McClure and Weiner didn't practice yesterday or today. Baker is already out. That means 2 of Gandy/Wilkerson/Stepanovich/Quinn O will start. Somebody get those boys some of that six hour energy drink stuff ... 'cause, well, I don't want to jinx us. But I'm just sayin' ... like without really saying it. Ya know ...

DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE DIRTY BIRDS RULE

Okay, so is just me, or is there a serious lack of training camp coverage? I mean, what is AJC doing? They haven't even posted pictures from Tuesday's practice yet. Moreover, they maybe post one or two articles a day. I wish Dave O'Brian covered football...Schultz (sp?) is not getting it done. The dude hasn't posted since Sunday or Monday.

Seriously though, someone help me out. I know I must just be missing something here.

What happened to signing Grady Jackson? Last we heard his agent/the Falcons negotiators were trying to work something out (this was on Friday). I know they were going to keep at Flowery Branch after contract talks for a physical, but I haven't heard anything else since Friday. Y'all think he failed the physical? That seems like the only plausible explanation to me. That, or he didn't like what the Falcons were offering. Which, to me, seems like less of a possibility.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/07/28/mcclure_falcons_carted_field.html

He was carted off the field, but Smith said the injury wasn't serious. Unless they are being extrodinarily cautious, I don't see why an injury that isn't serious would require getting carted off the field.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn...I need filler.

FALCONS RULE! SAINTS SUCK! PANTHERS SUCK! BUCS SUCK! THE ENTIRE NFC (with the exception of the Dirty Birds) SUCKS!

Did I mention? FALCONS RULE!

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/07/25/Braves_start_Mike_Hampton.html

Hampton will get the start tomorrow. If he throws one pitch before getting hurt, I'd say our investment was solid. City of Brotherly Love, meet Monsieur Glass (that's French for Hamton).

Need some filler...

Dear Pujols,

I know I ask you for a lot. A freakish resurgence by Monsieur Glass would be nice. Just throwin' it out there.

Best Regards,

jamesrael

Frenchy has frustrated me to no end on several occasions this season. I know many of you out there have felt the same way (as there seems to be no end to the Frenchy bashing on TC).

I'm not sure if this was already posted on another fanpost, but AJC reported today that Frenchy is going to be rocking a contact lense in one eye during night games from now on. Here's the link: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/06/23/francoeur_0624.html if you just want to read the article for youself.

Dave O'Brien: "He hit just .207 with three homers and a .323 slugging percentage in 50 night games before Monday, and .320 with five homers and a .553 slugging percentage in 26 day games."

Dave O'Brien: "His vision in the eye has deteriorated since Francoeur was struck in the face by a pitch while squaring to bunt in a 2004 minor league game..."

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, DOB makes an excellent point: "If the vision is causing problems in night games, it's a recent development. Last season he hit better at night — .301 with 16 homers and a .466 slugging percentage in 116 night games, and .273 with three homers and a .390 slugging percentage in day games."

His eye was supposed to get progressively worse, however. So, that could explain the whole day/night thing not making a difference until this year. Either way, I am not trying to say that these contacts will absolutely make a difference. He started rocking them last night and he was 0-3 with a strikeout (although anyone who wears contacts knows how uncomfortable they can be during the first week or so of wear). It's just something to consider.

While we're taking things into consideration, if you have a chance, read Kenny Doyle's article titled "What To Do With Jeff Francoeur." Here's the link http://www.dugoutcentral.com/blog/?p=1558 if you want to give it a read. 

Some of his more relevant points: 

1. It's not entirely wise to drop Frenchy any further in the batting order.

 "Should Francoeur bat lower than sixth?  If Mark Kotsay was healthy and Matt Diaz was healthy and performing as he had in the two previous seasons, Francoeur should be dropped lower in the order.  Kotsay and Diaz, however, aren’t healthy and Diaz wasn’t performing even when he was in the lineup.  In the absence of Kotsay and Diaz, manager Bobby Cox has been playing Gregor Blanco, Greg Norton, Omar Infante and Josh Anderson in left and center.  None of those four players, over the course of 162 games, figure to put up numbers better than Francoeur. Thus, they should not bat ahead of Francoeur." 

2. Frenchy shouldn't be sent to the minors.

"Unfortunately, the injury depleted Braves don’t have anyone better in their system to replace Francoeur.  As mentioned above, Kotsay and Diaz are injured and Blanco, Anderson, Norton and Infante aren’t better hitters or players.  Hotshot outfield prospect Jordan Schafer was suspended for 50 games for using HGH and has only played 10 games above A ball.  Prospects Jason Heyward and Gorkys Hernandez are still too young and are only playing A ball.  Prospect Brandon Jones has struggled at AAA Richmond this year."

3. Frenchy may need an attitude adjustment. Oh, and maybe we (i.e., the Braves fans that had hoped he would become the next Dale Murphy) do too.

"Most of all, Francoeur needs to stop trying to be everything to everyone on the field and off of it.  He has been famous since the age of 16 in the Atlanta area because of his high school football and baseball exploits.  Unless he becomes the next Chipper Jones, which he won’t, he’ll never be able to live up to the hype.  It almost seems that he wants to justify the hype by becoming a superstar overnight the way he was in his first two months in the majors in 2005.  He needs to realize that, for now, he is not that kind of hitter." 

My intention in posting info from these two articles isn't to make anyone feel bad about "bashing" Frenchy. Heck, I've spout an expletive-filled tirade or two at the t.v. screen this year after watching Frenchy strike out, etc. It also isn't too excuse Frenchy's lackluster year in any way, shape, or form.

I was hoping Smoltz's Beard or someone who is good with stats could come up with something that compares him to some other players who have been (or were) in the league for a comparable amount of time, with a comparable amount of at bats, etc. Maybe something like that has already been posted. If it has, if you can't point me in the direction of the post, I would appreciate it.

According to www.si.com's truth and rumors (which you HAVE to take with a grain of salt), Hank Steinbrenner is less than pleased with the National League.

"My only message is simple," Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. "The National League needs to join the 21st century. They need to grow up and join the 21st century." Steinbrenner said he was angry and added: "I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

Hank is mad because he just lost his ace. Wang will be on crutches for AT LEAST the next six weeks. Does he have a point? In the modern era of baseball, should using a DH become the universal norm?

Personally, I see it from both sides. Teams invest a lot in their pitchers. Sometimes it hurts from a financial standpoint. Take the Braves for example. I don't know about y'all, but I'll sleep a little better next year knowing that the Bravos won't have to throw any more money down the bottomless pit known as Mike Hampton. Moreover, hopes and dreams for a successful trip to the postseason can come crumbling down when a single pitcher is lost to injury. Wang is the SIXTH highest paid Yankee pitcher, but I have a feeling that Hank and company aren't sweating the four million they are paying him. They'd rather have their ace healthy and producing.

Enough about what I think. Thoughts anyone?

As both a Georgia fan and a Falcons fan, I would love to see D.J. in a Falcons uni this fall. He certainly has a lot to prove, but I don't think you can rule him out at this point (since everybody is new to the system). I was wondering what you all thought. Can D.J. help us? If so, in what way? What do you think he needs to do to beat out Redman or Joey? I have my own thoughts, but I'd love to hear yours. I know this is a random post, but I figured it might help some ATL faithful pass the time until training camp.

This teams needs another reliable, veteran arm if it is going to have any chance down the stretch. I wouldn't mind sending the Padres Rohrborough, Flowers, and Lilly for Maddux and a prospect (maybe Rayner Contreras). The Padres would dig it because they could dump a considerable amount of salary. Thoughts? 

I understand the hesitation with sending Rohrborough elsewhere. I just wanted to put that out there in advance. Oh, one more thing: Mets suck! Y'all must be feeling great. I know I am. Okay, I think that's 75 words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDQ-dxrIX58

That's the clip. Fast forward to the one minute mark. I am going to the game tonight (dugout seats y'all) and I want to see some retaliation. Church is a showy player and Yunel could have been seriously hurt there. I understand he wants to break up the play, but what if Yunel goes end over end and lands on his neck. Look at the clip. Could have happened. RETALIATION! For those of you that'll say that the Braves are too classy to retaliate: It, like chewing tobacco and pine tar, is part of the game.

Jimmie Kaylor, the undrafted rookie free agent punter out of Central Michigan that we signed shortly after the draft, might want to anticipate not having a job in a few months. I mean, Koenen does eat excellence and crap perfection, but Mike Schneck can actually punt pretty well. While I was waiting for last weekend's Saturday afternoon practice to start, I saw Koenen trying his hand at long snapping. He wasn't bad, but I was even more impressed by the 35-40 yard punts that Schneck was putting down. So rest assured all, if Koenen ever goes down, we already have a backup. Sorry Jimmie, maybe you'll catch on elsewhere.

Mini camp was AWESOME. I went for the afternoon practice and, I must say, Mike Smith is running a tight shift. I thought the practice was very efficient and I liked the intensity (well, as intense as it can get sans pads).

Here are some random observations:

CHAD HALL is a rookie running back who graduated from the Air Force Academy. The Falcons brought him into mini camp as a "tryout player." The dude is small (5'7 179 lbs), but he is FAST. They had him returning punts and honestly, he impressed me more than anybody else. While Chandler "I'm All That And A Bag O' Chips" Williams was busy dropping balls, Hall was straight throwing it down. Don't quote me on this, but I see a contract in his future. Not only that, I think we might have a solution to the punt/kick returner problem.

JUSTIN BLALOCK was lined up at left guard for the afternoon practice. Just thought some of you might want to know that.

RODDY WHITE looked good. Seriously folks, he made some very difficult catches look downright easy. I don't want to jinx him, but if he stays healthy, NFC South def backs might have some sleepless nights. Can you say Pro Bowl?

BEN HARTSOCK can actually catch the ball. I know we got him for his blocking ability, but homie has some hands. I don't see the TE position be too much of a problem, as MARTREZ MILNER had a nice 30 yard catch during the scrimmage as well.

THOMAS BROWN was out there on a mission today. He was making cuts that I can't ever recall him making at Georgia, at least not on a consistent basis. I'd say he has the third RB position on lock down.

DJ SHOCKLEY looked solid today. He participated in all the drills and his velocity apparently hasn't diminished whatsoever. If he can fix his issues with accuracy, I see him having a real good chance to make this team. Believe it or not, he was the most impressive quarterback during the afternoon practice today. That is to say, his passes were more accurate, he had better zip on his balls, and he showed very little hesitation. JOEY HARRINGTON looked like he always does, somewhat average. MATTY RYAN was prob the second most impressive QB during the afternoon practice. It seems like he is grasping the system well already. CHRIS REDMAN (and I know a lot of you will hate to hear this) looked surprisingly mediocre. He was more hesitant that the other three QBs and his passes didn't look especially crisp.

So he may not have been the sexiest pick, but he looks damn scary here. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovNOAtJEeu

Oh, and as an added bonus, here's a clip of our boy Ryan taking a viscous hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1DzNzE0MFM

 Who cares if our offensive line is craptastic? Matty Ice can take a hit y'all!

One more clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIF5Eqdw3dE

I know that one is old. But, you gots to love it.

ENOUGH!

The lamenting about the Falcons taking Ryan at three has got to stop.

Sure, Dorsey is quick and he has a great first step, but there are some serious questions about his long-term durability. Some will balk and point to the fact that he played injured throughout his entire senior campaign. I understand that most of the players in the NFL play through some sort of nagging injury week in and week out. But, what if the leg is an issue? I am just saying, IT COULD BE AN ISSUE. He chose not to go pro after his junior year because he felt that teams were looking at him as a liability, someone they weren't sure could stay healthy. Yeah he played injured all last year, but he was trying to prove something. Similarly, Ryan COULD be the next 1st round QB bust. Or, he COULD be the next Carson Palmer, but better.

Bottom line: We don't know how well these guys are going to do. We can guess that Dorsey will kick some serious butt. But what if he doesn't? What if his hammy and shin injuries are still affecting him? What if he is double teamed all year (something he struggles with) and he works out about as well as J-Mal Anderson. Or, what if he can't vary his repertoire? I mean, the dude is known for having one move. How long is it going to take NFL lineman to figure him out. I see him as a Warren Sapp at best, but I see Ryan as someone who could be very good in this league as well.

Maybe Dorsey will be a hall of famer. But MAYBE, just maybe, he won't. Maybe he'll have a few brilliant moments in between several weeks on IR. Then, MAYBE we'll all be able to get over the Ryan pick.