MICHAEL BOURN


I loved the Bourn trade when it happened last year. I felt like it was the perfect fit for the offense. I think Braves fans are beginning to see how much he changes this offense. Yes Heyward has done better.Yes Uggla hasnt gotten off to a bad start like last year.. but this offense is going because of Bourn. I dont know why but in my opinion he doesnt get enough love from Braves fans because he is straight killing it right now and no one really talks about  him.

He has been caught stealing 5 times this year but 3 of those were horrible calls where he was safe. He is getting on base for the big guys- Mccann,Freeman,Uggla,Chipper,Heyward to do there damage. Bourn getting on base so much is a big reason why Freeman is third in the league in Rbis.Over his last 10 games Bourn is hitting .340 with 16 runs scored. if you go further then that hes hitting almost .390 over the last 20 games. Its safe to say that the Braves offense took off once Bourne started hitting. This guy is the real deal.For the season hes hitting .333 with 24 runs scored,49 hits, 11 stolen bases, OBP of .399 and great defense in center field.

I wish the the Braves would make signing him in the offeseason a priority. I cant see anyone to take his place in the organization.They need to pay him.Yes I know he is 30 years old but we can offer him a 3-5 year deal and keep him here. hes a  offense igniter, a  .300 hitter, will steal 60 bases, and is a gold glover in center. thats hard to come guy. Braves need to keep this guy  in Atlanta beyong next year. he is the #1 reason if you ask me why the offense is doing so much better this season.

TALKING PITCHING!!


I have said since spring training I believe the starting rotation is going to be the weak link of the team, which is hard to think because the past  couple years its been huge for the braves.I didnt see the struggles of Jair Jurrjens coming. Its very suprising. Mike Minors success has been suprising too. I will say Im not a big fan of Minor but I have to tip my cap to what hes done in April. That being said I dont trust him to win big games in September and down the stretch. The same goes for Randal Delgado. They are just too young and inexperienced to rely on in a big pennant race and in the playoffs. Brandon Beachy has been the staffs best pitcher. I trust in him, though I still think he needs to lower his pitch count to pitch deeper into games.

The Braves rotation will have Hanson,Hudson,Beachy,Minor, and Delgado coming up. Tim Hudson has been good for us for many years but how much do you trust a 36 year old coming off back surgery? Im skeptical of how well Hudson will be this season. Tommy Hanson is great when hes healthy. but how long before that shoulder starts acting up again? Do you trust him for entire season? do you trust him long term? I just cant see him staying healthy to win games like the braves need him to. When I take everything into consideration Brandon Beachy is our best starting  pitcher- he has shown he can compete and hold his own down the stretch and against good teams.(how many times has he pitched against the phillies?) I like him alot... but everyone after that is a head scratcher. The offense seems to finally have an idea on how to score and manufacture runs- but now I worry about our starters.YES, we have the best bullpen in baseball  BUT we dont need to over work them. and I dont believe Minor/ Delgado are going to give us 6 innings on a regular.

I dont believe the Braves are confident Jurrjens will ever bounce back and pitch big for them. he may or may not be back in Atlanta. He seems to have lost all confidence in himself and forgotten who he was.. I think if the Braves  want to be serious contenders they NEED to trade for a VETERAN starter who can be insurance for us. I do not believe the Braves can go deep in the playoffs with this current rotation. I hope Frank Wren is beginning to look at veteran pitchers who could bring some missing muscle to this rotation because as of right now- theres too many question marks.

BRAVES OFFENSE IS ON FIRE

The Braves started off 0-4 and had many fans in doubt about the upcoming season. I wasnt worried. This team is way too talented that even an 0-4 start wouldnt let me down. besides its not how you start its how you finish right? That being said since the bad start the Braves have won 8 of there last 9 games so all seems to be well in the life of a Braves fan. This is in big part because the offense has gotten into a great rhythm.

Michael Bourne has began to hit, Jason Heyward has shown early that hes past his horrible season of 2011. I personally didnt worry about Heyward at all this year. I was very confident that his bad 2011 season was a bump in the road. so far so good. The Braves have only grounded into 2 double plays which is great- it seems last year they were hitting into them on a regular basis. The offense seems more laid back and patient this year. I believe the new hitting coach Greg Walker is already proving more benefits to the team in its first 3 weeks then the entire year under last years hitting coach. A new voice was much needed. Heyward, Freeman have been the main catalyst the last couple games. We still havent got much production from Mccann or Uggla and Chipper hasnt played more then 3 games at a time. Im not suprised Chippers been hurt like he has- but what has suprised me is his big hits hes provided. 2 Home runs already.I dont expect him to miss multiple games and hit home runs first game back but It is nice to chuckle about.

 This Braves team top to bottom has so much talent. I think Prado is a huge  key in this offense. Get Bourne on base, have prado return to the hitter he was in 2010 and that will open the flood gates for Freeman, MCcann, Heyward and Uggla. A nice suprise has been Juan Francisco. I know alot of braves fans dissed him early on in the season but I like him. He is a bit overweight but he has hige power ( 2 home runs in last 3 games) so we havent missed Chipper too much thus far. He is till very young and Iam curious to see how he continues to hit as the season progresses but so far so good- atleast in my eyes. I fully expect the braves offense to be able more potent this year then last year. The best part about there offense to me is there not living and dying by the home run. they are actually taken the extra base and getting multiple hits thats leading to these games scoring 7 plus runs a game. your not going to win in the playoffs just off home runs so the last 9 games the way the offense has  produced is something that is very exciting. keep  giving good at bats, taking the extra base, stringing multiple hits along, and the home runs will just be extra. The offense I believe will be fine. Its the starting  pitching that worries me. I wont talk about that today though. Iam in too good a mood enjoying the Braves actually looking like a legit offense right now.

THE BRAVES BIGGEST PROBLEM

I am not a big fan of Fredi Gonzalez. When the Braves hired him he was the only one they gave the time of day to, the only one they gave interview too. Its ok to know who you want but atleast give someone else a chance to make you think twice before you hire the only person you interview. Fredi is too laid back. when the Braves were collapsing last september everyday it was the same "its ok we will be fine tomorrows a new game" chant. It didnt work. Hes not an aggressive enough manager.

I love and respect everything Bobby Cox did for the entire organization but it was time for him to go. For as much a great manager as Cox was in the regular season he was that much unsuccessful in the postseason. He had so many great teams over the years in Atlanta and managed to retire with a LOSING record in the playoffs. He micromanaged the game so much in the playoffs it cost the Braves atleast one world series. Fredi G is cut from the same cloth as Bobby Cox. Why didnt the braves go a different direction, a new voice? Fredi is a younger more tame version of Bobby Cox. Fredi will never take the braves to where they wanna go

We know why the Red Sox collapsed last september- Francona had lost the clubhouse and the players were too busy doin there own thing rather then uniting as a team. The Braves collapsed due to injuries alot BUT a stronger voice in the clubhouse defiently was missing down the stretch. that falls directly on Fredi G. I want an agressive manager who will install fire under the players- not the same fluid that has been around this team for 20 years. We dont need another Bobby Cox- we need a new voice. I fault the Braves for not even giving anyone else another shot before they hired Fredi.

If the Braves want to be a legit contender they need to fire Fredi sooner rather then later. I do believe a manager change would yield different results- we need a manager that wants to manufacture runs and encourages speed and stolen bases, a manager that wont put up with a team as talented as this ibe going 8-19 during any month during the season. A manager thats not Bobby Cox like. The Red sox saw they lost the handle under Francona and hired Bobby Valentine the complete opposite guy compared to Francona. Smart move! The braves hired the same version as Bobby Cox wanting different results- dumb move. The braves are so stuck on "being stable" that there scared to make a bold move. Thats a huge reason why we havent won a playoff series since 2001. Get Fredi Gonzalez out of here and bring in a new voice that will hold players accountable and bring fire to a dull team a weak offense and light a new energy into a team thats talented enough to win it all. Fredi G is NOT THE MAN TO LEAD US THERE.

MY THOUGHTS ON BRAVES 2012 SEASON

It wasnt an exciting offseason for Braves fans. The bitter taste of blowing an 8.5 game lead in September isnt soon to be forgotten, the team didnt upgrade much at all so there hasnt been too much to get excited about. A slow spring start only made the tension worse. But a new season is upon us

 I think the offense will be better-  theres no doubt about it that injuries affected the collapse of 2011. Getting Martin Prado back healthy will help the offense, I think the biggest key though is Jason Heyward.This team is in serious trouble if he repeats the 2011 Heyward we saw. Im saying it now I believe he will be good and be a bright spot for our offense. I can see him hitting  22 home runs with 85 RBI. I think hes too good to be a bust.I think Mccann will have a big year for us and bounce back from the worst September of his life in 2011.

I am concerned about Chipper Jones. I think hes going to miss ALOT OF GAMES. I  just cant see him staying healthy. and if he gets hurt we move Prado to third base who plays left field? Eric Hinske? I think Hinske is great- but hes a top guy off the bench not an everyday player.I respect Chipper to the fullest but I do think him & his $14 million contract will hurt this team. I will be shocked if he plays more then 120 games. I dont think the braves will get much of any production from the short stop position.I do think the kid Simmons is the best option for us- we need  defense up the middle to help the young pitchers we have.

I get super excited when I think about havin Michael Bourne with this offense for an entire season. hes goin to hit .300 and get on base and steal 60 bases. I hope him stealing will rubb off on other players- the braves have got to start putting pressure on defenses by running and taking bases. We cant just rely on Bourne to cause chaos on the basepaths. I do think this offense  will highly benefit from a full season with Bourne leading off though. He changes the dynamics of the offense alot. He has got to get on base and make pitchers worry about him swipping bases though. Keep the pressure on the defense and pitchers and let Chipper,Mac,Uggla, and Heyward get good mistakes pitches to hit. Last season the braves couldnt get a big hit with runners in scoring positon to save there life- That has to change in 2012. Good teams get the big hits when they need them. The braves have got to take advantage of chances when there presented.

I know many will disagree with me here but I have big worries about the starting rotation- Hudson is 36 and has back issues, Hanson is great but has shoulder problems, Jurrjens is a stud who cant stay healthy for more then 2 years in a row. Brandon Beachy is a   good young pitcher but he throws too many pitches which leaves him gased by the 6th inning. and then you have Mike Minor whose looked great this spring but Im personally not sold on yet and Delgado and Teheran- which are both good but there rookies. Can you really count on 3 young guys with less then 1.5 years in the big leagues to pitch you into the playoffs and win big games down the stretch?? Im  just see us having big issues with health and too many young pitchers to have big success from our rotation. I think the braves are going to almost have to make a trade at some  point for a proven veteran to pitch in big games down the stretch. Do you really wanna see Delgado or Minor or Teheran pitching in September  middle of playoff race on the road in Philly, or Washington, or St Louis? I dont... there too young to handle it.Experience is the best too- but this team will need innings and your not going to get more then 5 innings from Minor, Teheran, Delgado and Beachy at times. Our bullpen is going to get burned.. but luckily our bullpen is the best in baseball.

Kimbrel and Venters are lights out at the end of the game, You throw in Oflaherty and Medlen and you have a very deep talented pen. If Peter Moylan can come back and produce then this bullpen may  be one of the best ever. I love Kris Medlen . I think he is so underrated. He is a starting pitcher whose putting the team first and going to pitch out of the pen- he will give you the long inning relief and give you quality innings. You cant forget about Christhian Martinez either. He threw alot of long big innings out of the bullpen last year. I hope the Braves will at some point move Kris Medlen to the rotation where I think he is best suited- but until then he will be  apart of the best bullpen in baseball.I just hope that the lack of innings our starters will throw wont overuse the bullpen. Just because we have multiple weapons in the pen doesnt mean we need to use them EVERY night.

I dont think this team is good enough to win the divison but I wouldnt rule it out totally. I think the injuries philly has to Howard and Utley will keep the braves in the race but the braves have got to get off to a hot start and get some distance between them and philly before philly starts to get there key players back from injury. I think the Nationals are a team on the rise and they always give the braves fits.  The national league  East is to me the second toughest divison in baseball. The only team I cant see being a factor is the Mets.I think if the Braves rotation stays healthy and Heyward bounces back then the offense will score enough runs for the Braves to win alot of games

.I think this team will make the playoffs as the wild card team- health is a #1 factor though. we have to stay healthy for a shot at the playoffs.If we start having injuries I dont think this team will make the playoffs and if it does we wont go far in it.But if we stay healthy I think this team can compete with anybody in the national League. Heyward stepping up and getting back to form, and the rotations health and the young guys stepping in and pitching well and giving us innings will show us how far this team can go.I like this team alot.. I just dont like its manager too much- but thats a story for another day.. what do you all think about the 2012  Braves?

FINAL THOUGHTS ON 2011 SEASON

Damn.. what a dissappointing end to a good season. This Braves team is too talented to be sitting at home right now. Where do I begin to state my thoughts... I  have given myself a couple days to get over the shock over not making it to october. I dont know what  happened to martin prado this year but he was not good. He never seemed comfortable after the Braves got mike Bourn. It seemed to take away some of is agression and he just wasnt producing. Brian Mccann also sucked in the second half. In the first half he was legit MVP  canidate but he was awol in second half. I read he it about .190 in the last 30 games of the season. The Braves offense honestly just never got on a roll this year.We never seemed to get the clutch big hit that we needed. This offense really under achieved. We defiently made the right move firing the  hitting coach. The players just didnt click well wit the coach and the offense never got in synk. Down the stretch the Braves hitting was horrible.

 The injuries to Hanson and Jurrjens no doubt about it hurt us. But it didnt cost us wild card. Fredi Gonzalez used Kimbrel and Venters way to much this year and by september they had nothing left. Kimbrel really faded under pressure in Wednesday game. It was so dissappointing to see. Derek Lowe was a joke this year and I hope hes gone next year. Im not sold on mike minor, I think the braves could use a good veteran in the rotation. I do believe they will try to trade Hanson or Jurrjens. Hopefully we could get a good bat in return

 I was so dissappointed with Jason Heyward this year. He was literally an automatic out the entire season. We have got to upgrade right field position next year. I dont think the braves should give up on Jhey yet but hes def. become a major concern. He just looked lost the entire year. He seems to lack passion and hasnr adjusted to the pitchers adjustments to him. Im not sold on Jhey being a legit future MVP. Is he the  next Francouer??  I know alot of Braves fans will disagree with me but I think Chipper is hurting this team. He is making 12 million a year for .280 avg 18 hrs and 70 rbis thats not enough production for the $ hes making.. I respect what Chipper has done in is career but at this point to me with is contract he is handicapping this team. I thought he played better then I expected him to this year- he showed he still has some left in his tank but with is $ hes just not worth it anymore.Braves need to see if he can rework his contract.

I dont like Fredi Gonzalez- I dont think hes the man for the job- He is too much like Bobby Cox and AI respect Bobby Cox but him only winning one ring with those elite teams in the 90s was because of his micro managing in playoff games. Fredi was too reserved for me- when we were struggling in september he was too laid back when she should have tried to spark this team. When your team blows a lead like that I do blame the manager. He should have had the the players better prepared and more on edge- the atmosphere was too laid back. The last month of the season the braves played with no heart, no passion, no edge. I didnt see them play hard with passion until game #162 and by then it was too little too late. It was a joke they had to turn to  the astros for helping getting into the playoffs. Its time this team has a new voice, new leader that doesnt involve from the Bobby Cox cloth. I just was so disappointed with te lack of intensity that Fredi Gonzalez showed this season especially in september. It was on him to  hold this team accountable and wake them up. Where was the leadership in the clubhouse? Who stepped up and said " enough of this bullshit this ends tonight" .It pissed me off in games in September the players would do post game interviews and just be soft, show no emotion or anger in losing. How can you not be upset when your huge wildcard lead is cut into half and over?? the final series against the phillies the braves didnt show up until the last game. Why wasnt bourn stealing bases like crazy? where was constanza? why didnt thry try to move prado down when he wasnt hitting?

 The phillies had nothing to play for the final 3 games yet they showed more desire and  heart then the braves did. I give credit to charlie Manuel for that and hold Fredi G accountable for that. As I sit here it still blows my mind that the Braves arent in the playoffs. They showed nothing down the stretch that would indicate they were legit playoff team. No great pitching, no clutch hits, no big innings.. How do you claim to be playoff team but lose series to Fla,Ny mets, and Washington?It was a joke. There was no excuse. no excuse but they played without urgency or heart. The braves thought talent alone would get them to october. But talent didnt. if you would have put the heart of the 2010 team with the talent of 2011 team I think we could have given philly a run for there money. The Braves just didnt have heart this year.And that goes back to my issue with Fredi G and lack of real clubhouse leader. The Braves should have had Bourn  running like crazy when he was on base.. he didnt start playing until the last game when was running often. where was  that effort monday and tuesday??? This team is just a joke that we didnt make it. We upgraded with uggla and he did produce for us. But the lack of production from heyward killed us,I was highly impressed with Freddi Freeman . I think he will def. be a major factor  in the future. But we ave got to figure out Jason Heyward.

All in all when I think back on the 2011 season I will think "choke" I personally am not proud of the Braves at all. For this team to have this much talent and be sitting at home right now is just nuts- Im thankful for the Red sox because they  have more talent and more money then the braves and they choked too.I want to see more changes made this offseason. Hold more people accountable- let Fredi G know how he managed and handled the team down the stretch  was not productive and it showed in the way the braves come out and played. Im dissappointed with not making the playoffs but what disqust me is the fact the braves showed no passion or heart the last month. They werent worth my money I spent on them in september. I will never understand why the Braves waited until last game of the season until they showed effort in september. Its like they werent woken up until game 162. Thats why there was no game #163.I will always love the Braves  but I lost alot of respect for there heartless play in september this year. Im not ready to say " wait til next year" because it should have happened this year!

BRAVES ARE HOT

I said before the 7 games between the giants and d-backs I would be happy with the braves  going 5-2. so watching them go 6-1 was great. I  saw come from behind and win and  win by large amount, win in tight game, pitch great, beat great pitching and have good hitting- The Braves just are playing really well right now. I think the difference is the fact that they now have speed in the lineup. Having Bourn and Constanza in lineup and on base is a headache for pitchers having to worry about them taken  a base. Jurrjens and Hanson have been hurt during this recent hot run for the Braves- I know there going to take there time with Hanson given the fact they have cushion in wild card lead and Minor has pitched well filling in for him. So hopefully the rest the  give Hanson will benefit them late September and in the playoffs.

Im feeling very good  about the Braves right now- Peter Moylan has started rehabbing and he will hopefully feel the void of the 6 & 7th inning struggles the Braves have seen this year. The Braves arent going to win the division this year but I feel as long as they stay healthy they are going to be a major force in the playoffs- I feel they match up very well with the phillies in the playoffs. The offense is gotten hot and the pitching is slowly getting back to form. If somehow Jason Heyward could wake up and start getting hot the Braves lineup would be as legit as any team in baseball- Could you imagine- Bourn,Prado, Freeman, Uggla, Chipper and Heyward all hitting and contributing down the stretch? That would be  a nightmare for pitchers.


I hope Freddi Gonzalez will continue to get days off for Venters, Oflaherty, and Kimbrel- having there arms fresh end of September and for the playoffs will be great if we have a collision with philly. I hope Derek Lowe can get his mind right and start pitching well again. We need him - he really hasnt done  much at all this year- We are lucky to get 6 innings from him and when he goes he goes fast. If he continues to get lit up the Braves need to think about replacing him in the rotation. But there is still 34 games left this season we will see what happens. Given  how the Braves have played over the  last 7 games Im looking forward to seeing what the Braves do the final month of the season.