Jim French Stepstool

Antunez......I mean, wow.........

I've noticed that Bitonti seems to be getting more run at 3B lately. I didn't foresee him seeing Biloxi this year, but if they bump Made maybe Pena & Bitonti on the L side of the Shuckers' INF?

Halfway there from 1st is usually standard fare. But down two runs (& with no one out) yeah, you'd like to see a little better presence of mind there. It's a 'feel' thing for the runner, but I'd still like to know if Spencer Allen covered it beforehand.

To me it was a day with a # of pretty good ABs but just enough bad ones to keep you from winning. Mitchells' first one was a killer after getting up 3-0. And he's been on a nice stretch too. Couple of worm burners for runs for ATL. Felt bad for Hamilton. Two hard hit balls, another one where he didn't hit it well but had a great approach, and no hits. Then he can't make a play on the RBI dribbler cuz the grass gives out. Score that one for Punxsutawney Pete or whoever the groundskeeper in Williamsport is. It'll be quite interesting when Frelick returns AFA roles & PT are concerned. Lara's triple after falling behind 0-2 & battling, that was some impressive stuff.

I was thinking the same thing until checking the dimensions, which are run-of-the-mill. It also sounds like the wind has never been a factor in previous games. Just viewing the layout, MAYBE it plays a little bigger re X-base hits?

The latter is certainly in the vast minority, yes. You just HAD to bring up High Point?

I agree with this. I think some pooh-pooh the first & dwell on the second while others reverse it, while there's no such thing as the correct balance except in ones' own mindset. I always feel disappointed when a post-season ends in a loss, and later revitalized in knowing that this is the type of outfit that'll keep coming back for more.

You think Mitchell sits vs a RHP? This feels to me like a day when a Chourio or a Bauers might get off his feet & DH.

The team from Curacao has one of their alums, Ozzie Albies. playing in the game so they should have a decided Braves' leaning. Similar flavor to two days of Madison residents in Am Fam wearing Braves' gear because of Drake Baldwin. A little touchy re the pen today if Drohan doesn't provide length. After the day off tomorrow I'll be interested in seeing if they stay w/the six-man rotation. I think they will, especially since they can add an extra arm in a little over a week. EDIT: Just saw the above re Gasser. So they might just skip one turn, or they could be setting things up for Crow. Stay tuned.

I disagree with this. Civilly, of course.

While reading this I was reminded of one of my very favorite Barry Alvarez quotes-----"There's nothing like doing something that nobody thought you could do." It certainly was relative to Badger sports after the quarter-century their FB & BB programs experienced prior to the 90s. It also can relate to the situation that the majority of MLB teams are in today. What the Brewers are doing is they recognize that the 'unattainable' can be attained but it takes a well thought out plan by the FO, from personnel decisions at both the MLB & amateur levels to the sifting, winnowing & development from the DSL all the way to Nashville. And what I love about this organization is that it's working. The sobering reality is that it can 'work' & still not result in a WS champion----there's a lot of randomness to this game. Batted-ball luck (both good & bad). Health. Over a six-month plus season, playing your best baseball at the right time(s). Despite the stacked deck---and who knows, in the next contract maybe it won't be as stacked---I suspect I'm the type of fan that gets much more enjoyment out of what this organization has built & continues to build, and whatever that may lead to, than if I was a fan of the Yankees or Dodgers, or Ohio State FB, or Duke basketball. I don't think it would be quite the same level of satisfaction for each season to be either an expected championship or a failure w/no in between. As much as I relish the destination, maybe I hold the journey to a higher esteem since I so greatly appreciate what it involves.

Except for the really, really IMPORTANT ones😛.

Seems to me that over the last 9-10 years they have much more to ***** about than we do.

Me too, as have all of us. I'm just comparing those kneejerk, off-line moments with some of the things that are displayed on here by some, that aren't kneejerk but displayed after some thought (not by you, AFA I know). Who cares? Obviously some do & some don't. I no longer pay any attention to the middle 80-90% of the IGT so it's not an issue for me. Just commenting on the observations of others. I've seen verbal attacks here at times, & I would hope that dissipates. In 3-4 different responses in this back & forth you threw out the "who cares?" line, which I agree is the best mindset to have for those who still like to follow the IGT and then read something emotion-based. Hope the rest of your weekend goes well.

His early ABs with Biloxi haven't yielded much fruit, but I checked in on the game just in time to see Braylon Payne make a terrific charge & throw to nail a runner trying to go 1st-to-3rd on a single. The guy is a really fluid athlete.