30 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
The wheels eventually rusted, but Chipper emerged as a 21-year-old prospect with five tools in 1993.
Before his 30th birthday, Chipper collected 227 career homers, 106 stolen bases, five top-10 MVP finishes and five All-Star nods. (Take away his torn ACL during the team’s 1994 spring training and that stolen base number likely doubles.)
He finished his career as one of 21 members in the 400 Homer-150 Steal Club.
29 Monday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
One of the biggest minds behind the Atlanta Braves will receive the Atlanta Sports Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Atlanta Sports Awards.
Former Atlanta Braves general manager and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee John Schuerholz will join other Atlanta legends who have received the award, including most recently Arthur Blank (2017), John Smoltz (2016), Tom Glavine (2015), Tommy Nobis (2014), Chipper Jones (2013), Dominque Wilkins (2012) and Bobby Cox (2011).
The ceremony, which is presented by The Coca-Cola Co. will be held June 7 at The Fairmont.
From 1990 to 2007, Schuerholz served as general manager of the Braves, turning the team’s six-year losing streak around within his first year. Following his 17 years as general manager, Schuerholz spent the next decade as the Braves president. Since 2016, he has served as the team’s vice chairman.
Widely considered one of the most successful and influential general managers in baseball history, John forever changed Atlanta Braves baseball. As both a community leader and a 50-year baseball veteran, John embodies all that the Lifetime Achievement Award stands for, and we look forward to recognizing his achievements on June 7.”
~ Atlanta Sports Council President Dan Corso
In addition to his influence on the diamond, Schuerholz made his mark on the local community as a board member of YES! Atlanta, a local nonprofit that provides mentorship to at-risk youth of Atlanta. A passionate advocate for Yes! Atlanta, Schuerholz donated his name to an annual golf tournament that benefitted the organization, according to the sports council.
As president of the Braves, Schuerholz oversaw the Atlanta Braves Foundation, which provides financial support to local organizations and strives to make a positive impact on the community.
The Baltimore-native began his front office baseball career in 1966 as a personal assistant to Lou Gorman, who was the director of player development for the Orioles at the time. Schuerholz was promoted to general manager of the Kansas City Royals in 1981, leading the team to its first World Series win in 1985. Following that season, he was named the Executive of the Year by Sporting News. Schuerholz was drawn to Atlanta in 1990, accepting the role of general manager for the Braves, a team that had finished last in its division that year.
Under Schuerholz, the Braves made MLB history, finishing first in their division for 14 consecutive seasons (1991-2005), securing five National League pennants and winning the 1995 World Series. Schuerholz was the first general manager to ever win a World Series in both the American League and National League – the Royals in 1985 and the Braves in 1995.
In August 2016, Schuerholz was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame, and in July 2017, he was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
I am humbled and honored to be given this recognition by the Atlanta Sports Council, and it’s even more special given that this community has been our home for nearly 30 years and the relationships we have made here I truly cherish.It is with deep gratitude that I accept this honor on behalf of the players, coaches and front office team members of the Atlanta Braves who, working together, helped build a championship organization that achieved a level of success of which we are most proud.”
~John Schuerholz
The Atlanta Sports Awards will be held at The Fairmont in West Midtown for the first time in 2018. The awards, created by the Atlanta Sports Council in 2006, highlight the high school, collegiate and professional sports community in Atlanta.
28 Sunday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
Chipper Jones owned better numbers from the left side of the plate (.947 OPS vs. .889 OPS as a right-handed batter), but he remains one of the most balanced switch-hitters — or hitters in general — in the game’s history.
Here are his career slash lines:
LHB: .303/.405/.541
RHB: .304/.391/.498
Hitting .300 from both sides of the plate is incredibly rare: Only Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, who retired in 1937, joins Chipper on the list among switch-hitters with at least 5,000 career plate appearances.
In the age of bullpen specialists and pitching-change-happy managers, Jones’ feat stands out in the crowd.
27 Saturday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
Constructing a roster worthy of “Team Of The Decade” distinction extends beyond one player — even one of the best players ever. Still, Chipper Jones made a clear difference for Atlanta over the course of 18 full seasons.
Atlanta posted a 1497-1094-1 record when Jones was in the lineup, winning 57.8 percent of the games he played including a 48-45 playoff record.
Without him? From 1995 to 2012, the Braves won 53.2 percent of their games in Jones’ absence (214-188) including a 1-3 playoff mark when he missed the 2010 NLDS against the Giants. Over the course of 162 games, that win percentage gap is the approximate difference in winning 94 games and 86 games … every season for 18 years.
26 Friday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
Two years ago, Ken Griffey Jr. became the first former No. 1 overall draft pick to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The induction ended a strange streak for the sport. Since 1965, only one of the 53 top picks in the draft reached Cooperstown, and only four have even reached 50 career wins above replacement (per Baseball Reference).
Jones will join “The Kid” on the abbreviated list — with Alex Rodriguez’s numbers warranting a spot in a few years.
And after that? Joe Mauer has a quiet case and Bryce Harper is building one, but it could be a long time until Griffey and Jones have company here.
25 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
Chipper Jones (Hall of Fame) unquestionably finds himself among the top seven third basemen in baseball history — the order relies on debates over the accomplishments of Jones, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews (a Brave), Wade Boggs, George Brett, Adrian Beltre and Brooks Robinson — but he’s also in the top tier of the sport’s switch-hitters.
His 468 career home runs are the most in National League history and rank third all-time behind only Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray. The only other switch-hitters to reach 400 homers? Carlos Beltran and Mark Teixeira.
24 Wednesday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
Well … I never had any doubts. I am sure I will have much to say over the next few weeks. The most impressive thing about Chipper, in my mind is:
Chipper Jones was drafted by Atlanta, played every game for Atlanta and retired in Atlanta. That’s rare for a superstar in the modern game. Fifty-one Hall of Famers played for a single team, largely due to the draconian reserve clause practically making athletes franchise property.
Once the reserve clause was struck down and the 1976 collective-bargaining agreement went into effect, however, only 16 Hall of Famers played for just one team (technically Brooks Robinson played his final season in the post-reserve clause era, which would make 17) in the modern free-agency era.
Jones will likely be the final installment in a run of Braves Hall of Fame announcements, but he’s the only one of the group — including John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox — who never donned another uniform.
Chipper Jones
23 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
With a 10-4 victory over Colorado on October 7, 1995, the Braves win their Division Series behind the solid pitching of Greg Maddux and the power provided by Fred McGriff’s two home runs.
Marquis Grissom went 5 – 5 for the evening.
They eventual World champs will sweep Cincinnati in the NLCS before beating Cleveland in the Fall Classic.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquis Grissom CF | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .524 | .524 |
| Mark Lemke 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .211 | .250 |
| Chipper Jones 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .389 | .450 |
| Fred McGriff 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .333 | .400 |
| David Justice RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | .231 | .444 |
| Ryan Klesko LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .467 | .467 |
| Mike Devereaux LF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .200 |
| Charlie O’Brien C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .200 | .333 |
| Rafael Belliard SS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .000 | .000 |
| Greg Maddux P | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | .167 |
| Dwight Smith PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .667 | .667 |
| Alejandro Pena P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Team Totals | 38 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 42 | .395 | .452 |
Fred McGriff
18 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1941 - 1952)
In a 6-5 victory at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, on June 5, 1948 Phillies’ outfielder Richie Ashburn extends his consecutive hitting streak to 23 games, tying the major league rookie record. ‘Whitey’ establishes a 20th-century mark, which will be matched this season by Alvin Dark, an infielder with the Boston Braves. While Dark tied the record, I can’t find any reference to what date it happened.
On December 4, 1948 Dark, who hit .322 for the pennant-winning Braves, receives 27 of the possible 48 votes cast by the BBWAA to be named the major league rookie of the year. The 25 year-old shortstop easily outdistances his closest rivals, southpaw Gene Bearden, a twenty-game winner for the World Champion Indians, and outfielder Richie Ashburn, a .333 batter in 117 games for the Phillies before breaking his hand in August.
Four rookies in the National League all having 23-game streaks: Joe Rapp of the 1921 Phillies, Richie Ashburn of the 1948 Phillies, Alvin Dark of 1948 Boston Braves, and Mike Vail of the 1975 NY Mets.
Alvin Dark, Boston Brave, Rookie of the Year
Alvin Dark, Rookie of the Year, Boston Braves
16 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
Tags
1922 was a disastrous year for the Boston Braves. It was Fred Mitchell second season as Manager. They finished eighth with a 53-100 record. They were 39 1/2 games behind the leader.
Fred Toney pitched for the NY Giants. On July 30, Toney was traded from the Giants to the Braves along with prospect Larry Benton and $100,000. They were traded for Braves right-hander Hugh McQuillan. Fred knew a bad team when he saw one. He refused to report to the Braves, who were headed for last, and sat out rest of the season.
As a Giants pitcher, Toney had seen his former teammates circling the bases for four inside the park home runs in April. That’s right, four. No way he wanted to pitch on a team that bad. And so he didn’t.
11 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The Boston Braves would radically improve in 1921. Fred Mitchell would take over the reigns from George Stallings. They would finish fourth, 15 games behind, with a 79-74 record.
After so many horrible seasons, Mitchell might as well be known as “Miracle Man” rather than George Stallings. Not that fourth place is that great but it was remarkable improvement after the years 1917 to 1920, all sixth and seventh place finishes. 1922 and 1923 would be a different story.
Stallings had called Mitchell his “right eye”. One of the first things Stallings did when he was hired in 1913 was to bring on Mitchell. Mitchell was the pitching coach and the third base coach. In 1916 Mitchell left to coach Harvard, not that far down the road. From there he coached the Chicago Cubs from 1917 to 1921 when the Braves lured him back to Boston.
09 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
Tags
Now here is some interesting news. I want to believe it primarily because being a Braves fan, the last few years, has be extremely painful. I’ve always maintained that you can’t fire the owner but … a new owner can buy the team. Maybe that is the answer.
With skyrocketing team values, the recent events surrounding the Braves’ front office, and the recent sale of the Marlins, could these Atlanta Braves rumors be true, with Liberty Media be getting ready to pull the trigger on a deal?
Source: Atlanta Braves rumors: Liberty Media preparing to sell the team?
04 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in Boston Braves (1912 - 1935)
The good news is that in 1928 the Braves did not finish last. The Philadelphia Phillies had that honor. The Boston Braves came in seventh with a 50-103 record finishing 44 1/2 games behind. Jack Slattery and Rogers Hornsby were managers.
Uh oh. Another ugly year.
With 103 loses, I would thought they would have clearly been in last place. Philadelphia certainly earned it losing 109 games. I can’t imagine.
The year didn’t start with great promise. Owner Judge Fuchs hired a college coach Jack Slattery to manage. Two days later he acquired the ever tumultuous Rogers Hornsby in a trade.
Slattery did have some pro experience. He had coached under George Stallings in 1918 and 1919. He had a great record with Tufts, Boston College and Harvard. Slattery was very popular with the Boston sports writers. Judge Fuchs listened to the writers a lot. So Slattery was in. He wouldn’t last long though. Going 11-20, he was out by May 23.
Jack Slattery
02 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in Atlanta Braves (1966 - Present)
The Reds beat the Braves at Riverfront Stadium, 6-1 on May 3, 1975. This made Gary Nolan a winner for the first time in nearly two and half seasons. The right-hander’s last win came on October 3, 1972 when he beat the Astros by an identical score in Cincinnati.
Dusty Baker, playing right field for the Braves, had one hit and scored the only run off a two out RBI by Mike Lum. The Braves left 7 on base and were 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Garr LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .647 |
| Marty Perez 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .587 |
| Darrell Evans 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .839 |
| Dusty Baker RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .781 |
| Mike Lum CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .619 |
| Earl Williams 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .315 |
| Johnny Oates C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .541 |
| Larvell Blanks SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .693 |
| Roric Harrison P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .733 |
| Max Leon P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rowland Office PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .691 |
| Mike Thompson P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team Totals | 32 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 | .447 |
