I'm having a tough time finding information on how to calculate the stat "pitching runs."  Can anybody help me out?  I need it for my baseball statistics class.  Where is a place I can go to find its origin, more about it, etc?  That would be soooo helpful.  I really really really appreciate it, you don't know how much this means to me.  Thanks again one more time lol and four more words

Hey I'm a Panthers fan, and I am doing a report for class on NFL blackouts.  Panthers fans really aren't in the know about much, and I was wondering if you guys knew of a website where I could find a list of NFL games that have been blacked out over the years.   I find it weird that you guys have a good team by the way yet you can't sell out games, maybe it's just b/c its a hassle in your city getting there and everything.  anyway i would appreciate any help you can provide.  thanks

Hey I'm a Panthers fan, and I am doing a report for class on NFL blackouts.  Panthers fans really aren't in the know about much, and I was wondering if you guys knew of a website where I could find a list of NFL games that have been blacked out over the years.  Thank you, and hopefully we get Cowher! and now 10 more words so i can post this on here so yeah

Thursday night games.  Ahhh, I hate them.  Also hate the fact that ill be on the way up to Samford that night and won't be able to watch cuz we got a game against Samford that Saturday!!!  Anyway, I come in peace and these are my faults.

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Listen, it's great to be optimistic about the Braves right now.  And for good reason.  Despite being 3.5 down, the Braves are right in the thick of the wild card race.  And the other team's schedules make it that much better for the Braves, as I'll break down.  Note:  For this argument I am going to assume the Cards win the Central, because I think they are now much stronger than anybody else in division.  So with that said, here are the wild card threats as of now.

1.  Rockies 54-44 0 GB

2. Giants 52-46 2 GB

3. Cubs 51- 45 2 GB

4. Braves 51-48 3.5 GB

5. Marlins 51-48 3.5 GB

6. Astros 50-48 4 GB

7. Brewers 49-49 5 GB

Now let's look at the remaining schedules for each of these teams, and you'll see, the Braves and Marlins have the easiest roads.  Which is, like I pointed out in my last article, another reason why our 13 games remaining against them are so critical.

1. Rockies 54-44 Remaining schedule: 4 @ Mets, 3 vs Mets, 3 @ Reds, 4 vs Reds, 3 @ Phillies, 4 vs Cubs, 3 vs Pirates, 3 @ Marlins, 3 @ Nationals, 4 vs Giants, 6 @ Giants, 3 vs Dodgers, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 vs Diamondbacks, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 3 @ Padres, 3 vs Padres, 3 vs Cardinals, 3 vs Brew Crew

Synopsis: Yes, they get 7 games against a battered Mets team, 7 against the underachieving Reds, 3 games in Washington, 3 games at home against the Pirates, 6 games against the DBacks, and 6 games against the Padres.  But they, like us, have 6 games against the Dodgers left, 10 games against the Giants, hopefully both teams beat up on each other then, 3 against an improved Cards Club, and 3 games against the Phils in their ballpark.  Not an easy road at all for them.

2. Giants 52-46 Remaining schedule: 3 vs Pirates, 4 vs Phillies, 3 @ Phillies, 3 @ Astros, 3 vs Reds, 3 @ Reds, 6 vs Dodgers, 3 @ Dodgers, 4 @ Mets, 4 @ Rockies, 6 vs Rockies, 6 vs Diamondbacks, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 3 @ Brewers, 3 vs Padres, 3 @ Padres, 4 vs Cubs

Synopsis: Very, very tough road for the Gmen here.  7 games versus the Phils, 3 against the 'Stros, 10 against the Rockies, and 7 against the Dodgers.

3. Cubs 51-45 Remaining Schedule: 7 versus Astros, 3 @ Marlins, 3 @ Reds, 3 versus Reds, 4 @ Rockies, 3 vs Phillies, 6 versus Pirates, 3 @ Pirates, 3 @ Padres, 4 @ Dodgers, 3 versus Nats, 3 vs Mets, 3 @ Mets, 1 vs White Sox, 4 vs Brewers, 3 @ Brewers, 3 @ Cardinals, 4 @ Giants, 3 vs Diamondbacks

Synopsis:  Very tough once again.  Makeup date of interleague play against the ChiSox.  4 games in LA.  7 against the 'Stros.  3 against the Phils and 3 at St. Louis also loom large

4. Braves 51-48 Remaining Schedule: 7 @ Marlins, 6 vs Marlins, 3 vs Dodgers, 4 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Padres, 3 vs Padres, 6 vs Nats, 3 @ Nats, 6 vs Phillies, 3 @ Phillies, 1 vs Diamondbacks, 6 @ Mets, 3 vs Mets, 3 vs Reds, 3 @ Astros, 3 @ Cards

Synopsis:  Very interesting schedule, but I like it if we can find a way to beat the Nats and Marlins and continue to own the Phils.  It's unbelievable that of our remaining 63 games, 40 are against the NL East!  FORTY! What's more odd is that our last 19 games are against division foes.  It is absolutely critical that we find a way to win during that span.  Also, our nine game stretch against Central teams Cincy, Houston and St. Louis will be critical.

5. Marlins 51-48 Remaining Schedule: 7 vs Braves, 6 @ Braves, 3 vs Cubs, 6 @ Nats, 3 vs Nats, 6 @ Phils, 4 vs Phils, 4 vs Astros, 3 @ Astros, 3 vs the Rockies, 6 vs Mets, 3 @ Mets, 3 vs Padres, 3 @ Cards, 4 @ Reds

Synopsis:  Well, apparently the Marlins are playing 163 games.  Which means SI schedules messed up for them.  Which means I'm too lazy to look for a correction.  So whatever the schedule above is, they play one team one less game than listed.  Not a very easy schedule, but not the hardest either.

6. Astros 50-48 Remaining Schedule: 7 @ Cubs, 6 @ Cards, 3 vs Cards, 3 vs Giants, 3 vs Brewers, 6 @ Brewers, 4 @ Marlins, 3 vs Marlins, 3 vs Diamondbacks, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 4 vs Phillies, 4 @ Phillies, 3 vs Braves, 3 vs Pirates, 3 @ Reds, 3 vs Reds, 3 @ Mets

Synopsis:  Possibly the toughest schedule out of the bunch. 8 against the Phils, 7 against the Marlins, 10 against the Brewers, and 9 against the Cards is not going to be easy

7. Brewers 49-49 Remaining Schedule: 4 vs Nats, 4 @ Nats, 3 @ Padres, 3 vs Padres, 3 @ Dodgers, 6 vs Astros, 3 @ Astros, 3 @ Pirates, 3 vs Pirates, 3 vs Reds, 6 @ Cards, 3 vs Cards, 3 vs Giants, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 4 @ Cubs, 3 vs Cubs, 4 vs Phillies, 3 @ Rockies

Synopsis: Their upcoming schedule is ridiculously easy.  But, they've been so bad lately it might not matter.

In summary, it took me forever to write all this.  So at the very least say thank you and hit recommend.  It's the least you can do.  And from looking at the schedules, the Braves road looks promising.

If the Braves have any hope at all of playing playoff baseball this October, they have to do something that they haven't done well in recent years.  In fact, if they can't succeed in reversing this trend, we might as well reserve our spots on our couches watching 8 teams we don't care about playing for a title later this year.  What am I talking about?  Why, of course, beating the Florida Marlins.

Don't be fooled by last year's 11-8 mark against the Fish.  Or the year before when we went 10-8 against Florida.  Because in those years we got several wins against them when both teams were already out of contention.  It seems like every time the Braves are on a roll and have hope, the Marlins find a way to drain it from us.  Take our early season success this year.  The Braves were sitting pretty at 5-1 after sweeping the Nationals.  We host the Marlins for 3 and it seems like the perfect opportunity to get off to a dazzling start.  Fast-forward three days and we've been swept back to reality. 

Now, we did sweep a 2-game set against Florida in our most recent series against them, but there is no doubt that they have always been pesky against us.  And the fact that we have only played them five times scares me.  13 of our remaining 63 games are against the Fish.  That's more than 20 percent of our remaining schedule.  If we can't forge some sort of success against them, we can forget making any sort of run into the postseason this year. 

It starts Tuesday, when we have a HUGE 3-game set in Florida.  Time to really dent their hopes of a playoff run, because right now they are right where we are, looking towards October.  And we better start off quick in this series, too.  Otherwise it could get ugly. Jair Jurrjens takes the hill Tuesday against a struggling Ricky Nolasco.  That game could be the key to this series.  Which Nolasco are we going to see.  The one that was so dominant last year or the one that's been downright awful this year?  The Braves have the tendency of bringing out the best in opposing pitchers.

The reason that game is so important is because Wednesday we have the unfortunate experience of witnessing a Kawakami vs. Josh Johnson matchup.  While I'm optimistic because somehow we manage to beat the best pitchers, that may be more of a fluke than anything.  Also factor in the fact that we haven't really been scoring much with Kawakami on the hill lately, and he has been the starting pitcher in two of our last three losses. 

If we find a way to at least split those first two games, we're sitting very pretty in game 3.  On the day before my birthday, Javy Vazquez takes on Rick Vanden Hurk, and if we can make Hurk hurt and take the series going into a tough 3-game mini homestand against the Dodgers starting on my birthday, then we look very pretty. 

One thing is clear.  If we're going to make the postseason this year, we have to take down the Marlins.

Braves fans haven't exactly had the best season in 2009.  Just when the team gives us hope, they tear us down with a 3-game losing streak.  Well, right now they seem like they are trying to put off that trend for the time being, and for perhaps the first time all year, the Braves are playing well.

Of course, it doesn't help that the Phillies have decided that because they are the defending World Champs nobody can beat them anymore.  But, in the Wild Card era there is hope for this team.  All I care about as a fan is the team making October.  If the Braves can do that, they would enter the playoffs as perhaps the most dangerous team.  Think about it.

Pitching wins championships.  That's the endless quote you will hear every October.  Mr. Cal Ripken: "So-and-so team will win it because their pitching is just too good for the competition. Yadda yadda yadda."  You get the point.  The Braves have that pitching.  If Bobby Cox decides to go with a 3-man rotation in the playoffs, who would look forward to starting a short best-of-five series against Vazquez, Jurrjens, and Tommy Hanson?  If, for kicks and giggles, they have to employ a fourth starter in that October rotation, a basic coin flip could decide whether or not Bobby wants to use Derek Lowe or Tim Hudson, depending on how Hudson comes back after Tommy John surgery.  I don't see any other rotation in October that would be tougher than that.  Note that if the Braves make the Wild Card, there is almost no way that the Giants will make the playoffs, thus their strong rotation is a moot point in this discussion.

But the Braves can piece together runs if they have to in October, which will be so important.  This season they are third in the National League in 2-out runs, one spot ahead of the Phils.  And if the offense plays anywhere near the way it is now, look out.  It seems Cox has finally picked a reasonable lineup, and there aren't really any easy outs in it, save the pitcher of course.  Nate McLouth, when he's not slumping like it's his job, sets the table, Martin Prado, aka Mr. Double, follows him, with Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and Garret Anderson to follow.  After you get through that you still have to deal with Yunel Escobar.  That alone could be enough to win a playoff series. 

In my humble opinion, if the Braves find a way to make the playoffs, whether it be as a wild card, a division winner, if they get a sponsor's exemption into the tournament, whatever, they'll be dangerous.  Will they be the World Champs?  It's hard to predict.  But the one thing you really can't argue with is that the team in Hotlanta sets up to be a much tougher playoff foe than a regular season opponent. 

CONTACT ME:  If you have any questions, comments, or criticisms of this article, e-mail me at alawson2@elon.edu, or add me on facebook (Adam Lawtown Lawson, in the Elon network).