Smoltz & Cox To Join Mets For Playoffs

Tuesday night in Atlanta, John Smoltz pitched eight impressive innings in the Braves’ 12-0 victory over the New York Mets. Next week, the National League favorites will be much happier to see the veteran right-hander. Thanks to a surprising ruling by Major League Baseball, Smoltz and Atlanta manager Bobby Cox will join the Mets for the postseason.


At 76-81, the Braves have been eliminated from the playoff picture. This will be the first postseason since 1990 in which they will not participate. Smoltz and Cox were present for the entire run of division championships. During that time, October baseball became as much a part of Atlanta as The Varsity’s chili dogs and the thousands of streets named Peachtree. This week, Braves fans are saddened that they will miss out on the annual tradition of staying home from playoff games at Turner Field.


However, the ballclub’s manager and ace will still get to participate in the postseason. After consulting with other MLB officials, commissioner Bud Selig decided that it would be inappropriate to stage the National League playoffs without Smoltz and Cox. Therefore, he invoked his “best interests of the game” authority to put the pair in their customary October position – with the NL East champions. There is no word on whether Selig will also use the best interests clause to remove Tim McCarver from postseason broadcasts.


Smoltz and Cox are merely on loan to New York and will revert back to being Braves after their postseason ends. In the meantime, Mets manager Willie Randolph will welcome Cox as a bench coach, valuing his wealth of experience in the dugout. Randolph is even more excited about adding Smoltz to the rotation, given his accomplished playoff history and the uncertain health of Pedro Martinez. However, the Mets’ new starter will be offset by the removal of Billy Wagner from the pitching staff. Excluding Smoltz’s bullpen stint, Cox is forbidden to have a reliable closer on his team in the postseason.


The development is particularly notable for reuniting Smoltz with longtime teammate Tom Glavine. The pitching duo will enjoy reminiscing about the glory days in Atlanta, highlighted by the Braves’ World Series championship in 1995. Another former Brave on the Mets’ roster, Julio Franco, will add to the nostalgia. He will gleefully recount his own World Series glory with the 1957 Milwaukee Braves.


Expecting to be finished on Sunday, Cox was pleasantly surprised by the commissioner’s decision. He had planned on watching the playoff games on his couch, with former dugout mate Leo Mazzone rocking next to him with a beer in his hand. However, Mets hitters may not be thrilled to see Cox in their dugout. With him on their side in October, they expect their batting averages to take a nosedive.


Game 1 of the National League Division Series will represent a strange situation for Cox and Smoltz. They will be in Shea Stadium, with no one screaming profanities at Chipper Jones. However, Mets fans will do all they can to make the longtime Braves feel at home. Expect to see Mr. Met doing the Tomahawk Chop.

Mickelson Joins Braves Bullpen

On the verge of winning his third consecutive major championship on Sunday, Phil Mickelson endured a historic collapse at the U.S. Open. Leading by one stroke at the 18th hole, Mickelson finished with a double-bogey to gift-wrap the title for Geoff Ogilvy. Afterwards Lefty announced that he will join forces with a group that is used to blowing leads. Mickelson has agreed to terms with the Atlanta Braves to join their bullpen.


Before his 2004 Masters victory, Lefty had been derided for coming up short in every major. However, with three major championships now under his belt and a fourth in sight, Mickelson was in territory only Tiger Woods could understand. Soon Tiger was replaced by Jean Van de Velde as Phil’s measuring stick. Sunday’s finish was the worst U.S. Open collapse since Tin Cup hit ball after ball into the water. Like Tin Cup, Mickelson’s playing partner on Sunday was Don Johnson.


Perhaps Mickelson could not finish effectively at Winged Foot because the sports gods had decided that there were already too many closers in New York. Mariano Rivera has stamped his ticket to Cooperstown during a sterling career with the Yankees. Likewise, Billy Wagner is a ninth-inning horse for the Mets, one of many acquisitions helping them to a dominant position in the National League East. However, unlike those two, Lefty was not allowed to have Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blaring before stepping up to the 18th tee. With no head-banging inspiration available, he badly missed the fairway and later became a man entering the sand.


The Braves endured a collapse of their own on Sunday, with the bullpen allowing six eighth-inning runs in a 10-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox. The defeat was Atlanta’s seventh in a row. John Smoltz was in line for the win, but for the fifth time this season the bullpen cost him a victory. As a result, Smoltz has reportedly requested that his Home Depot commercial get pulled from the air. In the ad, a substitute takes over for him when he cannot complete his duties at the grill. Smoltz feels that the public will not believe that he can receive quality relief, remarking that a realistic portrayal would have the substitute griller setting the yard on fire.


The numbers for the bullpen are brutal. Braves relievers have an ERA over 5, and they have blown 14 of 29 save opportunities. Perhaps longtime pitching coach Leo Mazzone had good reason to bolt for Baltimore in the off-season. Even during the frequent good times for Atlanta since 1991, Mazzone was famous for his habit of rocking back and forth in the dugout. This season in the late innings, Mazzone might have chosen instead to repeatedly bang his head against the wall.


Things are so bad, the rotten luck has spread to other bullpens in Atlanta. Georgia Tech exited the College World Series after blowing late leads in each of its two games. At this point, the only quality closer from Atlanta is Brenda Johnson, the character played by Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer. In her case, TNT is a network. Otherwise, TNT is a substance less explosive than the Braves bullpen. They know drama.


Joining the Braves staff makes sense for Mickelson, since he has enjoyed his time in Georgia this year. Phil won his second Masters and third BellSouth Classic in 2006. In his first appearance at Turner Field, Lefty plans to wear a green jacket over his Braves uniform. Jim Nantz will take a turn on the P.A. system, telling Atlanta fans that they are witnessing a tradition unlike any other. The main difference from the Masters is that women have a better chance of playing at Turner Field than at Augusta National.


Smoltz, an avid golfer, is looking forward to having Mickelson as a teammate. He will have plenty of opportunities to use Phil’s insight on the course. Compared to past years, Smoltz will have far more time for golf this October.

Clemens vs. Devine

On Sunday, the Houston Astros eliminated the Atlanta Braves with an amazing 7–6 victory in 18 innings.  The result was not surprising, given the pitchers who ended the game.  Here is a comparison of the Astros’ Roger Clemens and the Braves’ Joey Devine.

 

Clemens:  Drafted in the first round by Boston in 1983

Devine:  Born in 1983

 

Clemens:  Has won 341 regular-season games in the major leagues

Devine:  Has won 0 regular-season games in the major leagues

 

Clemens:  Possesses nickname “The Rocket”

Devine:  Possesses name you’d expect from a strip club owner

 

Clemens:  Allowed second career grand slam in 17th major league season

Devine:  Allowed second career grand slam in second major league appearance

 

Clemens:  Earned $18 million this season

Devine:  Earned free buffalo wings on last visit to Hooters

 

Clemens:  Experienced great misery – watching Red Sox collapse in the 1986 World Series

Devine:  Experienced great misery – attending NC State

 

Clemens:  Has won 7 Cy Young Awards

Devine:  Sometimes sighs, and is young

 

Better days may lie ahead for Devine.  Clemens himself had to rebound from a postseason-ending loss in 2004.  Perhaps like the Rocket, the young Brave will respond in impressive fashion next season.  I just wouldn’t count on getting $18 million.

Brave Old World

In news that’s as surprising as finding a drunk person in Buckhead, the Braves have clinched another division title.  That makes it 14 in a row since 1991.  Here’s a by-the-numbers look at Atlanta’s run, from 1 to 14.

 

1     World Series titles during the run

2     Episodes of “World’s Scariest Police Chases” shown on TBS during a Braves rain delay

3     Winning seasons for Atlanta in the 14 years prior to 1991

4     Profanities yelled by a typical Mets fan between pitches to Chipper Jones

5     Consecutive years in which the Braves have been eliminated from the post-season at Turner Field

6     Cy Young Awards won by Atlanta pitchers during the streak

7     John Rocker’s beloved train in New York

8     Runs given up by Danny Kolb in a typical outing

9     Games won for the 1987 AL East champion Tigers by Doyle Alexander after a deadline trade from Atlanta.  In return, the Braves got some minor league stiff named Smoltz.

10    Regular season at-bats for Francisco Cabrera in 1992 before NLCS heroics

11    Franchises who have eliminated the Braves from the playoffs since 1991

12    Foam tomahawk chops swallowed by a deceased fan in an ill-fated attempt to impress his buddies

13    Rocking motions made by Leo Mazzone between pitches

14    Average age of the 2005 starting lineup

 

Amid the exciting development, Braves fans everywhere are exclaiming, “Yeah, whatever…”

Franco & Francoeur

This being August, there’s one thing that’s certain in the sports world: the Braves are leading the National League East.  But this year has been a bit different from most.  While familiar names like Andruw Jones and John Smoltz have excelled, the big story has been the performance of the kiddie brigade.  Due to injuries, the Braves have used as many rookies as there are Peachtree streets in Atlanta.  They’re so young, they could have been invited to play in Williamsport this week (reportedly the Royals are still hoping for such an offer).

 

Foremost among these youngsters is 21 year-old outfielder Jeff Francoeur.  Seemingly every time I flip over to a Braves game and he’s at the plate, he drives in a run.  I mean, every time!  And the guy never even appeared in a major league game until July 7.  Now he’s the toast of Atlanta, although he’s barely old enough to be toasted in Atlanta.

 

However, it hasn’t all been “out with the old, in with the new” with the Braves.  Major leaguers don’t get older than Julio Franco, who turns 47 on Tuesday.  Rumors that Franco came up to the big leagues with the St. Louis Browns are simply untrue – but not by much.  Making his major league debut in 1982 with the Phillies, Franco was a teammate of Pete Rose, who was the National League Rookie of the Year while JFK was in office.

 

The one major similarity between these two is their last names.  Indeed, Franco could have many opportunities to pull pranks by posing as Francoeur, using a bad Pepe Le Pew French accent.  Otherwise, they make for an odd couple in the Atlanta dugout.  Especially when you compare the chronology of their careers.

 

1978:

Franco:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent.

Francoeur:  Six years from being born.

 

1982:

Franco:  Makes major league debut, getting 29 at-bats with Philadelphia.  Traded after the season, along with four other players, to Cleveland for Von Hayes.  The mere mention of Von Hayes’s name elicits boos from any Phillies fan reading this blog.

Francoeur:  Nope, still not born yet.

 

1983:

Franco:  Enters Indians’ starting lineup, where he’ll remain for six seasons.

Francoeur:  Still waiting on that birth thing.

 

1984:

Franco:  Leads American League with 658 at-bats.

Francoeur:  Born on January 8.  Spends much of year sleeping, crying, and pooping.

 

1989:

Franco:  Makes first major league All-Star Game appearance for new team, Texas Rangers.

Francoeur:  Considered future clubhouse leader in “plays well with others” comment from kindergarten teacher.

 

1990:

Franco:  Named MVP of major league All-Star Game.

Francoeur:  Dominates first grade class in “Duck-Duck-Goose” games.

 

1991:

Franco:  Wins American League batting title with .341 average.

Francoeur:  Wins numerous gold stars due to multiplication skills.

 

1996:

Franco:  Makes first appearance in post-season as Indians lose to Orioles in Division Series.

Francoeur:  Makes first appearance at middle school dance.  Claims to be too cool for the Macarena but secretly wishes he could do it.

 

2001:

Franco:  Signs with Braves, remaining on the team through the present.

Francoeur:  Roots for Franco while attending Parkview High School in suburban Atlanta.

 

Now their careers have converged in the Braves dugout, separated by 26 years but united in their admiration for Leo Mazzone’s rock-a-thons.  And it’s another hot August in Atlanta.