the three most beautiful words

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!!!

Tonight let us put the events of September 28, 2011, the night that completed the collapse of the Atlanta Braves, behind us. Tonight let us reflect on hope for a new season. Tonight let us begin anew.

The Atlanta sqaud is the only team in the NL East that is returning most of the same team. The Marlins have a new town, stadium, shortstop, closer, uniform, number two starter, and logo. The fight’en Phill's signed Pap, and Big Jim Thome. Washington added Geo, they are getting Strasburg back and Harper is on the way. The Mets, well, one of their pitchers climbed Kilimanjaro during the off season. But I don't want to dwell on the wild card teams let's focus on the 2012 Eastern Champs.

At first glance its easy to say that the Braves didn't make any moves this winter, but if you look at the team with a critical eye you might come to a different conclusion. Derek Lowe is gone after posting a 9 and 17 record with a 5 plus earned run average (ERA) last year. By moving him to the Indians Frank Wren made spot in the rotation one of the young stud prospects. They also fired hitting coach, Larry Parrish, and hired one with a stellar reputation. Then the hired him an assistant. Addition by subtraction?

The official date for position players to report is not for a few days yet, but with the exception Bourn and Pastornicky all of the projected regulars have already reported and the news coming out of Orlando is outstanding. The most encouraging of all reports have been on Jason Heyward. They say he is swinging the bat as well as he did his rookie year. That's the year every one was comparing him to Hammer’en Hank. I don't believe Heward will have a Hank Aaron type of year but I'm confident that he can have a 20 and  90 type of year. More good news, Uggla reported to camp with bigger arms and more confidence than he did last year. If he doesn’t slump in the first half this year like 2011 he could be a beast (40 plus bombs).  When we add a resurgent Heward and a confident Uggla with a full season of Bourn and health Prado the offense is looking solid. Real solid! And I still haven't mentioned old number 10

The solid offence that Atlanta is going to send to the plate is going save O'venbrell, the big three in the bullpen. It was pretty obvious in the late season last year the Venters and Kimbrel were gassed as a result of all the close games we played last year. If we can get to the 7th with a three run lead more often those guys will be there past game 130. Combine that with a few young starters going deeper in the game and the pen looks to be well rested in September. I am concerned with the lose of Linebrink and Sherill. Those guys ate alot of innings for us, and I'm not sure who we have that can fill that roll. Martinez and Vizcaino will eat those innings without giving up the big hits???

All that leaves it the Rotation. Hudson, Hanson, Jurjjens, Beachy, and Minor sounds really good right? Problem is Hudson won't be ready until May at best, and Tommy Hanson had a blowout and hit a tree or something two days ago. I think he will be ready for opening day but who knows. So that leaves us with Jurrjens, Beachy, Minor, Delgodo, and Terhan as our opening day five. Still not bad, just very young. Facts are we will do as well as or starting rotation does. With out 30 starts each from Jurrjens and Hanson we are putting a huge load on the rookies Terhan and Delgado despite the talent the question remains, are they ready to face the big bats of the east? Of course the wild card and true sense of hope wears 54, Kris Medlen who is coming back off of Tommy John's. As best I recall, the braves did not loose but one or two games behind him 2010. If he is able to earn a spot in the starting five this spring that should allow Wren some flexibility come the trading deadline in July.

It's been a long winter, but the calendar has turned to a new season.  Let's turn the lights on at the Ted, and crank up the tomahawk chop because, THIS IS BRAVES COUNTRY!!!!  

what did the boy scouts say???

It would be wrong to say that we had a full nine months to plan for the events of this week, but we had at least a full seven and a half months. You would think that would be plenty of time to prepare for any thing, I am afraid though that is not the case. I had time to paint over a pink room. I had time to make sure that two of the south's great hero's (Chipper and General Lee) found places on the wall in the nursery. I even had time to come up with a name. But to say that I or we were prepared for January 17th 2012 would be a lie. But hey, its all good one best  assets is that ability to roll with the punches.

For the last week or so I knew it would be best to work close to home say no more than two hours away. My wife had been getting pretty restless around the house, and you know what they say about the old restless mare. So it was no great surprise when she call me on Tuesday to let me know that the time was now. I was about an hour away; a drive that I'm sure I made in about forty-five minutes. That, my friends, was the easy part because home is still an hour away from Kennestone Hospital. I am absolutely amazed by the fact that no matter how fast a man drives with a woman and labor, he still could be driving about ten miles per hour faster. I'm also still pondering why a red light has zero meaning to a woman in labor, but these might not be things that men are supposed to understand.

Another thing I don't quite comprehend; the health care crisis. It seems to me that modern medicine is right on track. As soon as we arrived at the emergency room the wheels turned in hurry. In a little less than ninety minutes I had a new son born by c-section. My wife and I were covered up by nurses and doctors of the highest quality. The term well oiled machine comes to mind. It is certainly safe to say that the medical staff was much more prepared to deal with the situation more than I was. But again, roll with it.

Tonight, I have the whole family home, and everyone is sleeping soundly. Which is quite an accomplishment. And while I got that job done, I am in no way prepared to deal with trials of the upcoming days, months, or years. But I am undoubtedly looking forward to facing them head on. Who knows what going to happen. I hope that in about 19 years I watch Charlie Pat strike out the side at the Ted, but if not thats all good. I guess in the end I wish a full and happy life for him; not matter what path he might decide to take.       

uva uvam vivendo varia fit

I told you, Woodrow, a long time ago... it aint Greek its Latin. It's a motto it just says it's self... uvarum, uvarum fit uvarum... double fit... " If you are lost already you might want to stop reading here and go buy a Brad Paisley album then run in front of the next greyhound bus, or go to your library and checkout  Lonesome Dove and come back when you've read it. It's a beautifully written saga that deals with life's intricacies with a host of characters and events that lead the reader down a loose and  interpretative  version of the Goodnight-Loving Trail. 

"Uva uvam vivendo varia fit" is a Latin phrase that loosely translated means "A grape is changed by living with other grapes." With the help of Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonesome_Dove) and one of my more physiological friends, I believe its safe to further break down the motto to: "We are changed by the lives around us." By being able to reduce the phase to the latter I think we have stumbled on to a provocative statement made by a character that, while probably didn't understand it's written meaning, embodied its true meaning. Which is good new for us because it would be hard as hell write about grapes.  

If you take a little time to consider Gus's Latin motto "We are changed by lives around us" you will surely  have to realize that when you look in the mirror it's not only you that that you see. So many people are looking back into your eyes, old friends, ex-lovers,  great teachers, and of course family. After all none of us got to where we are with out help. To help further my point, a good exercises might be to envision what your life might be like if you had never met your best friend. A bleak thought, right? 

Upon reflection, I can pin point a handful of people and maybe four or five days that had defining importance on the man I am today.  I can also point to hundreds of smaller events, or conversations, or even jokes (looks like you blew a seal), that helped develop my taste in art, music, sports, food, and a thousand other things. I am also forced to consider all of the dumb people that I have been around that influenced me. I won't call names but I have done my best to try to learn what not to do from people that made poor decisions in life. And though I would like to claim a 100% track record in the "didn't do dumb things department", that is simply not the case. In fact, at one time I allowed my self to be lead down a road of self destruction by people that I considered good friends. Years after I look back on that time and wonder how tough would I be today if at one time I had not had the experience of hitting bottom. The only real answer I have for myself is a big question mark.  

"Uva uvam vivendo varia fit" or "We are changed by the lives around us" I hope each of you takes a second to consider the people that brought you to where you are today, and be thankful for them. 

while i was considering this post i had an idea about a future post, but i will need your help. if you know the characters in the novel or movie Lonesome Dove please let me know which character you feel you best relate to and why. you can leave your answers in the comment section of this blog or on facebook. If you relate to one of the whores in Ogallala please leave your contact info as well.

I will leave you with a few more great quotes from McMurty's novel that further illustrate the point he was making with the phrase "uva uvam vivendo varia fit" 

•  A man who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough
•  Here's to the sunny slopes of long ago
•  I could kick you for givin' him all them ideas about Montana. Now we're gonna suffer for the rest of our damn lives     
•  I know I did, son. And I'm sure you wished you had. But yesterday's gone, we can't get it back. Now you go on with your digging. 
•  I loved Augustus McRae, but I wasn't willing to share him with you every time you decided to ride off on some adventure. I despised you for what you were then, Captain Call; and I despise you for what you're doing!  
•  expected you to own a bank or at least a whorehouse by now Jake. It seems life has been a disappointment to both of us 
•  I never noticed you having accidents with ugly girls
• Jake liked to joke. He didn't like to work. I have exactly those same failings myself