2008 Braves updates

[trublue 939]

Smoltzie goes for 3,000th. strike out tonight.

 

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ajc.com > Sports > Braves

Bruce Benedict excited for Smoltz's milestone

Former Braves catcher was behind plate for pitcher's first strikeout

 

By CARROLL ROGERS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/21/08

When John Smoltz takes the mound Tuesday against the Nationals needing four strikeouts to reach 3,000, one scout in the Turner Field stands will become a fan.

 

Former Braves catcher Bruce Benedict, who's in town scouting for the St. Louis Cardinals, was behind the plate when Smoltz collected his first strikeout vs. the Mets on July 23, 1988. He'd like to be a couple feet behind the plate in the stands when Smoltz gets No. 3,000.

 

"I remember after the game, John wanted everything that I had used in the game — my glove, my shoes — to commemorate his first major league win," Benedict said. "I remember him like he is now, full of energy, full of life, could have pitched a couple games that day I think."

 

It's easy for Benedict to recognize Smoltz's talent now now, but he said he said the same thing after Smoltz's debut that Sunday in Shea Stadium.

 

"I think I came into the training room, Bobby Cox [then the general manager] was in there and said 'What did you think?'" Benedict said. "I said, 'Wow. I think you've got a really good one here.' There's no doubt about the fact that he's a special pitcher and a special player. ... He's obviously had to make some adjustments because of arm problems, but the stuff is still there. He's still throws very, very hard."

 

Twenty years after that first strikeout of Darryl Strawberry and his first major league win, Smoltz said he'd like the ball from strikeout No. 3,000. But otherwise, he's trying not to make a big deal out of this milestone.

 

"I haven't asked my kids if they want to go," Smoltz said Monday. "I don't even know if they know it's a big deal. That's the way I've approached it. If I was totally healthy and just know I was going seven, eight, nine innings, it may be more in the front of my mind, but — not to be melodramatic — I don't know what I'm going to have each start. I'm more concerned with how to get guys out than I am a number of strikeouts."

 

The start of Smoltz's season was delayed by soreness in his trapezius (shoulder) muscle and he's pitched only five innings in each of his three starts since. But they've been dominating, including 10 strikeouts in his last start against Florida.

 

Smoltz, even at 40, still has the propensity to rise to big moments.

 

"[Three thousand strikeouts] is pretty unique," said Smoltz, who's in line to become the 16th pitcher to do it.

[trublue 939]

 

Smoltz turns to splitter for Special K

Braves' ace records 3,000th strikeout, but takes loss

 

By CARROLL ROGERS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/23/08

 

For all the pitches in his repertoire and all the strikeouts, when it came down to the one that got him 3,000, John Smoltz decided on the split-finger.

 

He got Felipe Lopez swinging at the nasty pitch he first pulled out in the 1992 playoffs against the Pirates, rode to his only Cy Young award in 1996 and on Tuesday used to join an elite group in the history of baseball, one with only 15 other members.

 

With the fourth of his 10 strikeouts, Smoltz claimed a number that should all but confirm he's a Hall of Famer. He did it in a 6-0 loss to the Nationals after staying within 1-0 through seven dominant innings before the Braves bullpen blew it open with a five-run ninth.

 

But Smoltz came away happy that he did it at Turner Field, in front of a crowd of 23,482 that hung on his every two-strike pitch.

 

"This was a pretty incredible moment," said

 

Smoltz, who called it bigger than his 200th win at Turner Field last year. "There were so many people pulling for me to get this done. I wanted it to be at home. I think the fans deserved to see it here and be a part of something."

 

Only five pitchers got to 3,000 strikeouts faster than Smoltz  Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens  though it probably hasn't felt that way to Smoltz. He got there after four elbow surgeries and a move from the rotation to the bullpen and back.

 

"Guys above me did it in a much grander fashion; the top guy [Nolan Ryan with 5,714] is ridiculous," Smoltz said. "But I think the course of my career had made this really special for me because there could have been a lot of roadblocks."

 

The video tribute the Braves presented on the BravesVision board in the middle of the third inning might have best put the feat in perspective. It showed clips of Smoltz clean-shaven, with a head full of hair, back in the triple-digit days of this strikeout climb.

 

Smoltz, 40 and with a little less on top, showed a little mileage when he took off his cap to acknowledge the fans during a prolonged ovation. That and perhaps when he dropped his head in relief as catcher Brian McCann ran out to hand him the ball from strikeout No. 3,000.

 

"When it was done, [i was] certainly relieved, happy for the fans and everybody who's been here, for the trainers, the doctors, everyone who's seen me go through a lot," Smoltz said.

 

"I didn't know how to react because there's still a game to pitch. It's not like I could get my four strikeouts and walk off the mound, but very proud."

 

And he could laugh, of course, when he got a postgame text message from Greg Maddux, a fellow member of the 3,000-strikeout club who pitched alongside him for 11 years.

 

"[it said] I've lost one hair for every strikeout that I've made," Smoltz said. "Probably right.

 

"It is incredible to think that aside from making numbers look the way you want them to look, this is a statistic that is what it is. It's nothing that you have to say with [a disclaimer]."

 

Smoltz has allowed only two runs in 23 innings this year, and both were driven in by former teammate Willie Harris, who doubled in the second inning. It was Smoltz's only blemish, and it was sandwiched between his record-setting four strikeouts.

 

Smoltz struck out Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns in the second and pitcher John Lannan to lead off the third. Then Lopez swung through the 2-2 split-finger pitch to bring on a fist pump from Smoltz and a celebration he'll always remember.

 

"I had all kinds of thoughts on what pitch I wanted it to be on," Smoltz said.

 

"That's dangerous as a pitcher because you've just got to throw the pitch you think will get it out. I did it on a split, that's about the only thing I remember from that at-bat."

[trublue 939]

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Chipper went off these past 2 games. 2 HR in each of the last two games. That brings him to 6 HR's and 16 RBI's

 

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I went to the game last night....vs. Reds....Chipper was 2 for 4. What a year he's having.

Great article in AJC about Chipper today.

 

BTW, they, also, honored Smoltzie between innings for his 3,000th. strike out. Bobby Cox presented him w/a framed jersey with the number 3,000 on it. Very touching.

 

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ajc.com > Sports > Braves

Jones ranks among Braves' greatest

 

By THOMAS STINSON

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 05/04/08

Just turned 36, Chipper Jones is passing a rare threshold in contemporary baseball. He has been a Brave for half his life, 18 years in one organization. Some nations don't last so long.

 

Jones does not mark time that way. He dates himself to a Saturday afternoon in June 1987, when the Braves played Cincinnati at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Seven home runs, 20 hits, a couple of ejections. Braves Dale Murphy and Ken Griffey homered back-to-back in the third, after which the Reds' Bill Gullickson plunked the Braves' Andres Thomas, starting a brawl. Braves won, 8-6.

 

A 15-year-old farm kid, up from Central Florida with his family, drank in every drop from the upper deck, his first major league game. It was the day Chipper Jones and the Braves met.

 

"And I was hooked," Jones recalled recently. "I can remember walking on the concourse and stepping out and seeing that beautiful green baseball field and all the people, and just saying, 'I want to play here one day.' Little did I know it was going to be my home.

 

"But I knew I wanted to be there and I knew when I got there that I wanted to make a splash."

 

Jones closed out April leading the majors with an eye-rubbing .410 batting average, but that was not a feat unto its own. Dating back to last year's All-Star break, his average is .362. Since 2006, he has hit .339, unmatched by anyone in either league (1,000 at-bat minimum).

 

But Jones' real splash washes across Page 401 of the Braves' media guide, where the franchise tracks its most proficient hitters dating to 1900. Quiet but steadfast, Jones has climbed all over the lists: best on-base percentage, second-most doubles, third-most home runs, RBI and total bases.

 

Some of the marks set by the incomparable Hank Aaron Jones will never match. But when his Braves days are done he could well rank first or second in a dozen offensive categories.

 

And two weeks past his 36th birthday, this spring has provided a snapshot of a hitter still in his prime, still hooked a half-lifetime later.

 

"Once you get that mentality and that confidence that every time you walk to the plate you can do something ... there's not a better feeling in the world that swinging a bat and bringing 50,000 people out of their seats," he said. "All of those things really drive me to continue doing what I've done."

 

 

New teammate wowed

 

At Georgia Tech and then as a cross-league slugger, Mark Teixeira never had a full appreciation for Jones until he began hitting behind him last summer.

 

"His natural ability is probably second to none in baseball," said Teixeira, who moved into the locker next to Jones. "He doesn't have to work like most guys, he doesn't have to think like most guys.

 

"Now, you put his work ethic on top of that? That's what makes him so great."

 

Because Jones has been out there for so long — he can pass the 2,000-game mark this season — fresh perspective like Teixeira's is rare. To close followers of the Braves, Jones is the comfortable old sofa in the family room, more appreciated than prized.

 

What would he be, had his career been played out in New York, Los Angeles or Boston? Among switch hitters, only Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) have hit more home runs than Jones (394). This is an historic career.

 

"He's gotten cheated as far as his exposure," said Pat Corrales, a longtime Braves coach who's now a bench coach in Washington. "He hasn't gotten the coverage [New York Mets third baseman] David Wright has gotten in three years.

 

"He [Jones] has been doing it for 15 years, and that's a shame."

 

In those 15 years, Jones has learned what is worth worrying about. Some fans will always ride him for a perceived lack of passion; some will never forget his highly publicized admission of marital infidelity in 1998. Jones has come to realize there is always another game tomorrow.

 

Tom Glavine returned from five years in New York this spring to find the third baseman had changed.

 

"My personal opinion is, I think he's grown up a lot," Glavine said. "He seems to be more comfortable with who he is. That's all part of growing up.

 

"It's hard enough that we worry about what we're doing numbers-wise. But when you also worry about what other people think about you and what your reputation is, that's a lot of stuff to take on. I think sooner or later, it's the old cliché; you can't please everybody."

 

So Jones applies his craft by the at-bat, by the inning, night by night, leaving the introspection for someone else.

 

"I think early in my career, I put so much pressure on myself to produce, and it was that pressure that allowed me to be successful," Jones said. "Now, it's more the opposite. I don't live, breathe, drink, eat, sleep baseball anymore. When I leave the park, I'm as much a family man as I can be and try to forget about the game as much as possible."

 

 

Quiet leadership

 

Whenever the Braves fly somewhere, Brian McCann takes the seat behind Jeff Francoeur, who takes the seat behind Jones. More trips than not, the dominant topic is hitting.

 

"Those are some of the best times for me," Francoeur said, "because you pick up things I never would have dreamed of in my life."

 

Jones' leadership skills have always tended toward the unspoken. Occasions when has tried to impose himself through public remarks have not always gone well. Twice, during the 1996 World Series and the 1998 NLCS, he was called out by teammates behind clubhouse doors for saying too much.

 

Now the senior citizen among the position players, Jones' silence can puzzle the younger set. Bullpen coach Eddie Perez said that when younger players come to ask him what is bugging the third baseman, Perez smiles knowingly and answers, "Nothing."

 

"Chipper's not good to get up in front of everybody here and tell them what he thinks," Francoeur said. "But I don't know anyone better to get on a plane and talk one-on-one for two hours and explain exactly what he thinks and what we need to do. And that's good.

 

"Every once in a while, you need a guy like him to tell you, 'You know what? You're better than what you're getting out of yourself.' "

 

It is a cruelty of baseball that once a player truly grasps how to play the game, he is too often too old to do it anymore. Jones has missed nearly a quarter of all games since 2004 due to injury, but he still gets more out of his game than he often did during his 20s.

 

He is also, by baseball standards, a bargain. After volunteering to restructure his contract in 2005 so the club could sign pitcher Tim Hudson, Jones' salary of $12.33 million isn't among the top 50 in the game. He isn't even among the five best-paid third basemen.

 

He has one option year remaining on his contract, which he can trigger by making 450 plate appearances this season. What happens after that, he says, is up to the Braves. He believes he has five more years in him, although changing teams this late in his career "just to accrue numbers" is not appealing.

 

Until then, his assault on Page 401 continues, a remarkable talent swinging his way through the final quarter of an uncommon career, chasing after the Braves who went before him.

 

"That drives me. It really does," Jones said. "I mean, you walk into the stadium and you see how historic this franchise has been over the years and you see [on the outfield wall] the names and the numbers. And you think, well, not only are all those guys Braves Hall of Famers. But they're Hall of Famers and first-ballot Hall of Famers at that.

 

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a goal to be mentioned in the same breath with the Eddie Mathews and the Hank Aarons and the Murphys."

 

No lie. He already is.

[hokie07 11]

Thanks for the read trublue!

[Bogeavers 10]

That is a wonderful article on Chipper. The Braves better lock him up for a few more years. Let the man that has given your team so much retire with the team he dreamed of being a part of as a kid.

[hokie07 11]

Give Chipper a 3 run shot in the bottom of the 2nd vs. the Reds today! It's 7-0 Braves and Arroyo is done after 47 pitches and 1 1/3 innings.

[trublue 939]

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Give Chipper a 3 run shot in the bottom of the 2nd vs. the Reds today! It's 7-0 Braves and Arroyo is done after 47 pitches and 1 1/3 innings.

 

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Whew.....Glavine finally gets some run support and couldn't make it through the 5th. to get his first win of the year after giving up 6.

Prado just slid into 1st. base and checking his thumb....hope nothing serious. Why would you slide into first.....I don't even think little leaguers do that.

[hokie07 11]

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Why would you slide into first.....I don't even think little leaguers do that.

 

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I did that in little league!

 

Its the bottom of the 5th with no outs and the bases are loaded. The Braves are up 9-6 now...

[trublue 939]

The offense has come alive....thank goodness.

Hokie 7....no sliding into first base.....hope you got that out of your system when you got to high school...ha-ha.

[hokie07 11]

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Hokie 7....no sliding into first base.....hope you got that out of your system when you got to high school...ha-ha.

 

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That was my first and last year of little league. I enjoyed playing home run derby or whiffle ball in the neighborhood a lot more than organized baseball.

[GHS06 10]

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That is a wonderful article on Chipper. The Braves better lock him up for a few more years. Let the man that has given your team so much retire with the team he dreamed of being a part of as a kid.

 

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No worries. He'll be a brave as long as he wants to be.

[trublue 939]

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[ QUOTE ]

That is a wonderful article on Chipper. The Braves better lock him up for a few more years. Let the man that has given your team so much retire with the team he dreamed of being a part of as a kid.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

No worries. He'll be a brave as long as he wants to be.

 

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I think the ATL Braves fans would riot if they didn't let Chipper retire/quit/hang it up in a Braves uniform. I think they (management) will show the same respect for Chipper in allowing him to finish as a Brave as they are allowing Smoltzie to do.

[tbgfan 856]

I was at Turner Field Saturday night to see the Braves vs the Reds, my first time seeing the Braves in person! Had great seats only 10 rows back behind the Braves dugout. The atmosphere, seeing the players up close, seeing Smoltz be honored for his achievements--nothing like it!! Was a great experience except for the traffic going into Atlanta--fortunately I wasn't driving.

[BigBlueAlum 12]

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I was at Turner Field Saturday night to see the Braves vs the Reds, my first time seeing the Braves in person! Had great seats only 10 rows back behind the Braves dugout. The atmosphere, seeing the players up close, seeing Smoltz be honored for his achievements--nothing like it!! Was a great experience except for the traffic going into Atlanta--fortunately I wasn't driving.

 

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Im headed down to ATL on Wednesday to watch a game or two. We are doing the All you can eat/drink seats on Wednesday night vs. the Padres. The seats arent on the field, where I normally like to sit, but I think the food and beverage will make up for it.

 

We might go to the game on Thursday and get the cheap seats for $12, which are actually pretty good seats.

 

We are staying at the Comfort Inn directly behind the stadium, has anyone ever stayed there? I know the section of town is a little rough, but we really wanted to be close to the stadium. Ive read mixed reviews on the place.

[GMan 3,569]

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We are doing the All you can eat/drink seats on Wednesday night vs. the Padres. The seats arent on the field, where I normally like to sit, but I think the food and beverage will make up for it.

 

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Yeh, they'd lose money with me on that deal...I'd just go for the food, to heck with the baseball game, I'd catch the highlights on SportsCenter...

[BigBlueAlum 12]

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We are doing the All you can eat/drink seats on Wednesday night vs. the Padres. The seats arent on the field, where I normally like to sit, but I think the food and beverage will make up for it.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Yeh, they'd lose money with me on that deal...I'd just go for the food, to heck with the baseball game, I'd catch the highlights on SportsCenter...

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

I definitely plan to get my money’s worth. The tickets were $70, but a couple BBQ sandwiches, 2 or 3 hotdogs, some nachos, and a "few" "beverages of choice" should even things out pretty well.

[GMan 3,569]

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a couple BBQ sandwiches, 2 or 3 hotdogs, some nachos, and a "few" "beverages of choice"

 

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You need to learn how to EAT...

[trublue 939]

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We are doing the All you can eat/drink seats on Wednesday night vs. the Padres. The seats arent on the field, where I normally like to sit, but I think the food and beverage will make up for it.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Yeh, they'd lose money with me on that deal...I'd just go for the food, to heck with the baseball game, I'd catch the highlights on SportsCenter...

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

I definitely plan to get my money’s worth. The tickets were $70, but a couple BBQ sandwiches, 2 or 3 hotdogs, some nachos, and a "few" "beverages of choice" should even things out pretty well.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

A bottle of water is 4.75, hot dogs were almost 7.00, your beverage of choice was 7.00ish. So, you are getting a deal in the food dept.

Since that's a night game during the week there will not be as many ppl.....and for the day game....you may be able to get closer to the field if you talk nicely to the attendants ha-ha. What am I saying....of course, you'll talk nicely you're from Richlands

Drive safely....crazy drivers in GA....(excluding me, of course.)

[BigBlueAlum 12]

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a couple BBQ sandwiches, 2 or 3 hotdogs, some nachos, and a "few" "beverages of choice"

 

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You need to learn how to EAT...

 

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I finally lost the 40 pounds I gained during college, so my appetite isnt quite what it was a year ago... But, I will do my best. What I lack in food intake I will make up for in drinks.

[BigBlueAlum 12]

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[ QUOTE ]

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[ QUOTE ]

We are doing the All you can eat/drink seats on Wednesday night vs. the Padres. The seats arent on the field, where I normally like to sit, but I think the food and beverage will make up for it.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Yeh, they'd lose money with me on that deal...I'd just go for the food, to heck with the baseball game, I'd catch the highlights on SportsCenter...

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

I definitely plan to get my money’s worth. The tickets were $70, but a couple BBQ sandwiches, 2 or 3 hotdogs, some nachos, and a "few" "beverages of choice" should even things out pretty well.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

A bottle of water is 4.75, hot dogs were almost 7.00, your beverage of choice was 7.00ish. So, you are getting a deal in the food dept.

Since that's a night game during the week there will not be as many ppl.....and for the day game....you may be able to get closer to the field if you talk nicely to the attendants ha-ha. What am I saying....of course, you'll talk nicely you're from Richlands

Drive safely....crazy drivers in GA....(excluding me, of course.)

 

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Yeah, I’m hoping to pay for the cheap seats and then score some field level seats, if there aren’t many people there. I had good luck with that last time. We are going for my bachelor party, so we may not make it to the game on Thursday.

[GMan 3,569]

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What I lack in food intake I will make up for in drinks.

 

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That's the spirit!!!

[vthokies4life 10]

When you say "beverage of choice", is that like... [holding my breath in anticipation]... beer? Or is it only reserved for soft drinks?

[GMan 3,569]

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When you say "beverage of choice", is that like... [holding my breath in anticipation]... beer? Or is it only reserved for soft drinks?

 

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"beverages of choice"...would definitely make me think that adult beverages were a viable option...if not, I'd just get large fries, and a liter of cola, dude...

[BigBlueAlum 12]

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When you say "beverage of choice", is that like... [holding my breath in anticipation]... beer? Or is it only reserved for soft drinks?

 

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With the seats we got it is an option. You can choice between water, soda, or beer (or a combination of the three). They have three class of all you can eat seats. The other two only offer water and cola. Here is a link with the full list of what is included in all three categories.

[GHS06 10]

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When you say "beverage of choice", is that like... [holding my breath in anticipation]... beer? Or is it only reserved for soft drinks?

 

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on what ticket you get. The "BBQ and more" seats are beer included.