Thursday, July 19, 2012

Muh Favorite Braves of All Time (well since I was alive)

I'm a big Atlanta Braves fan, have been since a was a little kid when my daddy took me to the game where they broke Pete Rose's hit streak.  I thought I'd make a listin of all my favorite Braves since I been watchin em. (broke down by position of course)


1st base-  The Crime Dog Fred McGriff

 He's a big tall lanky feller, but boy could he hit home runs. In fact when he retired he had hit a HR in every single park in all of baseball.  But what I liked was his swagger and his swang. He had this big ole swang and he twirled the bat at the top when he hit one good. (and it was good he hit em far cuz he ran like he had a stick up his butt and was slow as molasses in January)
 I's sho sad to see him go.


2nd base- Martin Prado

  He's still tharr but playin LF now.  He's scrappy, fiesty, hard headed and a helluva good hitter.  he ain't gonna hit too many homers, but he can hit it anywherr you pitch it.  he can play anywharr too, but I like him at 2nd. next year he takes over 3rd base from the mighty...

3rd base- Chipper Jones

 Greatest Atlanta Braves hitter of All time,  maybe the best hitting 3rd baseman of all time.  Hit homers, singles, triples , don't matter to Chipper. Hell if he had tried to hit more HR's he prolly coulda hit 40 a year, but his avg woulda suffered for it.  he's gonna end his career as one of a select few with a .300 avg, a 400 on base %  and a .500 sluggin%,   He's a Hall of Fame player, and it was muh pleasure watchin him play.

SS- The Pac Man - Rafael Belliard

  He couldn't hit a lick, and he really didn't start very often, but man could he pick it. and one of my favorite baseball memories is when he hit a HR in San Diego (his 2nd and last of his long career)  he said"th last time I hit one here the trees were only this tall" referrin to the now 30 foot palm trees behind left field.  I can't really say why he's my favorite, but he is. and it's my list dammit!  (but this new kid Andrelton Simmons may change my mind, he's smooth as my brother in law at a tupperware party)

Catcher-  Brian McCann

 He can pick it, he can damn sure hit it.  Been one of the best catchers in all of baseball and in his 7 year career has 6 all star games, 6 silver slugger awards and one all star game MVP.  He's a local boy to Atlanta so I hope they keep him around for a long time

 RF- Dale Murphy

 My boyhood hero (even tho he IS a Mormon) he was Mr All American Athlete. Decent glove, great arm, great bat.  If he hadn't a got hurt and fallen apart at the end he woulda been in the Hall of Fame too, but his back to back MVP's just weren't enough.   I's so sad when he got traded away...

CF- Andruw Jones

 Best fieldin player I ever saw at any position.  he made the great look routine, the amazing look easy and the incredible look like a walk in the park,  he caught balls on the run most players would never even tried to dive for.  Best field instincts I've ever seen in a player.  Now, he DID get fat and start trying to hit every damn thing out of the park. But those hard years in Cf for the Braves took a toll on him. and if there was any sort of justice,  he would get in the Hall of Fame anyway. (hell Ozzie Smith and Brooks Robinson are in for just their glove)   He;d get my vote

LF-  Ryan Klesko (I called him the Bush Hog)

 Not much of a fielder (to put it mildly)  but he could hit the ball forever.  Lotta people don't know this, but he out hit Chipper for a few years there in OPS!(fancy baseball numbers are my specialty) and he had the most violent swang I ever saw.  He swang the bat with evil intent to crush it .  One of my favorite things was when they'd walk someone in front of him hoping to strike him out.  I don't know how many Grand Slams he hit, or how many hR's after an intentional walk, but it was damn sure lot of em.   Was my all around favorite Brave of the 90's teams.  I really hated that they traded him to the left handed hitting pit of hell San Diego, kinda ruined him I think.

Starting Pitcher-  Greg Maddux

Perhaps the greatest right handed pitcher of all time. but is damn sure the smartest.  he won 356 games or so with guile finesse and the best gameplan of any pitcher ever.  he toyed with em, he could throw any pitch, any speed in any location at any time.  Hitters were usually doomed, and they knew it.  If I listed all of his numbers here ....well,  it'd just make ya sick...

Reliver- Craig Kimbrel

 In only his 2nd year the might Kimbrel has stolen my baseball heart.  he's a beast. He is putting up numbers at age 24 that are just hard to believe!!!  strikin out 48% of batters faced, only walkin one per 9 innings, 60% of the balls that get hit go on the ground instead of the arr.... He's dominanat in a way only Marianianoaino Rivera has seen.   I hope to hell we lock him up for 5 or 6 years , he's amazin.



Well, tharrs my list! Hope ya like it, and if you got some of yer own, go head and put em in the comments! I like talkin baseball with folks!!

see ya at the fishin hole!!!


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