Braves.Today.Com

By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — With the final out of the World Series Wednesday night, the offseason began in earnest.

Of course, the first biggest move comes the day after the Fall Classic ends, when players who have concluded their contracts can file for free agency. Three members of the Atlanta Braves fit into that category, and while this promises to be an offseason marked by change, Atlanta’s brass would be smart to examine bringing back at least two and perhaps all three Bravos who filed on Thursday.

Left-handed relief specialist Will Ohman, pinch-hitter Greg Norton and right-handed reliever Julian Tavarez announced their intentions to test the open market.

Ohman has made it clear he would love to return to Atlanta. After struggling in home games at Wrigley Field, the lefty viewed the Cubs’ trade of him to Atlanta at last fall’s Winter Meetings as a chance to start fresh. Before tiring from overuse late in the season, Ohman was the one stable portion of a shaky bullpen. He set a career high with 83 appearances, finishing 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA.

Norton, signed as a free agent after Seattle released him in late April, proved to be a valuable fill-in at both left field and first base. But his biggest strength was coming off the bench, as he was among the National League’s best pinch hitters. Norton finished with a .246 average, seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 111 games.

Tavarez was signed in July and pitched at Richmond before being promoted to fill a spot in the bullpen. The former closer finished with 36 appearances and a 3.89 ERA. At times, his fastball was sharp and when he could control his breaking ball, the 35-year-old was pretty effective.

Signing Ohman won’t be easy, simply because the market for a left-handed specialist is sky-high. But knowing how much Ohman enjoyed his time in Atlanta, I wouldn’t rule out him signing with the team for less than he would receive on the open market. Norton would be a nice bat to have off the bench. Tavarez is more of a question mark because of his age, but he showed enough during the final three months that it would be worth bringing him to spring training and giving him a shot to make the 25-man roster.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — It’s fitting, to a certain extent, that on the day after the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series, we resume our look at key members of the 2008 Braves by focusing on Blaine Boyer.

The Walton High graduate stood on the mound on June 4, the Braves leading the NL East leading Phillies by one run with two outs in the top of the ninth. Boyer was about to nail down a save in a game that would move Atlanta to within 2 ½ games of the NL East top spot.

Then came Kelly Johnson’s drop of the final out of the game, and it all spiraled south from there.

Boyer’s season, which started strong, unraveled as the summer wore on, but I’m hesitant to put too much of the blame on the right-hander who ranked among the league leaders in appearances.

With injuries to Peter Moylan and Rafael Soriano in the season’s first two weeks decimating the bullpen, Bobby Cox was reluctant to trust anybody other than Boyer, Manny Acosta and left-handed specialist Will Ohman in the late innings until Mike Gonzalez returned from surgery in June.

By then, Boyer’s arm was toast.

In May, Boyer went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and his first major-league save. Then came the fateful Phillies game, and the slide started. Boyer went 1-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 13 June games; respectable numbers. Then came July: a 7.82 ERA in 15 appearances. Then came August: a 7.94 ERA in 14 appearances. Then came September: a 21.60 ERA in four games.

Was there anybody happier to see the end of the season than Boyer? Ironically, his final appearance was his best one of September: one run allowed in 1 2/3 innings against the Phillies.

Boyer only pitched seven games total in the majors in 2006-07 due to injuries. As disappointing as his 2-6 record and 5.88 ERA in 2008 were to everybody involved, there is every reason in the world to think Boyer will bounce back. He has a great fastball that touches the mid-90s. He may not be ready to close games out, but as a seventh- or eighth-inning guy, Boyer is a good fit for this bullpen.

And after all, 2008 now is over. It’s gotta be better.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — Heavy rains have turned Game 5 of the World Series into one long waiting game.

In watching the deluge that pounded the Phillies and Rays during Monday’s now-suspended fifth game of the Fall Classic, and pondering when baseball’s powers that be would stop the contest, my mind raced back 26 years.

(And for what it’s worth, I’m glad the Rays scored. Just seems more fair for the game to be tied when they pick things up later tonight up in Philly. But really, you can’t blame baseball for trying to play, with the forecast they had … the rains just hit harder and fiercer than anybody predicted.)

Anyway, back to the past.

In 1982, the Atlanta Braves found themselves champions of the old National League West, ending a 13-year hiatus from the postseason. Back then, the two division winners met in the League Championship Series, with the winner advancing to the World Series.

The Braves faced St. Louis in the NLCS, and sent 43-year-old Phil Niekro to the hill in Game 1. The Hall of Famer, who pitched for the Braves against the Mets in the first NLCS in 1969, had enjoyed quite a season: 17 wins, and a big homer on the final Friday night of the regular season in San Diego.

Now Atlanta, under the guidance of one Joe Torre (yes children, THAT Joe Torre), took the field at old Busch Stadium looking to get the franchise its first playoff victory since the Milwaukee Braves won Game 4 of the 1958 World Series.

(Those Braves, by the way, lost the next three games of that Fall Classic, losing to the Yankees. Add in the three-game sweep by the Mets in ’69, and the postseason losing streak stood at six as the 1982 postseason dawned.)

Niekro was spot-on in the opener, holding the Cardinals scoreless through 4 1/3 innings. The Braves gave him a lead, but as the afternoon wore on the clouds thickened and rain began. Two outs away from completing the fifth inning, which would’ve made the contest an official game, the game was halted. The rains never let up, and the game was never resumed.

Since it wasn’t an official game, the Braves and Cardinals started Game 1 again from scratch the next day. A five-run sixth carried St. Louis to a 7-0 victory. Game 2 was postponed by rain for a day, allowing the Braves to bring Niekro back. On two days rest, the old knuckleballer held the Redbirds to two runs in six innings, turning a 3-2 lead over to the bullpen.

But St. Louis rallied with single runs in the eighth and ninth to win 4-3. Game 3 in Atlanta was a mere formality: St. Louis hung four runs on Rick Camp in the second, and were on their way to the World Series with a 6-2 victory and a 3-0 series sweep.

What might have been if the Braves could’ve squeezed two more outs in before the rains fell in Game 1? As we all know, it would be nine years before Atlanta returned to the postseason, during the Worst-to-First 1991 season that saw the Braves reach the World Series.

As for Niekro? I spoke with him in 1999, on the eve of the Braves and Mets hooking up in that season’s NLCS, 30 years after Niekro pitched for the Braves against the New Yorkers in the first NLCS. I remember asking Knucksie about enjoying the Braves’ successful run in the 1990s, and he was quick to point out the ’82 team sat two outs away from a 1-0 NLCS lead on that rainy day in St. Lou.

A little postseason history, dampened by rain, as we wait on Game 5 to resume tonight.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — I’m sure many of you watched in amazement last night, as the rains poured down and the puddles formed on the infield at Citizens Bank Park, until finally, sanity prevailed and Game 5 of this weird World Series was suspended until Wednesday.

I’m sure there are some out there who looked at the thousands of Philadelphia Phillies fans sitting in the drenching, wind-swept downpour, and thought to yourself, “Why in the world would anybody sit outside in something like that?”

I have your answer: When your team is playing for a world championship, you don’t leave. Plain and simple.

Thirteen years ago tonight, I sat inside frosty old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and watched Tom Glavine one-hit the Cleveland Indians through eight innings, David Justice blast a sixth-inning solo homer, and Mark Wohlers get the nerve-wracking final three outs as the Atlanta Braves won the World Series.

That wonderful night, 13 long years ago, culminated in the greatest moment a sports fan can be blessed to experience: Being in your home stadium, watching the world championship trophy being paraded onto the field. The mere thought of that night, of Marquis Grissom gloving the final out, of the way the stadium shook and the tears exploded at 10:27 p.m., give me chills to this day.

Because that’s the summit right there, folks. Nothing beats it. We love the sport. We love the games. We love our kids being involved. We have our favorite players, our favorite memories, the things about our favorite sports team that resonate through the years.

But man, if you’re lucky enough to see your team win the world championship in person, that’s the peak right there. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can top that exhilarating feeling of seeing the players pour out of the dugout and race to the center of the infield, knowing their long eight-month journey from spring training to the World Series championship is complete.

Your team stands in the hall of champions for the next year, but in your heart, in your soul, it is a champion always and forever. And you were there to see it.

There are a few moments that surpass seeing the Braves win the World Series in person, events such as my marriage, the birth of my two sons, and graduating from college. But after that, it’s right there, that wonderful night 13 years ago on this date, when the Braves danced their way into the annuals of champions.

And the ticket stub framed on my office wall serves as a daily reminder: Aisle 323, Row 8, Seat 2. Game 6, 1995 World Series.

I was there. I realize how fortunate and blessed I was to have seen it with my own eyes. And I’ll never forget it.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — Back from vacation, watching what very well may be the final baseball game of this 2008 season play out on the TV in the suddenly frosty Sports Garage … ah, yes, the onslaught of winter, full force.

Yep, folks, it’s cold here in Atlanta tonight, and not just because baseball is about to settle in for its annual hibernation … hibernation as far as games go. We’ve got plenty to talk about, especially when it comes to the Atlanta Braves, as November approaches, and then December, and January, and February.

Geez, it’s gonna be a long time until there’s ball on again. Kinda makes somebody wish the Rays would get the middle of their lineup rolling and force a Game 6, just so we have another game to look forward to in a couple of days.

But anyway, regardless of whether this World Series ends tonight, or Wednesday, or Thursday, the 2008 season has been over for Braves Nation for quite some time. Actually, about three months now, when the soon-to-be world champion Phillies pulled off those two big comebacks at Citizens Bank Park and beat the Braves during that weekend series in late July, sending Atlanta into sell mode and pushing the button on the Mark Teixeira deal, effectively ending the 2008 season right then and there.

A couple of tidbits to touch on, opine about and toss out there, as we get ready to mark the 13th anniversary on Tuesday of the Braves’ 1995 World Series championship (hint, hint, tomorrow’s blog might make mention of that wonderful night inside old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium):

The John Smoltz story that flared up in a New York newspaper over the weekend was really a non-story. One of Smoltzie’s agents mentioned the possibility of Smoltz not being ready until midseason, and how a Roger Clemens-esque jump to a contending team could not be ruled out.

Don’t think that’s going to happen, though. And even if it does, I think the team Smoltz would be joining during the season already in progress would be Atlanta.

I just don’t see Smoltz putting on somebody else’s uni. I really don’t. He’s had opportunity to do it in the past, and he’s never done so. Smoltz is enough of a realist to know if he’s not ready when the team convenes at Lake Buena Vista in February, the Braves cannot afford to wait on him.

But, if Smoltz is going to be ready in, say, May or June, you better believe Frank Wren and Co. will find a way to get him on the roster. It’s that simple. You just don’t let a Hall of Famer and a franchise icon walk away because he’s going to be delayed a month or two in being ready.

I personally hope Smoltz makes it back. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my gut – and no, it’s not last night’s dinner – that this time the bearded one may not be able to make it back onto the hill. Time will tell, of course.

With all the talk surrounding whether or not the Braves trade for Jake Peavy, and what free-agent starting pitcher will the Braves covet in the offseason, it’s easy to forget Atlanta also has a gaping hole in left field.

But when you scan the list of left fielders hitting the market, it might be the Braves may have to fill that gap via trade.

Adam Dunn is the big name that jumps off the list, but do you really want his lumberjack swing that’s going to produce a .240 average and a ton of strikeouts? Maybe you roll the dice on that one and try to put him in between Chipper Jones and Brian McCann in the lineup. Maybe.

What of Pat Burrell, who will likely get a World Series ring and then leave Philly? That’s a 32-year-old who’s been inconsistent throughout his career. Dunno about that one, either.

Don’t even toss the name Manny Ramirez out there. No way Manny is taking less than a four-year deal; no way the Braves lock up a moody 37-year-old for four years, even if you’re talking about one of the greatest right-handed hitters of this generation.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — Well, back to reality. You’ll notice this is being posted on Sunday night, as my mountains’ excursion took a little longer to finish than expected.

Oh well, back to reality.

And reality continues to play out in the World Series, although I’ll gladly blame the Fall Classic for my late return to the Atlanta suburbs. Staying up to watch Saturday night’s Game 3 — a game that started late due to rain, a game that ended just before 2 a.m. today — pushed back our departure from our mountain getaway.

But enough about that.

The Phillies got a win they desperately needed. Winning the third game of a seven-game series when things are tied at 1-1 usually puts you in a good position. But you’ve got to follow up and seal the deal.

The Braves had been in that position before during their playoff runs in the 1990s. Remember 1991? Tied 1-1 in the National League Championship Series with Pittsburgh, Atlanta returned home and rode a Ron Gant grand slam to a convincing victory in Game 3.

But Pittsburgh squeaked out victories in the next two games, and the Braves were forced to win two straight in Pittsburgh to win the series, which they did.

A Game 3 win is great, but you’ve got to follow up from there and get the job done the next night. As of this writing, the Phils are up 1-0 early in Game 4 against the Rays … man, still seems strange that Tampa Bay is playing in the World Series.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

BLUE RIDGE, Ga. — Greetings from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains which, I guess it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out, is from where this idyllic little town draws its name.

I’m writing this blog during the midst of a three-day weekend, one that has been sorely needed. No, I’m not going to bore you with the details; just say the Scribe has been working like a fool for the past three months, and along with the domestic responsibilities of being a good husband and a good father, well, you know where I’m coming from when I say I’m in need of a break from the duties that fill anywhere from 16-20 hours of my day, every day.

And no, I’m not complaining. Please don’t take it that way. This is the life I have, and I love it. I totally adore my day job. I love blogging about the Braves and the Thrashers. I constantly am amazed that I’ve been blessed with a wife and two sons. My life is very good, very fulfilling … but I need a break.

And even though it’s the offseason for the baseball team I cover, there’s never really a break, is there? Not in this age of instant information, of the 24/7 news cycle, of blogs and on-demand news access. Nope, no rest here.

So here goes. Today, we’re talking about the two magic words that have Braves fans who are watching the 2008 postseason dreaming of tomahawks waving and voices chanting come this time next October:

Jake Peavy.

OK, that might not be fair, to put that much on the potential acquisition of one player who only hits the field every fifth day. But trust me. I’ve talked to enough people the past week, whether it’s my friends who e-mail me, the folks who read the blog, the radio show I do each week, or just the people in my neighborhood, and all of them share pretty much the same thought:

If the Braves trade for the 27-year-old, Alabama-bred, hard-throwing, lock-down right-hander, they are instant contenders for a postseason berth in 2009.

(And wow, that might be a record for most consecutive hyphenated phrases in the history of baseball scribing … somebody get Elias on the phone.)

Back to Peavy. As I wrote last weekend, he would be the undoubted No. 1 bulldog the Braves need at the top of the rotation. Talk about a great mentor for Jair Jurrjens. Talk about a great arm to put at the front of the staff. Talk about an ace, in his prime, locked up on the cheap for the next four years.

Talk all you want … but it’s gonna take time for this deal to happen.

Those of you who think the Padres are gonna ship Peavy to the Braves this week, keep dreaming. Deals like this take time. Experience has taught me that; I left my best friend a voicemail Thursday night joking that, with my luck, the Peavy deal would go down while I was tucked way up in the hills, and I’d be scrambling to bang out a breaking news blog during a weekend where I’m supposed to be straight chilling, sitting in the hot tub watching college football by day and World Series ball by night.

Don’t see it happening, though, not this weekend at least.

But the more I think about it, the more I believe the Braves’ brass realizes what most of us know, and that’s this organization has to step up and make this type of move to anchor the pitching staff, a staff that was rocked by injuries so much in 2008, a week that went by without a starter landing on the DL had to be considered a good week regardless of how poorly the Braves may have played.

The past few days have been filled with rampant speculation surrounding who the Braves would deal to acquire the services of Peavy. What prospects to deal? What major leaguers to include? How many players need to go west in order for Peavy to come to Atlanta?

Last weekend, I raised the idea of sending Kelly Johnson to San Diego in a deal for Peavy, and if I’m the Pads, I gotta really consider that. Johnson tore the cover off the ball the final two months of the season, has just two full seasons of playing second base in the majors, and had tremendous upside, in my opinion. I know some of you don’t see that in KJ, and that’s fine. You have your opinions, and I have mine, and mine is KJ is a potential .300 hitter every year who will only get better in the field at his new position.

But I also saw enough out of Martin Prado the final two months to say I’m totally fine with Prado playing second base 150 games next season. Dude hits the ball hard, on a line, to all fields. He works the count. He’s good in the field. He hustles like nobody’s business. I think in playing every day, dude will only get better. I love his swing, his work ethic and his defense. Dude is a baseball player in every sense of the word.

Some of the speculation swirls around Yunel Escobar. I think you’ve got to try and get this deal done without sending Escobar, his .300 average, his instincts, his cannon arm and his upside to the West Coast. True, Escobar can be moody, and he’s prone to two-week slumps where he looks totally lost. But remember, dude has been a major leaguer for all of 16 months, and I think he’s an All-Star in the making.

You just don’t deal somebody like that without trying your darnest to not include him in the deal.

If I’m the Padres, I push like crazy for Escobar. If I’m the Braves, I try like hell not to send Escobar west. It’s discussions like this that have to take place before any deal is done, and that’s why if you’re holding your breath for a trade announcement, it’s going to be a while before it happens.

My gut says it will happen, though. I hope Escobar’s not included, but if and when it comes right down to it, I think the Braves have to get Peavy in the fold. If that means, at the end of the day, they have to trade Escobar, I’d swallow the lump in my throat and say do the deal. But there’s a lot of ground to cover between now and then.

It’s a process, Braves Nation. Be patient. And do what I’m doing this weekend:

Chill.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — From the moment he stood on the mound and stared down the Texas Rangers on June 18th, Mike Gonzalez brought a sense of stability to the topsy-turvy Atlanta Braves bullpen.

And as he toed the slab on that hot summer night, completing a remarkably rapid return from Tommy John surgery, the hard-throwing left-hander grabbed hold of the closer’s position and didn’t relinquish it the remainder of the season.

Now, it’s his job. Closer? Case closed.

Acquired from Pittsburgh following the 2006 season in the Adam LaRoche deal, Gonzo won two games and went 2-for-2 in saves early in 2007 before injuring his elbow. The dreaded Tommy John surgery followed, but shortly after the one-year anniversary date of the surgery, there was Gonzo, climbing the bump against the Rangers on June 18.

He converted 14-of-16 saves for a bullpen that was rocked with the loss of Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan to injury in the season’s first two weeks. After a great June and July, and an average August, Gonzalez finished with a 5.84 ERA in September and blew the first two save chances of his career.

Chalk that up to regaining the edge on his breaking ball after a year layoff. Takes time, and the more Gonzo pitched, the more he started working his breaking ball into his pitch selection, and late in the season it just wasn’t sharp.

Still, Gonzalez enters 2009 as the unquestioned closer. I don’t care if Soriano returns and is throwing 99 mph in spring training. Gonzalez IS the closer. I love his bulldog mentality. Dude owns the entire yard when he steps onto the hill and does his thing, and with an offseason to get his pitches back refined razor-sharp – not to mention the confidence that comes with pitching 36 games after returning from surgery – look for Gonzo to grab the ball to start the ninth a lot next season.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — Since John Smoltz moved back from the bullpen to the starting rotation, the closer’s position for the Atlanta Braves has been a revolving door that typically spun out results that churned fans’ stomachs.

All of those Maalox moments looked to end in 2008. Rafael Soriano cashed in on 9-of-12 save chances in 2007, and the Braves rewarded the lanky right-hander with a two-year, $9.1 million contract and the closer’s job.

But as we all know, 2008 was the season where it all fell apart for the Bravos. Nobody embodied that more than Soriano, who pitched a grand total of 14 innings during a season marked by repeated trips to the disabled list, and frustration from fans and management at the 28-year-old’s inability to stay healthy.

A sore elbow revealed in early March raised some red flags, but by mid March he was throwing 94 mph. Then came the regular season, and four appearances in, Soriano landed on the DL with elbow discomfort. He was to be out just a couple of weeks, but didn’t return until late May.

He made five more appearances, then repeatedly told the Braves his elbow wasn’t well enough to pitch. That started a summer where Soriano’s status hung like a black cloud over a Braves’ bullpen that was burned out by overuse. He would return for four games in late July and one in August before going under the knife for season-ending surgery.

With Mike Gonzalez pitching well the final four months after returning from Tommy John surgery, the question looms: who is this team’s closer in 2009? It’s got to be Gonzalez. Soriano’s elbow problems and what some believe to be an unwillingness to pitch with discomfort will keep the Braves from banking too much on a pitcher that will make $6 million next season.

But Atlanta is stuck. Nobody’s going to want to take on that type of contract for a guy who may or may not be healthy enough – or have the desire – to pitch. Gonzalez has to be the guy in the ninth inning, and that may not be a bad thing.

When he’s on, Soriano is a menacing figure on the mound with a nasty fastball and good off-speed stuff. He definitely can help this team, and a bullpen fronting Soriano in the eighth and Gonzo in the ninth would be strong.

But can the Braves count on Soriano being ready by spring training? Time will tell, but pardon me if I’m not holding my breath.

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By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com

ATLANTA — Skip and Pete. Pete and Skip. One without the other is like peanut butter without jelly.

And so, even though the Atlanta Braves ended their 2008 season nearly a month ago, this lost season doesn’t stop.

Tuesday’s news that Pete Van Wieren is retiring after 33 years of calling Braves baseball was a jolt, but not all that surprising when you consider everything that’s happened to this franchise this season.

More importantly, outside of the framework of the most difficult year the Braves have experienced in, oh, maybe forever, the fact Van Wieren had contemplated leaving the booth for the past couple of years, coupled with the fact longtime broadcast partner Skip Caray died in August, makes the news easier to understand.

Everybody wants to walk away on their own terms. Pete certainly deserved to do that. The baseball schedule is hell on having a family life, and after calling Braves baseball for parts of four decades, Pete’s earned the right to say enough is enough.

With that said, it just won’t be the same tuning into the Braves next season without hearing Pete and Skip.

Van Wieren and Caray joined the Braves at the same time, broadcasting together starting in 1976. Skip served the role of the funny, loud, sarcastic – and sometimes, annoying – uncle, quick with a quip that might or might not have something to do with the action on the field.

Pete was the balance, the Professor – a nickname so richly earned and deserved – the man who knew all the stats, knew who was playing well and who wasn’t, and who delivered the goods with the smoothest delivery of any baseball broadcaster I’ve ever heard.

The past two years, I’ve listened to the Braves’ spring training webcasts, and Pete was at the mike for those games, whetting my appetite for the approaching season. When emotion slipped into his voice, you knew something monumental was happening. Skip’s calls of the Braves’ stunning pennant-winning comeback in the 1992 NLCS and the World Series clincher in 1995 will echo around this franchise for all of eternity, but Pete was behind the mike on the first Saturday in October in 1991, when the Braves clinched the NL West and launched their Worst-to-First ship into the postseason.

Still, it’s a sad day for Braves fans, and for fans of sports in Georgia. We lost Skip in August. The legendary voice of the Georgia Bulldogs, Larry Munson – who broadcast the Braves during their first season in Atlanta in 1966 – retired in September. Now, Pete’s stepped away.

The Braves will never sound the same again.

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