cool-base fabric, which is also fine with me. We shall see.   

World Series or Bust

Crazy how things turn out. Uggla goes on the DL, Pastornicky returns and provides a spark. Then he gets run over by Heyward. Janish takes over and breaks his hitless streak. Mark Bradley thinks Michael Young is the answer. Would he be too expensive a rental?

Did the Bradley column say that Young had already cleared waivers? Hopefully the Braves will keep right on rolling, but I’ll be ok with taking 1 of 3 from Washington . Atlanta has won six straight series, but should they lose one the masses will panic. Hopefully it won’t be too wet of a weekend, Braves wise.

Nationally televised games are already longer because of extra commercials between innings. Unlike football, I think MLB umpiring is getting worse. Umps often seem to go out of their way to start arguments and make the game revolve around them. In the old days umpires tried to be invisible. Like striking air-traffic controllers, perhaps these haughty umpires are working their way out of a job.

Learning a lot about Mickey Mantle. When his four boys were under the age of ten, their young babysitter was Martha Stewart. Mantle once visited JFK’s famous “Dr. Feelgood”, who later lost his license for unauthorized possession of amphetamines. I knew Mantle had knee problems, but didn’t know he played his entire career in severe pain. Considering this, he accomplished a great deal in his career.

Riding Around Week

SATURDAY: Went to the Gwinnett Braves game…Craig Kimbrel bobbleheads. Head the Johnson Ferry adult choir sand the national anthem at Saturday night’s Atlanta Braves game.

SUNDAY: Dropped Matthew off down at PCC and picked up Ceil. We did some back to school shopping at Target…very crowded. Watched the rest of the Braves game, read my Grisham book, and watched some of the Dodgers/Rays game. ESPN loves LA. They had a graphic showing the Braves had the best record in the MLB, but no one would say they were the best team. Curt Schilling said the Dodgers were better, and got Craig Kimbrel’s name wrong. Someone did say that Freddie Freeman had MVP numbers, and that Chris Johnson was helping the Braves cut down on strikeouts. Earlier in the season the Braves were second behind the Astros in strikeouts, but now they’re in the “middle of the pack.” Puig was adored, and his two strikeouts were hardly mentioned. ESPN did show a coach instructing Puig after he missed a suicide squeeze sign.

MONDAY: Ceil had a lot of running around to do. Met me to get info to get the CRV license plate, spent a lot of time at the tag office, and had a meeting last night at school. I had a crisis at work and didn’t leave until almost six. Then traffic was gridlocked on the way home because several lights were out. On my way home Ceil called. Anna had friends over, helping her paint her room, so supper was needed. Not frozen pizza, but real pizza. I have papa johns saved on my phone, so I called and ordered one cheese and one pepperoni. Then I called Matthew to tell him I was bringing home pizza. he made me change the order to all pepperoni. Got to papa johns and they didn’t have my order…I was at the wrong papa johns. Then Matthew called, saying Anna had left with her friends to go eat. On my way to the correct papa johns I called Anna. Got home around 8 pm. I hadn’t planned on eating pizza, but there was plenty for me and Matthew. Watched the Braves and read my book.

TUESDAY: Left work and battled traffic over to downtown Decatur, where I dined with Jeff Yearwood and Harriet Clardy, the retired GT Baptist Center secretary. Jeff still works as a real estate lawyer near Gwinnett Place Mall, as still serves in his hometown church in Concord, GA. Harriet is the youngest resident in her retirement home across from the VA Hospital near Decatur. She lines up speakers for their weekly chapel service, and is in regular contact with Charles Qualls and Fred O.

We ate at Ted’s Montana Grille. I had a delicious beef hamburger with a slice of ham and fried egg. One of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten. Didn’t get home until 10 pm. Missed the game but watched the post-game. Went to bed very tired and slept until 2:30 am, then was wide awake for over an hour. Finally got back to sleep. On the way to work I grabbed a diet Mountain Dew to charge my batteries. I’ll go to bed early tonight.    

WEDNESDAY: Left work, stopped by the cleaners and a car repair place. Got on 400 northbound up in Cumming and hit gridlocked traffic. Made it to the Dawsonville outlets and tried on the Pumas I’d been looking at. Grabbed a burrito at Moes on my way out of town, stopped at Goodwill’s in Cumming and Roswell, and the Stinky Kroger. Finally got home around 8:15. Watched the Braves and the new Duck Dynasty.

Bryan bought an old Airstream trailer. They were fixing it up to use on family vacations. Looks like they’ll use the trailer to promote Bryan ’s movie. Thursday the trailer will be in Roswell for their monthly 5 pm promotion. Since I often get caught in that Roswell traffic I thought I would stop by and see them. Then the trailer is going to Myrtle Beach for the premiere.  

THURSDAY: Checked out a different car repair place, and then backtracked to North Point Mall to determine my jersey size…but no store sells baseball jerseys in the mall. Since I was there I stopped by LensCrafters to see if my new glasses were ready, and they were. Still trying to get used to them. While I was in the area I checked out TJMaxx, then ate a “stack” at the Coleman Road Moes…very good. Cut down to downtown Roswell for their monthly street party, where a friend had parked his Airstream trailer to promote the movie he made with Jeff Foxworthy: “Crackerjack.” Didn’t get home til 9 pm.    

Bryan was busy with interviews and stuff, but had time for a little chat. Bryan said he may speak at local churches to “explain” the movie’s concept, in an effort to keep church’s from disliking the movie. I could see some people objecting to the mascot Jesus costume. When I told Bryan that we weren’t Mazda minivan owners any more, he said they weren’t either: theirs just died on a trip to Florence SC. Didn’t sound like they had decided what to replace it with, but they have a cheap old Ford Explorer to haul the trailer. Bryan says it might die on the trip.

Houston is tall, and is about to turn 13. Last night Houston was the “official photographer.”  I also had a long chat with Bryan ’s sister, who I had met before. She seems to have signed on to help Bryan promote the movie through social media, though she admitted to be a novice. She’ll be traveling with Bryan on the movie tour, which currently is Myrtle Beach, Florence SC, and Wilmington NC.

Back to school photos drive me crazy. Since Will went back to school on July 29 I posted photos and posts about getting the jump on the back to school photo season. I am posting fewer and fewer photos. When I do it is because my mom and Ceil’s parents are on Facebook sometimes I post photos with them )or other specific people) in mind.

Through some market research company I got enrolled in two on-line “communities” that each pay at least $10.00 per month. One is Turtle Wax. I’m supposed to log in at least once per week and comment on discussions, take surveys, etc. I try to log in at least twice a month and make my presence known. Not too hard. Almost has me looking for similar opportunities. I’ve been getting paid in Amazon giftcards, which I’ve been using to treat myself. Bought a few books, but I have a big pile to read. Got a Braves road cap. Been saving up for a Uecker jersey. Also had an old three-finger mitt, some Puma shoes, and a Columbia fishing shirt on the list, but now I’m not sure about any of them.

Someone needs to re-write the old Helen Reddy song “Delta Dawn” about Della Donne’s life. Perhaps that someone will be me.

Usually my family members send me texts when they should know that I’m in my car driving. I think they’re trying to kill me.

Who's on Second?

Gwinnett has had such a revolving door of players this year, the roster has constantly turned over. I’m not too impressed by Leonard. He’s tall, and a decent first and third baseman. Doesn’t strike me as a second-baseman.

Interesting Bradley column on the poor Uggla/Upton at bats with McCann on third. I see Fredi wasted no time inserting Pastornicky and Schafer…surely in response to Bradley’s column.

Perhaps it was the wet field, but it looked like BJ could’ve caught Cole Hamels ball in left center. Tough play, but that’s why the Braves are paying him $75 million. The pitcher gets a triple off a ball in the left-centerfield gap. This is the outfield that John Schuerholz boasted that no ball would get past. Bet Jordan Schafer would’ve caught it. When Hamels scored I knew winning the game would be tough. Took all my might not to Tweet.

Stumbled across a poorly-written (but long) Yahoo Sports article on whether the Braves should keep McCann. I commented on the article, in response to one of the first few comments. Gattis may have hit a rough stretch and has surrendered a few key passed balls, but in the long run should be well worth not having to empty the bank for McCann, whose body is a ticking time bomb. The Braves would find it hard to make an offer somewhere in the range of what the Yankees can pay.

It was almost like the Braves remade their team overnight. You can’t say they are afraid to make a bold move in the middle of the season, even with their huge lead in the standings. Yesterday Mark Bradley hit the nail on the head, writing about Uggla and BJ failing to drive in McCann from third with one out. The big lead gave the Braves the chance to lose Uggla for an extended period of time. After suffering through several years of anemic hitting, having eye surgery right now can only have an upside for Uggla and the Braves.  

Further remaking the lineup, BJ sat and Schafer played. Perhaps we’ll see more of this platoon the rest of the way, easing BJ’s obvious frustration. A few games ago BJ battled with two strikes, working to make contact on every pitch instead of swinging for the fences. But the next night he was back swinging away, a completely different approach. I don’t understand.

Pastornicky filled the bill at second base. I see where Janish came in to replace him late in the game.

The Braves have now won the last four times Medlen started the game. Another quality start. 

Japanese Math

Let me see if I can explain how Japanese children are taught to multiply two two-digit numbers.

36 times 12. Draw three lines, then skip a bit, then 6 lines all going up and down.

Then sideways you got one line, then skip a lot, then 2 more lines.

1. In one corner the one line crosses the first three lines…that’s 3 (or 300)

2. Then the one line crosses the 6 lines…that’s 6 (or 60)

3. Diagonally from the 6 the two lines cross the three lines for 6 more (or 60 more)

4. Then in the other corner the two lines cross the six lines 12 times (or 12 more).

300+ 60 + 60 + 12 = 432

You’re supposed to be able to draw one circle around the first 3 (hundreds), a second long circle around the two groups of 6 each at each corner (tens), and a third circle around the 12 in the other corner (ones).   

Get it?

2013 Shoe Inventory

Hard to believe that I have at least 46 pairs of shoes. Perhaps it’s time to thin the herd. Found a pair of shoes I want, so it’s a good exercise to list all the ones I have. Most are old, some so old they’re only useful for yardwork. Most were bought real cheap. I love to have them around to look at, but they’re piling up. Some are great to wear in winter to keep my feet warm. The past few years during the summer I’ve hardly worn shoes around the house.

puma roma white navy – old yardwork shoes

puma roma white navy: like new, but I never wear - sell

puma brasil white green – old but good-looking

puma suede red white: I never wear - sell

puma soccer red white: rarely worn - sell

puma track blue white: never worn - sell

puma running grey orange: uncomfortable

new balance 993 grey: I run in these

new balance 992 grey USA edition: I run in these

new balance 992 grey – old yardwork shoes

new balance 993 navy, old: worn with warm-ups & jeans

new balance 992 black: I run in these

new balance tennis white navy. Worn with shorts

Nike blazer court grey: rarely worn, but cool

Nike air Jordan white black – old, too large, but fun

Nike basketball high tops white black: rarely worn

Nike free running silver: rarely worn, but cool

Nike air moc low – old: rarely worn, but cool

Nike air moc low - new - sell

Nike air moc high - sell

Nike soccer slides navy: wear at beach or washing car

adidas golf shoes: rarely play golf

adidas coaching shoes blue: rarely wear

adidas coaching shoes black: rarely wear

Reebok coaching shoes black: look great, too small

Reebok fury yellow: too small

Reebok fury black: wintertime house shoe

crocs black: for washing the car, etc

crocs flip flop grey: current every day shoe

Oakley flip flops black: look great, but rarely worn

flip flops brown: wore a lot in 2012

leather sandals: rarely worn

converse chuck taylor low white: don’t look good on me

merrell winter moc brown: rarely worn, but warm

merrell loafers brown: uncomfortable…discard?

timberland loafers brown: great fall/winter shoe

timberland city adventure slip-ons grey: look great but uncomfortable

cole hahn Nike loafers brown: great with jeans or kaikis

cole hahn Nike loafers black – everyday work shoe

ecco chukka boot – black: great in winter with jeans

j crew driving shoes brown: wear with jeans without socks

driving shoes black – discard

church’s black loafers - discard

bass black loafers - discard

black wing tips – old but needed

hunting shoes: in garage if needed

Fear the Dodger?

See a replay of the Rays pulling off the hidden ball trick Saturday? I loved it. Evan Longoria said shortstop Yunel Escobar wants to try it more often. Interesting that the Sunday night announcer said he pulled the trick several times as a junior, but when he got to the majors he didn’t want to show anyone up.     

How much more do the Dodgers spend on player salaries than the Braves? They SHOULD win the World Series. Come playoff time the pressure will be on LA. This week ESPN had Sunday Night baseball advertisements featuring Puig, very similar to the Freddie Freeman ads that ran last week.

Watched some of the Dodgers/Rays game. ESPN loves LA. They had a graphic showing the Braves had the best record in the MLB, but no one would say they were the best team. Curt Schilling said the Dodgers were better, and got Craig Kimbrel’s name wrong. Someone did say that Freddie Freeman had MVP numbers, and that Chris Johnson was helping the Braves cut down on strikeouts. Earlier in the season the Braves were second behind the Astros in strikeouts, but now they’re in the “middle of the pack.” Puig was adored, and his two strikeouts were hardly mentioned. ESPN did show a coach instructing Puig after he missed a suicide squeeze sign.

2013 Bobbleheads

2013 has been the Year of the Bobblehead. By August 29 I hope to have added 13 bobbleheads to my collection:

1. Brandon Beachy

2. Freddie Freeman Gwinnett

3. Freddie Freeman Braves

4. Jason Heyward

5. BJ Upton

6. Kris Medlen

7. Dale Murphy

8. Rafael Furcal

9. Craig Kimbrel Rome bobble-arm

10. Craig Kimbrel Gwinnett

11. Ray Ferraro

12. Manny Sanguillen

13. Evan Gattis
14. Tony Gonzalez
15. Penn State Vintage Football Player
16. Runaway Bride - Gwinnett Gladiators
17. Craig Kimbrel 2012 
18. Pittsburgh Penguin mascot Iceburgh
19. Greg Maddux Las Vegas Toros
20. Bob Uecker 2012 Braves/Brewers
21. Moe

Prediction for 2014 Atlanta Braves bobbleheads: Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, and Andrelton Simmons. And perhaps one alumni bobblehead.

More Hample

It is hilarious that Johnny is such a ballhawk. He is well up to speed on Hample. At the Blue Jays game Johnny called the kid a Hample disciple. When you're at a batting practice it is so crowded you almost have to be aggressive to get a ball (both Johnny and my Will are aggressive, though John's friend Marshal isn't as much). But the really over-aggressive people really stand out. For some reason I read Sample’s blog post about Turner Field, and knew the AJC article would be coming out. I wonder if Johnny recognized Hample at that game. During the game Hample was mainly at the third base dugout, and Johnny sits in that area.

We had a good time at the Gwinnett game. Pete Orr was a man among boys. Laird got beat up, taking a ball off his knee. An IronPigs speedster scored from second on a passed ball, almost catching up with the runner ahead of him. No rain, and not too hot. Didn't realize that Mejia had 28 home runs.

Saturday night at Turner Field the Johnson Ferry Baptist adult choir sang the anthem, and there was buzz on Facebook about which choir member was to blame for the loss. I think the youth choir has also sung the anthem this season. At Gwinnett last night for the 7th Inning Stretch a local pastor sang God Bless America. He did a good job, but completely croaked on the last note. He kinda laughed about it, but you could tell he was disappointed. Reid bought Lang's son a tiny G-Braves cap.

Road Trip

Stumbled across a Dodge dealership in Kellogg, Idaho giving away a Dart. The catch was you had to pick the car there at the dealership. I suppose it would be worth it to fly out to Idaho to pick up the car and drive it back. Would make for an interesting road trip. I found myself daydreaming about possible routes home. Below are three possibilities: a direct route, a west coast route, and a northern route. Which would you choose?

miles/hours/west coast

350…05.0…Seattle (Friday)

800…12.5…San Francisco/Oakland (Saturday)

380…05.5…Los Angeles/Anaheim (Sunday)

120…02.0…San Diego (Monday)

330…04.8…Las Vegas (Tuesday)

275…04.5…Grand Canyon (Wednesday)

230…03.5…Phoenix (Wednesday)

999…15.0…Dallas/Arlington (Thursday & Friday)

555…08.0…Kansas City (Saturday)

250…03.8…St. Louis (Sunday)

550…08.2…Atlanta (Monday)

4430 miles…65 hours…118 gallons…$444.00

miles/hours/northern

835…12.5…Mount Rushmore (Wednesday)

600…09.0…Minneapolis/St. Paul (Thursday)

280…04.5…Green Bay (Friday)

120…02.0…Milwaukee (Friday)

100…02.0…Chicago (Saturday)

300…04.5…St. Louis (Sunday)

550…08.2…Atlanta (Monday)

2785…43 hours…75 gallons…$280.00

miles/hours/direct

515…08.0…Jackson Hole (Tuesday)

280…04.8…Salt Lake City (Wednesday)

540…07.8…Denver (Thursday)

600…08.5…Kansas City (Friday)

250…03.8…St. Louis (Saturday)

550…08.2…Atlanta (Sunday)

2735 miles…41 hours…73 gallons…$275.00

Mind Games

Practicing typing and regaining that skill will be like working a puzzle to your brain, and keep your mind sharp. Supposedly there are websites you can go to and work certain puzzles that exercises your brain.

Mark Cuban went on Jay Leno and complained about MLB commissioner Bed Selig and all his henchmen, who apparently shut Cuban out of the bidding for first the Cubs, then the Rangers. I think he bid on the Dodgers as well. Each time Cuban was willing to overpay, but baseball didn’t want him as an owner. Guess they were adverse to all his new fan-friendly ideas. Too bad.

Wednesday night Ceil cooked BBQ chicken, potatoes, salad, apple pie, and homemade vanilla ice cream. I passed on the potatoes and watched the Braves. Made some air-popped popcorn.

Thursday night Ceil cooked homemade pizza, with healthy dough made from scratch in her breadmaker. Very light and crispy crust. We drove out to the new outlets just north of Woodstock, that had just opened a few weeks ago. Closer for us than Dawsonville, Commerce, Calhoun, or Locust Grove. Includes Nike, New Balance, adidas, Puma, Crocs, Converse, Under Armor, Clarks, Ecco, Columbia, Famous Footwear…all stores I like. Probably a Nautica there as well. When we got home Anna was watching a campy new beach movie on the Disney Channel, made up to be like those old beach movies like Giget.

Finishing up Ryan O’Neal’s book “Both of Us: My Life With Farrah.” Hard to find good books on CD these days for my ride in the car. I have some reserved, but have to fill in with some less desirable books when I can’t get the good ones. I need to go high-tech and download books onto my phone or laptop.

Letter to Roger

Roger Goodell

Commissioner

National Football League

280 Park Avenue

15th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Dear Sir,

Two uniform ideas to consider:

Allow both teams to wear colored jerseys, if there is enough contrast between the two. Denver orange vs. Oakland black. Chiefs red vs. Colts blue. Before games were televised both teams often wore colored jerseys, but couldn’t once the games were broadcast in black & white. Now virtually all TV’s are color, so it’s time to make the game more colorful.

Many teams break out throwback uniforms once or twice a year, and look great. Have teams schedule throwback games against teams that can also wear throwback uniforms. Atlanta’s black throwbacks playing Tampa Bay’s “creamsickle” orange throwbacks, for instance. It wouldn’t be too hard for Nike to supply white throwback jerseys. When a team wears lovely throwback uniforms against another team’s modern-day uni’s (like the Seahawks) the throwbacks lose their luster.  

As a fan I applaud the NFL’s effort to make uniforms consistent from player to player.

I’m looking forward to another great season!

Sincerely,

David

Zack Hample: Ball Collector

I happened to look up Zack Hample’s blog a week or so ago. He had a post about being interviewed by the AJC, with lots of photos. He has no problem breaking rules, disobeying authority figures, pushing people out of the way, and being rude to get what he wants. Isn’t that what’s wrong with America? Guys like him may be invisible to most fans, but they sure get in the way of lots of people, treating the ballpark as their personal playground. At one game we observed a teenager during batting practice scampering about, decked out in a Blue Jays shirt and cap. Later during the game he had changed clothes and was moving from one side of the field to the other based on whether the batter was left-handed or right-handed. He must’ve walked ten miles that night, and I never saw him get a ball.

Zack Hample seems to have carved out a life he enjoys…good for him. He maintains a detailed blog, and evidently a Wikipedia page (who else would update it?). He is 35 years old and unmarried. Hample is sponsored by a sunflower seed company, and people donate to charity for every ball he collects. So at least he’s having some sort of positive impact.   

Did the article mention where he gets the money to travel across the country like he does? I may not be in second place behind him, but Charles’ friend John probably catches more balls than any other Braves fan. As a season-ticket holder, he’s at most games, and usually gets at least one ball every game. His basement is like a baseball museum, with balls, bats, bobbleheads, baseball cards, etc. A few weeks ago he was chasing a ball at the Rome Braves game, slipped, and broke his wrist. He said it will cost him 50 balls.

More on the HBP: There was also a war of words between the official twitter accounts of the Nationals and Braves, which was interesting. Mark Bradley wrote about it. One Braves fan replied to the Nationals about being below .500.

Gold Glove: First Base

Last year the Gold Glove for first basemen was awarded to another National, Adam LaRoche. With the Nationals now 14-1/2 games back and the Braves in first place, perhaps this is the year Freddie Freeman takes told of the prize. Unfortunately he will have plenty of competition, from the Diamondbacks Paul Goldschmidt, the Cubs Anthony Rizzo, Dodgers Adrian Gonzalez, and LaRoche.

PL….GS.…INN..….TC..…PO…..A…E….FP…DP

PG…109…986.1…1062..1001…57…4…996…80

AR…111…991.2…1019.…919…96…4…996…81

AL….103…906.2.…903….842.…54…7…992…79

FF……98…876.2.…923….839…76…8…991…77

AG…105…916.2….976….900.…67…9…991…90

Games Started, Innings Played, Total Chances, Assists, Errors, Fielding Percentage, Double Plays

Party for Charles

Typical weekend. Friday evening Anna went off to a party, and slept over at the Hargreaves. I drove C and M over to the Dekalb Farmers Market, where we ate in their cafeteria. Ceil loves it, and Matthew got to eat wings. I had beef lasagna, chili, and squash casserole. All the food looks good, but is made with foreign spices that make it taste quite unappealing. After we ate I read my book while Ceil shopped. Got home and watched the end of the Braves game

Saturday M woke up at 7:30 am, showered, and got dressed up. I cleaned up some upstairs, and shortly after 10 am drove M up to pick up his friend Sarah, who was spending the day at our house. Later Ceil took them shopping. I watched the Braves and paid bills. Ceil cooked a lasagna type dish, but Anna ate cheesy noodles and Matthew found something else to eat..

Sunday afternoon Ceil and I went over to the Norman’s for Charles’ graduation party. We had just missed Fred O and Cindy, but saw Dale and Ruth McClain. Had a nice long chat with Ashley Corbitt. Saw David, Joel, and Willis Norman, who I hadn’t seen in a long time. Willis had considered going to China as a missionary. Also in attendance were the Arasmiths, Connor Smith’s family, DJ, Isaac, and the recently-engaged Josiah.

Connor Smith will be playing basketball at Oglethorpe this winter. The Stormy Petrels lost six players from last years’ team. They had recruited Connor for two years, so perhaps he’ll have a chance to play right away. This summer he worked at the Johnson Ferry recreation ministry and played for a men’s league team comprised of former college players. They went to Valdosta to play in a prison, and several of the players shared their testimonies. Connor’s dad said he learned a lot from the guys on the men’s team, and had really matured as a player over the past year up at his prep school in North Carolina. I was telling Connor, the Oglethorpe basketball player who worker at Johnson Ferry, how I used to hang out with Danny Downing when he was in high school. He also knows little Joe Girardeau from Johnson Ferry.  

Sunday night Ceil cooked bacon, eggs, and grits for supper. I watched just about every pitch of the Braves game. Didn’t even change the channel to look at the Dolphins new uniforms.

I’m starting to feel like the guy in the movie “Fever Pitch”, checking the Braves schedule every time I have to be somewhere else. Tonight we have a cookout / sales meeting at my boss’ boss’ house in downtown Norcross. Should be good food.

A couple of years ago Will bought himself a kick butt outdoorsman backpack while he was working a Camp Highland. Took it everywhere, had Ceil sew a Georgia “G” patch on it. Lately he’s been going to yard sales, and he bought this OLD red Jansport backpack. Kinda out of style, but it had a generic Bulldogs patch sewn on it. For some reason he likes the old red one better than the newer hi-tech grey backpack.

This weekend Will went shopping at Kroger and realized he needed a pot. He could buy one pot for ten bucks, but instead bought a whole set for $25.00. Now he’s set for life.

Dock is a pretty good guy. Passion has a guest speaker as well: Jeff Henderson, who used to be the lead pastor at Buckhead Church. Now he’s the lead pastor at North Point’s Gwinnett Church.

Andy & Louie

As I might’ve said before, there are plenty of differences between Andy and Louie. It always amazes me how every word Andy speaks and writes and tweets is so well thought out. People are drawn to Louie because he is so much more open and inviting, which makes him more prone to tweets like that. Similar to the inauguration flap, which Andy would’ve been much less likely to get caught in. I’m much more of an Andy person, not that I am good at measuring my own words.  

  

People don’t need to forget how fortunate they are. I sure wouldn’t mind walking a mile to be able to travel all the places that Louie goes. I’m not sure how all that goes down.

I also read that Five Worst Sports Cities pictorial. Besides the nice photo of the old Atlanta Flames player, I wasn’t too impressed. What percentage of the year are sports fans depressed because none of their teams did not win the World Series/Super Bowl/Stanley Cup/NBA Championship? Seems like there are plenty of Braves and Falcons fans right now that are quite happy with their teams.

Perhaps a better determination of “Worst Sports Cities” would be an aggregate of where the teams finished in the standings. Los Angeles may be a great NBA town, but apparently they are a terrible NFL town.

Having enjoyed this winning streak, my small concern is if the Braves are peaking too early. Still, many Braves players have a long way to go to return to top form. I rarely listen to 680 (but that may temporarily change, my Civic’s CD player just went out), but Chuck Oliver was mentioning how come playoff time Pittsburgh’s ballpark is going to be loud, after years and years of losing seasons. Not sure if the Pirates trouncing of the Cardinals this week is more from Pittsburgh ’s dominance than the Cardinals hitting a low spot. Both have recently suffered injuries to key players.

Centerfield Grass Not Always Greener

During the past off-season there was a great debate whether the Braves had missed out on getting The Next Great Centerfielder. Division rivals Washington and Philadelphia quickly traded for youngsters Span and Revere , leaving noted hacker BJ Upton to the Braves. Other wished for the over-the-hill Shane Victorino or the high-priced Coors Field-enhanced stats of Dexter Fowler. Instead the Braves signed Astros-castoff Jordan Schafer almost as an afterthought. No one dreamed that by signing BJ, the Braves would be able to then trade for brother Justin. And with the advent of rookie slugger Evan Gattis, incumbent Jason Heyward, and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Reed Johnson, suddenly the Braves were suddenly overflowing with outfield talent.

Is the grass greener on the other side? Based on his price, Fowler was deemed out of reach. As the late May/early June statistics below suggest, Fowler has had a good month. But other potential Braves actually fared worse during this stretch. Boston ’s Victorino and media-darling Bryce Harper suffered injuries.

player…avg…OBP..SLG..OPS…R….H…HR..BI…BB…K

Gattis….289…389…778..1167…10…13…7..17….6.…9

Fowler…375…464…531…996…25…36...2…10..14…16

Schafer..324…410…471…881.….7…11…1…6.....5…10

BJUpton.206…308…441…749.….8…14…5…9…10…25

Harper…231…355…385…729.…4…..6…1….1….5.…6

Revere…313…340…364…703…11…31…0…3….4…10

D.Span…231…265…361…627...10…25…0…7….5…13

Victorino.265…324…294…618.…4….9….0….0….3.…4

JUpton…200…292…280…527…13…20…2…9…13…37

The full season statistics (through mid-June) tell a similar story below. Fans forget that much more important than statistics is where the teams rank in the standings. Individual players can slump or miss time due to injuries, but as long as their team is in first place they can work through the slump or take time to heal.

player…avg…OBP..SLG..OPS…R….H…HR..RBI…BB…K

Gattis….256…322…588…910…24…41…14…37…14…40

Fowler…301…397…494…891…47…72…10…26…33…57

JUpton…250…359…483…842…44…60…15…32…41…80

Schafer..302…402…438…839…17…29.…2.….9…16…28

Victorino.277…335…348…684…24…43.…2…10…13…20

Span……256…312…349…661…26…66.…0…18…20…37

Revere…271…309…308…617…25…60.…0.….8…12…27

BJUpton.166…264…312…576…17…33.…8…15…25…74

Unlike the Nats and Phils, the Braves gave up little to acquire all four outfielders, factoring in Martin Prado’s looming free-agency and Randall Delgado’s far from stellar rookie year. Perhaps Frank Wren was right after all.

Silver Slugging Pitchers

The Silver Slugger Award is voted on by managers and coaches. Last year Stephen Strasburg won the award as the top hitting pitcher in the National League. This year he’s not doing as well as four of the Braves’ starting pitchers. Last night Julio Teheran collected a single, double, and RBI – but both Kris Medlen and Tim Hudson have even better numbers. Even Mike Minor’s numbers are slightly better than Strasburg’s. Will a Braves pitcher win the Silver Slugger? Not sure I should hold my breath. 

PL..AVG…OBP..SLG..OPS..H..2B..HR..BI..BB..K

KM…206…250…324…574…7…1…1…2…2…13

TH….158…238…263…501…6…1…1…3…4…14

JT…..195…233…220…452..10..2…0…2…2…12

MM…146…167…244…411…6…1…1…6…1…16

SS….147…171…206…377…5…2…0…1…1…14

Third baseman Chris Johnson leads the league in hitting with a .346 average. Next week I’ll research what his Silver Slugger chances are.

Stay Away, BJ

BJ "blames" the umpire for too many called strikes. Most players, from high school on up, learn the strike zone for that night and accept it. There's not much else to do, because arguing doesn't help. In many cases arguing hurts. Any batter in BJ's situation can only improve by trying to hit the ball where it's pitched, and protecting the plate with two strikes. Until BJ starts making contact he will continue in the same funk he is in.

Do players still want to hit home runs because home run hitters get paid better than singles hitters? I've said this before: It continues to amaze me that players like BJ try to hit home runs at the expense of making contact, hitting singles, and trying to reach base when the team needs baserunners. And don't teams ALWAYS need baserunners? Why is Chris Johnson hitting .340? Because he hits to all fields. He makes the most out of what the pitcher is giving him. Chris doesn't try to hit home runs, but every now and then they comes. So do the doubles and triples.

Is Chris Johnson a more mature hitter than BJ Upton? Knowing less of his background than I do BJ's, I would say so. In his first game in Gwinnett, BJ went 0-3 (strike out, ground out, fly out).

On August 1st the lead is up to 11 games. ESPN is slowly starting to take notice, saying that "the experts" "may have been wrong" about both the Braves and Nationals. Tim Kurkjian admitted he might have been wrong. Perhaps they're gearing up for the big "I told you so" should the Braves eventually falter. On radio last night Jim Powell and Don Sutton spent time talking about the faltering Nationals, wondering if the dismal first half has given way to an even more frustrating second half. Nats manager Davy Johnson says he's standing by his spring training "World Series or bust" boast, though Washington made no moves at the trade deadline. Reporters are starting to ask Nationals players what's wrong, which pours salt on their wounds. Bryce Harper hasn't given up, pointing to the nine head-to-head games the Nats have remaining with the Braves.

Nice that the Braves played so well Wednesday night that several starters were pulled: Freeman, McCann, Minor, and others. Freeman went 4-4 with a walk. Johnson has reeled off six straight multi-hit games, after getting a single and a walk last Thursday in New York. Another quality start: five in the last six games.

Just in: August 29 is Evan Gattis bobblehead night in Gwinnett. I'd been thinking about taking in the Indians that night at Turner Field, but this changes my plans.

Big news…Drunk Ted Turner just followed me!

I always wonder about if any of the Braves get involved in that Biogenesis stuff. You'd hope not Beachy or Kimbrel, who seem to have good heads. Did you see the ESPN interview with Kimbrel during the home run derby? Nice that he got to promote his good works. Gattis is too new and too strong, and after his period of substance abuse stays away from the stuff.

On the Road AGAIN

Had an interesting Wednesday evening. Left work at 4:45. Stopped by Ace Hardware to get a new key made for the CRV. Took about 45 minutes for the guy to get it right. Then traffic was worse going home. Ceil called, and was having trouble with her ATM card. I was almost home, but had to drive up to the Johnson Ferry Publix. Had to wait in line to get money at the ATM, then drop it off at Publix. Didn't get home until 6:45.

Ceil says that even though Will just went to Athens on Monday, he is driving home because he needed his original Social Security card and birth certificate. Fortunately, I didn't have them in a safe deposit box. Unfortunately, since items like that would surely get lost in our house, I keep them at work. Sure would've been nice to have known Will needed them BEFORE I left work.

Ceil went to Publix, then Whole Foods, so she didn't get home until 7:30. Ceil forgot hamburger buns, so I had to go back to Kroger. On the way I passed Will driving up to the house.

By the time I returned with the buns (after 8 pm) Will was ready to leave. He had a friend riding with him that needed the same info, who lived in Roswell. I drove straight to work, ran in, and retrieved the needed documents. Backtracking toward his friend's house off Old Alabama, I found traffic on Old Milton gridlocked due to a westbound water main break AND eastbound motorcycle accident. Met Will and gave him the documents, stopped by the bank, and got gas. By the time I got home it was almost 10 pm.