Opining about the Braves as winter’s chill descends

Oct 27 2008

Published by bud006 at 9:39 pm under Braves analysis Edit This

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.