The Ted Turner Memoirs Part 4: Rise Of The Powers That Be

[lilbiggio]

Quote: Originally Posted by ACMilan1999

Well, you're screwed. Got any plans to get a replacement starter?

I had been going back and forth over what to do about this situation this weekend.

What it boils down to is Julio Teheran will be promoted to the show one way or another just to stop the bleeding. There are ZERO free Agent pitchers that would be serviceable and after the Zambrano signing I don't think it'd be a good idea to bring another pitcher in just yet. Maybe in the offseason.

Now what was interesting is that Houston offered up Michael Bourn for like Wilkin Ramirez and Billy Bullock as a July Firesale deal that the Show loves to do...

(I was actually kind of amazed that the CPU either coincidentially picked us as suitors, or actually replicated the real transaction by some sort of weird code. It just made too much sense to real life for it to be an accident..)

Now of course in the grand scheme of things, this is a horrible trade for them, and I wasn't even going in the Bourn direction since Schafer has been good enough to not need to replicate that trade..

...but

..given the circumstances of our offense struggling as well as needing some sort of change to keep us from flopping down the stretch, we may have to make Houston a better offer that they can't refuse. I know it doesn't address the injury to Hanson, but it makes us better in another area that we are struggling in mightly.

My idea would be to acquire Bourn, move Prado back to 2B fulltime. Move Uggla over to 3B. Send Tyler Pastornicky back where he came from, because he's helpful on the field, but during those critical simulation games he is pulling the team down I'm seeing. Bourn would improve our numbers since he is major league ready.

The alternative would be not to go after Bourn, bring Schafer back after his DL stint, and then roll with the punches that this season is most certainly going to bring. I'm kind of halfway wanting to see just how challenging it's going to get... but damn Houston's out of the blue offer sure looks like a good idea.

[bhurst99]

The disaster pic of the Chan Ho Park signing was classic.

[Rexis]

Quote: Originally Posted by lilbiggio

we may have to make Houston a better offer that they can't refuse

Yes, yes...

Spoiler

[lilbiggio]

The Offer

For some inexplicable reason, the Astros really want Wilkin Ramirez. Like super man crush on a AAA guy that I'm willing to send you our 3rd best player type love.

Now as stated earlier we can't just screw the other owners in the league just because the ability is there to do so. We gotta be reasonable, we gotta give them a little something just to sleep better at night, so after not taking as many minutes as we did to send Fielder to Detroit, we came up with a lil' offer that seems reasonable:




RF Wilkin Ramirez - AAA
SP JJ Hoover - AA
LF Cory Harrilchak - MLB

For

CF Michael Bourn
Mystery GUY FROM HOUSTON X


Yes, quite convenient how that mystery guy's name is hidden by the obnoxiously large Ramirez stat screen. OH how I love when plot devices work out well. As for the trade we're sending our best pitching prospect not named Beachy,. Our top RF prospect that has no room from growth as we learned this spring because of J-Hey.

Oh... and for good measure we'll throw in the LF Harrillchak who has made Jordan Schafer irrelevant. Our main reason being his name was pissing me off. Our reason to the papers will be because Jordan Schafer just passed his physical and will be returning:



Houston will now ponder over this offer for the next couple of days.

[lilbiggio]

So before I do this update, man... I must say, the internets is back and as coach Rudy T would say "How SWEET IT IS!"

This has been one of the hardest seasons to keep going, but I do thank you for bearing with me.

* Looks at clock and realizes it's only been 3 seasons *

Well eh, hardest season out of 4 is still saying something. And I'm glad after today's update we can get the pace back to what it used to be. No more having to do 6 games in one update because the library is closed for the weekend. Good riddance to that nonesense.

Yes friends, It's good times for the Ted Turner Memoirs, for the Braves, and for Apple Pie.


Except for damn Roy Oswalt spoiling the festivities.



This happens so often, we partying, we're celebrating some obscure off topic situation and then we hit the field, and a pitcher goes out of his way to have a career day. This time it'd be Roy who looked like Houston's Roy as he struck 10 Braves out 8 coming from a curveball...

... the other two because the 3rd base umpire decided to mail in tonights game and call everything close a strike. All check swings to the pitcher, and just to rub more salt in our wounds, he called a timeout to let Prado retrieve a beachball just when Kawakami hit his rhythm pitching. Damn... I hate that 3rd base ump more than I hate getting a haircut on Saturday afternoon... BEFORE Easter. I think his name is Clyde Washington or something like that.

The hispanic guy that looks like Mario from Super mario bros.. hey he let's the check swing slide.. but ol' Clyde? Dude be like waiting for us to **** up so he can hit us with the Super Punch Out from third base move. It's quite a douche thing to do to a guy honestly and truthfully but... we're moving on.


Now if you were paying attention, you'd notice I slipped in the name Kawakami. Man what the **** were we thinking.



Really, Julio Teheran as an option when Kenshin Kawakami a proven starter from a championship team. Our most reliable relief pitcher, and just an all around good guy is sitting in the corner going "what about me?!"

My fault team, I was f'n up...

.. so it'll be Kawakami and not Teheren going forward. We still lost the ball game, but damnit we made strides in getting this lil' situation solved.

The trade deadline also passed, and the Bourn deal still has not been approved or denied.

DOUBLE DAMN!

[lilbiggio]

Heading into August, we got this month and September to get our stuff together or we could be on the outside looking in. Remember we were just up 6 games not 2 weeks ago. Now we're in a dogfight. (Sorry Mike Vick) .. for the remainder of the season.




The Marlins are hot on our heels, the Phillies have been there all season long. I told ya it was going to get midly entertaining after the All Star break. But I didn't want it to get THIS entertaining. One bad week? A couple of ****ty starts from Medlen strung together at the wrong time? A Jason Heyward cold spell?

We could be out of this thing.



ON the mound, Brandon Beachy in his second appearance out of the bullpen and now as a starter, taking on these Marlins from Miama Florida.

And how ironic that as this carries on we got two guys that were long relievers making an impact on how our playoff push goes. IF we get to the playoffs, we better thank our lucky stars Brandon Beachy didn't leave Atlanta after spring training when he had the chance. Damn, where would we be without this guy?! Remember when he was stirring up trouble back in March? Dude was on his way out... now, he could be the team's MVP.



Beachy had a great game going 7 and a third with only 1 run allowed, and a handfull of hits. He's stepping up in the absence of Hanson. That's good.. maybe this will work out. The guy above, McCann... he's also stepping his stuff up as he started August off with a 2 homerun performance. One in the third for the lead, and one in the 8th for insurance after Venters gave up a run to close the gap to 3-2.



Kid Clutch... again, welcome to the 2013 season. We've been needing you son. $45 mil ain't cheap.

[lilbiggio]

Not So Fast
Atlanta and Houston Fail To Come To Agreement
Jon Cooper / Special to MLB.com

Quote:

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Braves thought they'd have their man by July 31st. That day came and went. But two weeks later Atlanta travels to San Francisco and Michael Bourn, the speedy centerfielder from Houston is still not an Atlanta Brave. According to early reports out of Houston today, he may not be heading to Atlanta after all. "We have to do what's financially best for our ballclub. Both for the future and for all the season ticket holders", stated GM Jeff Luhnow. "Atlanta made us a rather attractive offer. One that we couldn't refuse, but we're not going to make moves just to make them. We still want to be a player in the NL Central for the next 5 years and what was on the table was not enough". Atlanta having lost two of their starting pitchers to injuries and struggling this season offensively went after the Houston native Bourn hoping he could rejuvinate their lineup. However they have played 11 games without landing the outfielder, which make some wonder if the Braves have moved on. "We didn't go up to Houston and ask for Bourn. They asked us first. That's why I'm surprised they have continued to stretch this into August", said Security Guard Josh. "Now we're both in a situation that is not as pleasing to navigate through." The security guard turned owner is referring to the July 31 trade deadline. After the deadline all players on the 40 man roster must pass through Waivers in order to be traded. Jon Cooper is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs

[lilbiggio]

What have we been noticing the past 2 months?

A lack of chemistry?

Awkward conversations with the leftfielder that we all but had sent to Houston who now is asked to come back to the lineup as if nothing happened?

Kris Medlen being Kris Medlen?

Oh... the offense. Yeah it's sucked the past 2 months. We've had to endure countless 1 run games. Extra inning games out the wazoo. The bullpen has been stretched thin every start, and now that the bullpen can simply not be put in that situation anymore. The offense MUST come through. We're simply out of time now. This is the push for the playoffs.




Martin Prado, well timed. Well timed indeed.

Mr. Prado had a great performance in the Bay of Northern California and Canibus smoke. Dude went yard in the first inning which never happens. I mean c'mon this is Prado.



But then the hits kept coming. He hit a double that should have been a triple. A single that should have been a double. Oh and on a 3-2 pitch that should have been a walk or at worst a strikeout... he got a single.

I don't expect us to get 17 hits a night from here until October... but sometimes, you just need a game where you kick the CPU's *** just to make you feel good about yourself. Our boys needed this game in the worst way... and even after going pretty hot in the middle of August... it still wasn't enough to seperate ourselves just yet.



Next start looks pretty intriguing. Yu vs. Kawakami. A battle of old time Japanese Aces now in the Majors. Last time these two hooked up on the mound it was a classic:

Quote:

Darvish took the mound in Game 1 of the Japan Series that followed on October 27 against the Dragons for the second straight year, pitching a 13-strikeout, complete game win in an intense pitchers' duel with then-Dragons ace Kenshin Kawakami (currently with the Atlanta Braves) and becoming only the third pitcher in Japan Series history to strike out 13 or more batters in a single game. - Wikipedia

Given that Kawakami had no business starting games this season in the first place... this is a dream matchup right here. You already know we gotta play this game next!