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

[lilbiggio]

Yeah the 13 errors was starting to get comical after about 8. On one play I had to literally run the ball from second base to first just to insure that the out would be made. Now.. may we never speak of that game again, atleast until the next time the Astros come to town.


THE THIRD ANNUAL OPENING DAY LINEUP GRAPHIC SPONSORED BY OZARKA AND WILLIAMS CHICKEN
(Williams Chicken not shown)


For those long time vets to the Memoirs, you'll notice that this lineup is not too different from the 2012 Boys from Cobb County roster. Furcal still anchors the top of the lineup featuring switch hitting and speed. We still have the clutch hitting Martin Prado in the 2 hole after his .300 average led him to the promotion back in 2012.. (Secondary note: Now sporting the old' school 2B position like in 2010).



The combo of Heyward THEN McCann in the cleanup spot actually works better for our cause gentlemen, since Heyward gets so much attention from the CPU that he has to have protection. The emergence of Dan Uggla against lefties leaves him at the 5 hole although we will probably flip flop McLouth up to that spot against righties since Dan is so horrible against them.



Schafer is hanging on by a thread. Going into the 2012 season, he was batting as high as #2 because of his speed. Now he's batting in front of the pitcher, which could still be an asset considering NL style ball, we could bunt him over to second, and then he'd just be a Furcal base hit away from scoring from second base. Regardless, with Jordan, if he's on the basepaths, he's in scoring position.

The highlight player is Freddie Freeman. Last year, he put up big numbers in spring training, then kind of fell off once the calender ticked over into April. This year, he put up even bigger numbers posting top 3 in average, he was the #2 man in RBI's... and he lead the country in Homeruns this Spring with 7. He could fall off again, but... damn, it just looks like at some point, it's going to all come together and this guy is going to go from being "the coolest looking guy on the team equipment wise", to a beast that we grew from day 1...



...With still the best looking gear on the team.

[lilbiggio]

It was nerve wracking day. A hint of something special, the sun seemed to shine a little brighter, the blades of green grass were freshly cut, the dirt was smoothed over. the Braves were gone from Florida, and back home in their home of Ted Turner's Field. Ted himself was unusually quiet, even nervous a little. The hours seemed to fly by leading up to the Ring Ceremony, but even then, it seemed like it was taking forever...

Opening Day will do that to you...

Why be Nervous Ted? Boys this is a great time to be fans of the Atlanta Braves and the Ted Turner Memoirs. We worked hard throughout 2012, overcoming series defecits, and the cheatful New York Yankees in the big enchillada. Although, this season we will most certainly have a target on our back as the team to beat, today we can forget all that is ahead of and take a moment to toot our own horn for a bout 5 minutes.... it was time to get the bling for last year's efforts:



The crowd was white hot as a packed house of Braves fans, oohed and awed as Uggla got his first ring. As Prado his second, and as team MVP Heyward modestly would not be allowed to just tip his hat and shake Bud Selig's hand. After five minutes of JAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYHEYYYYYYYYYYY..... JAYYYYYYYYYYYYHEYYYYYYYYYYYYY... his teammates comically pushed him back out on the field, where he allowed the fans to give their props.



After Tommy Hanson recieved the last 2012 World Series ring, it was time for business. It was time to take the mound and put aside 2012. Time to forget about Cy Young's, MVP's Yankees, John Boy screwups and the rest.

IT was time for some 2013 baseball.

[lilbiggio]

Wow just like that, we're back in the shaking my damn head mode. We knew it wasn't going to be easy, Spring Training was showing early signs of red flags of this team being a little rusty, or a notch below our standards.

But c'mon son, the first run of the guantlet vs. the NL East and we're in 4th place barely getting by because Washington who might have been hyped up more than us with the Yu signing is struggling too?




It's been rough, opening day we should be used to losing that one. Haven't won an opening day in now 4 years. It's not easy going against an ACE and a team full of non tired, non cold, players looking to avenge for the beatdowns you put on em' in their past. Johan Santana got us in game 1. The Phillies led by Dominic Brown got us in the second game.


A damn shame too, considering Nate McLouth looked to be the Hero in the city of greasy steaks after going yard twice in the same game. Haven't done that one in a long time I must say. But again, it was Brown, and a piss poor bullpen effort tarnishing a great game and pushing us further into an April Hell Hole.



Then the Marlins, with a trip to old school Joe Robbie, no way we go 0-3 on the year vs. the NL east right? oh wait you saw the above standing picture..




Shambrano you done did it again. You done did it again. Dude was rocked for 5 homeruns, including back to back jacks twice. See the inning with 2 runs? See the inning with 4 runs? That's the nonesense fellas.. It got ugly friends. But atleast it gave us a chance to play the new guy, Brandon Beachy...



Beachy's legit guys, he's the real deal... depending on how this season goes, he may make a run for 5th starter... one way or another, some changes are going to be neccessary. Who would have thought the bullpen... the bullpen guys, our once strength upon strengths... could be now our weakest link.

Oh well Washington is on the agenda for next game. They only got 1 win on the year... time to eat right?

[jake44np]

Where you a lit major?
You have one heck of an imagination.

[lilbiggio]

Quote: Originally Posted by jake44np

Where you a lit major? You have one heck of an imagination.

Short Answer:

Truth be told, the Show makes it so easy to do a franchise now compared to the games that I started out using, it's does a lot of the work and I just fill in the holes with clever plot devices.


Long Answer:
Back when guys like BDawg35 was doing his Lions franchise or even back in the Madden01 days of JagFan, or Front Office Football: Godzilla Blitz Poop on the Golden Helmets.. the technology was so crap you had to write a hell of a story just to keep yourself interested let alone anybody else. You didn't have photos unless you took it off the TV screen with a webcam. You couldn't add movies, had to hand write stats in a trapper keeper before presenting them here etc you get the point...

... now it's so much easier, you can let the game do the grunt work, and instead just have fun coming up with side stories.. So that's a little background on where I'm coming from. I'm using old school techniques with new school technology and the happy marriage is the Memoirs. I definately apreciate the kind words homie...


I'm actually about to do an update today, it has taken a week to get this right, (almost like the old days boys and girls), here's just an inside look at what kind of nonsense I gotta do now, just to update a single game.

Quote:

No internet at house, so I have to update at the library down the street Lack of internet causes me to also have to record audio from MLB.com using the microphone in an Ipod. I still don't know if this is going to work, but we'll soon see.. Upload, Recap, don't forget the USB or you gotta wait till the next day

Part 3 was a lot easier to pull off since I could just pop the USB out of the PS3 and straight into the PC... or download easily any additional material we'd need for an update.. this season on the otherhand, is taking a little more work just because of the comicalness of leaving the USB drive with all the ingame photos in your other jeans pockets which is now 3 blocks down the street..., but hey it's still fun to do nonetheless, just have to play more games at once, and take an old school approach at updating. I push forward because I really would like to one day bring the story to a conclusion... and also a franchise that you just play all the games offline I have found tends to get boring, so we'll have to make ends meet till I get internet again lol...

[lilbiggio]

This can't be life....




I mean we seriously can not make up the scenarios and utter screw jobs that are taking place on this young season as the bullpen continues to find new fancy ways to lose ballgames when games are already over.


I mean that gamelog of just the ninth should tell the story. Up by 3, dominating the Nationals all night long. We get into the ninth, ball is handed over to Craig Kimbrel. Surely he can get us 3 outs before 3 runs cross the plate.

Single.

Single.

Ok, it's not looking too good, maybe he can just get 1 out. Ok nice, you struck a guy out Craig. Awesome, maybe... maybe just maybe we'll induce a groundball double play and sneak out of this one like we have so many times before.

Pop out to LF.

Good, nice... good again, Craig... maybe this madness is over. We're gonna finally beat a team from the NL East.

Activate Sour Grapes Mode


Pitch on the black, goes the batter's way. Bases loaded now.

Ok you're cool Craig, still got two outs in your back pocket... just don't give up a grandslam and we're good...

Ah hell, groundball up the middle out of the reach of everybody. Two guys plate. Hey but we're still up in this game.


Please... please don't blow this man... c'mon just one out. one's stinking out.


Another hit... linedrive to right on a 1-2 slider in the dirt.

Alright dude is officially blowing it... nobody in the pen is ready. Oh well...

Groundball up the middle out of the reach of everybody. Two runs miraculously score on the single

Sunuvabitch.... now he'll get the out. heh...

Walks the next guy. Confidence blown. Groupies leaving the dugout. Fans heading home expecting the 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth.

???????????????????????????????????????


Bryce Harper NOW, grounds out to first on a rather easy play. After 4 runners come across, five hits... three walks all with 2 outs and the game is essentially over.

[lilbiggio]

So after completing the NL east cycle 0 for 4. We now move on to the rest of the National League. To be honest friends, maybe that was for the best. Because for some reason, the Braves have caught a little break of opportunity, and have turned it around beating up on the NL central.




Heading up to Milwaulkee is always fun. The old time fans still hold a dear place in their hearts for the 1957 edition of the Braves, and that stadium is literally a fischer price toy. Balls EXPLODE out of the park seemingly when we travel up north. The only place that I feel more comfortable playing in besides Turner Field, Coors, and Dodgers Stadium has to be this joint right here.

..Although Jason Heyward was getting pitched around this game, this might have been one of the most fun games we've had in recent memory as Yovani Gallardo saw first hand what we we have been up against all season long.



It started out crazy, I mean bottom of the first, Tommy Hanson of all people got into early trouble. He gave up a no doubt about it jack to Ryan Braun and just like that we were chasing runs. A quick mound visit from Freddi just let Hanson know that the buck was stopping here tonight and that he was either going to do work, or he was going to be on the losing end of a 13+ run affair.

Hanson did work and didn't give up another run the rest of the game, and meanwhile the Braves led by Heyward, Freeman and McLouth battled back from 4 runs down to take a narrow 5-4 lead into the sixth after 5 runs crossed that inning.

That's what I'm talking about boys!



Rather than go to Kimbrell we stuck with Kawakami for a two inning save just to make sure the junk would get wrapped up once and for all... and so, just like in 2010... the Brewers would be the team that'd allow us to see that winning is possible. It's just really hard to do in April for some reason for this team...

[lilbiggio]

But wait Juan Carlos there's more....


At this point, we could continue to press through the month of April, taking names, chewing bubblegum and hopefully whipping all kinds of NL Central ***... but, well we must take a moment out of our day to look back as we set up what is to come ahead. Yes... it is that time once again...

It's Astros week We're heading down to Minute Maid Park... and although alluded to numerous times, let me take you back in the Delorean to what has started this crazy situation between us and the Houston Astros. Those longterm readers feel free to grab you some lemonade while the others catch themselves up...

Quote:

From 2010... ****INIATE SUPER-WAVY DREAMLIKE FLASHBACK HOLLYWOOD EFFECTS**** A Lone Star Kicked Serious *** in the Lone Star State. Jason Heyward homered not once, not twice, but thrice in H-Town as we curb stomped Houston 12 to 2. It was an impressive feat as the first time Jason hit a 2 run homer I was impressed. The second time he hit a two run homer in the 4th I was excited because it was a pitch below the knees. But when the game was in hand 10 to 2 in the ninth, and Heyward hit bomb numero tres. I had to stand up and applaud. At this point Heyward had put the entire crowd out of the stadium.. it was hilarious, and a great feeling to kind of rub in the good times in a last place team's face. Jason Heyward 3 - Houston Astros 2 JayHEY literally beat a team by himself. Thus is the original story of J-Hey beating a team by himself.... in it's entirety. See how happy we were back then. Little did we know the shennigans that would follow that fateful, historic night. From that point on we had the 17 groundball debacle in 2011... Later that year, who could forget Brandon Hicks committing 4 errors... by HIMSELF in one game?! He was later traded obviously. Quote: Diamond Demo - Brandon Hicks Four Errors - MLB.com MLB Tonight's Barry Larkin breaks down Brandon Hicks drunken stupor of a ball game in Houston last night. And then most recently the 13 error game from just a few weeks ago down in the Grapefruit League. Sonnn...... Friends, it's never a good thing when you have more than 2 or 3 "The Insert Demoralizing Adjective Here games... it's pretty disgusting when they are all against the same team. Yet, that is the fate of our boys from Cobb County. They can't do nothing but get circumstanced everytime they suit up against Houston.

So obviously the only way we can rid ourselves of this demon, this shameful ding against our credit, is to head down to Houston and face our biggest obstacle dead in the eyes.

Right? This can be a night of redemption... or another wacky game. I hope for the former...