1. Has Mike Gonzalez always swayed back and forth on the mound or was that an issue with nerves last night?
2. Am I the only one who has wondered how Barry Bonds would look in left field for the Braves? Or whether this fan base would be the least likely one to warm to him in light of the fact that he broke our Hank's record?
3. If I told you before the season that the Braves would lose their top two relievers and 60% of the rotation before the season hit the halfway pole, what would your prediction have been for the team's record? And was I foolish to be bullish on the team before the year, given the age of the rotation?
4. Brandon Jones and Charlie Morton: saviors? The team was an utter wreck on the road until these two joined this weekend. The Braves are 4-2 on the road ever since. Correlation isn't causation and this is a perfect example of that truism, but I can have my illusions, can't I?
5. What happens first: Chipper comes back to earth or Teixeira starts hitting like we expected? And what is it with Braves players pulling reverse-Blausers and getting worse in their walk years?
4 comments:
At this point Bonds would look worse in left field than Chipper Jones did. He may look good at the plate, though.
1. Bonds is a bad idea. Bill James has an excellent two part article at his site explaining why, but it's premium content (he only charges $3 a month, though).
Basically, Bonds this year is not Bonds last year (much less years before that). Assuming that he'll continue at last year's level, or even somewhere within the ballpark, is dangerous considering bonds' age and the changes that have been taking place in the game over the last couple of years.
Further more, James looked at a list of famous stars who "hung on too long". He generally found that you needed one of two things to hang on: a milestone to chase, and/or close ties with a franchise. Bonds has neither in this case.
Also, most of the guys that did hang on were generally regarded as good guys in the club house, well liked, etc. Bonds is none of those things.
And he'd be a disaster out in the field. He wouldn't be anywhere close to Chipper or Klesko in left at this point.
i had the Bonds for the Braves debate with a friend at a bar while watching the Braves get swept by the Phillies. at this point i just wanna see someone who can actually produce. if Bonds could come, bat 5th and protech chipper and tex then i say go for it. the days of crying about cheaters are over my friends. what's done is done. he just need someone who can rake.
Beware the Russian Bear.
That is all.
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