This and That

“I never thought I’d be on the cover of the Atlanta Journal unless I killed someone.”

-Chris Robinson

Robinson, lead singer of Southern rock group The Black Crowes, made the above comment upon achieving an unexpected level of fame in Georgia. Of course, Robinson never killed anyone, it was his music that made him famous. While a certain former Falcons quarterback never killed anyone (or at least any person) either, he did do quite a few unsavory things during his time in Atlanta.

Why are we talking about Michael Vick? Because before Pittsburgh signed him to a one year contract, there were a number of people who seemed to think that the Falcons should bring him in to back up Matt Ryan. Why not? I’ll tell you why: weed concealing water bottles, obscene gestures, Ron Mexico, and a little dogfighting investigation that you may have heard something about. While it is true that Vick has paid for his transgressions, that doesn’t mean that we want him anywhere near the ATL. Just saying.

Now that we’ve gotten that bit of unpleasantness out of the way, on to a few bits and pieces from the world of pro sports in Atlanta:

-The Falcons signed quarterback Rex Grossman to a one year, $1 million contract earlier this week. Grossman, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2011, has worked previously with new Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in Washington and Cleveland.

While the addition of Grossman, a former Heisman Trophy runner-up at Florida, isn’t the kind of move that gets headlines, it could turn out to be important. Anyone who has watched the first two preseason games knows that the Falcons are sorely deficient in the backup QB area. Of course, should Matt Ryan go down, it really doesn’t matter who the #2 quarterback is; the season is more or less over.

-In NBA news, the Hawks recently added veteran guard Jason Richardson to the roster. Richardson, a fifteen year veteran, joins the Hawks after averaging 9.1 points per game with Philadelphia last season. He will likely assume an Elton Brand type of role with Atlanta, mentoring younger players while contributing in a minor role off the bench.

-The Shelby Miller watch continues. Miller, who was acquired by the Braves in the Jason Heyward trade, has now gone an astounding 18 consecutive starts without a win. Despite a 2.62 ERA, good for 11^th in the National League, Miller has been saddled with the loss 10 times since his last win. There always seems to be one pitcher for whom the Braves can’t score runs, but the lack of support for Miller has been nothing short of epic.

-Speaking of our beloved baseball team, the Braves recently went winless on a seven game road trip to Chicago and San Diego, and are 1-9 in their last 10 games. Despite the disaster that has been the 2015 season, there have been a few promising signs. I really like Jace Peterson at 2^nd base, Cameron Maybin in centerfield, and Arodys Vizcaino in the closer spot. Still, there is much work to do before we can contend once again.

-The Falcons’ schedule, while one of the easiest in the league judging by last season’s results, does Atlanta no favors in the first month. The first three games are against NFC East opponents. The Falcons host Philadelphia, before visiting Washington and Dallas. An 0-3 start would effectively doom the season.

That does it for now. Soon Fall will be upon us, and we’ll have regular season NFL football to talk about. Until then, keep the faith Atlanta. What other choice do we have?

 

Braves Check in: 80 Game Edition

Hello, and welcome once again into the world of professional sports in the ATL. We’ve reached the halfway point in another baseball season, so the time has come to check in once again on our very own boys of summer. But before we talk about the Braves, let’s take a look at the offseason moves made (and not made) by Atlanta’s Air force.

As the NBA draft approached, the Hawks were reportedly considering several players as candidates for the fifteen overall pick. Bobby Portis of Arkansas, Kelly Oubre of Kansas, and Kentucky’s Trey Lyles were all mentioned as possibilities. Fine, I thought. Any of these guys could fit well into coach Bud’s system. I made it home from a busy day just in time to see Atlanta end up with: Tim Hardaway Jr?

That’s right. After a pair of trades, the Hawks ended up with a small forward who spent his first two pro seasons with the woeful Knicks. As you may have guessed, my initial reaction to this development was: what? But once the surprise wore off, I realized that Hardaway, who is the son of former Golden State star Tim Hardaway Sr (Utep two-step, anyone?), could be the next DeMarre Carroll and improve on the 11.5 points per game he averaged for the Knickerbockers.

Speaking of Carroll, who recently signed a four year, $60 million contract with Toronto, it was clear to most fans that the Hawks would be unable, or at least unwilling, to resign him for the money he could get elsewhere. Faced with keeping Paul Millsap, who stayed with Atlanta for three years and $59 million, it just won’t feasible to pay Carroll as well. Besides, as much as I love everything Carroll did for the Hawks, don’t forget that prior to playing in coach Bud’s system, he never averaged more than six points per game. While I’d love to see Carroll continue to excel, I have my doubts that he can put up the kind of numbers he did in 2014-15 under another coach.

On to the Braves, who through Sunday, July 5, stood at 40-42. While not a great record by any means, it is definitely better than most predictions called for midway through the season. As unlikely as it seems, the Bravos are only six games out of first place, and remain in the hunt in the mediocre National League East. Since we’re halfway home, a few thoughts on the season thus far:

-John Hart really had a good offseason. While some of the moves he made were controversial, many of them have paid off. My vote for his best? Sending Craig Kimbrel and Melvin (BJ) Upton to San Diego for Matt Wisler, Cameron Maybin, Jordan Parocheck, and Carlos Quentin. As much as I hated to see Kimbrel go, Maybin has put up career best numbers so far, hitting .294 with 7 homeruns, 39 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. Also, Wisler looks like a future star. In three starts he has gone 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA.

-Jace Peterson could be our second baseman of the future. Though he has cooled off lately, he has driven in 35 runs, stolen 8 bases, and filled a prominent hole in the lineup as the lead off hitter while doing an excellent job in the field.

-Freddie Freeman is as vital to the Atlanta lineup as any player in the National League is to his. While they were never exactly menacing to opposing pitchers this season, without Freeman, who has missed the last 16 games with an injury, they’ve been quite anemic. From June 21 to June 26, the Braves scored a grand total of five runs in five games.

-Some of the veterans the Braves brought in are performing above expectations. In addition to Maybin, a few others are really getting the job done. A.J. Pierzinski has basically taken over the starting catcher job, deftly handling the young pitching staff while hitting .267 with 5 home runs. Journeyman Kelly Johnson has filled in in leftfield and at first base, hitting .265 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI. Jason Grilli, the 38 year old closer, has converted 22 of 24 save opportunities while striking out 42 in 31.2 innings.

-Julio Teheran has struggled, while Shelby Miller has excelled. Teheran, who was supposed to be the Braves ace, has been wildly inconsistent. He’s been great at home, posting a 5-0 record and a 2.04 ERA, and downright awful on the road, where he has gone 1-4 with a 7.40 ERA and allowed 11 home runs in 48.2 innings. Miller, by contest, has been nothing short of dominating. While his record stands at just 5-4, his 2.04 ERA and 88 strikeouts have put him in consideration for a spot on the NL All Star roster. Only a lack of run support has prevented him from being mentioned in the CY Young conversation.

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, no one expected much from the Braves this season. In fact, the only thing I asked of them was that they stay relevant until football season approached. I predicted that they would be a .500 team, and so far, that is about what they have been. But due to the weakness of the NL East, they are in the conversation when it comes to playoff contention. I love the scrappy play, especially after watching last year’s team, which couldn’t have hit a beach ball had the opposing pitcher floated one up there. Here’s hoping that they can keep it up.

That does it for now. I’ll be back soon with more thoughts on the NBA free agent period, and more analysis of the Braves as they grind through the long season. I’m also working on something special for you veteran fans, and I hope to have it ready in a week or two. In the meantime, keep the faith Atlanta. See you soon!

 

This and That

In the wake of the conclusion of the NBA season and the NFL draft coming and going, we’ve reached that time of year when it can seem that there isn’t much to talk about when it comes to Atlanta professional sports. The Braves are the only one of our big three that is currently playing games, and so far they’ve been about what we expected: competitive but not exactly a world beater.

Not to worry! While each sport has an “offseason,” there really isn’t much downtime in the world of pro sports; at least not for the people who keep the teams running. Managing a sports franchise is a full time job, and for the hard core fan, so is pulling for one.

With that being said, I’ve spent the last few days coming up with some tidbits from our home teams. While talking about day to day operations may not be as exciting as recounting game action, at least it gives us something to get us through the long hot summer. So let’s get started.

Falcons

The big news this week was the release of former first round draft pick Sam Baker. After taking Matt Ryan with the third overall pick 2008, Atlanta traded back into the first round to get Baker. Thinking they were getting a left tackle to protect Ryan, what they actually got was an injury prone player who competed in all sixteen games just twice in his seven seasons with the Falcons. After Baker missed nearly all of 2013 and 2014, the writing was on the wall.

In other OL news, the Falcons lost tackle Lamar Holmes to a broken foot this week, further depleting a line that struggled mightily in 2014. While Holmes may be back in time for the preseason, an injury this early in the year gives me a disquieting feeling. After all, the Falcons have been decimated by injuries of late.

On a more positive subject, new head man Dan Quinn held his first mini camp this week. There seems to be a new attitude in Flowery Branch, as the players work to learn the schemes of Quinn and new OC Kyle Shanahan. Even with a coach as successful as Mike Smith, at some point it takes new ideas to shake things up. Quinn seems to have the attention of his players.

During the mini camp, fans were treated to the first images of first round pick Vic Beasley in an Atlanta uniform. Here’s hoping Beasley can improve a pass rush that ranked somewhere below anemic last year. And let’s not forget Julio Jones, who eased all of our minds when he stated on Wednesday that he has no plans to hold out as he enters the final year of his contract. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Hawks

There was quite a bit of news involving the Hawks this week, beginning with the latest development in the Danny Ferry saga. The rocky reign of the erstwhile General Manager appears to be at an end, as the Atlanta Hawks board voted in favor of a buyout on Friday. Ferry, who has been on leave since a recording of his racial insensitive comments about potential free agent signee Luol Deng surfaced last off season, will be paid more than the remaining balance on his contract.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer will promoted to Team President, while continuing to coach the team. Assistant General Manager Wes Wilcox will assume the GM role. The dismissal of Ferry had been rumored for weeks, with the thinking being that new owner Antony Ressler, whose purchase of the team is expected to be finalized next week, wouldn’t want to deal with the distraction.

In other news, the 2015 NBA draft is just four days away, and the name I most often see attached to Atlanta’s 15^th overall pick is former Arkansas Razorback Bobby Portis. I would be perfectly okay with this pick, as Portis would fit very well into coach Bud’s system. He is a 6-10 power forward with a great motor who can also his the jump shot.

One of the reasons I like Portis is the uncertainty surrounded Paul Millsap, who will likely command a max contract. Will the Hawks be willing to give him one? What about fellow free agent Demarre Carroll? While no one will offer Carroll the kind of money Millsap will get, someone could very well make him a very rich man. Will Atlanta resign one or both of these key pieces? Time will tell.

Braves

As the only one of the big three to be currently in season, the Braves have surprised quite a few people by hanging around in the National League East. Through June 20, they are only two games out of first place, though as was the case with the Falcons and the NFC East, this fact says a lot about the underachievement of the division as a whole.

Still, there have been promising signs. Jace Peterson continues to impress as second base. He has been a steady presence in the field, and has developed into one the best clutch hitters on the roster. Another who has outperformed expectations is centerfielder Cameron Maybin. Essentially a throw-in in the deal that moved Craig Kimbrel and Melvin (B.J.) Upton to San Diego, Maybin has been so good that the team released projected starter Eric Young Jr.

Equally impressive has been the performance of young pitchers Williams Perez and Matt Wisler, the latter of whom allowed just one run over eight innings in his major league debut on Friday night. As Julio Teheran and Alex Wood have struggled with consistency, Perez, Wisler and Shelby Miller have helped keep the Braves’ heads above water.

That about wraps things up for now. I’ll be back in the near future with my thoughts on the NBA draft, as well as a Braves mid-season check in. Until next time, keep the faith Atlanta!

 

Braves Progress Summary: 40 Game Edition

As we prepare for a long holiday weekend that could turn out to be very profitable or devastatingly terrible for Atlanta’s sports scene, let us all hope that the Hawks shoot better than 4 of 23 from three-point range. Let us pray that DeMarre Carroll is able to return from injury sooner rather than later. Let us hold out hope that come tomorrow morning, Kyle Korver will be featured on ESPN rather than the back of a milk carton. Most of all, let us wish with all our heart that the referees would call the game consistently and fairly. I know, who am I kidding, right?

But enough about that. I’m here today to remind everyone that in addition to the Hawks, we have another team playing tonight. A team that may not feature too many names and faces you know, but has quietly hung in there so far. That’s right, the Braves, left for dead by most everyone in the wake of trademaggeddon 2015, have been better than expected.

Not that they are in first place or anything. After winning on Thursday night, partly due to Milwaukee pitcher Will Smith doing his best Eddie Harris impression, the Braves currently sport a record of 20-20, and are just 3.5 games out of first place. Nearly a quarter of the way through the season, time for a quick check in on what has gone right and wrong so far.

Heading into the season, we all assumed that starting pitching would be the strength of this team. That’s all we talked about during spring training! Returning starters Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Mike Minor were supposed to keep the games close enough to give an offense full of unknowns a chance. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. Teheran (4-1, 3.91 ERA) and Wood (2-2, 3.83 ERA) have been good at times, but have struggled with consistency. As far as Minor goes, his season ended before he ever threw his first regular season pitch.

The leader of the staff has easily been Shelby Miller. Acquired in the Jason Heyward trade, over which there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among the faithful, he has been absolutely outstanding. Through eight starts he is 5-1 with a miniscule 1.33 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Oh yeah, he almost pitched a no hitter too.

The rest of the rotation has been a complete disaster. Trevor Cahill, Mike Foltynewicz, and Eric Stults are a combined 3-8, and are the less than proud owners of ERAs of 6.97, 5.32, and 5.36, respectively. It’s gotten so bad that the last time through the rotation the Braves turned to the man with two last names, Williams Perez. The righthander did well in his first start, pitching 5 innings and allowing just one run vs Tampa Bay.

The bullpen has been surprisingly strong so far. Veteran closer Jason Grilli has converted 12 of 13 save opportunities, though he won’t make anyone forget the great Craig Kimbrel. How I’d love to hear “Welcome to the Jungle” right about now! New members Brandon Cunniff and Jim Johnson have been good in set up roles, and holdover Luis Avilan remains the team’s best lefty option out of the bullpen.

The defense has been very good as well. Everyone knows how good Andrelton Simmons is, so I won’t spend much time on him except to say that he is one of the few players who can make a game thrilling to watch all by himself. Christian Bethancourt has thrown out 3 of 6 attempted baserunners. Overall the Braves have committed just 21 errors as a team.

Now, about that previously mentioned offense; the one that was going to struggle mightily to score runs this season. The Braves lineup, which you often need a program to sort out, put up seven runs in one inning last night. They’ve put up five or more in an inning several times this season, and have been way better than anyone thought they would be.

And it isn’t just that they’re scoring runs, it’s how they’re doing it. Through 40 games, no one has hit more than six homeruns. The most recent batting order has combined to hit just 17. That’s right folks, the Braves are playing small ball! Instead of waiting around for someone to hit a three run homer (which is kind of hard to do when no one is on base, as we found out last year) they are getting base hits, moving runners over, and coming through in the clutch.

Freddie Freeman has been his usual self, batting .306 with 5 homeruns and 21 RBI. Markakis has been nearly as good, hitting .302, often from the leadoff spot. While no one else’s numbers jump off the page at you, it has been fun watching some of the other guys too. Jace Peterson looks like a player with a solid career in front of him. Kelly Johnson has been a nice surprise, hittting 6 homeruns and driving in 18 runs, though he is currently out with an injury. Cameron Maybin, though never an all star caliber hitter, is still way better than what we had in centerfield last year, or what we began with this year.

So where are the Braves at the one quarter mark? Exactly where I thought they would be. I’ve thought all along that they would be around a .500 team, though the ups and downs have come from different sources than I’d planned on. Hopefully, if nothing else, they can hang around long enough to get us through the summer. If they could do that, you certainly wouldn’t hear me complaining. Well, not too much anyway.

As always, keep the faith Atlanta.

Go Hawks! And Braves too!