Rain Delay

It's all about the details

The News Tribune has an interesting article with Mike Hardgrove, if there's one thing he doesn't like to talk about is last year. But besides that here a few interesting tid bits from the interview.

• “Yuniesky Betancourt will bat eighth or ninth in the lineup. That should take a little of the pressure off him. Eventually, he’s going to be an offensive shortstop, but we don’t want to force it on him now.”

• “Jose Lopez has to work on his jumps, his positioning, his range. He’s still a kid, and he’s making the transition from shortstop to second base. He needs to keep his head above water, not get frustrated.”

• “Mike Morse is going to be a big-time hitter at some point. To make this team, he’s going to have to show his versatility – playing shortstop, third base, first base, left field. That’s his best role right now.”

• “We’ve got three or four guys we’re going to look at in the No. 2 spot in the lineup down here. We’ll look at (Kenji) Johjima there, although I don’t know if he ever batted second in Japan. We’ll look at Jeremy Reed, Fernando Viña, Matt Lawton. Maybe a few others. To hit second, you have to have bat control, be able to put the ball in play, hit behind the runner. We’re going to look at the guys who can do that.”

• “I’ve got two lineups in mind for the season. Over the winter, I worked on about 502 of them. I’d love to go with a set lineup, let guys get used to their roles. If it doesn’t work, then you change.”

The emphasis is mine. I guess the fact that he's even vaguely considering that Fernando Vina will even make the team, much less pencil him in to bat second. Of course this is like most spring training articles, in other words it's mostly fluff. It still makes me twitchy that Grover is even hinting that Vina will even make the ball-club, even winning the second-base job.

I realize that Lopez has some issues to over come, one being a motivation factor and work ethic, well that's been tossed around as his major malfunction and the one thing that could hold him back in his quest to be the regular second bagger when the season starts.

Junior and Senior?

It looks like Senior could catch on with the Reds as the first base coach. He is already set to join Junior on Team USA where he will be the, get this..First-base coach in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. The Reds first base coaching job officially opened up on Thursday after the retirement of John Moses, and Griffey Senior will be interviewing for the job, along with 3 other candidates.

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- Ken Griffey Sr. is one of four candidates for the Cincinnati Reds' first base coaching job.

Manager Jerry Narron said Friday that he will discuss the job with Griffey, outfield and bunting instructor Ed Napoleon, minor league outfield and base running coordinator Lynn Jones and newly hired advance scout Pete Mackanin.

Really nothing else to say here, except I've always liked Senior, when he was a Brave and a Mariner.

More Mazzone talking

New coach has different pitch | ajc.com.

It seems the Braves pitching staff is at it again. I defended Huddy, saying the like allot of people, some just don't like or get along with their bosses. But now more of the Braves pitching staff is letting loose with more Mazzone talk.

Honestly, why can't they just keep their trap's shut? You know, keep it in house and all that good stuff. But at least Remlinger kept it civil and actually shows a level head when talking about the Leo Mazzone.

"Especially with the younger guys, Leo could be a little bit gruff," Remlinger said. "If he didn't get it the way he wanted, he would let you know about it.

"Even he and I butted heads a couple of times. But the next day, he didn't hold things against you and it was time to get back to work. He helped me tremendously.

"I lot of guys don't want to hear the truth. Sometimes you need to hear, 'You're not very good right now.' Sometimes you have to face that reality and get things fixed."

"I'm sure there are going to be differences during the course of the season," McDowell said. "I had differences with my pitching coaches."

Hopefully this'll die down later on in Spring Training. I'd hate to see this dragged out through the press for the length of the season. Though I know that allot of people will be comparing the two most of the season.

Snitker replaces Kelly in Richmond

According to the Richmond Braves newsletter and website, Brian Snitker will replace Pat Kelly as the skipper of the Richmond Braves. The R-Brave will hold a press conference on Tuesday (Feb. 7th) to make this official. Snitker was at the helm of the Braves AA team for the past 4 years. Pat Kelly will join the Atlanta Braves front office as a scout, after 3 seasons as the R-Braves Manager.

Snitker joined the Braves organization as a player in 1977 and has been with the Braves in a variety of roles ever since. The former catcher spent four seasons in the Braves system as a player, reaching Richmond briefly in 1978. Snitker retired as a player following the 1980 season and began his coaching career as a roving instructor with the Braves in 1981. He took his first managing job in 1982 with Anderson of the South Atlantic League. Snitker moved to the majors as Atlanta's bullpen coach in 1985 and again from 1988-1990. He returned to minor league coaching in 1991 and moved back into managing with Macon in 1992. Snitker coached in the Atlanta system from 1993 to 1995 before moving back into managing in 1996.

The R-Braves will also have a new pitching coach in Derek Bothelo.

The R-Braves will also have a new pitching coach. Derek Botelho moves up from Danville to replace Mike Alvarez, who will be a roving instructor next season. Botelho is in his fourth season as a coach in the Atlanta organization. He pitched in the majors with the Royals and Cubs. Rick Albert returns as coach and Jay Williams will again be the trainer.

The Richmond Braves open the 2006 season against the Buffalo Bison's Thursday April 6th.

Not all merry under Mazzone?

Here's a couple interesting quotes from Tim Hudson and John Thompson.

"He's a real personable guy," Hudson said. "It seems like he's going to be able to go out there and get along with everybody great. Obviously he has the reputation of being an easygoing guy, cutting up a little bit and having some fun. ... It will be a lot of fun going down to the bullpen and getting some work done for a change."

While not directly taking a shot at Mazzone with his comment, Hudson seemed to express the same nonchalance that all of the Braves pitchers were expressing in regards to moving on without their former pitching coach.

Hudson and Thomson were among those who said it will be beneficial having a pitching coach who has actually pitched in the Majors. Mazzone's pitching career ended in the Minors.

"That's going to be the biggest difference, actually having a pitch coach who has pitched in the big leagues," Thomson said.

Like I said interesting. But in all honesty, I have no illusions that everyone got along with Leo. Yes Leo had one of the best pitching staff's in baseball for a long time, the likes of Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz. Really, you shouldn't read into it too much.

Some of the younger guys had great things to say about McDowell as well.

"He's interested in not just your baseball career, but he's also interested about your life," Boyer said. "He seems like a really good guy. I'm just going to love working with him. That type of personality is just what's attractive."

See kids, there is life after Leo. Though, if the pitching staff falters at any point in the season, there's going to be hell to pay from the Braves faithful and a bunch of "Well Leo this.." and "Leo that.." McDowell does have allot to live up too, it may take a while for the shadow his working in to finally up and disappear.

 

Welcome to Camp Whoopi Cushion!

It's the dawn of a new era in Braves baseball, an era that doesn't include Leo Mazzone. No more shots of the dugout with Mazzone rocking back and forth next to long time friend and Braves Manager Bobby Cox. Leo flew the coop over the winter and landed in Baltimore to be the pitching coach for long time friend Sam Perlozzo. Though Leo found it to be a emotional decision to make.

"It was a very emotional decision to leave Atlanta -- I left the greatest manager in baseball history in Bobby Cox, and the greatest general manager in baseball history in John Schuerholz,'' Mazzone said. "But I'm really excited about going to Baltimore. At the Fanfest, I talked to a bunch of fans. And I told everyone in Baltimore how much I loved Johnny Unitas when I was younger. I laid the groundwork. Johnny U. was my main man.''

Bobby and Leo reminded me of the two old men muppets on The Muppet Show (who's name escapes me at the moment.), but alas those days are gone my friends.

The era of the 'Prankster' has begun.

Roger McDowell used to be a thorn in the Braves sides, when he was still pitching. Now he's the pitching coach, the first pitching coach in 16 years for the Braves. Rocking replaced by Hot Foots? McDowell wasn't only a highly effective pitcher in his day, but a club house cut up as well.  Known to wear his uniform upside down, has McDowell  grown up at all?

He seems to think so.

The most obvious question: Is Roger McDowell, pitching coach, as unfettered as Roger McDowell, pitcher? “No,” he says. “I guess you can say I’ve kind of grown up. I enjoy what I do in different ways. I still have the same desires and the same passions — they’re just expressed differently.”

Besides, a manager might get cranky if his pitching coach sat alongside with his pants on his head. Says McDowell: “They kind of frown on that kind of stuff.”

I've already got a mental picture of that, McDowell sitting next to Bobby with his pants on his head discussing wether or not it was time to go pull Smoltz. This will mark McDowell's rookie season as a Major League pitching coach. He spent last season as the Pitching Coach for the Las Vegas 51's the Dodgers Triple A club in the PCL. As it is, he's only got 4 1/2 years of pitching coach experiance, and his group of pitchers in Vegas weren't the cream of the crop that's for sure.

(click the link below for more...)

Rafael Chaves

Chris Brock of the Tacoma News Tribune, sat down with new M's Pitching Coach Rafael Chaves. Last season, Chaves found himself in Triple A Tacoma this year, well that's a different story.

“I’m thrilled and happy I got the opportunity to do the job,” Chaves said. “… Every day when I wake up I remind myself I am going to be a big league pitching coach.”

For the last two seasons Chaves has coached the pitching staff in Tacoma. This year he reunites with Right Handed phenom and wonder boy, King Felix. He comes in taking over for Brian Price who flew the friendly confines of SafeCo field for a warmer climate in Arizona.

The front office is impressed with the way he works with his pitchers, getting to know them on more than a work type level.

“I like to build relationships with my pitchers … I think it’s important,” Chaves said. “Modern-day ballplayers like to interact. They need a person next to them that they think they can trust. Unless you go that route, you’re never going to have that trust.”

It'll be interesting to see how he differs from Price. Felix has seemed to take to him, though they did work together in Tacoma.

Even after he (Hernandez) joined Seattle, Hernandez phoned Chaves more than he did his own family for advice or to talk baseball. Sometimes, they talked, but not about baseball. Felix talked and Chaves listened.

“When I worked with him, it wasn't’t like working with a pitching coach,” Hernandez said. “It’s like working with a friend. I talk to him about anything. … We’re friends.

“I really admire him. I think it’s a great opportunity for him. He really deserves it.”

Hopefully he can help the pitching staff not repeat last years 93 loss season.