What Do You Want To See?

We’ve got $40-50 million to play with this offseason, and Frank Wren stated yesterday in the AJC that payroll would be going up again next year.  He stated their first priority is starting pitching, but we also need a power outfielder.

So what do you want to see?

Should we sign C.C. Sabathia (arguably the best pitcher in major league baseball), or let the Yankees bid ridiculous amounts of money for a guy who throws too many pitches?

Should we trade Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar for more pop up the middle?  Should we follow the musings of one columnist and resign Rafael Furcal and have a Furcal / Escobar double play combination?

What do you think?  What would you do with $40-50 million??

Almost Done, Guys.

The carnage is nearly over. Injuries, free-swinging slumps, more injuries, and lots of bad luck can’t keep us from making it to the couch next week. We’ll soon be put out of our misery and stop having to cringe whenever we see a lead slipping away, Francoeur whiffing down and away, or worrying that Jo-Jo Reyes will get another start.

To be certain, there have been some positives. Chipper’s accension to the batting title.  Jair Jurrjens’ phenom-like starts (he should be considered for Rookie of the Year).  Charlie Morton’s flashes of brilliance.  Brian McCann’s all-star year as he develops into a downright nasty catcher.  Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson have shown flashes of great play too, and they’ll keep getting better (if they’re around next year).  And Gregor Blanco and Josh Anderson have given us some hope in the outfield - they’re solid younger players that will contribute next year for sure, if they’re not replaced by a power hitter type.

To be sure, there’s stuff we need to work on, but we’ll have plenty of time in the off-season to write you articles about that and argue about trades and signings we have no control over.

Until then, we’re almost done. Take care, and pull for the Phillies, Brewers and Marlins as we all hope the Mets flunk out of the playoffs yet again.

It’s the Economy, Stupid!

Jobs are few and far between. Fifty percent of homes are in foreclosure. It’s nearly impossible to fill up your gas tank for under $60, let alone find gas to put in your car. A trip to the grocery store is 40% more expensive than it was this time ago. Utilities have doubled. Cheap plane tickets don’t exist. Vacation? Forget about it. The economy is awful, and it’s keeping me from the only men who have ever made me cry: the Braves.

Attendance at Turner Field is lower than it has been in years.  Obviously, the cause has nothing to do with trading away some of Atlanta’s favorite players like Mark Teixeira, Mark Kotsay, Andruw Jones last year, and the ringer himself, Royce Ring (sorry, I had to), or being 19 games behind with absolutely zero hopes of playoffs this season. The clear culprit: the economy and its impact on the average Atlantan. And you thought the insurmountable fury was the Nationals.

I’m a numbers girl, so I did a quick little analysis based on the BravesBlast staff baseball attendance (this discludes my disloyal self).  With season tickets in the cheapest seats available, the average cost per game per ticket is $3. To expand upon our cheapness, we park approximately a half mile away and pay $5 for that coveted parking spot. For the sake of avoiding distractions, we don’t drink anything other than the multiple $1 waters that we pick up from street vendors, and usually grab a hot dog to induce a true game time vibe. Per person, this totals $10 per game, not including gas mileage, nor the beer that was purchased for the cute little thing of the opposite sex sitting four rows back. Alright, fine, round up to $20 for the Braves experience when you include the aforementioned. $20*60 games per year (average) = $1200 per season for the sake of the Bravos. The average income of a 25 year old in the US is $28,000 before taxes, and about $21,000 after. Baseball season on average is 6 months, leaving that half-year income at $10,500. Over that time period, that results in baseball accounting for almost 11.5% of take-home income! To be honest, for as much as I love Buddy Carlyle, I’m fairly sure I’d rather eat or pay my electric bill than see him in person from a few hundred feet away. I suppose that 8×10 on my wall will have to suffice.

To make matters worse, the above analysis was for a cheap, single 25 year-old like myself. Just imagine the parent with their 2.5 kids who needs to park close, buy decent tickets, and feed everyone.  The Braves were rocking it out early in the season during home stands. Obviously the home town crowd pulled on their heart strings, driving them towards excellence, and motivating them to victory. They aren’t losing because of a lack of big name talent, or injury, or trades. They are losing because of the drop in fan attendance. The fans aren’t attending because of cost. Therefore, the Braves are losing because of the economy.

I’m done. Ha.

Braves’ Managers Coming Back in ‘09

The Braves announced today they’re bringing back their entire coaching staff for the 2009 season, promising that Bobby Cox will be joined by Terry Pendleton, Roger McDowell, Eddie Perez, Brian Snitker, Glenn Hubbard, and Chino Cadahia.  It proves that the Braves have faith in their coaches despite the lack of success this season.

One argument is that the Braves’ coaches can’t be blamed for the injuries to the aging pitching staff.  The other is that Cox has mismanaged the bullpen, leading to stressed young arms, and that faulty strength and conditioning led to other injuries.

I have to side with the first argument - it’s not like Cox put together an aging rotation full of has-been stars.  I’m looking forward to seeing some younger pitchers under the tutelage of this experienced coaching staff. What do you think? Is there some blame to be placed on the coaching staff for underperformance, or is it something that can be fixed with the right roster?