Saturday Action

The wife and I went went to the game on Saturday with roughly 800 of our closest friends to watch the Braves put on a nice show.  Rookie pitcher Charlie Morton threw the ball really well.  The guy has some serious heat and a sweet changeup and curve.  The good guys also were hitting like the champs they are.  Spiezio connected for 2 hits, Brent Lillibridge crushed a 3 run bomb and catcher Sal Fasano had 3 hits, including a dynamite standing triple that ought to be the last one the 36 year old ever attempts.  Sal is a pretty beefy dude, and his slap to the right field fence was almost caught on the fly by Rochester’s right fielder, but he couldn’t come up with the ball as Sal kept on chugging, visibly losing steam as he rounded second.  It was pretty great.  The rain held out just long enough for the game, and it turned out to be a real nice afternoon.  I’m really hoping that Richmond isn’t going to give up on the Braves this summer.  That would be a shame, because this team, just like the Atlanta Braves, is going to be stout this year.  I bet we win the Gov Cup again.  Keep rooting, Richmond.

0-1 … but help’s on the way

Kudos to anyone who sat through yesterday’s rugby weather to see the Bravos drop game one of the season to Rochester. RTD reports fewer than 150 in the stands at the conclusion. A couple of ex-prospects trying to make their way back to the bigs – pitcher Damian Moss and first baseman Scott Thorman – were the goats. It’s a bit obvious to say it’s a fitting way to start the last season. Still, things are looking up: Sal Fasano, a face worth rooting for, has been assigned to Richmond to back up Sammons at catcher. Fasano’s a classic journeyman catcher with Hollywook looks. Prediction: a fast fan favorite.

Web Whining; Braves on myspace

I was hoping to hit the opening day game this afternoon vs Rochester, but the weather is so nasty out there - cold and raining – and as a result decided to bag it and listen in on the radio.  So I went to rbraves.com for the easy link.  And the website is down.  For over an hour during the rain delay and into the 2nd inning.  (I just went to 910 AM to listen – I didn’t go to college for nuthin).  The site has always been slow to load, as well as generally glitchy, but to be down for any amount of time on opening day is pretty weak.  It’s a bit after 5 PM and the site just came up on the old computer but moving very slowly.  I see that Los Bravos have a myspace page.  Check it out.  Could be entertaining.

Good Vibes

Reliever Zach Schreiber is disappointed to be playing in The Diamond again this year. Wes Timmons doesn’t think much of the playing conditions. Longtime GM is traveling weekly to Gwinnett.

Lineup Taking Shape

Gotta like the way the Braves’ lineup is shaping up – at least for now. Lots of speed up the middle with Josh Anderson (41 SB) in center field, Brent Lillibridge (.287, 28 SB, 10 HR, 41 RBI in 87 G at Rich in ‘07) at SS and J.C. Holt (23 SB) at second. Outfielder Brandon Jones (.300 with 26 RBI in 44 G at Rich. in 2007), first baseman/DH Barbaro Canizares (.344 with 34 RB in 49 G for Rich. in ‘07) and 1B/DH/OF Scott Thorman (.298, 15 HR in 81 G in ‘06) should drive in a bunch of runs.

It seems like the everyday front of the lineup would be (1) Anderson, (2) Holt, (3) Lillibridge, (4) Jones, (5) Canizares, (6) Thorman. In the bottom of the lineup, Wes Timmons is back at 3B after hitting .256 with 5 HR and 52 RBI for the Braves last year, and Clint Sammons — .249 with 9 HR between Single-A and Double-A last year – will catch.

Roster News

Some interesting names among those apparently bound for Richmond.

Josh Anderson, who will join Brandon Jones in the outfield, hit .358 in 21 games after a Sept. call-up last season for Houston. He was a less-impressive .273 with 2 HR at Triple-A, but also had 40 steals. Also coming down is former White Sox hotshot prospect outfielder Joe Borchard, who hasn’t panned out yet in his few years in the bigs, and last year’s R-Brave standout Brent Lillibridge, who lost the battle for the Atlanta utility job to Martin Prado.

Bad Buddy Carlyle will be added to an already promising pitching staff, and Scott Thorman, who ripped the ball for Rich. in ‘06 but never found his stroke in the bigs, will be back in an R-Brave uniform. Thorman cleared waivers in order to get sent down — a clear sign of his recent struggles.

These cuts mean that some prominent ‘07 R-Braves in position battles survived: Prado, Gregor Blanco (for the fourth outfield spot) and catcher Brayan Pena. They’re all grown up.

Jo-Jo’s Return

Jo-Jo Reyes, the lefty pitching prospect who moved fast through town last year on his way to Atlanta, appears bound for a return trip to Richmond for more seasoning. He’s struggling with his control in spring training. So … the starting rotation so far appears likely to include Reyes and Charlie Morton. Both are young and still in the prospect stage. Always fun to have some guys like that — the guys you can easily be seduced into thinking might one day be stars.

Roster Moves Begin

Atlanta has started to make its cuts, meaning the R-Braves roster will begin to take shape. At least one solid pitching prospect — Charlie Morton, a 6-foot-4 righthander – is headed our way. Morton, shed in the first round of cuts this week, is bound for Richmond, but, based on Bobby Cox’s comments, he might be back in Atlanta later this year. Morton was 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA and 67 SO in 79.2 IP last year at Double-A Mississippi, largely working in relief (41 G, 6 GS – he was converted to starter late in the year), and then was an impressive 4-1, 2.57 ERA, .205 BA in the prospect-rich Arizona Fall League. He allowed 1 ER and 5 H in 3.0 IP for the A-Braves in the Grapefruit League this spring. Apparently a solid addition to the rotation.

Also cut, and potentially Richmond-bound, are Phil Stockman, an injury-prone reliever who has proven effective when healthy (1.72 ERA in 15.2 IP for Richmond in ’07), and Diory Hernandez, a second baseman who might be in the middle-infield mix at Richmond depending on what happens with Brent Lillibridge and Martin Prado, among others. Hernandez hit .307 with 7 HR and 59 RBI at Double-A last year and demonstrated Gregor Blanco-like recklessness on the basepaths, stealing 22 bases while being caught 20 times – I guess it says something about his confidence that he kept running despite such a lousy percentage of success.

Prado and Lillibridge, by the way, are getting a long look in big-league camp so far, sharing the team lead with 14 games played. Prado’s hitting .262, Lillibridge is at .212. Former R-Brave Yunel Escobar is leading the team with a scorching .517 average.

Some links to kick off the spring.

Tickets go on sale next week.

Richmond’s moving on Boulevard revitalization plan – with or without the Diamond.

Old friend Chris Chambliss returning to Richmond – this time as hitting coach.

Some useful background on The Diamond and Chief Connecticut.

Some news about a couple of last year’s R-Braves. Blaine Boyer has regained his 96-mph fastball and he’s out of minor league options, so he might be Atlanta-bound. Brent Lillibridge, blocked at shortstop at the major league level by fellow ex-RBrave Yunel Escobar, is going to boost his big-league chances by learning centerfield.

Chesterfield Observer writer takes a few shots at coverage of county’s professed non-interest in professional baseball.

A petition to save the Braves.

Richmond Losing the Braves

Can’t say I’m surprised, but I am so disappointed. Everything started going downhill with those morons from RBI – Richmond Baseball Initiative. Get it? Real cool name, huh? Those – again – morons with their plans to put a ballpark in downtown Richmond, where there is no space, no drainage, and oh yeah, there are already about 50 tenants in buildings occupying the proposed land…these nitwits turned everything upside down with their lame plan to try and make money. After RBI’s foolish, foolish plan, the surrounding counties backed out of their proposed (and agreed upon) funding for the future Braves since they had nothing to gain since the city would’ve been the sole beneficiary, instead of the shockingly obvious plans to leave the ballpark at the intersection of two of America’s largest highways. I don’t know….I am so disappointed and angry. It just sucks. Who can blame Liberty? I guess they need to make money, as well. They know a good investment when they see one, and it’s painfully obvious that Richmond, with Wilder as our, uggh, Mayor, is not a good investment. And Wilder deserves plenty of blame, as well. He has done nothing but antagonize the Braves with his “they need us more than we need them” crap. Then, when it became plain to his press secretary that Richmonders who actually follow baseball voiced otherwise, he goes into his whole, “It’s not my fault” routine. What a great leader. Why would the Braves want to work with someone like this? I guess they didn’t.