quang: in 2007, even despite tbs' new deal to air mlb playoff games, the atlanta braves did not have a single playoff game aired on tbs or any network for that matter. ultimately, they finished third in the division behind the phillies and mets. it was the second consecutive year they didn't qualify for the playoffs after winning their division for the 11 previous seasons. looking at their team, and more importantly the other teams, it's hard to imagine atlanta will keep their current postseason-less streak from reaching three years. for what it's worth, at least their streak of like 20 years of tomahawk chopping and general insensitivity towards native americans will continue.
the braves have most of their core returning which should mean they'll be good enough to hover around .500. chipper jones is back at third for his 15th year and remains a potent bat when not limited by injuries. unfortunately, he returns without his long-time teammate of the same surname, andruw, which puts the chances of a "money train" remake in serious jeopardy. mark teixeira, who the braves traded for midseason last year, will man first in his contract year. the braves' future appears to be built around jeff francoeur, brian mccann, and kelly johnson. francoeur's biggest knock has been his inability to reach base via walk, an area where he has improved such that now he's at least passable. brian mccann continues to one of the top catchers in the league though he did not play as well last year as he did the year before. lastly, kelly johnson had a breakout year for atlanta and was a terrific offensive second basemen. sprinkle in a little yunel escobar, matt diaz, and even mark kotsay and for my money, this is a decent offense.
i think the biggest question mark facing the braves is their pitching staff despite being fairly good last year. john smoltz was incredible and tim hudson looked at least somewhat like the hudson of old. if they can duplicate that success, that's a fairly solid one-two punch. rounding out the rest of the rotation is chuck james, a perfectly average pitcher, tom glavine, who showed his true braves colors last year by keeping the mets out of the playoffs, and maybe mike hampton, who can't be expected to play an entire season. if the starters fall short, i don't have much confidence in a bullpen that might not be able to overcome the loss of bob wickman. that might be a stretch but other than soriano and gonzalez, the rest of the staff is unproven. overall, it'll be a tough road ahead for atlanta, who is staring at two superior teams and two far inferior teams, to not finish third in the nl east.
dhivy: I’ve spent most of my life hating the Atlanta Braves for constantly winning the NL East. Their run of 14 straight division titles is unbelievable, even if they were only able to win a single World Series in that span. Manager and crankypants Bobby Cox has a great feel for managing a pitching staff, getting the most out of his youngsters and role players, and building a winning atmosphere up and down the organization. While there has been great stability amongst the Braves in seasons past, this year will bring a new challenge, as there have been some major changes in their roster. Cox’s ability to create the right matchups will dictate whether this season brings the Braves back to prominence or continues their two-year mini-drought.
The move that has many Braves fans gearing up their racist chants in the return of Tom Glavine. After notching the worst outing of his career in the Mets’ final game, Tommy G was lured back to Atlanta by an $8 million contract. But based on his 2007 season, it’s hard to envision Glavine providing more than a replacement-level pitcher. The hope is that he won’t have to. John Smoltz and Tim Hudson were dominant at times last season, and they don’t show any signs of slowing. The wild card is Mike Hampton, who hasn’t thrown a pitch in the majors since 2005. Based on his first Spring Training start, Hampton looks good to go and should round out their rotation well. With a revamped bullpen headlined by Rafael Soriano and Michelangelo Gonzalez, the Braves are halfway to a TMNT reunion. It’s too bad Donatello Drysdale and Leonardo Durocher have passed on.
With Andruw Jones and his annoying smirk shagging flies in LA, Mark Kotsay’s the new centerfielder in the ATL. Kotsay never set the world on fire with his bat, but after back surgery last season, the hole in the lineup is even more glaring. Then again, if Kotsay was setting the world of fire with his bat, he’d probably be better off fighting crime and providing heat to low income housing. The Brave that I’m most intrigued by is left fielder Matt Diaz. He’s got deceptive speed, a great arm, and is murder on left-handed pitchers. He hit .338 in limited action last season, but Atlanta is excited to see what he can do in a full-time roll. With consistency from Mark Teixeira, Jeff Francoeur, Kelly Johnson and Brian McCann, the question is how many games Chipper Jones will be healthy. 
He’s already suffered a small setback this spring and a tweaked hamstring could be the difference in how October is spent: fighting for a World Series birth or thinking up new ways to offend indigenous people.
Unsung Hero
- Kelly Johnson (q)
- Matt Diaz (d)
- Yunel Escobar (j)
- Will Ohman (q)
- Tom Glavine (d)
- Tom Glavine (j)
- Joe acquires incredible seats to a Mets-Braves game at Shea that is broadcast on TBS. During a David Newhan at bat in the bottom of the 8th after the Braves took a 9-6 lead, Joe screams "balls" loud enough to be heard on TV. (q)
- Bobby Cox getting ejected for a record
133rd time in a game against the brew crew. (d) - Julio Franco clears waivers and signs with the Braves, he also clears the Mets clubhouse of the smell of liniment and coupons for the early bird-dinner special. (j)
- The Atlanta Braves run into enormous problems with scalpers who before games, hang around Turner Field and scalp fans. (q)
- Jo-Jo Reyes quits the team mid-season to become a teen pop sensation. (d)
- After continuing to rake at Shea Stadium, Chipper Jones gets into a huge fight with his wife after he demands his next child be named CitiField. (j)
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