BOL Round Table

1. Chipper isn't GOING anywhere. At least not until the year is over (if he is able to stay somewhat healthy throughout the season). We know Chip will have at least some issue with his body/legs at some point. That's the price the guys pay now that the juice is somewhat gone from the game - recovery now takes the normal time unlike during that era - and lets be honest, the guy is almost in his 40's playing one of the tough infield positions his entire career and the pressure of being the guy at the plate for so many years now on a roster that never really has been a potent offense. And, he is going into his 18th, wait 19th season? Never going to the AL to be a DL only. I will always respect the heck of out guys who play the game every day, as hard as they can play, for this many years - and yet still do it at a high level. Many of our bravo fans hate on Chipper because of his injuries the past 6,7 years as if the guy could help that. He's the first one to feel bad when anything happens to him because Chipper is simply an old school player who wants to be on the field every day. He's simply a BALL PLAYER and will always be one of my favorite players much less one of my favorite Braves Players....

2. Yes, I get ever since Ted T sold the Braves we have not been a team that could go out and get the high priced free agent to come in and play a year or so. Or we aren't going to make the big trade to bring in a guy to help us win as some may want to put it. Perception doesn't always meet reality and in this case - our perception of what the Braves can and do (do) (g) hahaha I used dodo ? grow up - the perception is far from true because we do still make moves for guys we think will help us win and will help us win Now. How bout bringing in one Mr. Uggla? I think that would qualify as a big time move on a higher priced player that instantly makes us better? How bout one Mr. Bourn? Yep ditto with him and both of these guys are HUGE additions to this team and HUGE pieces to our run at a Division Title this season. So the reality that we aren't making moves is not backed up by fact. Its easy to say the owners aren't willing to spend money to win today compared to what we thought we were during the 14 year division title run. The reality is - we do spend and we do go after (smart) moves to improve the club. Moves that will be able to play longer than a season and hopefully moves for guys that will sign new deal and remain a Brave for years to come.

In addition to the smart moves, our scouting dept is arguably the best in all of baseball. The philosophy in Atlanta today is to continue to improve the club (LongTerm) through the draft and signing good young players who will contribute in time and for years to come. This has been EXTREMELY successful and again guys lets be honest here - we don't have the ability to over pay for all these players in Atlanta like say the Sox or Yanks do and of course how now it seems Philly can do now. We do not have all the income from a team owned broadcast station like those and like we had in past years under Turner. We are in the new age of spending the money we have on smart moves not on over prices big names that become a death trap long term to the team. That's reality.

We have a very good club and we have the potential to win the division. We have to stay healthy. We have to have the pitching staff stay healthy most if not all season. We have to have Huddy get back in a month or so and be his old self for the rest of the year. We have to have Jurrjens, Beachy, Hanson all come back and get right into their starting rolls. We have to have our starters healthy for most the season as all clubs do and then we are as good as anyone (on paper). With either Teheran or Delgado getting the 5th starting spot to open the season - we need that to simply hold down the fort until we get Hudson back healthy. We already have one of the best bullpens in baseball. The reality is - Atlanta does spend money but they do not spend the flashy money that fans think is how you win. Ask the Yankees and Red Sox how their 200mill went for them last season? Even when you spend all that on over priced free agents, its still no guarantee you will win in baseball. We have the group that can and should contend now for a title. We need players to have their typical years of course and we need health because we don't have the ability if several guys get hurt to go out and over pay for someone to fill in. Were not that franchise any longer but we are not a franchise that can't contend. We can and we will. We need Heyward and Prado to come in this year and have their potential seasons. If they can do just what we expect from those two guys, we have the potential to have a very nice above avg. well above avg. Offense with a pitching staff that is far above avg. This is a very good combination of experience, talent, potential talent, and youth. With typical years and health as I said - we can win our division and we can compete for the Championship (Right Now). By the way - on the we need to spend money thing....we are not even close to being in the lower tier of teams payrolls. Were right in the middle and guess who is only a few spots ahead of us? yep the world champion St. Louis Cardinals. They are not in the top 10 of highest paid teams. Of the top 10 highest payrolls from last season - 7 did not make the playoffs. Read that again - 7 of the top 10 did NOT make the playoffs.

The ranks by payroll of the playoff teams was: 1, 2, 10, 11, 13, 17, 25, 29 and the Cardinals were 11th. Atlanta was ranked 15th. So again guys, this notion we don't pay is really not factual. We do. No not on the level of the top 3 teams in baseball but those teams also aren't guaranteed to win and typically DONT. That's the facts.

GO BRAVES!!!! Here's to a Great Fun 2012 Run at a Championship.

The Braves payroll is 15th or 16th. There's not many, if any teams behind them that ever make the playoffs or make it past the 1st rd. The Braves are what they are. A middle of the pack ballclub now.

What about it, Stache ... you think I'm wrong?

Put them both in

Hahaha ... I love it when people smut up the board!

Well, I hope you're right!

I hope chipper, wren, and Freddie Gonzalez all get hurt in a rough threesome and all of them need to retire. Then...the Braves could get better.

The facts say otherwise. The Rangers payroll last year was almost identical to the Braves, and they made it to game 7 of the World Series. The Brewers payroll was less than the Braves, and they made it to the NLCS. The Philliesand Yankees spend a lot of money and have the success to go with that, but of the other 6 teams that made the playoffs last year, the average payroll was just over $80 million (less than the Braves payroll last year).

You can win with a payroll of $85 million. You cannot win when Lowe, Linebrink, McLouth, and Kawakame make a combined $35 million. You cannot win when you do things like give up Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, and Jarrod Saltalmacchia to rent Teixiera for one year. You cannot win when you acquire McLouth based on one year of production that is clearly a statistical anomaly.

Could the Braves spend more? Sure. I wish they would. But I've never understood why Braves fans give Wren (and Schuerholtz before him) as pass. Scheurholtz was an average GM who benefited greatly from Ted Turner's money and having 3 Hall of Fame pitchers basically fall into his lap. Wren has been simply atrocious.