Atlanta Braves
Tribute To Hank Aaron
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I sat at my favorite watering hole and was glued to the television, watching all of the opening day festivities associated with the Braves new home SunTrust Park. What a magnificent facility it is and the Braves opened the new park with a four game sweep of the San Diego.
As I was watching the ceremonies leading up to the game the event that touched me the most was when the Braves honored their retired numbers. 83 year-old Henry Aaron was introduced and I choked back tears because of what that man has meant to the city of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and influence the man has had over generations of youth all across this great country of ours.
The Game April 15
The Game April 8
Braves SunTrust Park Preview
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On Saturday March 25, the Braves opened up SunTrust Park to a few thousand fans to get a first look at the new stadium before the games start on the 31st with an exhibition game against the Yankees.
I was one of the happy few who was admitted. Stakes are high for the Braves with their brand-new complex – one that not only includes their new ballpark but also contains The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development of shopping, dining, office buildings and apartments.
Fair Weather Fans
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Atlanta is a terrible sports town. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Atlantans simply don’t show up for their pro teams unless they are winning, and consistently.
Partially it’s because the south belongs to college football, and partially it’s because of a lack of championships and probably some other things factor in as well. It’s the way of things here, and I doubt it will change any time soon.
So how is it that the NFC Championship, the final game at the Georgia Dome for the Atlanta Falcons, was packed full of loud, screaming southerners? Why were tickets for Suntrust Park’s debut game so hard to come by when they went on sale?
Fair weather fans.
The Falcons were good, and they were on their way to the Super Bowl. Suntrust Park is sparkly and new, and there is excitement abound for the Braves this year; but mark my words, if the Falcons can’t win football games at a high clip in their own brand new stadium, Mercedes Benz Stadium won’t be seeing sellouts in November.
If the Braves don’t stay competitive, then Suntrust Park will be just as vacant as Turner Field was in August last year; because those fair weather fans will stop caring and that’s okay.
Look, it can be frustrating for die hard fans to cope with the sudden attention their team gets from people that would otherwise fail to show up. Die harders experience the lows that fair weather fans will never know; because they don’t subject themselves to it. So, what right do they have to experience the highs?
I saw it and heard it all over Atlanta while the Falcons were in the playoffs: remarks about fans coming out of the woodwork just because the team was good. It was certainly true – but warranted. They WERE good!
As I am a die hard Braves fan, I find myself occasionally annoyed by fair weather fans too but if I take a step back I realize that not only are they not committing any egregious crimes, they are benefitting the team they’ve suddenly come out to support.
Think about it: if the Braves miraculously made it to the World Series this year, fair weather fans would show up in droves to the ballpark and sports bars to watch them play.
Irksome as they may seem (this has been MY TEAM for years!), would I truly rather they didn’t bother to pay attention? Do I want my team to take the field to a stadium half full of fans while they battle for a championship? Of course not.
A roaring crowd can tip the scales in some cases and I want my team to have that. They should take the field or court or gridiron to a packed house of supporters. It doesn’t matter if the fans have earned the right to celebrate – the team has earned the right to fans.
Plus, not every die hard fan was raised to be a die hard fan. Everyone has to start somewhere. I, for one, am a die hard Braves fanatic not because my parents were, but because I watched John Smoltz strike out three batters out in 2003 to close out a win. They were good, and they hooked me.
What if the Giants had come back and won that game? Would I have come back to the Braves? I’d like to think so, but I’m not so sure. Good teams breed new fans. Just think about how many Georgian eyes were on the Super Bowl in February. If they had held on and won, how many of those eyes would have been converted into die harders?
So, next time your beloved team, wherever they are, starts winning don’t scorn those who haven’t suffered the losses with you. Instead, embrace them. Your team deserves them.
Freddie Freeman To Become Atlanta Brave Great
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With Spring Training underway, and Opening Day just a few short weeks away, the Braves will yet again be led by Freddie Freeman.
Freeman will be entering his seventh season for the Atlanta club, when he began his rookie year he was supposed to be the complementary piece to “can’t miss franchise” player Jason Heyward.
Funny how things work out, Heyward was shipped out of Atlanta four seasons later, while Freeman has continued to blossom into a perennial all-star for the Braves. My question, is this the year that Freeman elevates his status into the upper echelon of Braves greats?
When one talks about Atlanta Braves history, the George Washington of the Braves Mount Rushmore is Hank Aaron. The true home run king of Major League Baseball will likely always maintain the top spot in the minds of Atlanta fans.
To many in the baseball world, 755 is still the magic number for home runs, and unless Freeman gets on a massive tear that will not be his avenue to being remembered as one of the greatest Braves of all time.
However, don’t let that fool you; Freeman is one of the best hitter’s currently in the game. As well, Freeman has a vast knowledge of the strike zone, which allows him to be selective at the plate so he is not the proverbial hit or miss batter.
Dale Murphy practically was the Atlanta Braves in the 1980’s. Murphy would lead a post season run in Atlanta roughly a decade before the string of division titles in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
The rest of the baseball world took notice as Murphy would win back to back MVP trophy’s in 1982 and 1983. After those seasons, overreactions by the Atlanta front office would stymie the Braves on field success, but Murphy never wavered from his commitment to Atlanta, his teammates, and more so from his faith.
Freeman seems to have some of that Dale Murphy personality in him. Teammates always talk about how Freeman is a leader, on and off the field, as well as being great in the clubhouse.
Freeman also has the kind of game, that will allow him to challenge for an MVP or two before his career is complete. A high batting average, good power, and coming up big in the clutch are all traits that lead to MVP consideration.
In fact, Freeman seemed to have been overlooked last year when you take a look at his .300 average, 32 home runs, and 91 RBI’s. Maybe if the team had started out with a better record, the media wouldn’t have immediately written him off.
When Chipper Jones finally arrived in Atlanta, he brought as much fan anticipation with him as any player ever. Chipper was kind of the Bryce Harper of his generation, minus the attitude and without being quite as cocky.
Chipper actually backed up his cockiness with 186 home runs over his first six years in the league, which is the same time frame as Freeman. One has to remember, Chipper had a lot more talent around him when he arrived in Atlanta than Freeman.
What has to excite Braves fans, last season once the Braves brought in Matt Kemp and others, that is when Freeman really elevated his game. Chipper was able to win an MVP, plus brought home that elusive World Series trophy.
Freeman, should he continue on his current path, will have an opportunity to put up similar numbers to Chipper Jones, both on the stat sheet and in the win column. If that is the case, then Freddie Freeman will be a lifetime Brave, and etch his name into the short list of all time greats in the hearts and minds of Braves Nation.
So there are many characteristics and similarities that indicate Freddie Freeman can become an all-time great Atlanta Brave.
It will take consistency, but most importantly it will take winning. Freeman has the most talented lineup around him coming into this season, if Freddie can lead the way, he already has many of the other traits needed to find himself on the short list of most popular Braves ever.
The Game Feb 25
Braves Spring Training
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The day after the Braves were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention in 2014 they fired General Manager Frank Wren.
It was merely the first domino in the Braves’ rebuild, a process that saw big league player after big league player traded away for prospects, tearing down what had been a division winning team just one year earlier and beginning to build back up.
When John Hart and John Schuerholz started making these moves, the boilerplate comforting line was that Atlanta would be built back up into a contending team by the time they moved into their new ballpark, Suntrust Park, in 2017.
Of course, that was ridiculous. There was no way a team was going to trade away Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Craig Kimbrel, Evan Gattis, Andrelton Simmons and more and then in TWO YEARS field a team that was anything but hard to watch. It was a fool’s errand. How could the Braves be in a position to excite their fan base in 2017?
Now, as February winds down and the spring games begin, ramping up for the 2017 season, how do the Braves look?
Honestly?…..Exciting.
Not World Series winning exciting; not yet. But against all odds, the Braves are going to field a decent team this year. Stranger still, that excitement rests on the backs of veteran players. All those prospects the Braves traded for aren’t even here yet. Instead, the Braves are looking to Matt Kemp and Brandon Phillips, to Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey; these are the players that have elevated the Braves to being a team that is going to win its fair share of ballgames.
There were times just last season where it seemed like the Braves were never going to win another game. Yet here we are, looking to break camp with an eye on finishing above the Phillies and Marlins in the division.
It’s exciting to have these players, not because they’ll carry the team but because they have a chance to support Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran.
The Braves have had the centerpieces for years, there’s just been a void surrounding them. Now, as evidenced by the last month and a half of 2016, there’s an actual, living, breathing offense surrounding Freddie Freeman.
The pitching staff that showed its youth last season has been bolstered by stability but more importantly, by players that aren’t permanent. Bartolo Colon is going to start every fifth day, but you can be sure that he won’t be blocking anyone. If there’s a pitcher ready to come up to the bigs and stay, bet on John Coppolella moving those veterans out of the way.
Perhaps that’s part of the excitement. The Braves have had the talent in the farm system, but some, like Aaron Blair, didn’t have enough time to cook down there.
This year, the pressure is off the Braves to present those prospects to the public before they’re ready because they’ve got those veterans in place. So when we see players come up from the minors, they’ll be ready.
Some of that has already begun. Dansby Swanson will be the starting shortstop on opening day in 2017. Ozzie Albies won’t be far behind. Rio Ruiz is in camp and hungry to make his mark in Atlanta.
Look, the Braves didn’t acquire Chris Sale in the offseaon, they got Bartolo Colon. They didn’t trade for Brian Dozier, they traded for Brandon Phillips. There are obviously younger players in their primes than what the Braves have in Atlanta but look at last year’s stats for Phillips. That’s a guy who hit .291 now playing second base for the Braves.
Bartolo Colon won 15 games and was an All-Star last year. Now he’s the Braves number two pitcher.
It’s very unlikely that the Braves will make the postseason this year. But if we judge success on achieving the impossible, then Atlanta has already won; because the 2017 season starts soon and I’m excited.
What Brandon Phillips Brings To Braves
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In what seemed like an out of nowhere move, the Atlanta Braves traded minor league pitchers Andrew McKirahan and Carlos Portuondo to the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Brandon Phillips.
It was a rare case of cause and effect where the cause came to light after the effect had already taken place. The Braves had signed Sean Rodriguez to handle at least half of a platoon or at most the majority of the starts at second base for 2017; but shortly before spring training began they became aware that Rodriguez would need shoulder surgery stemming from a car accident in January and would miss 3-5 months due to recovery. They needed to act fast to find a replacement, and act fast they did.
Phillips is a 3-time All-Star who can hit for average and power, as well as swipe double digit bases, but his real asset is his glove. He’s a four time Gold Glove winner at second base, and can occasionally still make the same kind of jaw-dropping, highlight reel-worthy defensive plays that Braves fans saw on the other side of the infield during Andrelton Simmons’ stay at shortstop.
This is a great deal for Atlanta. They fill a need in their infield (for a second time this offseason) and add a reliable veteran presence in the lineup and clubhouse as well.
The cost for Phillips was staggering low to my eye. The amount of pitchers with high ceilings in Atlanta’s farm system is monstrous, and to not have to sacrifice any of them in this trade is a boasting point for John Coppellela; but not as much as that the Reds threw in $13 million to cover the $14 million that Phillips is owed in 2017 – after which he’ll be a free agent.
Add it all up, and you’ve got yourself a great deal for a player who will both keep the spot warm until Ozzie Albies is ready to take over at second and a player that can legitimately improve the offense and defense.
I would argue that as solid of a player as Rodriguez is, Phillips is a better option for the team.
Phillips at 35 may not be a destiny-altering addition to Atlanta, but having a player that smooth with the glove is only going to benefit the pitching staff and Dansby Swanson.
Playing across the diamond from a player with that kind of skillset will be a boon to the young shortstop, especially given that Phillips in his prime might be a good comp for the kind of player Swanson may evolve into.
He’ll also likely alleviate some of the offensive pressure on Swanson, as I assume he’ll move into the two hole behind leadoff man Ender Inciarte. This will allow Swanson to hit lower in the batting order.
Phillips comes with two interesting oddities as well: the Braves are in a period of rebuilding. Phillips adds to the irony that many of the Braves’ starters will not be all that young: he joins the likes of Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, Nick Markakis, and Matt Kemp. It’s a roster that would have terrified the NL East in 2010. Although they still all can contribute immensely to Atlanta’s hopes of competing and respectability in 2017.
The other oddity is this: with Phillips gone from Cincinnatti, second base will now be occupied by Jose Peraza, the former Braves top prospect. Baseball poetry at its most ironic.
Georgia Sports Heart Break
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I had a business associate call me from San Diego this week offering his condolences on the epic fourth quarter meltdown of the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.
He asked me what happened, and I said you would have to live in Georgia and follow college and pro sports in this state to understand.
Natives could see this entire thing unfolding right before our eyes, and yet we knew it was coming and felt powerless because that is how we have been conditioned living in this state and following Georgia based sports teams.
Here are the numerous examples of classic Atlanta choke jobs:
January 4th, 1981: The 12-4 Atlanta Falcons led the Dallas Cowboys 27-17 with 6:37 left to play in the NFC Playoffs. The Cowboys rally and beat the Falcons 30-27. The 1980 Falcons were a good enough team to win the Super Bowl. The loss to the Cowboys killed momentum for the franchise as they only had one more winning season the rest of the 1980’s. It had to come from the hated Dallas Cowboys.
1982 Atlanta Braves: The 82 Braves started the season with 13 straight wins and in late July had a 9 game division lead over the Dodgers. Then the Braves proceeded to lose 19 of the next 21 games and backed into the playoffs after losing to the Padres on the final day of the season as Joe Morgan hit a homerun to lift the Giants over the Dodgers to give the Braves the NL West title. The Braves then proceeded to get swept by the Cardinals in the NL championship series. Do you see a trend starting to develop?
1996 Atlanta Braves: Up 2-0 in the World Series against the Yankees after winning first two games in Yankee Stadium. The Braves drop 4 straight to choke in classic Atlanta fashion. I am not even going to mention Mark Wohlers. Just throw a dang fastball.
1998 Atlanta Braves: This team won 106 games and go up 2-0 on the Padres in the NL Championship series and then lose 4 straight. The 97, 99, 02, and 03 Braves all won 100 games and choked in the playoffs.
2015 Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks won 60 games and were the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Get to the Eastern Conference Finals and get swept 4-0 by the Cavs. Hawks had some good teams in the 80’s that folded like a dove in a cornfield on a Saturday hunt.
Super Bowl 51: The one we’ll never forget. Beat the crap out of Seattle and Green Bay and roll into the Super Bowl clicking on all cylinders and for 43 minutes beat the absolute crap out of the New England Patriots. Leading 28-3 the wheels completely fall off. The 25-point lead evaporates and the Falcons lose in overtime on the biggest sports stage ever, and now will it will be remembered as the biggest meltdown in sports history.
If you are a follower of any major sport in the state of Georgia you know disappointment well. Dawg fans you know disappointment as The University of Florida owns you in all three major men’s sports Football, Baseball, and Basketball.
Atlanta pro sports has only one World Title the 1995 Braves, and decades of heartbreak.
I’ll leave you with this a long time avid Atlanta pro sports fan told me this joke on Tuesday. When I die I want 2 Falcons, 2 Braves, and 2 Hawks fans to be my pallbearers so they can let me down one last time.
Cheer up the Braves are about to report to Spring Training. I know that brings comfort Atlanta sports fans.
