Jun 15 '08

The Ten Things I Currently Dislike About Baseball (10 through 2)

I love baseball and I know that hate is a strong word but there is a couple of things I can go without seeing in this great sport that I love so much.  I have a list here that could be longer but have narrowed it down to ten.  This week I will give you ten to six and next week I will reveal five to the number one thing I hate.
10. The Five Minute High Five In The Dugout
     Some of the greatest feats in baseball has been done by the most gracious ball players.  Then you have a guy that gets a solo homer in the third inning in a six to nothing game and he acts like it was the end of the cold war.  That type of celebration is way too much!
9.  Time Of The Game
     Baseball has taken some measures in correcting this problem.  I do not mind a one to nothing ballgame that takes two and a half hours.  I just hate the games that are prolonged by pitchers that takes a tour of the mound after every pitch and batters adjusting their batting gloves and helmets even when they watch a pitch go by. (Nomar)
 
8.  The Shift
     You can make all the changes in the world on defence but here is my opinion.  By doing that you are forcing your pitcher to throw the ball where the batter wants it.  Smart?  And it seems to me every time a grounder is hit it would be right at where the second baseman should already be at.
 
7.  New Ballparks
     They are great, they look nice, they bring in a ton of money and they make baseball so different than most other sports.  They should not build them to specify one hitter on your team  This is one of the main reasons people want replay in baseball.  The walls are so different and they have such crazy angles and corners that even the umps don’t know what call to make.
 
6.  Pickoffs
     Not the normal throw to first.  I hate the fake to third and fake to first move.  Can anyone remember the last time that worked?  If you fake to more than one base that should be a balk. 

 

5. Schedules

I said before I think a third grader is in a dark room throwing darts at a schedule.  I say no more two game series and no more interleague.  You are taking away time with your respective league.  Not to mention the whole world series thing.

 4. All Star Game

Suppose to be an exhibition between the best in both leagues voted by the fans.  Then our friend Bud makes it count by awarding the winning league home field advantage in the world series.  If they end in another tie who gets it then Bud?  How about the winners get extra sunflower seeds in the dugout.  I know since the fans put the teams together give them something.  Obviously they did better putting a team together than over half of the general managers in their careers.

3.  Ticket Prices

     I say the real fan only makes about 30000 to 40000 a year.  Tickets for a good seat start at about thirty right here in Atlanta.  Don’t forget about parking and food prices.  If you out price yourself the game will look a lot better on that HDTV you got at your house.  Why charge more for the games on Friday and Saturday, are the teams going to put better players on the field than say Monday or Tuesday?  I can tell you no on that one especially in Atlanta.

2.  Day Night Doubleheader

     Doubleheaders use to be the best thing in baseball, until lights and greedy owners came along.  The first game usually starts about twelve or one o’clock, everyone is at work so who is going to show up?  How about the real fan, yes the guy who cannot afford a good seat is usually in the nose bleed section screaming his lungs out on the close play at first.  Then you want to clear the stadium wait an hour or so and do it again and charge twice.  How about the first game be charged ten bucks and let it be a first come first serve on all seats and give a nice discount on the “nightcap.”  That may smooth things over with the average Joe.

Bert’s Trivia Question of the Week!

Last Week: What Year did MLB change from horsehide to cowhide baseballs?

Answer: 1974 Winner Scott Brimer

 

This Week’s Question

When was the modern day infield fly rule adopted?

 

4 comments Add yours!




Jun 13 '08

Brand New Bravescast Website

If this isn’t your first time visiting Bravescast, you’ll notice that our website looks a lot different today than it has for the past year. We’ve been redesigning the site for some time and are happy to roll out the new version this week — please bear with us as a few kinks are being worked out.

In the meantime, check out a few of the new features:

* Latest Episodes — check out the 3 most recent episodes of our show on the right side of the page.

* Get notified of new Bravescast episodes via e-mail

* Become a fan of our brand new Facebook page

* Flickr photos — tag a new photo you upload on flickr “atlantabraves” or “bravescast” and you might see it on our site

There are many additional features on the new site. Feel free to make yourself at home and check them out.

2 comments Add yours!

Jun 1 '08

What does Bobby Cox’s Extension Mean for the Braves?

I am happy that Bobby Cox has committed one more year for the ‘09 season. Here is a list of things that I think this means for the Braves. Terry Pendelton will have to wait one more year or move on to another team to manage. This kind of sucks for Terry who I think would be the best successor to Bobby Cox I hope he waits it out and becomes or next manager. There will be one less thing to worry about over the off season. The past few years the Braves have went through many changes. They have changed general managers, ball park reservations, tv stations and broadcasters and even major sponsors. Bobby staying means that there will still be that one consistent thing that we have had since the run starting in the 90’s.

Bobby staying also means that on any given night we are able to see the best manager of all time at defending his players. Bobby will see him self get tossed from a few more ball games but will earn more and more respect from the players who love his support. Bobby sacrifices himself in ball games to make sure the players remain on the field. Finally we will be able to hear the positive comments from Bobby after even the worse of losses. Bobby always has a way of calming down situations when they seem negative and not letting anything get too far out of line. Bobby Cox will be severely missed when he is gone but luckily not till atlest the end of the 09 season. Thanks for staying one more year!

Bert’s Trivia of the Week

Smoltz #29,Glavine #47, and Chipper #10 will probably all have their jerseys retired after there playing career is over, who were the last players to wear these numbers before the these 3 guys?

1 comment Add yours!

Apr 20 '08

Braves Get the Win, But May Suffer a Big Loss!

The Braves have now won 4 games in a row and seem to have solved some of the problems of the first few weeks of the season. The bats have started to come alive and the pitching seems to be more intact but everything is not in great shape. The injuries are now starting to pile up with key pitchers Glavine, Soriano, Moylan and Hampton on the injured list.

In today’s ball game Chipper reaggravated his quad muscle and will be further evaluated after the ball game but was again pulled early. If the Braves want to make a playoff run in ‘08 they have to get healthy quick. The injuries to Hampton and Chipper are to be expected because of their history but filling the gap for the other guys is a major issue. Still, the Braves have the youth in the minors to bring up quality players to fill in. Hopefully this will be what keeps them in the race all season long!

Bert’s Trivia of the Week

Last Week

What was the first year for the hall of fame? Who was in and with the most votes?

Answer

1936; Ty Cobb 222, Walter Johnson 189,Christy Mathewson 205, Babe Ruth 215,Honus Wagner 215

This Week

Who was the 1996 HR leader for the Braves?

no comments Add yours!

Apr 6 '08

Braves Bullpen Holds Up for a Braves 2 Game Sweep!

John Smoltz pitched a gem while on the mound Sunday afternoon. Smoltz pitched shut out baseball in his first start of the year but left the game after completing the 5th inning. At the very beginning of the season the bullpen struggled slightly but was also over used. The win over the Mets allows Atlanta to get back at the top of the East standings after one week of play.

This will also be the first time the Braves fans will get to see Hudson, Smoltz, and Glavine in three consecutive starts. With Hudson, and Smoltz getting the job done over the weekend it will now be up to Tom Glavine to carry the momentum over to the weekend. This week that should also see the 2008 debut of Chuck James. We are also expecting to get a late week update on the Mike Hampton injury. Hampton will hopefully be able to head to the minors and make a few starts before giving it another go in Atlanta. Well this first week is in the bag now and seen a couple of games get away. Will it cost the Braves late in the season and will the bullpen hold up all season long? Give us your thoughts by e-mail at hosts@bravescast.com or call the v-mail at 678-08-2721

Bert’s Trivia

What Atlanta Braves led the Braves in runs scored in 1991?

no comments Add yours!

Latest Comments

Chris Culwell // The Ten Things I Currently Dislike About Baseball (10 through 2)
The Braves’ struggles have been hard to watch. And...
Chris Culwell // What does Bobby Cox’s Extension Mean for the Braves?
I agree with you, Pat, about the fact that Bobby Cox staying on for...
Scott Brimer // The Ten Things I Currently Dislike About Baseball (10 through 2)
The all time time triples leader is Rabbit Maranville of the...

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