Aug 13 2008
Through the pains and rains, the march continues
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA – The question gets asked with a little more frequency as the days toward October drag on and the Atlanta Braves continue to spin their wheels in fourth place in the NL East:
“Man, aren’t you tired of watching this team?”
My first inclination is to say yes, I’m tired of watching this team. I’m tired of the injuries. I’m tired of the blown leads. I’m tired of writing, “the Braves extended their major-league record for consecutive one-run games lost on the road.” I’m tired of Jeff Francoeur hitting .226. I’m tired of having to think about 2009 when it seems most of the baseball world still is so focused on 2008.
It’s been the longest baseball season of my adult life, for sure. The death of legendary broadcaster Skip Caray 10 days ago put all of the Braves’ failings and failures into perspective, certainly. But still, the show marches on; there are 44 games remaining, a little more than a quarter-season left to watch, to cover, to analyze and to discuss.
And yet, sitting in my car outside Chick-fil-A Tuesday evening, I felt the disappointment when I flipped on the radio and heard the Braves’ series-opening contest with the Cubs at Turner Field had been washed away by rain.
For all that’s gone wrong with the Braves in 2008, one fact remains: It’s baseball, Braves baseball, and that keeps me watching regardless of what the standings say. I love the grand ol’ game, so much so, it’s a joy to be able to watch it and then mix in my passion – writing about it – on a daily basis.
This blog has brought me tremendous joy and pride since its inception in late April. It’s grown by leaps and bounds – I can’t express enough my gratitude to each and every one of you who have found this space, and made it part of your daily routine of baseball reading. In a sports writing career that started in 1990 – ironically enough, the last time the Braves were looking to the future this early in the season – blogging about this team day-in and day-out has been one of my greatest joys.
Even if this season has been devoid of the thrills we expected from this bunch coming out of spring training.
The rains poured in Atlanta last night. And yet, instead of piling into bed early, I found myself thinking about the final six weeks of this season that’s flew so far off the rails, the Braves need a map, a compass, a GPS and, oh yeah, the miracle of all miracles, to reach mid-September with a chance at a playoff spot.
That’s the joy of baseball: even when you’re out of it, the pursuit of October glory never truly ends, not even on a rainy night in Georgia.
On deck
Braves vs. Cubs (DH)
1:10 p.m. today, 7:10 p.m. today, Turner Field
The Skinny: Charlie Morton has provided glimpses of brilliance so far. Jorge Campillo has been pretty much spot-on since moving into the rotation in late May. The two team up to toe the slab for the Bravos in the day-night double-dip against the Cubbies. In the opener it’s Morton (3-5, 5.70 ERA), who in his past two starts has given up just two runs in 14 innings with two walks and eight strikeouts. As I wrote Monday morning, Morton looks more like a guy who feels like he belongs in the major leagues, and sometimes with a young hurler, believing you can pitch up here is half the battle. Meanwhile, Campillo (7-4, 2.83 ERA) has served notice he will be a big part of Atlanta’s plans next season. The right-hander continued his breakthrough season Friday by beating Arizona, winning his fourth consecutive decision. Take away a pair of one-run losses to the Angels and Dodgers in late June and early July, and Campillo would be 9-2. Quietly, he’s become one of the neater stories in baseball this season. For the Cubs, who come in leading the NL Central and owning the Senior Circuit’s best record, it’s former Braves hurler Jason Marquis in the opener and Rich Harden in the nightcap. Marquis (7-7, 4.73 ERA) gave up four runs in his last start, against Houston, but got plenty of run support in winning for the first time in six weeks. Harden (6-2, 2.27 ERA) makes his sixth start since coming over from Oakland in a June trade. Harden is 1-1 with a sparkling 2.10 ERA for the Cubs, striking out 47 and walking just nine in 30 innings of work for Chicago.
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