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Glavine Returning To Braves
Written by Jonathan on February 11, 2010 – 2:57 pmTom Glavine’s coming back to the Atlanta Braves organization, just not in a Braves uniform. As we discussed in mid-January, Glavine has been mulling over this possibility for some time and it appears, finally, that he has reached a decision. With the announcement of his retirement, Glavine will assume the role of special assistant to team president John Schuerholz.
As part of his new role, Glavine will assist the front office on a number of projects both on the baseball and the business end of the team. Additionally he will be making some appearances in both the television and radio booths for the club mostly with 680 The Fan (a new partner for the Braves this season) and when games are broadcast on Fox Sports South.
Glavine leaves the game with 305 career wins (244 of which came in a Braves uniform) leaving him as the 4th-ranked left-handed pitcher in baseball history. Additionally, he won the NL Cy Young with the Braves in 1991 and 1998. I’m glad to have Tommy back with the Braves in some capacity and hopefully we can leave behind the ill-will caused by the fiasco with Glavine being cut from the squad as he neared his return to baseball last season.
Tags: Front Office, Glavine Back With Braves, Glavine Hired, John Schuerholz, Tom Glavine
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
We Support Frank Wren; You Should Too
Written by Rue on February 16, 2009 – 1:28 am
The majority of Atlanta fans were likely on their last nerve the day the news hit that John Smoltz, the face of the Atlanta Braves, was headed to Boston. It was the seeming icing on the (worst you’ve ever had) cake after being excited and then disappointed about Burnett, Furcal, and Peavy. Tons of questions were asked about the competency of the front office – it was seemingly obvious that the Braves did not have the front office leadership necessary to turn around the devastating outcome of the 2008 season.
After a rollercoaster ride, extra money in the budget, and nothing to write home about by early January, Braves fans pointed their fingers at the only obvious culprit: Frank Wren.
However, Frank Wren did nothing wrong and likely made some of the best possible decisions for the organization regardless of a very slow start. For every armchair GM out there, take a deep breath, and attempt to figure out how your decisons and trades would have led to a more successful lineup than the one that Wren is about to put in front of us. Baseball is a business, not a fantasy team roster; and as it has been so bluntly stated before, “If you think there is team loyalty anymore, you’re wrong.”
One Ace (the likes of Peavy or Burnett) was not going to make or break the Braves. If you would like to argue the necessity for a big name or two on your list of the starting 5, please resort to the optimism and “sure things” of starters from this time last year. Atlanta fans were looking for a safety factor, and saw that in the big names of Burnett and Peavy. Frank Wren was smart enough to look elsewhere – to the consistent arms and proven track records of Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, and the mystery man, Kenshin Kawakami. Bypassing an Ace for a lesser-known is not a mistake. If you want to talk about investment mistakes, let’s talk about the Yankees and C. C. Sabathia…
John Smoltz is gone. Was this Frank Wren’s fault? The only thing that I blame Frank Wren for in this situation is forgetting Smoltz’s importance to the Braves organization. As mentioned before, baseball is business. All names, nostalgia, and emotion aside, in a real business, no one keeps an employee who demands more money but is not sure to have a positive impact or performance. It isn’t logical. If John Smoltz performs beyond expectations, then a bad business decision was made, but hindsight is 20/20. Shelling out cash for an aging, injury-prone player who may not even come close to expectations is a gamble, especially for a starting pitcher. Any good businessman does not gamble – they take logical risks and invest for profit. That’s exactly what Wren did.
Frank Wren took his time during the off season, neglecting to make big moves quickly. Wren didn’t sit around in Vegas at the Winter Meetings without a plan and certainly didn’t sit by the wayside while many high dollar players went to teams with the cash to pick them up. Many fans never even took the time to research the options, they just hopped on the big-name bandwagon. When those “picks” didn’t come to fruition, the finger-pointing began.
Can you honestly say that our 4 definite starters upsets you? Can you honestly say that the buzz about Ken Griffey, Jr. joining the outfield is a negative thing for the Braves? Is your idealization of “loyalty” fogging your clear view of the best business decisions for our organization for the short-term and long-term?
Frank Wren looked at the big picture – not at the big name. Atlanta was devastated when Mark Teixeira walked away for more money and a better team. The same scenario likely would have played out with the Aces we hoped would grace Turner Field. There is no loyalty – not for these guys. Wren grabbed the players that we could keep, count on, and succeed with. So, Armchair GM, tell me how your decisions would have been good for both the short-term and long-term team outlook; and how the consistency and hope that we have for the 2009 season would surpass that implemented by Frank Wren.
Tags: Frank Wren, Front Office
Posted in General | 18 Comments »
