Braves fans and writers in serious mourning over losing Smoltz
MCMLVTopps
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Chipper Jones is all but livid over the loss of Smoltz. He cannot believe he's gone after having been an Atlanta Brave icon. To quote Jones in this AM's paper "I am disappointed. Very disappointed. Deflated. Frustrated. It's been a very long off-season, not a lot of stuff to really get excited about, and then to have this, it just is the icing on the cake for me".
Jeff Schultz who is the local sports writer stated on the front of the sports page Braves insulted franchise legend. Apparently the Braves offered Smoltz $2.5m with incentives, the Red Sox came up with $5.5m with incentives...not hard to do the math. Schultz goes on to criticize Braves mangement, by writing that the difference was 3.3% of last year's payroll, $40m less than Mike Hampton was paid in the last 3 years, and 7,400 hot dogs per home game (the cheap ones).
The sting in Atlanta is heavy and deep. Braves management will hear the anger of Braves fans for some time to come. I suspect when Smoltz gets here when the Red Sox pass through he will get a massive ovation. Braves management look like major cheapskates for having lost the icon. Smoltz has been with the Braves for 21 years and has done a ton of good stuff behind the scenes for the local community. I think the Braves really goofed on letting Smoltz out of their sight, whether or not he has a good season or is finished. Not a good way for a classy guy like Smoltz to bid farewell to Turner Field.
Jeff Schultz who is the local sports writer stated on the front of the sports page Braves insulted franchise legend. Apparently the Braves offered Smoltz $2.5m with incentives, the Red Sox came up with $5.5m with incentives...not hard to do the math. Schultz goes on to criticize Braves mangement, by writing that the difference was 3.3% of last year's payroll, $40m less than Mike Hampton was paid in the last 3 years, and 7,400 hot dogs per home game (the cheap ones).
The sting in Atlanta is heavy and deep. Braves management will hear the anger of Braves fans for some time to come. I suspect when Smoltz gets here when the Red Sox pass through he will get a massive ovation. Braves management look like major cheapskates for having lost the icon. Smoltz has been with the Braves for 21 years and has done a ton of good stuff behind the scenes for the local community. I think the Braves really goofed on letting Smoltz out of their sight, whether or not he has a good season or is finished. Not a good way for a classy guy like Smoltz to bid farewell to Turner Field.
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I will rip all my hair out if they decide to bring Andruw Jones back!
<< <i> You aren't improving anything by holding on to the old, when you should be spending money on the new. >>
I thought some of the frustration is over the fact that the Braves have money to spend but no one is lining up to take their money and so they haven't made any good moves this winter. Surely $5 million plus some money for incentives wouldn't be enough to keep the Braves from spending money on "new" players.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
The Braves IMO don't have a lot going on in terms of star players, but this move by the Braves management was kinda like losing their Cal Ripken. Smoltz is very entrenched in the local Atlanta area from charity work, blah, blah...I think better had the Braves management offered him something a bit more substantial and then moved him into some kind of management role in order to not bend back the feathers of those who perhaps don't understand contracts and moving the team in a different direction. After all, if they don't come through the turnstiles, the Braves will suffer even further.
Chipper Jones is on his last year contract with the Braves, and yesterday he commented further about the Smoltz issue, saying the incident is "duly noted". I suspect Jones is gone after this year as well. Frank Wren, the new Braves GM was rather unmoved by the Smoltz issue saying he felt the Braves offered what they felt was "fair". I think the Braves will have a dismal season.
For sure, it's gonna be a strange thing to see Smoltz at Turner Field in a Red Sox uniform.
Briab
<< <i> I think the Braves will have a dismal season.
>>
I'm guessing you didn't watch the Braves play last year? Or the second half of '07? We suck!
edited to add: If they let Chipper leave without doing much to stop him next year....my fanhood will be severely tested.
<< <i>edited to add: If they let Chipper leave without doing much to stop him next year....my fanhood will be severely tested. >>
Goot, I'm sure you will hang in there if Chipper leaves. Look at what us Dodger fans had to endure when Fox bought the Dodgers. After seeing the Dodgers trade Piazza and depleting the farm system I was not happy, but I hung in there. It's been many years since the Fox mess, but things are getting better. Good luck to you Goot.
<< <i>
<< <i>edited to add: If they let Chipper leave without doing much to stop him next year....my fanhood will be severely tested. >>
Goot, I'm sure you will hang in there if Chipper leaves. Look at what us Dodger fans had to endure when Fox bought the Dodgers. After seeing the Dodgers trade Piazza and depleting the farm system I was not happy, but I hung in there. It's been many years since the Fox mess, but things are getting better. Good luck to you Goot. >>
Yeah I probably will. I just meant that if they let Chipper leave without throwing a serious offer on the table, I'll be PO'd. If Chipper wants to leave, cool I guess, but at least make him second guess his decision by showing him you still want him.
CDsNuts, 1/9/15
<< <i>Smoltz should have been signed by the Braves IMO. He probably would have even given the Braves a little discount. >>
Well we tried. We offered $2.5 million +incentives and the Sox offered $5.5 mill +incentives. We should've offered more, but at this point in Smoltz's career I can't see $3 million meaning that much to the guy. I basically attribute the signing to 1) chance to win and 2) greed.
<< <i> 1) chance to win and 2) greed. >>
Greed ? Isn't there a difference between 3 million here ?
What if company A offered you 20,000 to work at their plant,
and company B offered you 50,000 to do the same exact job at their plant.
Which offer would you accept ?
<< <i>
<< <i> 1) chance to win and 2) greed. >>
Greed ? Isn't there a difference between 3 million here ?
What if company A offered you 20,000 to work at their plant,
and company B offered you 50,000 to do the same exact job at their plant.
Which offer would you accept ? >>
If I had been with company A for 21+ years, knew it would probably be one of my last years of work, and was already a millionaire, I'd go with company A. I'm not just saying that because I'm a Braves fan either. $3 million is life changing for you and me, but not for John Smoltz.
I'm not defending the Braves though. We should've offered more.
<< <i>
If I had been with company A for 21+ years, knew it would probably be one of my last years of work, and was already a millionaire, I'd go with company A. I'm not just saying that because I'm a Braves fan either. $3 million is life changing for you and me, but not for John Smoltz.
I'm not defending the Braves though. We should've offered more. >>
But 3 million dollars is still a lot of money. I mean 3 million bucks. I'm sure John feels like he's worth that too. I'm sure
he also said to himself that Greg and Tommy left, so maybe I should try to win a world series one more time. I think it
was a combination of a chance to win, and money. I think he's good friends with Schilling too, and Curt could have told him
how nice it is to play in Boston.
<< <i>
<< <i>
If I had been with company A for 21+ years, knew it would probably be one of my last years of work, and was already a millionaire, I'd go with company A. I'm not just saying that because I'm a Braves fan either. $3 million is life changing for you and me, but not for John Smoltz.
I'm not defending the Braves though. We should've offered more. >>
But 3 million dollars is still a lot of money. I mean 3 million bucks. I'm sure John feels like he's worth that too. I'm sure
he also said to himself that Greg and Tommy left, so maybe I should try to win a world series one more time. I think it
was a combination of a chance to win, and money. I think he's good friends with Schilling too, and Curt could have told him
how nice it is to play in Boston. >>
I've grown up in an environment where money isn't that important to me, so that's where my opinion comes from. Many things in my life come ahead of $$$. I agree with you on the other stuff though.
I'm guessing you didn't watch the Braves play last year? Or the second half of '07? We suck!
I live in Atlanta and can't seem to warm up to the Braves, not for the past 20 years or so. I once went to a few games and did witness a big win for them during the Chief-Nokahoma days. You could have shot a cannon off back then and hit nothing but air, maybe a bird. I was friends with Mike Lum back when I lived in a major party zone of Atlanta, the place was nuclear hot then...ah, those were the days!!!!
Something about Bobby Cox I just can't appreciate. He just has an arrogance about him that kinda turns me off, after all, he does hold the record for being tossed the most...this I guess is his way of trying to fire up his team. The perennial "rocking" picthing coach, Leo Mazzone almost gave me vertigo...toss in Hanoi Jane Fonda doing her dumbass faux tomahawk chop and it was just too much for me. They did win a lot of division titles, but just couldn't get to the big party.
I am lucky enough to have a good buddy who has connections to KILLER seats about 4 rows behind the visiting dugout...so, I'll be watching my Red Sox again at the Ted in '09.
I think the Braves management really failed to realize the impact of losing Smoltz, the anger they generated with the players and fans cannot be underestimated. I think Jones will bolt after '09, then Frank Wren will have a HUGE issue to deal with, love him or hate him, Jones is THEEEE icon in Atlanta.