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I'm not going to even stop and doubt Spiezio's signing. Frank Wren has proven that he can do no wrong. I just think it's hilarious that LaRussa can be a drunk embarassment and still have a job in St. Louis while Spiezio does the same and he gets the boot. Well, Spiezio did wreck his car in someone's yard, and he left the scene of an accident but c'mon now ... throwing up in your neighbor's home AND beating the crap out of him? -- we've all done that at least once. And if you haven't, you should definitely put it on the things-to-do-before-you-die list.

Right now the Braves are losing 5-4. I know it's extremely early in the season but the bullpen looks a bit shaky.
UPDATE: Dinger off Acosta. 8-4. %#@!!!
UPDATE 2: I'm glad I didn't stay up for that mess of a game.

QUICK PROMO:
Kyle over at The Tomahawk is running a great site full of Braves news. It's created by Braves fans for Braves fans. Make sure to head over there and bookmark it.

Baseball

So the Braves lost 3-2. I didn't catch much of the game but I did see McCann get thrown out at 2nd. The season has officially started: McCann is slow, Chipper and Tex swung big bats, and the bullpen blew it in the 9th. Huzzah!

Kelly Johnson is a cog

Those are the words from SI.com fantasy preview:
Love this guy. Johnson is a complete and well-balanced player hitting at the top of a good lineup, and [...] he can be a cog on a championship-caliber fantasy roster.

So why the bleep are Braves players getting drafted so low in fantasy leagues?

In fantasy or reality, the Braves are severely underrated. While drafting my teams in six separate fantasy leagues (don't judge me, you're in more leagues than I am) I noticed that, except for Mark Teixeira, most Braves players are getting drafted very, VERY low.

Chipper put up MVP-type numbers last year and is getting drafted around the 4th or 5th round. McCann is probably the best offensive catcher in the NL and is getting no respect along with BFF Frenchy.

From ESPN.com:
- Jeff Francoeur, OF, Braves. In today's sabermetric-obsessed game, it's hard to find a fantasy owner who trusts a free swinger. You'll hear them recall the days of Rob Deer, who could belt 30 home runs but otherwise kill your team batting average with their strikeout-prone ways. Still, while most free swingers wind up doomed to that kind of career path, there are exceptions to the rule. Vladimir Guerrero and Alfonso Soriano, for instance, are truly special hitters, and Francoeur, with the similar athleticism he brings to the table, fits that classification.

Another guy is Smoltz. Sure he is old, bald as a cue ball, and was recently placed on the 15-day DL... but the dude can pitch.

- John Smoltz, SP, Braves. It's not so much that no one gives Smoltz due credit; it's that they don't give him enough credit, at least not in fantasy. The baseball pundits are already chattering about Smoltz's Hall of Fame chances, but in fantasy, it's constantly heard that "He's old." "He's brittle." "He's bound to decline someday." Fantasy owners love chasing upside, which is why guys like Felix Hernandez, Scott Kazmir and Ben Sheets got drafted ahead of him in the preseason, but aren't they all every bit as risky as Smoltz at his age?

So my advice to fantasy people: Draft Matt Diaz!!

Oh, and so long Kali.

College dropout John Smoltz calls Maddux a hack

Smoltz was on the Dan Patrick show Wednesday morning and talked about March Madness, Frenchy being a cheater, and saying he'd take Bonds over Diaz/B.Jones/Blanco/Schafer/Anderson




Well, he didn't say it in those words but you get the idea.


You can listen to the interview here and Smoltz's NCAA bracket is posted here.

Some background info: Patrick attended Dayton University and Eastern Kentucky while Smoltz did not attend college, though, he claims Michigan State as his school.

Let's play some BLEEPING BASEBALL!!!

I am officially pumped. Nobody hits Frenchy with a stray changeup and lives to tell about it!



St Louis, consider your season over. Now bring on the Nats and their crappy new park!

Bring on the Pirates!! Paul Mallohum, ...Mullally, uhh.. Mullholland? .... yeah, you!.... you're dead!

Flame On!

Two key pitchers (Smoltz and Soriano) are making their spring training debut today. In honor of these two flamethrowers, let's check up on past flamethrowers:


Wickman was cut last year after Adam Dunn's HR. Then he signed with AZ but he is currently a free agent. Rumor has it he will sign with the Florida Manatees as their closer. More details to come!



Kolb was invited to BoSox camp this spring. With the departure of Eric Gagne, Boston is looking for a new reliever to implode in the 8th inning and Kolb is the man to do it.






Reitsma was cut by the Mariners last season but was re-invited to Spring Training this season. I have nothing else to say about Chris Reitsma.




This list will be updated all throughout the weekend. Plenty more dead arms to come!

"Why is Spring Training in Florida?" is something I wondered as a kid

... and now I know why.

My flight to Orlando was cancelled due to the lovely weather here in Ohio. Alas, I did not get to see the sea of 60's but let's pretend I was there. Look! There goes Matt DeSalvo, #66.



I didn't see that Colter Bean fellow anywhere though. I had some choice words for him.

Tom Glavine, author of books with lots of pages

To commemorate the return of Lefty McOutsidecorner, I dug up a couple of old books Tommy wrote back in the glory days. Yeah, I had no idea he's an author either but they are selling for under $1 over at Amazon.com.



None but the Braves: A Pitcher, a Team, a Champion

Atlanta Braves pitcher Glavine describes his team's rise from the bottom of the heap to World Series champs.






Baseball for Everybody: Tom Glavine's Guide to America's Game

Atlanta Braves World Series MVP and Cy Young award winning pitcher Tom Glavine delivers an insiders' view of baseball's enduring magic and mystique.


QUICK NOTE: I will be in Orlando for the Sunday and Monday games vs STL. If anyone is going to be around, feel free to join me for a beer or nine. tbaatil@gmail.com

Marketable Braves and Matt Diaz

The Braves have always had decent exposure when it comes to marketing and lending their names out to the big companies like Rawlings and Mizuno. Here are the current big names being marketed:

MIZUNO
Jeff Francoeur
Brian McCann
Tom Glavine
John Smoltz
Chipper Jones (special anti-bunion shoes)

RAWLINGS
Kelly Johnson
Tim Hudson

Something that really surprised me was the Louisville Slugger website. Along with big boppers like Manny Ramirez and A-rod is our very own Mark Kotsay. His profile page makes him look pretty good and I'm sure he'll make good use of those bats hitting in the 8th spot. Not to be outdone, Frenchy has also put his face out there on the L.S. team.



Matt Diaz has no glove or bat deal like any other platooning left fielder. Soon my patient Matty.... soon

Chipper injured and drunk Braves fans

If you care, here's the article. Like I said a while back, why was he not locked away in a padded room? I blame this on Bobby.

.. but enough of that. How about some drunken Braves fans peer-pressured into rushing the field and spending the night in jail? Hooray.



Seems like a good time though running straight at the groundscrew and security guards was a waste. I would've done my best Andruw impression circa 1999 and made a head-first dive on the CF grass.