I realize that judging a baseball teams’ potential on the first two games of a 162 game season is akin to judging a football teams’ potential on the first two sets of downs in the first game of pre-season, but the Braves look like a team in disarray right now, fumbling the ball all over the gridiron. And it sure looks eerily familiar, doesn’t it? Cox’s bizarre use of his erratic bullpen; costly uncharacteristic errors by the infield (Did Mark Teixeira leave his gold glove in Texas?); dramatic game tying heroics followed by bush league mistakes in extra innings to cinch the loss of the game (as well as critical sleep for devoted working class Braves fans); certain players continually, stubbornly, refusing to listen to Terry Pendleton and display a modicum of discipline at the plate when it counts most (Andruw is gone so we can no longer blog him over the head as scapegoat).
Make no mistake, the Braves have a very long way to go before the knell of the death bell, and they have started slow in several years going back to the beginning of it all in 91, only to roar back and take command of first place, sometimes without mercy. But that’s not to say there isn’t cause for mild concern. The bullpens’ inadequacies bubbled to the surface like a witches’ cauldron during the infancy of the 2006 season and proved to be the albatross around their necks that made even 7 run leads nail bitingly tenuous. If any of these ugly mishaps portend what’s to come in this very long baseball season, we fans will suffer through exactly that.
Mike Hampton’s 2008 debut, and his first start over two years, approaches, and it could very well could prove to be a bittersweet chance at putting his team back on track, after returning from a barrage of injuries that helped nudge it off. The first couple games’ fumbles are history. He will have a new set of downs to play with. Yes, it’s still early, Braves fans, but let’s hope he hangs onto the ball–into the late innings for a win.
-Ray[BravesNuWorld]
This is Dan here, and I have to agree with Ray 100 percent: There is reason to be concerned and we are just two games into the season.
For one, the past two games have resembled clown skits gone awry at a Circus. In the first game, we saw sloppy field play and lame offense. In the second game, we saw sloppy field play and a lucky offense. We can upbraid several players: Mark Teixeira for his minor-league fielding at first base and his 0-6 performance, the bullpen that appeared eerily similar to the bullpens from 2006 and 2007, Yunel Escobar’s errors (although he had a nice day at the plate) and an outfield that is sleeping at the wheel.
The Braves have just loss two games in a row to likely basement teams.
Yeah, Braves fan should have some concern right now. Instead of hearing din of a ball smacking a glove, we are hearing the din of a ball flying past the glove and hitting the damn dugout.
What Bobby Cox needs to do is change up the line up and he should lay a thick harangue on the team, if that’s what you call these guys right now.
The only highlight of the game (hey, it was entertaining, but it was entertaining in a way such as watching America’s Funniest Sports highlights and not a professional baseball game) was Chipper Jones’ smart play to keep running on that ninth inning play. He must have had some special power to realize before any of us did that Jason Bay and Nate McLouth we’re going to miss catching that fly ball.
Oh well. We’re only two games into the season. But I already feel like someone tried to choke me to death.
Dan[BravesNuWorld]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: braves, braves bullpen, Chipper Jones, Jason Bay, Mike Hampton, Nate McLouth, teixeira
