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.

BRAVES UPDATE-Special weekend.. Big win

WHAT A WIN LAST NIGHT!!!  to me that was one of the best wins of the season- It set the tone for the whole series. I hope the Braves can follow up with another one tonight. The Braves lead the majors in come back wins this season with 21. Iam amazed to see how good Constanza has done since he got promoted to the big leagues-He  has basically  put Heyward on the bench which is  called for when you check his .216 average and .174  average vs left handers. I still like Heyward alot but he is not producing at all this season and his at bats are becoming painful to watch. Constanza and Michael Bourn  have  changed the dimension of the offense.

 I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Braves  game Friday and Saturday. It was great to see John Smoltz and David Justice and the other players I grew up watching. It braught back memories of my childhood watching games on TBS. Fridays game was great- 5 Braves home runs and Uggla extending his hitting streak. Too bad that feeling didnt follow thru to saturday and sunday. But all in all it was a very special weekend at Turner Field.

 The next 7 games are so important to the series- everygame in August and September  is big but to face the 2 teams that they could possibly face in the playoffs (  D-BACKS) and the team thats trailing them for the wild card ( Giants) to beat these teams would be really  big for us. Im hoping the Braves can go atleast 5-2 during the 7 games against these guys. Im becoming annoyed with the Braves starters not named Hudson or Beachy. Our offense has finally come  up big and scored some runs but now the pitching is fallen into mediocrity. This has to change if we are going to be legit come playoff time. Philly has been almost unbeatable since getting Hunter Pence and with that rotation your not going to see them go on an extended streak of losing.Im all but  settled that we wont win divison. But I know we still havent reached our full potential as a team. I hope Hanson being on the DL will give him proper rest and he will come back being the force I know he can be. I hope the same for Jurrjens as well..  The Braves are  71-51 - its going to take  atleast 95 wins to get into the playoffs via the wildcard. that means the Braves will have to go about  24-16 over the next 40 games - If they canget there rotation right with the new dimensions of speed to the offense should not be that hard to do.. Time will tell though- Im looking forward to it.

THE MICHAEL BOURN TRADE

 Let me say this- I LOVE THIS TRADE.  for years I have always felt the Braves  have needed a speed guy to get  on base, steal and create oppurtunites to get knocked on. Bourn is exactly this guy. He has an average above .300 and has led the National League the last 2 years in steals. The chance to manufacture runs at the top of the lineup is something I cant stress enough of the fact the Braves need. It would have been nice to get Hunter Pence but he  plays right field- what would you have done with Heyward?  With the emergence of Dan Uggla the need for power has gone done. What the Braves need to happen now more then ever is Heyward to step up. If Bourn gets on base, creates havoc on base- Uggla continues to produce if the braves could get Jason Heyward going this offense would be maybe the toughest one to stop. Jason Heyward has been killing the Braves with his lack of production.

 I was a bit dissappointed the Braves didnt land Pence- Even more disssappointed he went to Philly. But honestly I think this Bourn trade is perfect for the Braves. He is the type player who can change entire set of offense. If he does with the Braves what he did in Houston this offense is going to improve- its going to give Prado better pitches to hit- if you get Bourn on, Prado on then Freeman,Uggla, and Mccann when he gets back healthy will have multiple rbi chances - and Jason Heyward as I mentioned before now becomes the key piece to this offense. I just dont see how any Braves fan can be dissappointed in this deal. Jordan Schafer had potential but face it he wouldnt have carried the Braves down the stretch. Did you really want a rookie whose batting .230  leading off for the Braves down the stretch in late August and September? I didnt. I liked Schafer but Im thrilled with this trade. Bourn is a proven player now heading a Braves lineup that was desperate for speed. It is a perfect match. And to get talent you have to trade talent. The Braves didnt have to trade any of there top 4 pitching prospects- they traded 3 young prospects and Schafer to get Bourn. It is a win win trade. Bourn can help this team win RIGHT NOW. Schafer wouldnt have done that. I really think this move is going to help the Braves so much. I look forward to seeing how the offense changes with the addition of Bourn.

THOUGHTS AFTER LAST NIGHTS GAME

Boy oh Boy how many of yall stayed up to watch that marathon game last night? Im glad the Braves got the win but I feel bad for the pirates. Both teams  battled there butts off and for the game to end on such a suspect call is just a downer. Given the fact the Braves needed all 162 games to make the playoffs last year every game is imporant- so for the Pirates this loss may sting for a bit. I believe it was a horrible call and The Braves caught a major Break. The Braves werent so lucky witht he injury bug- Brian Mccann will miss atleast 2 weeks with a strained oblique muscle.Those are injures you dont heal from quickly and if you dont take care of them right they can linger. Just ask Chipper Jones.

Mccann injury is such a big blow given the fact that this offense is now losinga potential MVP canididate. The offense has been weak with Mccann - what is it going to look like  without him? I think David Ross is legit but losing Mccann  is huge. I think this futhermore shows the Braves have got to get a major bat before the deadline. Who knows if you can count on Chipper Jones ( I myself am very suspect he will be healthy down the stretch) and with Mccann out the Braves cant trust Uggla and Freeman to carry the load. I would have loved to have Beltans bat in this line up but from a defensive standpoint it didnt make sense given the fact hes not a center fielder anymore.

Im hearing now B.J Upton mentioned right now. He does have great potential and maybe he would produce in a fresh enviroment- But Iam not crazy about him. He cant even hit .250 and I dont see him coming to the Braves and running like he does with Tampa. The Braves just dont believe in running for some crazy reason. They sit back and wait on the 3 run home run which this year has become the solo home runs. Im not against getting Upton but Im not crazy about him. I would love to get Hunter Pence but it seems like the Astros are asking an arm and a leg.

Its bad news for Philly and Atlanta that the Giants are  landing Beltran- whichever team  ( PHI, ATL or SANF) got him were going to get a major upgrade. But to see the world series champs get him with that pitching staff- man it hurts. Thats why I believe it has become a must that the Braves step up and do something. Not only do Atlanta fans have to worry about philly now San Francisco has come back into the picture which  had seen Philly and Atlanta as  the only elite teams in the NL.  Iam anxiously awaiting the Braves response to Mccanns injury, The Giants move landing Beltran and what Philly will do- because I know they wont stay pat. It will be an intresting  4 more days to say the least-if the Braves want to overcome Giants and Phillies they better pull the trigger to help an offense that hasnt been alive much of the season.

JASON HEYWARD STRUGGLES

For as bad as Dan Uggla has  been and much flack  as hes taken I feel like people havent focused on how horrible Jason Heyward has been this year. He is hitting a good 30 points higher then Dan Uggla but he has less home runs and Rbi then Uggla does and Uggla isnt exactly blowing me away with his run production. What has happened to Jason Heyward? Hes not even having good productive atbats- he seems like a tottally different player then he was  last year. I dont think he has gotten comfortable at the plate at all this year. I do believe his shoulder affected his production but lets be real here this is more then an injury problem. I dont think Heyward has adjusted well to the inside pitch, the way the pitchers are adjusting to him, I dont think Heyward is confident in himself and honestly I think he is lost. There is growing speculation within the Braves brass that they should trade for a right fielder and platoon him with Heyward or even send Heyward down to the minors in a place less stressful to fix his broken swing.

This is such a big difference for the guy braves fans fell in love with last year. Heyward isnt walking or getting on base like he was last year, hes not giving good at bats, hes not producing, hes not doing anything but being an automatic out and his defensive play has upset me on more then one occasion this year. He doesnt take good route to balls hit his way and his arm is weak and off target in my opinion. I still believe in Jason and want the best for him but the 2011 Jason Heyward is making me grow tired and making me think Dan UGGLA isnt so bad after all...

 AT the same token the struggles of Jason I should mention how impressive Freddie Freeman has been. Hes honestly having a better season then Jason had last year. Hes hitting to all parts of the field and stepping up and having huge atbats producing for this team this year and his defense at first base has been gold glove worthy. The thing that impresses me most about this young guy is  its been said he soaks up advice like a sponge when veterans come to him with advise. The thing that helped a young Brian MCcann was his open ear to Chipper Jones advice. Freddie Freeman seems to be the same way. Always willing to listen and learn to the veterans coming his way to help guide him. The future looks really bright for the Braves first baseman.. Its scary to think about the Heyward/ Freeman duo and compare it to the Francouer/ Mccann duo... Francoeur career started off the charts and he faded like the wind, Mccann had no headlines when he was braught up and all hes done is been an all star every year hes played. Lets hope Heyward is less like Francouer and more like the phenom we saw of himlast year and as for Freddie Im fine with the Mccann comparisions.

REVIEW FROM 1ST HALF OF SEASON

Well well well we have reached the all star break and minus the whipping the Braves got today You have to be feeling pretty good going into the break.The Braves just lost 2 of 3 to philly but lets break this series down. We got phillys big 3  while we threw Hanson,Beachy, and Lowe.. in 2 of those games Hanson and Beachy went pitch for pitch with Halladay and Lee. Philly missed Hudson & Jurrjens. Big difference facing Huddy and Jair then Brandon and Lowe.. So all in all Im not too upset about losing 2 of 3.

 Im glad to hear Craig Kimbrel made the all star team- he defiently is deserving. He leads mlb in saves and strike outs per nine innings. I really will be curious to see how he handles himself in middle of playoff race come september. I'll also keep close eye on Freddie Freeman. Considering we are only 3.5 games behind philly and Uggla and Heyward havent hit squat this season The Braves have to be very hopeful heading into the break. I will say it right now. If Uggla and Heyward and this offense starts to hit the Braves will be the team to be in the National League but if the offense keeps going the way its going then the Braves will have to settle for battling wild card race. This team has the talent offensively they just have to step up and reach there potential. i have faith Uggla will turn his season around second half. I feel more so then any player on the team offensively the weight is on his shoulders. I have been extremly dissappointed with Heyward thus far. He just doesnt seem to have gotten into any type of groove so far. The Braves cant be happy with his 9 HR and 22 rbi output so far.. shoot Eric Hinske has almost done that by himself.

 The bullpen has been amazing but I worry about there workout in the second half. The starters are great  the problem is they dont go the distance and it puts too much pressure on the bullpen every single night. I like Brandon Beachy but hes not given us more then 5-6 innings every start. The bullpen knows anytime he pitches they are gonna be worked hard. We cant keep using them 3-4 innings a night. They wont have arms come september.

I am really impressed with Nate Mcclouth defensively but offensively Im done with him. I wish the Braves would trade for a good leadoff hitter (Michael Bourne) who could get on and steal bases. Nate is hitting the ball hard but always at someone. Alex Gonzalez defense is as good as it gets but his hitting makes Heyward look like Albert Pujols. I miss Yunel Escobar. I still believe the Braves gave up on him too early. From whatIve read the Braves front office really likes Alex but to me he is a slacker and a whiner and cant hit.

I do belive this team will make playoffs- offensively if we dont step it up we will be lookin up at philly all year but if we get on roll offensively we will be the team to beat. I dont think the Braves can stand to stay pat. I believe getting Prado back will help. But what if Chippers leg doesnt improve? Why not take chance and make a good move to get a hitter or get a leadoff man. Schafer has potential but for the 2011 team I dont think he is the guy to lead for this team. I hope the Braves do something. They arent that far away from being " THE TEAM TO BEAT" but we have got to be agressive and not laid back. All in all Im very hopeful and excited for the second half of the season to begin.. Ill be at the game on friday... GO BRAVES!!