The Ted Turner Memoirs VII. - The Point Of No Return

[lilbiggio]

Quote: Originally Posted by AC

That 98 corresponds to vision, not power, haha. He has 48 contact LHP, 60 power LHP.

Thanks for clearing that up as I knew something wasn't right here, I can sleep better knowing he's elite in vision and not in Power.

Still a wonder though on why he's leading the league in jacks when he ain't been able to hit his age any year prior, but if the law of averages doesn't solve the original problem... the cup of truth offered by the commissioners boys in the white lab coats shall get us somewhere.

Those guys aren't just sitting in a big warehouse with a big ol' refrigeration unit with a huge air condition to keep the equipment cool because of 98 vision and the free paychecks.. They're paid to go after the big fish in the pond.. and Simmons unfortunately has put himself in that list whether intentionally or not...

it's a damn shame.

[lilbiggio]

While up at the show, Andrelton Simmons worries about his own legal problems, down on the farm, A guy on nobody's radar other than you and me, has done a great thing for our Mississippi Braves Affiliate.



One of the fun things about playing in the minors is that it really is a different game than the Majors. The game is played faster down there, and there's more room for error than up at the show. This is why it was so important to figure out the injury situation so more of these rehab starts could be played again. The minors is too fun an environment to miss out on year after year...



Only in the minors is everyone Jordan Schafer.

Only in the minors can a 8-0 lead be taken back with 2 swings of the bat.

Only in the minors can great players be great, and subpar players be horrendous.

The Show sometimes makes all the teams feel the same. When you have a team of stars of stars, it is hard to see the talent differences of the players. At the farm, this is just not the case.. and when you take it to the AA level.. the talent gap is even greater.



Emmitt Tyson our #1 rated prospect had a 3-5 game, he hit a game tying homer, he was a game changer everytime he was within 5 ft. of the baseball. And on the flip, Chattanooga's Jordan Smith showcased his talents with a 4-4 game, nearly hitting for the cycle if not that a regulation baseball game ends at 9 innings.



David Bromberg got absolutely rocked tonight, but there's potential here. The kid has 5 pitches, features a 96 MPH fastball which can only get better with time, and balances it out with a vulcan changeup. It's just tough to get over watching 9 players tee off on a guy, and there's nothing the guy on the mound or the coach in the dugout can do about it, but wait till they can do the same thing to the opposing pitcher.

[lilbiggio]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scott

Love the graphics, very well done.

Thanks man, trying for a cleaner look this season.. BTW Got a Ranger update for you, and as they are my local team it was a fun series to break the sim 5-play 1 rule for a week.




And what a game this turned out to be. Out the gates, Brandon Inge hits a looping hit that should have been a routine single, but Leonys Martin misplays the hop and the ball rolls all the way to the wall allowing Brandon Inge to end up with an inside the park homerun in the first inning.




This guy just keeps paying off I tell ya what...



But the Rangers would bounce back, we made a mistake to Prince, and he made us pay dearly with a 2 run jimmy jack to Right. Minor goofs up on a curveball and plates Geovonny Soto to Tom Grieve's delight and then Profar would finish us off with a demeaning two run shot in the 7th to tie things up.

If this wasn't at Ted Turner's Field, you've have been within rights to think this was a minor league type of game. But nah... just bad pitching, and forgetting that Jurrickson Profar of the Ted Turner world, is STILL considered a bad.. bad man and the next big thing after sliced bread.



We rallied back however one frame later. Hell a half frame at that... Alexi Ogando tried to get cute, and his slider went way out of the strike zone plating Andrelton Simmons. Just like that we reclaimed the lead. And added a bit of insurance that wound up coming in handy, as it took Craig Kimbrel coming in during the 8th inning to clean up Jonny Venters mess, and secure the win with 2 of the finest strikeouts you'll ever see.

One to close out the 8th with the bases full of blue shirts.. and one to end the ballgame at 99MPH.

[lilbiggio]

Just a couple more nights left in the month of April, and our Braves have finally started to chip away at the ugly monster named .500 baseball.




A win this afternoon vs. Colorado would get us officially out of the hole that we fell into to start the 2016 season. Coincidentally on the mound it would be Julio Teheran who after 3 starts has still not seen a winning hand shake. It has definitely been a weird start of the campaign for Teheran who last year went on an astronomical tear throughout the league.



Through 5 and a half, Teheran and Jon Gray of the Rockies had matching no-no's going. The shadows were creeping a bit towards home, and neither offense looked comfortable at the dish. Oh the horrible plot twist that'd be... 0-4 for Teheran due to Atlanta getting no hit?



And the loss of Andrelton Simmons for the foreseeable future...





But my dudes, it would not be a negative afternoon for us. Gattis walked, and then he was brought in by Austin Wilson with a mammoth 2 run shot to right in the the bottom of the 5th. And although Teheran couldn't preserve the no-hitter, he gave us 7 strong with 9 ks and 0 walks.




This... is the Teheran we know and love brehs...

[lilbiggio]

For those taking score, we catch two wins against Seattle on a 2 game road trip to end April. That's good for a 2nd place finish for the month of April in the NL's Eastern Division.



Fresh off of a 3 game win streak, the Mets are off to an excellent start holding on to first place by a half game. The Boys from Cobb County and our bitter rivals up in the Navy Yards are deadlocked in second place, each team 2 games over .500. The Marlins and Phillies are still in it but everyone in baseball is sold on the Phillies falling out of the race due to a lack of offense in what is clearly a rebuilding year for them.

[Gronk4M13]

Good way to bounce back from a rough start. It looks like a tight race for a mediocre division early on.

[bhurst99]

Looking good as always.

[lilbiggio]

Quote:

Looking good as always.

Thanks to the Godfather Mr. Hurst for the shout..

Quote: Originally Posted by Gronk4M13

Good way to bounce back from a rough start. It looks like a tight race for a mediocre division early on.

Now that you mention it, the NL East is appearing rather sorry. Sometimes you just get caught up in your own misery that you forget to take a moment of time and chuckle at the other guy's misfortunes. Like a wise old man once told me, a dog can't sleep well if he can't catch his tail...

Hmm.. that still doesn't really make sense.. and neither does this:



4 pitches in.. and Big Game Tommy Hanson is making a mockery of our decision to dress the boys up in something special for a Memorial Day showdown at the Navy Yards. You'd be curious to wonder if this happens every single time we don a specialty hat, but more on that much later I suppose...



Unfortunately my dudes, it would not get better. We've all been there with this game. You know? Hoping that you can survive the storm, get to the second with a bit o' confidence, and catch your breath and have a a second wind. Most times, you can get to that point, but sometimes, you get games like this where it's time to dip into the pen concede the L and get the longman ready for the rest of the game.