2006 Atlanta Braves Discussion

[aukevin]

what? Who is Red ***?

[bravosfan]

Captain Red *** is LoDuca. Wagner gave him the nickname because of his temper.

I wish I didn't know that.

[BGarrett7]

Quote: Originally Posted by MrBrave

BGarrett just hates Chipper, that's all.

I wouldn't say that I hate Chipper. Hell, I still covet my '95 Series CJ10 BP jersey. Even with it being eleven years old, I still wear it all the damn time.

That being said, I've grown tired of Chipper's antics the past few seasons. I guess it all started back during the LF experiment, which as we all know went over like a lead zeppelin. Granted, that whole thing wasn't entirely his fault, the overall lack of hustle that he showed during that entire tenure -- which has continued through the present -- almost killed all of my respect for the guy.

He is supposed to be a leader of this team, the key piece of the offense. Yet, every single postseason since 1995 (.364/3/8) he has fallen flat on his face, save the LDS against Houston in '01. Coincidentally -- or not -- also the last time anyone on this team outside of Andruw showed any kind of intensity and fire during the playoffs.

[bravosfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by BGarrett7

He is supposed to be a leader of this team, the key piece of the offense. Yet, every single postseason since 1995 (.364/3/8) he has fallen flat on his face, save the LDS against Houston in '01. Coincidentally -- or not -- also the last time anyone on this team outside of Andruw showed any kind of intensity and fire during the playoffs.

Yeah, we had this conversation in the WBC thread. No real defense for Chipper's playoff performance, though I tried.

Perhaps I'm blind, but I don't see the lack of hustle. Not as much emotion, but that can maybe be attributed to the injuries and just getting older. I don't think he's trying any less, maybe he's just not capable of any more.

Curious what you think of Andruw... his not running out ground balls and showing up out of shape bugs me more than anything Chipper does or doesn't do.

[BGarrett7]

Quote: Originally Posted by MrBrave

Curious what you think of Andruw... his not running out ground balls and showing up out of shape bugs me more than anything Chipper does or doesn't do.

The thing about Andruw is, his style has always been the same. I guess I've just grown accustomed to seeing Andruw play the way he does -- not running out ground balls, always being a little more flashier than he needs to be in center, sometimes just seeming completely lost at the plate. And I don't want to say that I've given him a free pass because of his offensive production, but, honestly, the fact he can play that way and still hit over 50 homers does speak for itself. And he is still guaranteed to be in the lineup at least 150 games a year.

Yeah, Chipper can still be a productive player, but at $14M a year, you should at least be guaranteed a little more than someone being day-to-day for essentially the entire season. He's tore it up in July so far though, so here's hoping the injury bug doesn't jump up and bite him yet again. His health is what is going to be the crucial point in whether or not we make the playoffs next year.

[bravosfan]

I hear what you're saying.

Though when they re-worked Chipper's deal, I believe his yearly salary went all the way down to $10 or $11 mil. Does that change your opinion? (didn't think so)


And this is completely unrelated, but I was just watching SportsCenter, and their top "breaking news" story was the Yankees signing Sidney Ponson.

[bravosfan]

Nice start. Giles walk, stolen base, Renteria double. Braves up 1-0.

Game's on TBS tonight...


EDIT: Chipper goes deep! 3-0!

[bravosfan]

Homerun Andruw Jones, 4-0!