SB Nation User Blog: Rhyno18

Sad day for the organization

Rhyno18 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:05:21 -0000

Sad day for the organization

Reid Gorecki announced on his Facebook page today that he has signed with the Yankees. I am personally saddened beyond belief. If you ever had the chance to meet this uber-pimp, you would understand.

BTW, the link is to Reid's Wikipedia page, not his Facebook page, since you won't see anything on his Facebook page unless you're one of his friends.

Cameron to the Red Sox

Rhyno18 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:01:59 -0000

Cameron to the Red Sox

He's not the outfielder I wanted, so I'm glad he's going elsewhere.

DOB says something is afoot

Rhyno18 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:47:56 -0000

DOB says something is afoot

An hour long meeting between Bobby and Frank, eh? I don't think it would have taken then an hour to decide to DL KJ and call up Conrad.

DOB's speculation is that Vazquez could be dealt(for an impact bat we would control for longer than just this year), or that Yunel is close to being moved.

Jayson Stark says we're stuck with FYF

Rhyno18 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:57:04 -0000

Jayson Stark says we're stuck with FYF

From Jayson Stark's latest Rumblings and Grumblings post:

• Frenchy toast: Here's how one front-office man describes the Braves' efforts to export Jeff Francoeur: "They're trying to peddle him everywhere. They're calling people all over baseball. But nobody's biting. Right now, he's about as ugly as he can get offensively. He's the kind of guy we'd think about taking a gamble on over the winter -- if he gets non-tendered and you could take him for a very low base. But right now, I think they're stuck with him."

/facepalm

Gwinnett@Norfolk 7/2: Triple A games are fun!

Rhyno18 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:42:22 -0000

So last night I was able to make it to the Gwinnett Braves game against the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park in Norfolk, VA. Sorry I don't have pictures to post, mainly becasue I was sitting behind the homeplate screen, but here's a recap of all the fun.

Great night for a game, and only slightly muggy on the Norfolk waterfront. My wife couldn't get off from work early, so it was 7:00 when we got to the park for the 7:15 start. Our seats were in the second row, about midway between home plate and the Braves on-deck circle.

The game started with Jordan Schafer being called out on a check swing. This would be the beginning of the end for Schafer as he argued with the ump and continued while in the dugout, to the point the ump warned him during the next player's(Wes Timmons) at-bat. Logan was finally ejected after his third at-bat of the game. He had taken a called second strike, then lined out to short. While walking back to the dugout he again said something to the ump who immediately ejected him. Weapon-X and this ump had been at each other all night, so I was expecting him to get tossed, and really thouoght it was going to happen in his second at-bat. I can't really complain about the ump in all honesty, his strike zone seemed pretty consistant all night to me.

Brooks Conrad was on deck when the top of the first ended, played the field in the bottom of the first, then was pulled for JC Holt. After the game several of the Braves players said Conrad had gotten the call to join Atlanta in Washington for the weekend series. Good luck to Brooks. I just read that KJ has been put on the DL to make room for Brooks, so that solves that mystery.

About the third inning I wandered up to the concourse and found cbwilk. He's not hard to spot. He's a big bear looking motherfucker that all the players are asking to give their autographs to. We hung out for a bit, he filled me in on which gate the Braves would be leaving by, then I went back to my seat, all awash in the afterglow you get from meeting a legend like that.

The game was sort of a pitcher's duel, just not a great one. The Braves scored 1 run in the top of the second by stealing home on a double steal. The Braves didn't hit much off the Tides starter, but he wasn't throwing a ton of strikes either. Halama was dealing, sort of. He was really good through 5, and went 7, but I could tell he was winded. The Tides then got 2 runs off Huber in the 8th, and it was looking grim. But some clutch hitting in the 9th by JC Holt, Brandon Jones, Reid Gorecki, Brian Barton and Wes Timmons(and a clutch walk by Clint Sammons) enabled the Braves to put up 4 runs in the 9th and go back up by a run. Luis Valdez closed the game out for his 14th save on the season.

I was sitting with a Braves fan behind me(who was loving my Klesko jersey), and surrounded my a bunch of Phillies fans. Much shit was talked as the scores for last nights game scrolled across the scoreboard. Most of the Phillies fans were cool, smart and funny, and could take a joke. A couple were stupid drunk morons. The 2 stupid drunks left after one of them made some random comment about Atlanta to my wife and she verbally bitch-slapped him and pwned both his baseball intelligence and his fashion sense all in one sentence.

After the game I went down and hung out by the player's exit with cbwilk. He gave me a Brian Barton card which my wife got Brian to sign. I now have a ball with autographs from Jordan Schafer, Greg Norton, Brandon Jones, Clint Sammons, Wes Timmons, JC Holt, Luis Valdez, Tony Armas...hell I was getting everybody to sign it. Most of the guys were really great about signing stuff and would actually talk to you, which is always nice. Wes Timmons and Clint Sammons were really cool, Greg Norton was awesome, and Jordan Schafer is really nicer than I expected. I asked him about his wrist and he said it really wasn't getting any better, which is the same thing cbwilk said he told him when he asked him before the game. I have a feeling its one of those things that's going to bother him all year. Halama was kind of a tool, but I guess he feels like he belongs in Atlanta's rotation, you know, over Jurrjens, Lowe, Vazquez, KK, and Hanson.

Overall, the game was a blast, the players were great, and I got to meet the infamous cbwilk. I'm hoping to make the GBraves/Durham Bulls game on the 8th, and if I do I'll post another rambling mess like this. Maybe I can even meet the infamous royhobbs, who I hear will be there.

Kelly Johnson to the DL

Rhyno18 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:10:44 -0000

Kelly Johnson to the DL

I knew last night Brooks Conrad was going up to Atlanta. Now we know who's spot he's taking.

The 2009 Braves-More Than Meets the Eye!

Rhyno18 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:54:02 -0000

In honor of the new Transformers movie, and the fact I took my kids to see it yesterday this attempt at a little levity came to mind. Here is current Braves lineup and their Transformer(movie versions) alter ego.

1. Nate McLouth is Ratchet. Because all Braves fans were hoping his appearance in a Braves uniform would fix everything.

2. Yunel Escobar is Sideswipe. He's good, but he thinks he's even better than he actually is.

3. Chipper Jones is Optimus Prime. 'Nuff said.

4. Brian McCann is Ironhide. Tough as nails, and has the ability to lead when Optimus Jones(or Chipper Prime?) is down.

5. Garrett Anderson/Matt Diaz are Mudflap & Skids, the Autobot Twins. I hated both when the Braves first acquired them, but Diaz has won me over and Anderson is starting to. I hated the Twins at first in the new movie, but they show how tough they are by they end, and won me over a little bit.

6. Casey Kotchman is Jazz. He doesn't have much power and doesn't get enough respect for what he does.

7. Jeff Francoeur is The Fallen. Without ruining the plot and giving spoilers, The Fallen was a Prime who went bad and started the Decepticons. Francoeur had all the power and promise and the world before turning evil.

8. Kelly Johnson is Bumblebee. He doesn't say much, and tends to be either loved or hated, but in the end he's a tough little SOB.

9. Bobby Cox is Jetfire. A Transformer from a time long ago.

Of course all the Braves are Autobots except for the right fielder, cause we're the good guys right? Discuss.

Gonzalez and Bennett are the best!

Rhyno18 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:35:58 -0000

My wife and I took my kids to Atlanta for the last few days and went to the game last night. We got to the park before 5 because I've never gotten to a Braves game early enough to watch batting practice myself, and this was my kids first major league game. We walked down into the stands in center and hung out for awhile. Schafer is alot taller in person than he appears on TV. My five year old is standing next to me while I'm watching Boyer and Carlyle throwing when Mike Gonzalez tosses him a ball, and miracle of miracles, he catches it. Five minutes later Jeff Bennett tosses my 10 year old a ball. I have the 2 happiest kids in the world now.

I know there's no really point to this post, but I figured we could use one of these instead of another FUGA thread:)

GAnderson hurt, out for ?

Rhyno18 — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:34:46 -0000

GAnderson hurt, out for ?

Get me a hammer, a nail, and a bigjoe

Dunn reaches agreement with Nats

Rhyno18 — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:45:31 -0000

Dunn reaches agreement with Nats

God I hope this is just a reporter jumping the gun on a story, but sadly, I doubt it.