biggentleben

Eh, no. The Braves have been blessed with some cerebral guys - Greg or Smoltz would make a great pitching coach, Chipper would make a good hitting coach, but Eddie is that kind of guy who just KNOWS the game. People were saying when he was early in his career that Eddie would someday be a major league manager. I'm also wary of the money it'd require to get Maddux to sit full time on the bench managing. He is arguably the most intelligent pitcher of my lifetime, though, so he'd be a tremendous asset with their current roster.

I'm drafting #12 and #13 tonight and tomorrow night. And I've dialed way back this year due to taking over as commish for an amazingly in-depth dynasty league that requires a lot of my time.

All equally subjective retorts with no evidence to back anything that you claimed. Typical expected response. I guess we'll just leave it at that.

It's the Willie McGee way to win. McGee won the NL batting title despite being traded midseason to Oakland in 1990 because giving him an 0-fer on the rest of his ABs needed to qualify still had him hitting better than anyone else in the NL did that year. All the more reason to cheer for Andrew McCutchen, currently at .345 to Melky's .346.

Did someone miss nap time this morning? Awwwww.... No, there is just not another team I despise more then the Braves: 1. Georgia is a cesspool of scumbags, rednecks and racists. Atlanta is even worse, have never visited such an awful city in all my life. The only redeeming quality the state has is Athens, and the water. 2. Ted Turner is one of the 5 douchiest owners in all of sports (and that is saying something) 3. The fans are the worst. 1. The Braves originated in Boston and played there for 70 years before moving to Milwaukee for 15 years and then to Atlanta. The team is no more Georgia than Evander Holyfield. 2. Ted Turner has not been the owner of the team in the 2000s, so that's a very poorly placed sentiment. 3. I could easily name 10-15 worse fan groups in baseball. Of course, you not liking the area likely skews any rational discussion you could have for the fans.

Wow, no. Mike Minor is an up and coming lefty who has been arguably the best pitcher on the Braves in the second half of the season. Very different pitchers.

The issue I have is exactly why Upton is available. Gibson is a very brash manager, and because few pitchers are ever "stars", that will work out fine with his pitchers, but he seems to bristle "stars", and that goes back to his time as a coach in Detroit as well. Right now, outside of Upton, they don't have a "star" player, but they have a solid lineup with Montero, Goldschmidt, Hill, Young, and Kubel. It will be interesting to see how the pitching matures with the lineup already in their "prime" years. I do like Kevin Towers' ability to get maximum value for a player when he trades, so if he does move Upton, I have a feeling there would be a very good return for the team.

The NL East has its moments but in no way can it be compared to the AL East. If the BoSox continue to falter and the Phillies rebound quickly (unlikely), that could change going forward but historically, the two divisions aren't even that close. The AL East has two of the top four spending teams in baseball and the best small market team in the game. The NL East has Philadelphia and a consistently solid Atlanta franchise. I will agree with this, but I will say that in the wild card era, 4 of the NL East's teams have appeared in the World Series, while only three from the AL East have, with 3 winning it from the NL East and only 2 winning from the AL East. The AL East has been very good at the top, but the NL East has had moments for every team in the division seemingly (nevermind that without the 94 strike, we might be discussing the Expos 1994 WS appearance as well). The AL East has absolutely had more overall success, but it's been very highly focused since the divisions have been at their current state.

Did someone miss nap time this morning? Awwwww....

I believe he could be. They will have the money to make a major splash somewhere. Their openings will be CF and LF/3B (depending on where Prado plays) and while they don't need a starter, the opportunity to get an "ace" would be huge. They have big money to use on those openings and extending guys like Prado, Heyward, Kimbrel, Freeman, etc. (Mind you, big money for them, not big money for about 3/4 of the league now) They could certainly bring back Bourn, but they won't go 5 years on any free agent, so that could mean no Upton and no Greinke, but Bourn could go for a very solid 4 year deal around $55-60M with an option for a vesting 5th year (Frank Wren will only go beyond his "normal" years when it's a vesting option, not a player or team option). Without Bourn, they're definitely out of the Hamilton race and no way could they afford the money David Wright will get, though he has made some overtures to how much he loves the organization this year (which would allow Prado to stay in left). The best option would be to use their depth in MLB-ready pitching to acquire a CF and 3B/LF or sign a Cody Ross-esque guy for a short term signing if they believe Gattis or Terdoslavich would be ready sometime in 2013.

This is an area where I can be of assistance. LOL! Technically, Arizona and Anaheim would be first alphabetically, but I'll take it! The Braves are one of the youngest teams in MLB. They have a ton of youth in the lineup and rotation. Their biggest issue is a manager with some of the most poor decisions in MLB this year. When Bobby V makes the comment "I don't know another manager who would do that in that spot." while reviewing your game, you know you're in trouble. I can go position by position quickly if you'd like... Catcher - Brian McCann is having an out of character poor season, led primarily by a horrid BABIP this year. He has been one of the most consistent catchers in all of baseball the last 5 years, but he is also coming on 30 years of age and doesn't have a great body for long-term success at catcher. He is a free agent after 2013 (the Braves will most likely pick up his 2013 option), and that will lead to an interesting decision for the team. Christian Bethancourt is arguably the best defensive catcher in all of professional baseball, but his bat has progressed slowly. He is young, and he doesn't strike out an absurd amount, so it's more about pitch recognition, but at this point, his profile is beginning to look like a poor man's Yadi Molina, which isn't bad, but isn't quite the Yadi-plus everyone was assuming he'd be long term. Infield - Freddie Freeman strikes out too much, but that's basically the only knock on his development in his second year. Dan Uggla has aged quickly in Atlanta, and he may be trade bait if any other team would step up with interest. If he fills his contract in Atlanta, he'll likely be moved off of 2B. Chipper will retire this year at the hot corner, ending 20 years of stellar play and one of the best switch-hitters of all time. Juan Francisco has played poorly in the field in spot duty, but when given back-to-back starts this season, he's been a very solid hitter and played good defense as well. More than likely Martin Prado will move back in to 3B. Andrelton Simmons flashed an amazing glove before his freak injury this year, and he should be a fixture at SS with a very solid upside with the bat for many years to come. He has been compared to a young Omar Vizquel, and that could be a great thing if you're the Braves for the next 10+ seasons. The Braves minor league system actually has a ton of depth up the middle, including solid 2B and SS prospects in their low minors, but the guy to keep an eye on for the 2013 squad is Joey Terdoslavich, who has a very smooth line drive swing when he's going right that could produce a high average hitter with 15-20 homers and 30+ doubles. He is still learning 3B and rough around the edges, but he's made big strides this year. Outfield - Jason Heyward has recovered from his injury riddled 2011 to produce a 20/20 season in 2012. He has played tremendous defense in RF, and he may find himself moving to CF next year depending on how things work with Michael Bourn in free agency. Bourn has showed surprising power in 2012, but he's done so while having a drastically higher strikeout rate than any season in his past. Because of a likely 13+M price tag, the Braves may let Bourn walk in free agency and trade for a replacement or move Heyward over to CF. Martin Prado has produced a very good season this year in left, but he's likely destined to the infield in 2013. The Braves have a number of solid young outfielders in lower minors, but only Evan Gattis, who has one of the better stories in baseball, is in the upper levels with a chance to move to the big club in a starting role in 2013. Gattis is a power monster, but his contact is streaky. His back story is similar to Josh Hamilton's, and many have compared them in their production offensively as well, both nearly unstoppable when on and hard to keep on the field when they're off. Rotation - The Braves have a ridiculous amount of pitching depth, but they lack a true ace. They may make a move for someone like Zack Greinke in the free agent market to head their rotation this offseason and use their depth to trade for a CF if they cannot resign Bourn. The Braves will have veterans Tim Hudson and Paul Maholm leading the rotation with young guns Mike Minor, Randall Delgado, Tommy Hanson, Kris Medlen, Julio Teheran, and Sean Gilmartin competing for other spots in the rotation. Jair Jurrjens is almost certainly going to be non-tendered, and Ben Sheets' success has likely given him the chance to price himself beyond the Braves' price range, unless he chooses to give a drastic discount again like he did this year. Bullpen - This is an area of major depth for the Braves. Craig Kimbrel is arguably the best right handed reliever in baseball right now, and when Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty are on, they're among the best back ends in the entire game. They're also all three well rested this year after being overused going into September last season. The Braves are also rich with bullpen arms along the way in the minors and the starters who don't find their way into the rotation can contribute in the bullpen as well. Minors - The Braves have focused on up-the-middle offensive players, high-upside/high-risk right handed pitchers, and pitch-to-contact lefties. Their system has a ton of depth in pitching and middle infielders right now, though there are not the top-level prospects of the last few years as many of them have graduated to the major league roster and are contributing. Management - The Braves made a change to Fredi Gonzalez after Bobby Cox's retirement, and his seat is currently very hot, in spite of the team's success in his tenure. Many players have been pushing for Eddie Perez, the former Atlanta backup catcher and current bullpen coach, to take the reigns, and something may happen in that area this offseason. The team took the unusual approach of hiring a dual hitting coach approach, hiring Greg Walker and Scott Fletcher away from the White Sox after the Braves went from the top team in the NL in walk percentage in 2010 to second-to-last in 2011 under Larry Parrish. The results have been very good, especially with youngsters like Heyward and Freeman, though with high strikeouts along with the higher BB rate this year. Roger McDowell is a solid pitching coach, working especially well with the bullpen and young starters. Ownership/financial set up - Liberty Media has drastically cut the Braves spending, which has been going down drastically for nearly a decade since Ted Turner sold away his beloved Braves when AOL/Time Warner merged. Liberty has kept the payroll right around $90M for the last number of seasons. The word in Atlanta is that the Braves will be seeing a payroll in the $95-100M next season, which with the contracts coming off the books and the arbitration cases added, should leave $25-35M available for free agents and/or contract extensions. The Braves are in a very good spot with young players leading the roster and good payroll flexibility. Their biggest issue seemingly would be the Washington Nationals, who have built a tremendous load of young players and are willing to spend big on some solid free agents as needed, likely pursuing guys like Michael Bourn, BJ Upton, and Josh Hamilton, all guys who will likely be out of the Braves' spending range, which could be their biggest competitive detriment in the next 3-5 years.

You'll be banned because you're constantly ripping the leadership of the message board and obviously haven't learned anything from your time away, nothing to do with partisan politics.

That's just above and beyond. Duly flagged. Did some people not read what has been posted by the core of the group running the board? Libertarian themes are more likely than not. Some righties, some lefties. The point is to have a flow of ideas on the board. If they want to post like they have been, then there are places like Yahoo. I agree. It's been ridiculous going for the "shock comment" factor. Not so much for idea flow.

Hmmmm...plenty of thieves in each of those industries, but I'm sure that's what you were going for

That's just above and beyond. Duly flagged.

Once again, sense...you're making none. These have nothing whatsoever to do with each other, but good try in attempting to equate them.

Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon, dead at 82.

Jerry Nelson, Muppet and Sesame Street Puppeteer, famous for his work as the puppeteer and voice of "The Count" on Sesame Street, dead at 72

Right hand, Red

Tommy Hanson for Denard Span base of a deal. Let the minions work out the details. Get it done!

Yep. It'd be nice to see someone have the courage to cross the aisle and sit down with an opposing individual and have a real conversation about how to fix the social system. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening in this political climate. Everyone is too busy drawing dividing lines in the sand so they can appeal to their base without looking "weak", as if approaching a situation and attempting to compromise with the other side in improving this country is "weak". It should be viewed as just the opposite but that's not the world we live in. Many have, in fact, they're built into every title II or title XVI program. You work, you still get some benefits. The problem is that there is little to no money going toward those who have to provide the excess training to the uneducated and/or working disabled, so employers have minimal incentive to hire that person and promote them, especially when a simple cart-pusher at Wal-mart working part time costs that Wal-mart store over $2,000 just to hire, drug test, and train, and then they could just not enjoy the job and leave. It's much, much worse if there are any provided health/vacation benefits with willingness to bring on someone who is actively using something like Vocational Rehabilitation Services. My job for nearly a decade now has focuse in one way or another with finding employment for different marginalized groups (DD and mental health primarily), and I get no incentive for placing someone, the rules to claim any payment from the federal or state funds for the training I do provide are ridiculous, and employers simply do not want to hire someone working with a job coach.

This is all conjecture, of course, considering we're in the midst of the most prolific 200- and 300-win eras in the history of the game. For instance, check out the 300 game winners by era: There have been 24 300-game winners in the ~135 year history of professional baseball... 9 from pre-1910: (Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Pud Galvin, Kid Nichols, Tim Keefe, John Clarkson, Eddie Plank, Old Hoss Radbourn, Mickey Welch) 3 from 1910-1945: (Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Lefty Grove) 3 from 1945-1975: (Warren Spahn, Early Wynn, Gaylord Perry) 6 from 1975-1990: (Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Tom Seaver) 4 from 1990-2010: (Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson) 2010 really starts another era of baseball as we’ve seen a drastic change in the game around that point, so we’ll see what the current generation brings, but we’re right at normal for an era of 300-game winners. The feat is very rare, so we shouldn’t expect to see more than 1-2 in a lifetime, yet for most on this forum, we’ve seen at least 4 pitch, and I’ve been blessed to watch games of nearly half of the entire 300-game winners in my lifetime. This era has been one of the most prolific in producing 300-game winners since Babe Ruth was taking cuts. Guys like Sabathia or Halladay, if they get to that number, would also count toward the pre-2010 range as they accumulated most of their wins before 2010, so there's a legit possibility to see more 300 game winners in the lifetime of someone who is 30 than their great-grandparent did in his/her lifetime.

Rizzo said the doctors advised him to lets Strasburg's arm rest for a certain amount of time. That's why they're not skipping his starts. Because of the action of his arm and the veracity that he exudes when throwing, starting and stopping could be more dangerous to his arm than just shutting down. I've always thought moving him to a David Price-esque role down the stretch could be best for him without losing him for all of the playoffs.

Did they have a comfy lead in June and July? I thought things were a little tighter then. I don't really remember, though. I don't think anyone has pressured them in quite some time but admittedly, I don't follow the NL East on a daily basis. I'm sure Ben knows. He's a Braves fan. It was fairly tight into the All-Star break, with 3 teams within 5 games of each other, but no one has been within 2 games of the team (the Braves have been 2 games behind as recent as 8/4). Most of August was played with a 3-4 game distance with the Nats and Braves, but their recent series put the Nats up 6.5 coming into today.

The way Stras goes max effort and high velo, the worst thing would be to stop and try to start again. If anything, they'd move him to the bullpen. You don't stop and go full on again, that'd be very dangerous to the arm.