saturday night braves

Tonight the Braves are winning 9-1 behind Medlen. Last night Paul threw a 3 hit complete game shut out; things seem to be going well. Still, I can't help but remember last year's second half. Last year we were trying to run down the Phillies or hold on to the wild card spot for the N. But after a disastrous September we fell short in game 162 on September 28.

It's early yet, but it's with some hope I'm anxious to say to say this is an entirely different team that fell apart last year.  In the 2011 season we were going with guys like Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjiens, that didn't have anything to give in the second half. We had used O'Flaherty, Venters, and Kimbrell way too often and they were gassed down the stretch. This year we seem to have a solid six guys to take us to October; Hudson, Sheets, Maholm, Medlen, and  Minor have been throwing the ball really well, and Hanson might be coming off the disabled soon. Our rotation looks very good right now. AND I can say enough about the way the bull pen has been throwing, especially Chad Durdin.The guy has been lights out, and in April we thought we was going to be a wasted roster spot.

As for the line up; life's good. Enough said.

Right now we are 41/2 behind the upstart Nationals, but they are a young untested team. I have to think that the heat the Braves are putting on them now will catch up with them in September. Let's all wait and see if they take Stasburg down, lets see if there pen can hold up to all the close games they have been playing, let's see if the Braves can take care of them in the six games left with them.

Just a quick side note: Tonight we knocked Santana out after a inning and a 1/3. I really hate watching something like that. It hasn't been to long ago that that guy was one of the best pitchers in the game. I realy hate watching a guy like that struggle.

This is why we chop!!!

the deadline

So... here we are a few days before the non wavier deadline, one of my favorite times of the year. It seems no matter how good our team is that every year we need a piece or two for the August and September stretch run. It would appear that the 2012 Braves need about three pieces to make a deep run into October, and with Greinke gone and Dempster unlikely; it looks like the front office will have to make do with two of the three. The starting pitcher will have to come from the current forty man roster

Many of us Braves fans have been wanting Kris Medlen in the starting rotation all year and it would seem that will be the case on Tuesday. Through out his career with the Braves we are 14-4 behind him when he starts, which is a whole lot better than we can say for some of the guys that have pitched for us this year (Jurrjens). Chris has one of the best change ups in the game today and has been a solid bullpen guy all year. With his return to the rotation we are able to keep all of our young arms with in the system and not spend twenty million per year on a guy like Greinke. All in all a good move for the 2013 through 2018 clubs.

The hangup with 54 moving to the starting five is we have to find a lock down bull pen arm. This year we have not enjoyed the same seventh, eighth, and ninth as we did last year. Kimbrell has been all but untouchable, and O'flaherty has been pretty solid, but we can't count on Venters like we did last year. So we  find the largest whole of the Brave's ball club in the bull pen.  If we are not able to make some sort of move before Tuesday to fill the hole in the bullpen I believe we are going to have a tough time down the stretch.

We also have to replace Matt Diaz, who is sidelined for the second time in his career with with splinters from a palm tree. Yea, you read right, splinters from a palm tree. the top of our line up is strong: Bourn, Prado, Heyward, Jones, Freeman, and McCann, but they can be a little suspect when facing a top lefty. The obvious answer is a right handed bat that can come off of the bench. I don't know who that might be, but the less obvious answer... wait for it...  TRADE UGGLA. If we could get a contact type of left fielder for old Dan and move Prado back to his natural position if think that would extend the line up enough to make a run into the post season.

Please understand that I don't have Frank Wren's job for a reason, but I'm trying to think out of the box a little. The Braves might be able to fill two needs by moving Uggla. He should be worth a bull pen arm and a left fielder. All I know is we have to do something before Tuesday.  

GO BRAVES!!!

200 meters

Wrecked is the best word I have to portray how I am feeling tonight.  My shoulders, back, and quads are all shot to hell. Some of that is from today’s “Dirty Thirty”, but I really broke them down on Monday; all in the span of two hundred meters.

For a moment allow your mind’s eye conjure a football field. The distance from goal post to goal post is about 100 meters, a seemingly innocent length. Most anyone can sprint the span of goal post and back with no problem, but try covering 200 meters with a walking lunge followed by a 200 meter sprint.  At this point in the program your legs really aren’t working well which really makes a sprint a little changing.  Following a two meter sprint, two hundred meter walking lunges, and a second two hundred meter sprint; comes a two hundred meter bear crawl (if you aren’t familiar with this use Google).  Remember two hundred meters is goal post to goal post and back, and by now two hundred is not looking so innocent.  So let’s do another 200 meter sprint with no legs or shoulders now, and then proceed to broad jump burpees (Google here if needed).  By now the football field might as well be two miles, and these are excruciating when your body is fresh. Try them after all  this and they are damn near impossible.  Finish up with one more sprint.  43 minutes 13 seconds from start to finish and you are left with a depleted shell of a body, and that is before the soreness sets in the next day.

Don’t get me wrong I’m really not complaining.  I was out there doing this with a bunch of crazy ass crossfitters that really made it an enjoyable afternoon workout.  And after all, we do stupid stuff like this daily.  Tomorrow it’s one rep max clean and jerks, a 3 round “wod”, and rowing for extra conditioning. I don't think the wrecked muscles have any relief in sight. ...sucks for them