Kuzul

The end of the 2010 season will also mark the end of the managerial career of Atlanta Braves skipper Bobby Cox.

Cox has spent a total of 25 years as the manager of the Braves over two separate stints and has announced that this season will be his last.

Since 1990, Cox and the Braves front office have been the model of consistency among professional sports franchises.

Cox is fourth on the all-time list for managerial wins and has been named Manager of the Year four times, most recently in 2005. If the Braves finish first in the NL East this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds a fifth.

His teams have won finished first in their division 15 times: once with the Blue Jays in 1985 and every year from 1991 to 2005 with the Braves.

Cox has one World Series ring as a manager that came back in 1995.

After this season, Atlanta will be faced with the task of replacing the iconic Cox: no easy task.

It’s almost impossible to think that the next manager of the Braves will be an outsider with no ties to the organization.

Therefore, all of the possible candidates I’ve chosen except one have either played or coached in the Braves organization.

Let me start with…

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Former Braves Return to Atlanta for Three Game Series

Former Braves coach Ned Yost and former Braves players Bruce Chen, Kyle Davies, Kyle Farnsworth, and Wilson Betemit returned to Atlanta for a three game series at Turner Field.

Yost, now the manager of the Kansas City Royals, served on the Braves coaching staff from 1991 to 1998 as the bullpen coach and from 1999 to 2002 as the first base coach.

Chen spent most of his first three seasons in the majors with the Braves from 1998 to 2000. While in Atlanta, Chen appeared in 44 games (11 starts) and went 8-2 with a 4.13 ERA.

Kyle Davies was a product of the Braves farm system and pitched in Atlanta from 2005 to 2007. In two plus seasons with the Braves, Davies started 45 games and compiled a record of 13-22 before being traded to Kansas City in July of 2007.

After spending his first six seasons with the Cubs, reliever Kyle Farnsworth split the 2005 season between the Tigers and Braves. In Atlanta, Farnsworth went 0-0 and registered 10 saves in 26 games with a 1.98 ERA. His strikeout/walk ratio was 4.57 and he had an impressive .805 WHIP.

Because Betemit plays third base, his playing time was sporadic because the Braves already had a full-time third baseman in Chipper Jones. From 2001 to 2006, Betemit appeared in 233 games with Atlanta. He hit .281 in 495 at-bats, scored 69 runs, hit 13 home runs, and had 52 RBI before being traded to the Dodgers in 2006.

It was nice to see these familiar faces back at Turner Field even though they were now sporting Royal blue. I’m sure it was nice for them to return and reunite with some of their old Atlanta teammates as well.

Then they started to play baseball.

Game One

In the first game of the series, the Braves beat Kansas City 6-4 behind a quality start from Derek Lowe, who also helped himself out with the bat by driving in two runs.

Struggling Chipper Jones had a hit, a walk, and drove in two runs. Melky Cabrera went 3-4, scored two runs, and drove in another.

Jose Guillen of the Royals recorded a hit to extend his hitting-streak to 13 games. Billy Butler, who idolized Chipper Jones growing up, hit his seventh home run of the season off of Lowe in the fourth inning.

Game Two

The Braves won the second game of the series 5-4 on a Troy Glaus walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Braves’ Kris Medlen battled stumbling Royals ace Zack Greinke pitch-for-pitch, and he left the game in the sixth inning with a chance to earn the win. However, the bullpen would blow the lead and Medlen would have to settle for a no-decision.

After the Royals tied the game in the seventh, Venters pitched a perfect eighth inning. Billy Wagner would follow with a perfect top of the ninth become the pitcher of record and earn the win. He improved his record to 5-0 with a 1.27 ERA in addition to his 14 saves.

The Royals’ Scott Podsednik and Jason Kendell each had two RBI, Mike Aviles and Yunieski Betancourt each scored twice, and Jose Guillen extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Zack Greinke went seven innings, gave up four runs (three earned), and struck out five Braves in a no-decision.

Last year’s A.L. Cy Young winner is just 2-8 with a 3.94 ERA through 15 starts this season.

Game Three

Former Brave Kyle Davies took the mound for the Royals as they tried to avoid a sweep. However he struggled with his control and lasted only 4.1 innings. He gave up four runs on four hits, walked seven batters, and struck out six.

Strangely, Davies fared better than Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami who lasted only two innings. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and only struck out one Royal.

However, the Braves bullpen pitched seven innings of shut-out baseball, and the Braves offense was able to come through again to earn the 8-5 victory and a series sweep.

Chipper Jones went 2-3 with two doubles and three RBI. He also raised his batting average to .250 in the process. Jones is on a small five game hitting streak with five runs, seven RBI, and a .471 batting average in that stretch.

Jose Guillen extended his hitting-streak to a career best 15 games in the losing effort as he recorded two hits, two runs, and one RBI in five plate appearances.

Thoughts on the series

This was certainly not the result Ned Yost and company had hoped for. The Royals are now 29-41 on the season and are 11.5 games behind Minnesota in the A.L. Central. They’ll try to rebound as they travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Nationals on Monday.

On the positive side for Kansas City, they were able to score an average of more than four runs per game, and they’re not swinging the bats all that poorly.

With the sweep, Atlanta has now won five straight and have increased their lead in the division to 2.5 games.

This marks the 13th consecutive series the Braves have won this season. Bobby Cox has preached the importance of winning series for the last 20 years, and the Braves are doing just that.

The Braves are winning games with their hitting and pitching, and they’re firing on all cylinders.

Troy Glaus continues to swing a hot bat, Martin Prado already has 101 hits this season, and Chipper Jones looks like he may be heating up.

Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe are anchoring the starting rotation and Billy Wagner has been outstanding as the Braves closer this season. The Braves reemphasis on pitching seems to be paying dividends.

It’s always good to see former Braves come back to Turner Field, and it’s even better to be on the winning end.

Does anyone think Ned Yost might make another return to Turner Field as Braves Manager in 2011 replacing Bobby Cox?

It could happen.

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Oh dear Lord, please say it isn’t true.

According to the Florida Marlins’ official website, the first 15,000 fans that come to Saturday’s game versus the Tampa Bay Rays will be the proud owners of miniature Marlins vuvuzelas!

The team is calling them “air horns,” but don’t be fooled; they’re vuvuzelas.

See for yourself—visit the Marlins promotions and giveaways page and click on “Marlins Air Horn” under Saturday, June 19th.

If that’s not a vuvuzela, I don’t know what is.

Now, I don’t know whose genius idea this was, but my bet is that it was the same guy who thought of selling the Marlins’ unsold tickets to Roy Halladay’s perfect game as souvenirs.

This is a bad idea, and here’s why.

Attendance Problems

The Marlins have enough trouble filling the awful monstrosity that is Sun Life Stadium. Do the public relations people really think that people are going to want to stay for a game while 15,000 fans are going to town on those over-sized kazoos? No.

That’s two questionable P.R. moves in less than a month. Kudos on the new stadium with the fish tanks behind home plate, though.

Irate Parents

Okay, you’re going to take the kids to see the first place Tampa Bay Rays. I know how it is because I lived in Kansas City for two years and we would always try to make it to the games when the good teams came to town.

Anyway, the kids are all excited about seeing Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena—and Wes Helms, of course.

So, you get to the game, hand the guy at the gate your tickets, and what do you get in return?

Vuvuzelas! One for each one of you!

Do you know what the worst part is?

You don’t just have to listen to them for three hours during the game; you have to listen to them during the car ride home and for the following week, until they mysteriously disappear or accidentally get broken.

It’ll go something like this:

Dad: Oh no, what happened to your vuvuza—whatcha-ma-call-it? (If he only knew.)

Johnny: It got lost.

Dad: You can’t find it? That’s too bad, Buddy. (Wink.)

Johnny: It was my favorite.

Dad: I liked it, too. It was a pretty cool idea those Marlins had.

Johnny: Yeah. Do you think they’ll do it again?

Dad: Maybe. (God, I hope not.)

Johnny: What could’ve happened to it?

Dad: Hey, maybe it’s in your room. You should go clean it. (Oh snap, I’m clever!)

Back to the present.

See, I told you it was a bad idea. Look at all the family discord it could cause!

The point is that vuvuzelas do not belong in the stands of baseball stadiums. Baseball is supposed to be “America’s pastime,” and vuvuzelas are distinctly South African.

It’s a simple culture clash, and baseball and vuvuzelas just don’t mix.

The horns have already drawn criticism from fans at the World Cup, and a noisy fan was asked to leave a Yankees game for blowing a vuvuzela.

Officials at Wimbledon have also released a statement saying noisemakers of any kind (vuvuzelas included) will be banned from the tennis tournament.

I have this message for the Florida Marlins public relations personnel: Please, for the love of baseball and everything sacred, reconsider this ill-conceived, very poor promotional idea.

Author’s Question: What would you do if you were seated near someone blowing a vuvuzela at a baseball game?

Leave your comments! 

You can follow Mike on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeMacOnBR

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All indicators seem to be pointing toward Chipper Jones retiring at the end of the 2010 season, barring some sort of miracle turnaround at the plate.

I’m hoping that he’ll right the ship and somehow manage to salvage the season, but I just don’t see it happening. Though, this is one case where I hope I’m wrong.

It’s too bad, really. The Braves are in first place in the NL East—albeit by the slimmest of margins. Yet, Chipper is in an unfamiliar place.

Yes, he’s still batting third and holding down the fort at third base, but he’s not contributing offensively in the way he’s accustomed to.

Time catches up to everyone (except Barry Bonds, it appears), and there comes a day when the body won’t do what it used to—it doesn’t react as quickly, heal as fast, and the bat doesn’t get through the zone like it once did.

It looks like that day has come for Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones—now age 38.

He has been the anchor in the three-hole for the Braves for nearly two decades, and he is every bit as important to the team’s past success as Maddux, Glavine, or Smoltz.

He’s a lifetime Brave, and he’s given everything he has to the organization that drafted him 20 years ago.

However, Bobby Cox’s loyalty to the former MVP might prove costly if Jones continues to struggle as he has been since he won the NL batting title in 2008.

In 51 games this season (he’s missed 14 so far), Jones has scored 24 times, driven in 23 runs, and has just four home runs. He’s batting an abysmal .233 and slugging .366 in 172 at-bats—not Chipper-like numbers.

Jones met with Cox and Braves GM Frank Wren to discuss his future with the team. He was supposed to hold a press conference at which he was expected to announce his plans to retire at the end of the season, but he canceled it.

That doesn’t mean he’s not retiring; it just means he’s not ready to announce it to the world, and I’m okay with that.

Will he call it quits after this season? If I had to guess, I’d say yes.

In the meantime, I hope that he can find his stroke and help the Braves make it back to the postseason—something he’s gone on record saying he wants to do before he retires.

The Braves will move on just as all teams do, and the future looks bright with young guys like Martin Prado, Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, Omar Infante, Johnny Venters, and Brooks Conrad.

However, it will be a bit surreal to see the Braves take the field for the first time without No. 10 at the hot corner and batting third.

On a more positive note, Chipper had two hits in five at-bats including career home run No. 430; he also scored twice and drove in a run in a losing effort to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

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It’s been a while since Atlanta Braves fans have had much to cheer about. Long gone are the days of Maddox, Glavine, and Smoltz. The Jones boys broke up after 2007. The streak of 14 consecutive NL East Championships ended five seasons ago. The 1995 World Series is but a distant memory.

We all knew that their reign atop the NL East couldn’t last forever. Still, it’s been hard to watch the Bravos struggle through four seasons of mediocrity while the Phillies have won three straight division titles and have been to back-to-back World Series— winning it in 2008.

Granted, the Braves’ misfortunes pale in comparison to… the Chicago Cubs.

As they say, “There’s always next year.” This year, my friends, is that year.

The Braves are 37-27 and in first place in the NL East. They’re on pace to go 94-68— the most wins since they went 96-66 in 2004. It would also be the first time the Braves won more than 90 games since the division titles streak ended in 2005.

Why have the Braves been able to turn it around so far this season?

It’s easy to say that it’s been a team effort, and that’s true. However, I’ve identified five Braves who deserve a little extra attention for their contributions in 2010.

Let’s start with…

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Maybe I’m an idealist, but personally, I don’t have a problem with labeling players “clean” if they have not tested positive for or been linked to steroid use.

That’s just me.

However, I think I’m in the minority of baseball fans when it comes to this subject. Maybe most fans don’t label everyone in the Steroid Era “dirty,” but they aren’t comfortable labeling them as “clean” either.

To each his own.

Before I go any further, let me clarify some things right off the bat.

1.    I am not trying to make any claims as to which players I think are innocent or guilty of using steroids, unless their positive usage has been proved.

2.    I will not be making any excuses for players who have admitted or who have been credibly linked to steroid usage. I have no sympathy for them whatsoever.

3.    These are my own opinions; feel free to disagree.

So, back to my point.

As a whole, I have found that baseball fans are skeptical of any player who is dominant for any period of time. That is the fans’ right.

For me, it all started on Capitol Hill as I watched Mark McGwire repeatedly dodge the question, and Sammy Sosa conveniently forget how to speak English.

Then there was Palmeiro’s finger-pointing. Yeah.

Since 2005, 27 players have been suspended for violating Major League Baseball’s substance abuse policy, including Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, Jose Guillen, Neifi Perez (twice), and J.C. Romero. Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, and Andy Pettitte have also admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs.

There are other players I could list who have been linked to steroid use, but I won’t.

The point is that baseball fans have a right to feel jaded, cheated, and betrayed.

As a result of the Steroid Era, fans are, for the most part, skeptical of anyone who puts up career-year type numbers.

Even those players who have not tested positive for steroids and who have never been linked to using them aren’t given an automatic free pass anymore.

Nobody—not Ken Griffey Jr., not Frank Thomas, not Chipper Jones, not Randy Johnson, not Albert Pujols, not Derek Jeter, not Greg Maddox—nobody (save Yuniesky Betancourt) who played during baseball’s Steroid Era is safe from skepticism.

That’s sad to me.

There are countless players who are victims of the era in which they played. Are the players I just listed all clean without a shadow of a doubt?

I don’t know. That’s not my point.

My point is that there are players who were legitimately clean—who did it the right way—during the Steroid Era. Unfortunately, many of them will have to fend off accusations of guilt (or non-innocence) simply by association, and that’s not fair.

When will the skepticism end? I don’t know.

It would help if Major League Baseball would expand its testing for HGH. Until then, innocent players will be caught up in the crossfire.

I guess I’ll have to learn to live with it.

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This article is going to be very short, but I really want to know what everyone thinks about this subject.

I hate to bring this up, but it’s almost impossible for me not to ask this hypothetical question:

What would have happened if the “Not-Perfect Game” was pitched by someone other than Armando Galarraga?

In every sport, superstars are beneficiaries of fortunate calls, as well as retrospective rule changes.

What if it had been someone like Zack Greinke, Greg Maddox, Johan Santana, Randy Johnson, C.C. Sabathia, Roger Clemens, or Tim Lincecum?

I’m not just talking about Jim Joyce’s missed call.

I’m also talking about how Bud Selig handled the situation.

Would Selig have been more inclined to overturn the call if it was a more prominent pitcher on a more popular team?

I think it’s possible.

What do you think?

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Let me be the voice of reason here.

Nobody—not even Jim Joyce—is denying that he botched the biggest call of his life.

He has been nothing but apologetic about the mistake.

Still, he said that he and his family have received death threats over costing Armando Galarraga a perfect game on Wednesday—death threats !

That’s too far.

Let’s not forget Jim Joyce is a human being, a son, a brother, a husband, and a father.

He’s been an outstanding umpire for 22 years in the major leagues, umpiring two All-Star Games, six division series, three league championship series, and two World Series.

He screwed up, and he’ll have to live with that mistake for the rest of his life.

Isn’t that punishment enough?

There is one person in the world who has the right to hold a grudge against Joyce—Armando Galarraga.

Clearly, Galarraga doesn’t have any gripe with Joyce; neither should anyone else.

It’s time to call off the dogs—enough is enough.

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Today marks the end of the career of one of most prolific hitters in the history of professional baseball as Ken Griffey, Jr. announced his retirement today after 22 years.

In an official statement, the 40 year-old Griffey stated:

“While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field, and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back, that I will never allow myself to become a distraction. I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates, and their success as team is what the ultimate goal should be.”

In 33 games this season, Griffey was homerless in 108 plate appearances with a .184 batting average and seven RBI.

It was hard for me to watch him struggle this season — he was a shell of the Ken Griffey Jr. I remember watching as a kid.

He was arguably the most feared hitter in the Major Leagues during the ’90s.

His career achievements include 10 Gold Gloves, 13 All-Star selections, 7 Silver Slugger awards, and an AL MVP award in 1997. He won an ESPY for Male Athlete of the Year in 1998 and was named to the MLB All-Century Team in 1999.

He ranks fifth all-time on the career homerun list behind Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays. He also scored 1,662 runs, collected 2,781 hits, drove in 1,836 runs, and hit for a .284 average in 2,671 career games.

What makes his numbers more impressive is the fact that Griffey was plagued by injuries in Cincinnati that forced him to miss 260 games from 2002 to 2004.

In his prime, Jr. was a pop culture icon. He starred on the cover of four video games by Nintendo from 1994 to 1999. In 1996, he was a major spokesman for Nike and was the central focus of the company’s “Ken Griffey, Jr. for President” ad campaign.

Griffey also made guest appearances in TV episodes of The Simpsons and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as well as in the movies Little Big League and Summer Catch .

Most importantly, Griffey did it the right way. He has never been linked to steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. His character has never been questioned, and he is still a beloved figure in Seattle and across the Major Leagues.

His playing career might be over, but something tells me he’s not done with the game of baseball. There are plenty of teams that would love to have a guy like him as a bench coach or hitting instructor.

Congratulations on a great career Mr. Griffey—see you in Cooperstown.

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