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

[lilbiggio]

It's been two weeks brehs.. and guess what?



Andrelton Simmons has finally been cleared to get some work in. Hopefully we can get him back soon, as we've gotten ourselves into quite a predicament the past couple of games. We have not looked good at all, and in a year where no one is catching any kind of hot streak, it's a bad time to catch a 7 game road trip to Houston and San Diego.

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Astros win Challenge at second in 4th File this guy away in the MLB The Show horsecrap calls of all time Hall of Fame. Our Boys from Cobb County get hosed something serious on this one which flips the game upside down

So this one pretty much set the tone for the rest of the week. Tommy La Stella gets thrown out by Castro on a call that no one in the Atlanta clubhouse is entirely sure how the call could be overturned. It was a demoralizing, rally killing play. And when you're struggling for runs in a bit of a slump and the boys in blue start taking runs off the board from you,.. well, you get a bit frustrated. There was no doubt that Coach Freddi was gonna get run up out of this one

Gonzales was ejected in the 6th.



But what sucks about this one.. it's not losing... we're going to lose ballgames this season. That's to be expected. It's the way we lost. Alex Wood was dropping the Knuckle Curve very well, but kept getting rocked over and over on changeups that weren't dropping... and the Astros made him pay with 3 homers in the game.

Enough was enough with this project.. and Holman Keezel decided to step back into our story...

[lilbiggio]

In the clubhouse after the ballgame, Coach Fredi sits in his office chair. With a white towel wrapped snug around his shoulders, a pencil behind his ear, and his Atlanta hat tilted to the back of his head.

He had been staring at a sheet of paper currently when we entered the scene, and although it was clear the man had been disturbed by the effects of tonight's game. There was something beyond the lines that was bothering him. The door creeks open and Fredi breaks his gaze and glances at the door.

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

So I take it you have had time to think about what needs to happen here.

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

Of Course

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

It's a new year, new identity, new rules... you got to forget about the past, and do what is right for the team. And I guess for your purposes... your job.

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

...

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

You got something on your mind? (Holman closes the door behind him now) ...Say it with your chest.

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

Brandon Beachy held this team hostage a few years ago... I.. I don't care how talented he is.. I don't want him on my mound out there.

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

You seem to be forgetting.

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

What's that?!

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

It's not your team.. It's not your mound... It's not your decision....

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

... you sonnofabitch.. the hell with you for this nonsense!

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

I take a lot of pride in what has been established here. Yes, you played a part.. but this "thing" we got going here.. let's not pat the wrong guy on the back. Your decision making in keeping the obvious answer out of the lineup has hurt us... and... I can't let you run us into the ground in May.

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

...

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

Beachy starts now... understand?

Quote: Originally Posted by Fredi Gonzales

...

Quote: Originally Posted by Holman Keezel

Good! I knew you'd come around Freddi-boy!

[lilbiggio]

Spoiler

Quote: Originally Posted by Knickerbocker91

I don't know why but I get joy out of seeing people use Wood in the video game. We were in the same physics and "team sports" (see: gym) classes together in high school (my senior, his junior year). Nice to see he got the W.

Despite our good efforts, we couldn't complete the sweep on game numero 3. Guess who gave it up? Once again Brandon Beachy can't seem to pitch his way out of a season long funk and pushed his record to a piss poor 11-12.


Enough is enough, it's time to dip into the AAA pond and give someone else a chance. We can't just keep letting Brandon screw up like this and not make a move of some sort. The September call up window makes this move a bit easier, and it's decided that Alex Wood's 2.5ish ERA in the minors may be good enough to get a shot at the Show.



To be honest the rook did ok for his first start. His pitches were hitting spots that I liked to see. However in the 5th he started to get a bit shaky. With things still in reach, coach Roger McDowell went out to calm Alex down.

Spoiler

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

This is still a winnable game Al. How ya feeling right now?

Quote: Originally Posted by Alex Wood

I'm good coach

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

This IS a big stage, but let's not reinvent the wheel. You're here right now because I believe in you. Them guys back there believe in you. And you gotta trust your stuff. You throwing nothing but fastballs, and up here guys are gonna' adjust. You got a curve don't you? Let's go for the DP.

Quote: Originally Posted by Alex Wood

Yeah I got one, but I'm not trying to drop the curve on this guy. I want to strike this guy out.

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

And the f'n curve can't accomplish this?

Quote: Originally Posted by Alex Wood

No.

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

... look. There's a guy we not gon' name no names. That's sitting on the pine right now because we've had this same exact conversation all season long. He's been a thorn in my *** for the past 3 years, and he's got it in his head that he can't trust what I'm tellin' him. Now... you like what you've had these past 3 days? The money.. them broads we brought over the other night?

Quote: Originally Posted by Alex Wood

Sure..

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

Alright, let's forget balls and strikes right now son. If you like having fun down in Gwinnett, riding on the bus everywhere, and eating sandwiches everyday, then you keep throwing fastballs.. You see what I'm sayin'?

Quote: Originally Posted by Alex Wood

Yeah

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

Alright, I want the next pitch to be a motherf'in curve ball. I don't care if he hits it into the river. They sitting dead on your fastball, you will strike him out with the offspeed.

Quote: Originally Posted by Alex Wood

Yeah

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach McDowell

Good Talk. Remember. Curveball.

Alex Wood would proceed to throw the curve ball inducing an inning ending groundball double play. It would be his last scare of the night as he breezed through the final 2 frames of work picking up his first major league win Wednesday Night..

So with that said, Alex Wood, the promising young prospect up from North Carolina who infamously came in back in 2015 to spell Brandon Beachy when it was he who was screwing up.. has now been demoted due to the politics of the Atlanta Braves clubhouse. He who was replaced is now doing the replacing...

Brandon Beachy has risen again!

But why..oh, why did Coach Fredi, not simply put in Brandon when it appeared he had worked out the kinks that plagued him last year and move on from this silly plot device? Well my friends... if you know our Coach Fredi, he can hold a grudge second to none, and this incident actually played out 3 years ago during Season 4. Hit the spoiler button for the flashback:

Spoiler

Except From 2013 -

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Now as for the good ol' boys down in Cobb County. We have far too many players sitting in the minor leagues rotting. In fact if this was a video game, I would be content enough to just continue to let Wilkin Ramirez, Cory Harrilchak, and Brandon Beachy sit in the pits of AAA ball collecting league minimums for the rest of their careers and call it a day. But unfortunately for Ted Turner, it simply doesn't work out like that when it comes down to contract negotiations. People got to be jerks, people want to start demanding things. Expectations, blah blah blah and etc.... Brandon Beachy would be the first to get the ball rolling in a campaign of "Why Not Us". A rather demoralzing attempt at messing up a championship squad is a bunch of dudes asking for PT or more money. We all know that! But usually you could offset these requests with a trip to the show in September...and a pat on the back. Beachy however would not settle for this going into 2013, asking for a spot in the MLB rotation or a trade. A couple of teams bit on the request, which of course has to raise some redflags of how good could the kid truly be? Would he be good enough to maybe be this year's version of Mike Minor? The year before's Kris Medlen? Brandon has been eating his wheaties apparently. Two bowls at that! Dude has been very good on the mound this spring, and has a curveball that is far greater in accuracy than our specialist Kenshin Kawakami. However, there's just no room for him on the team. We already have the right handed talents of Hanson,Jurrjens,Medlen, and of course the bloated contract of Carlos Zambrano who ain't going anywhere anytime soon. Unless we replace Kawakami for Beachy, we may have to let the kid walk.

With Beachy back in the lineup, we're not really sure what we'll get out of him. Clearly he is the better player stats wise. But every season since 2013, he has been a middle of the pack type guy. We keep thinking the scouting that predicted him being on the level of Kris Medlen will one day come true, but if last year taught us anything... the expectations must be set low.

However.. and this is a HUGE however... a 86 rated guy can simply not be the long man. Not when we're struggling for a spark and grasping for straws at turning this thing around. .500 ball is going to earn us a trip to the couch if we don't shape things up.

[lilbiggio]

The entire what we're going to do to get this team competitive has inspired a look down south at Gwinnett and Mississippi. Because one simply does not lose Jason Hayward without hopefully having some sort of contingency plan in play...


Atlanta Braves Farm System




The switch hitting LF Emmitt Tyson is ranked as our top guy in the system. Aaron Northcraft is not an elite young project by any means, but over time, has become a bonafide future September callup.

Aaron has worked his way through the minors the past 4 seasons and is the closest to seeing the show out of the top 5. He's at 76 OVR right now, and features a 4 seam FB that is in the mid 90s. He's dominating in AAA, but would probably get the same outcome Alex Wood did if he came up this season.

Damn



The league's top 9 prospects, features Carlos Correa holding the crown wielding an unbelievable 82 rating in AA ball at just 21 years old. It was already uncomfortable when the Astros series seem to be missing him, but to see this guy stuck on the bus not able to get up to the Majors until the GM of Houston drops him is kind of disappointing. He should be in the league right now.

[lilbiggio]

Yuck, 4 Game losing streak to put a cherry on top of the West Coast house of horrors road trip.


But if there was a silver lining to any of the proceedings this weekend my dudes... it looks like this season version of Brandon Beachy may be worth a couple of trips through the rotation. fans back home in Atlanta gotta love a performance that features 4 hits and just a run from a guy who spent the 2 years damn near mopping up games like a janitor on Pinecrest Street back in Cobb County..


Through 7 innings the score was only 1 zip. Had we been able to muster any type of run support, he probably could have gotten the win... but the slump and struggle is real out here. The Braves bats fell cold at the hands of Josh Johnson and his 10 strikeouts and have now fallen 4 games below .500.


Note - Just noticed the box score is off in the 6th inning, that should have been a goose egg for the Padres. I could go back in photoshop and correct this or just move forward. I think we should just push forward to the next update.

[lilbiggio]

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Highlights from this game Billy Hamilton flashes the leather all over the outfield, and the Braves turn a hellacious double play to get out of a jam.

As the 2016 season moves along, one of the early themes has got to be the bipolar nature of this ball club. Against the good teams, we're being exposed. Right now.. guys, I hate to be the bearer of obvious news, but we stink on the field. But against the bad teams of the league, we hold serve, we pick up a couple of wins here and there, and stay hovering in the race.

Also helps that the NL East has become an all out battle for who doesn't want to take the division by the handles and ride it out to the postseason.

So yes, we're still in it, and over the course of the past few days, the Boys have gotten us back to 23-23. In front of us now sit the 1st place Cincinnati Reds, and well having lost a couple of USER games in a row, it's time to get things turned in the right direction. We need this win just to get the ball rolling for June.



With Andrelton Simmons back in the bigs, we definitely needed his presence in the lineup during the slump. Tonight he stepped up once again, providing what would the go ahead HR to break a 1-1 tie in the 7th. Even after missing damn near 2 weeks, he is still the team leader in HR's and the drug suspension ever looming.. we'll just need to see how far he can take us until the other bats wake up.

With the win, we have picked up 2 games on the Mets and sit a pretty 2 games back in the loss column. So It'd be safe to say it was a productive week for Atlanta. Just need to string together a few more games of complete effort from everybody like this in the coming weeks.

[OliDegu2008]

Love your stories and posts! Looking forward to many more.

[xboxxerx]

Just came back to the forums after a 7 month hiatus. 1st thing I looked for of course was to see if you had a new Turner Memoirs going or not Lilbiggio. As always, your work is awesome. Looking forward to seeing if the Boys in Cobb County can do work this season.