CAN OF CORNY

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Am I One of 'Those' Dad's?

I sort of knew this day would come. My son would eventually try his hand at baseball, and my hand would ever so delicately guide the way, hoping that he would have the same experience I did as a child. With digital distractions, 300+ channels, and him already making fun of my obsessive baseball habits, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle. I don't think he's actually watched an entire game with me on TV yet either. It's usually him running in front of the TV to grab some Lego's he left in the next room, maybe stopping long enough to say, "Is Chipper up?" or "Has Jason Heyward hit yet?". On occasion, when I'm not watching baseball, he'll look at me with his eyebrows cocked in confusion and say, "Aren't you suppose to be watching the Braves?".

Now I'm fully aware of my obsession so I'm extra careful not to push it on him, to let it come with time and curiosity. Sure, he's seen me watching games on TV and we play wiffle ball in the yard and talk about 'that time he hit the neighbor's car', but it's never been much more than playful attempts to see if he was ready to give it a heartfelt go. So when signups for Cal Ripken coach pitch baseball came around my wife and I did our best to get him excited for the upcoming season.

New baseball uniform! Pick out a new glove! Grab a new bat! Heck yeah, you can have two batting gloves! Grab some Big League Chew while you're at it! Practice with your friends from school! Let's goooo!

The Kid.

I'm sure my excitement was oozing all over the place but I seriously tried to contain it. Sure, I went to the first practices with iPhone in hand taking pictures and videos, but I wasn't going crazy with it, just being the supportive Dad....right? I mean, it had to be documented, right? Right?

So on the night of the first game, I was dead set on letting him do his own thing, to be supportive, but not put any kind of extra pressure on the kid playing his first game after only one practice. If I had to sit on my hands and only yell out the occasional, "Good job!", that's what I was going to do.

And I did.

Heck, I was even accused of being too quiet! "Why don't you go over there and tell him to stop playing in the dirt and pay attention?" Oh no, not a chance. He can play in the dirt as long as he is on a baseball field and having fun. There were some things that I would address with him very carefully after the game, but I wasn't going to do anything to embarrass him during the first game. That wasn't going to happen.

And then it happened.

The kid came up to bat. New uniform, number 10, new cleats, new bat, two batting gloves...and he gave us a slight wry smile just before he stepped in the box. My experiences in baseball growing up, seeing the grass at Fulton-County Stadium for the first time, watching the Braves win it all in '95....it all came gushing back to me in an instant. I steadied my camera and watched him swing through the first pitch. "Hang in there, boy." I thought, which was probably directed at myself more than the naive kid at the plate. The second pitch left the coaches hand, and I can see it as clear as day, and luckily so did my son. In one short burst he unloads on it and sends the ball well over the pack of infielders on the left side of the field and it rolls all the way to the outfield grass - easily the longest hit of the day. All civility was thrown out the window, and the instant he connected you can hear a rather boisterous Ric Flair-esque 'Woooooooooooo!!!!!' from my mouth. He easily could have rounded the bases but was held to a single by the kid on first picking his nose instead of running on contact. Regardless, it was possibly the greatest single in the history of baseball. Definitely the best since Francisco Cabrera.

What actually happened.

What I saw.

It only took a split second to take me from the guy not wanting to push his kid too hard into the game of baseball for the fear of him pushing back, to becoming the guy looking online to see if Scott Boras accepts videos of seven year olds. After the game we whooped and hollered about how awesome the hit was, with the kid telling me more than once "You've already said that, Dad!", instantly putting me in my place where I knew I belonged. He let me have my excitement, and in his own way, tempered my expectations without killing the dream. I don't know if he consciously knew what he was doing or not, how could he at only seven years old, but in that moment I was reminded of how great this game is and even greater the kids are that play it.

So, am I one of the those Dad's that wants his kid to play baseball and love it for all the same reasons I did growing up? One of those Dad's that will shag flies until you can't tell the ball from the bats in the darkening sky? Or one of those dad's that thinks he knows when to sit on his hands and when to show encouragement? And one of those Dad's that will ultimately be OK if his son decides that baseball isn't for him?

You're damn right I'm one of those Dad's.

Monday, March 14, 2011

'Twitter Fakes' Fantasy Draft Results

Eight fake Twitter personalities convened in a fantasy baseball draft this past week, and while you won't see it on a reality TV series (although that's not a bad idea), you can follow the draft highlights below. We'd release the draft chat transcript but redacting Old Hoss Radbourn's profanity-laced tirades pretty much made it unreadable.

http://games.espn.go.com/flb/standings?leagueId=18584

Charles 'Old Hoss' Radbourn
@oldhossradbourn

What can you say about Charles 'Old Hoss' Radbourn that he hasn't already said about himself? Herculean pitcher for the Providence Grays, master of debauchery, lover of opiates...you name it and Old Hoss claims to have mastered it. It will interesting to see how long he goes before petitioning (bludgeoning) the league to become a player/manager.

DRAFT UPDATE

True to form, Old Hoss showed up and immediately demanded everyone remove their pommel bag holster. Obviously Old Hoss is new to how this fantasy stuff works but it was clear early on there were trust issues. But the one thing he did trust were players who have his same penchant for the the hard stuff, and I'm not talking about fastballs. Old Hoss made it a point to announce that no one was to touch 'the tainted ones', and so he was able to pick up Cabrera and Hamilton without any problem. After that is where Old Hoss ran into issues. He loved the Halladay pick, as he said Halladay was the only player that came close to matching is skills. From then on all we saw on the chat scroll was 'Bahhhhhh', 'Who the hell is this guy?', and 'Ha! Charlie Sweeney still hasn't been drafted!".

8	Miguel Cabrera, Det 1B
9	Roy Halladay, Phi SP
24	Josh Hamilton, Tex OF
25	Ryan Zimmerman, Was 3B
40	Andrew McCutchen, Pit OF
41	Clayton Kershaw, LAD SP
56	Derek Jeter, NYY SS
57	Rickie Weeks, Mil 2B
72	Mike Stanton, Fla OF
73	Mat Latos, SD SP
88	Joakim Soria, KC RP
89	Francisco Liriano, Min SP
104	Curtis Granderson, NYY OF
105	Carlos Quentin, CWS OF
120	Aaron Hill, Tor 2B
121	Pablo Sandoval, SF 3B
136	Geovany Soto, ChC C
137	Andrew Bailey, Oak RP
152	Colby Lewis, Tex SP
153	Huston Street, Col RP
168	Rajai Davis, Tor OF
169	Matt Thornton, CWS RP
184	Daniel Bard, Bos RP
185	Chris Sale, CWS RP
200	Mark Prior, NYY SP

Fake Dayton Moore
@fakedaytonmoore

Ahhh, my nemesis, KC Royals GM and former Atlanta Braves assistant GM. Or was it assistant to the GM? Regardless, he's also known as Jeff Francoeur's BFF, which will get you a long way at Parkview High School. Fake Dayton continues his journey to fill his 25 man roster with all ex-Brave players, the question is, will he continue the trend in fantasy baseball?

DRAFT UPDATE

I figured this might happen. Fake Dayton didn't show and was put on auto-draft, which some might say, isn't the first time he hasn't showed up for a draft. Personally I don't think he wanted to relive our early drafts together with the Braves when my suggestions were used much more than his. That wasn't easy for the former assistant to the GM to take, then or now. To his credit though, we did find out that he had a prior obligation. He was busy settling a 'who's in the best shape of their life' argument between Frenchy and Melky Cabrera. Regardless, Fake Dayton pulls a 'Homer'and auto-drafts a solid team highlighted by Pujols & CarGo...and filled his ex-Braves quota with Adam LaRoche.

1	Albert Pujols, StL 1B
16	Joey Votto, Cin 1B
17	Carlos Gonzalez, Col OF
32	Nelson Cruz, Tex OF
33	Dustin Pedroia, Bos 2B
48	Justin Upton, Ari OF
49	Adrian Beltre, Tex 3B
64	Chris Carpenter, StL SP
65	Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos OF
80	Justin Morneau, Min 1B
81	Matt Cain, SF SP
96	Corey Hart, Mil OF
97	Ben Zobrist, TB 2B
112	Max Scherzer, Det SP
113	Wandy Rodriguez, Hou SP
128	Francisco Rodriguez, NYM RP
129	Joe Nathan, Min RP
144	Brett Anderson, Oak SP
145	Hiroki Kuroda, LAD SP
160	Rafael Furcal, LAD SS
161	Adam LaRoche, Was 1B
176	Vladimir Guerrero, Bal DH
177	Carlos Pena, ChC 1B
192	Mike Napoli, Tex C
193	Madison Bumgarner, SF SP

Fan Since '09
@fansince09

If we happen to get banned from ESPN Fantasy Baseball, you can bet it is @fansince09's fault. If you don't already know, 'Coal' Hammels is what is wrong with the Phillies...and baseball. And if you can't find 'Coal' Hammels, its because he's probably at a Justin Bieber concert.

DRAFT UPDATE

'09 stayed away from Coal Hammels but did his best to draft every other Phillie. He even got a little trigger happy and took J.A. Happ with his 3rd round pick. The most overused phrase of the night 'Shoulda kept Jayson Werth...Shoulda kept Brett Myers' should have been changed to 'Shoulda drafted Happ a little later'. Luckily '09 didn't get banned and was able to hang on to draft Ben Francisco with his last pick ('Shoulda kept Werth!).

2	Cliff Lee, Phi SP
15	Matt Holliday, StL OF
18	J.A. Happ, Hou SP
31	Ryan Howard, Phi 1B
34	Jayson Werth, Was OF
47	Victor Martinez, Det C
50	Tommy Hanson, Atl SP
63	Michael Young, Tex 3B
66	Jimmy Rollins, Phi SS
79	Heath Bell, SD RP
82	Roy Oswalt, Phi SP
95	Chris Young, Ari OF
98	Paul Konerko, CWS 1B
111	Manny Ramirez, TB OF
114	Chone Figgins, Sea 2B
127	Brett Myers, Hou SP
130	Howard Kendrick, LAA 2B
143	J.D. Drew, Bos OF
146	Placido Polanco, Phi 3B
159	Chad Durbin, Cle RP
162	Wilson Valdez, Phi SS
175	Rafael Soriano, NYY RP
178	David Eckstein, SD 2B
191	Johnny Cueto, Cin SP
194	Ben Francisco, Phi OF

Fake Cito Gaston
@fakecitogaston

When he is not pimping the Blue Jays bat boys, or sucking up to Alex Anthopoulos, Clarence 'Cito' Gaston likes to interject his 'You kids better get off my lawn' mentality to anyone that will listen. Clearly the guy can still manage, but can he manage players not reliant on Canada's free health care? We will see in fantasy league.

DRAFT UPDATE

The soft-spoken Fake Cito seemed to enjoy playing manager again. He often interjected quips about this 'kid' and that 'kid'. Not sure if Fake Cito got enough offense in the draft, but one thing is certain, if you need to trade for a pitcher, you are going to have to go through Fake Cito, who will more than likely tell you 'That kid is going to cost you.'.

7	Adrian Gonzalez, Bos 1B
10	Troy Tulowitzki, Col SS
23	Alex Rodriguez, NYY 3B
26	Joe Mauer, Min C
39	Ian Kinsler, Tex 2B
42	Jose Bautista, Tor 3B
55	Ubaldo Jimenez, Col SP
58	Cole Hamels, Phi SP
71	Zack Greinke, Mil SP
74	Shane Victorino, Phi OF
87	Mariano Rivera, NYY RP
90	Neftali Feliz, Tex RP
103	Chad Billingsley, LAD SP
106	Clay Buchholz, Bos SP
119	Brett Gardner, NYY OF
122	Shaun Marcum, Mil SP
135	J.J. Putz, Ari RP
138	Nick Markakis, Bal OF
151	Ian Desmond, Was SS
154	Travis Snider, Tor OF
167	Carlos Lee, Hou OF
170	Miguel Montero, Ari C
183	Neil Walker, Pit 2B
186	Sean Rodriguez, TB 2B
199	Ricky Romero, Tor SP

Fake Fred Wilpon
@fakefredwilpon

Mets owner and the one probably responsible for the cavernous OF at Citi Field, Fake Fred struggles daily with taking a haircut on the Ollie Perez contract. Or was it the Jason Bay contract? No wait, it was the Carlos Beltran contract. Anyway, he's bound and determined to exonerate himself from the slings and arrows that come with either being a partner with Bernie Madoff, or being a victim of Bernie Madoff. The verdict is still out. At least in fantasy baseball, Fake Fred can't blame it on the money...unless he drafts Ollie Perez.

DRAFT UPDATE

Word began to circulate that Fake Fred wasn't sure if he was going to make it, however, once we assured him the game was free, he quickly logged on. And then logged off, and then on again. Apparently, his 56k AOL dial-up was acting up, and since he had dialed in on a long distance number, he was constantly trying to get people to make their picks as quickly as possible. Shallow pockets and limited connectivity were enough to keep Fake Fred from drafting Ollie Perez this time around, and to his credit he drafted a very good team. Makes you wonder if he would have done better than Omar Minaya all these years.

3	Hanley Ramirez, Fla SS
14	David Wright, NYM 3B
19	Kevin Youkilis, Bos 1B
30	Jon Lester, Bos SP
35	CC Sabathia, NYY SP
46	Alex Rios, CWS OF
51	Brandon Phillips, Cin 2B
62	Andre Ethier, LAD OF
67	B.J. Upton, TB OF
78	Yovani Gallardo, Mil SP
83	Carlos Marmol, ChC RP
94	Jonathan Papelbon, Bos RP
99	Matt Wieters, Bal C
110	Torii Hunter, LAA OF
115	Jonathan Sanchez, SF SP
126	Ted Lilly, LAD SP
131	Angel Pagan, NYM OF
142	John Axford, Mil RP
147	Bobby Abreu, LAA OF
158	Francisco Cordero, Cin RP
163	Ian Stewart, Col 3B
174	Starlin Castro, ChC SS
179	Phil Hughes, NYY SP
190	Jason Bay, NYM OF
195	Mark Reynolds, Bal 3B

Dodgers GM
@dodgersgm

He's not Ned Colletti, but he tweets like him. And trouble for him if he trades or drafts like him. Dodgers GM will do his best to fill his roster with SF Giants, and as much as he tries, divorce is not an excuse for failure in fantasy baseball.

DRAFT UPDATE

Never let it be said that Ned Colletti doesn't get his man. Yes, he finally got Aubrey Huff! Everyone expected the Dodgers GM to stockpile SF Giants but Huff was the only rival he drafted. We aren't sure which ownership group had Ned's ear that night but it's quite possible that he decided to go it alone and not take any sides advice. Hmmm, that seems like a decent idea that I am sure will not carry over to the 2011 season. Fantasy baseball....enjoy it Ned!

4	Evan Longoria, TB 3B
13	Robinson Cano, NYY 2B
20	Matt Kemp, LAD OF
29	Prince Fielder, Mil 1B
36	Shin-Soo Choo, Cle OF
45	Jose Reyes, NYM SS
52	Hunter Pence, Hou OF
61	Dan Haren, LAA SP
68	Kendry Morales, LAA 1B
77	Jay Bruce, Cin OF
84	Carlos Santana, Cle C
93	Billy Butler, KC 1B
100	Stephen Drew, Ari SS
109	Adam Lind, Tor DH
116	Aubrey Huff, SF 1B
125	Matt Garza, ChC SP
132	Daniel Hudson, Ari SP
141	Jeremy Hellickson, TB SP
148	Brandon Morrow, Tor SP
157	Jhoulys Chacin, Col SP
164	Trevor Cahill, Oak SP
173	Jose Valverde, Det RP
180	Craig Kimbrel, Atl RP
189	Brad Lidge, Phi RP
196	Frank Francisco, Tor RP

Very Fake Bleacher Report
@veryfakebr

Master speller and Bleacher Report aficionado, Very Fake Bleacher Report is the king of the slidshow. Or is it Slideshw? Regardless, if it can described in 29 pictures and less than 2 paragraphs, he can pull it off. Dyslexic or just cruel? You make the call.

DRAFT UPDATE

Yes, the rumors are true. Very Fake Bleacher Report tried to turn in his pics via slidshow. Old Hoss wouldn't have any of that, making him hand pick each of his pics. VFBR made a small reach with his first pick and took John Smoltz, claiming that a first ballot Hall of Famer deserved to be taken first. From then on he drafted a very respectable team. Expect total slidshow coverage soon.

6	John Smoltz, FA SP
11	Ryan Braun, Mil OF
22	Tim Lincecum, SF SP
27	Jeremy Papelbon, FA RP
38	Adam Dunn, CWS 1B
43	Ichiro Suzuki, Sea OF
54	Brian McCann, Atl C
59	Chase Utley, Phi 2B
70	Jered Weaver, LAA SP
75	Brian Wilson, SF RP
86	Elvis Andrus, Tex SS
91	Aramis Ramirez, ChC 3B
102	Delmon Young, Min OF
107	Michael Bourn, Hou OF
118	Colby Rasmus, StL OF
123	Drew Stubbs, Cin OF
134	Gordon Beckham, CWS 2B
139	Juan Pierre, CWS OF
150	Pedro Alvarez, Pit 3B
155	John Danks, CWS SP
166	Chris Perez, Cle RP
171	Brian Roberts, Bal 2B
182	Ricky Nolasco, Fla SP
187	Derrek Lee, Bal 1B
198	Ryan Dempster, ChC SP

Faux Frank Wren
@fauxfrankwren

Yours truly and the faux GM of the Atlanta Braves. Often found operating in the shadows, especially the large one cast by John Schuerholz. I have been known to rock a mean pastel v-neck sweater and enjoy berating Nate McLouth for spending too much time in Chuck-E-Cheese. If I make a bad trade in fantasy league you can bet it was Paul Kinzer's fault.

DRAFT UPDATE

I stuck to my guns and picked those I was most familiar with...Braves, ex-Braves, and a supposedly retired Brave. I took a few reaches on some current Braves just so I could prove their value, and mine as GM. And since Fake Dayton wasn't around to poach the available Braves, it was fairly smooth sailing...until I had to draft my wife's third cousin, Buster Posey, over Brian McCann. Might not do me good around the clubhouse but it makes the home life much easier. And since he hasn't turned in his retirement papers, I chose Billy Wagner, just to show that he is not only messing with our roster, but that he is also messing up fantasy rosters. That is unless Craig Kimbrell puts it in the tank early and that 6.5m option is enough to lure Wags off the alpaca farm. Then I will look like even more of a genius and move further out of the shadow of John Schuerholz.

5	Carl Crawford, Bos OF
12	Jason Heyward, Atl OF
21	Felix Hernandez, Sea SP
28	Mark Teixeira, NYY 1B
37	Dan Uggla, Atl 2B
44	Buster Posey, SF C
53	Justin Verlander, Det SP
60	David Price, TB SP
69	Josh Johnson, Fla SP
76	Martin Prado, Atl 2B
85	Kelly Johnson, Ari 2B
92	Alexei Ramirez, CWS SS
101	Casey McGehee, Mil 3B
108	Vernon Wells, LAA OF
117	Jonathan Broxton, LAD RP
124	Tim Hudson, Atl SP
133	Nick Swisher, NYY OF
140	David Ortiz, Bos DH
149	Chipper Jones, Atl 3B
156	Adam Jones, Bal OF
165	Drew Storen, Was RP
172	Gaby Sanchez, Fla 1B
181	Ryan Franklin, StL RP
188	Josh Beckett, Bos SP
197	Billy Wagner, Atl RP

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Supersize Me

What's more satisfying than the McRib returning? A McLouth, of course!

Everyone loves a good comeback story. Want proof? I give you the McRib. I don't know why but there's a fervor every year when the McRib comes back to McDonalds. When the commercials announcing 'McRib is back!' show up I always find myself asking "Why is it back and who makes these sort of brain busting decisions?". I'm not sure if it's people's low expectations for their lunch sandwiches or the McDonalds hype machine being turned to 11, but yet every year the McRib comes back and apparently it's a big deal to someone somewhere.

Like the McRibers, Braves fans have had a good low expectation comeback to look forward to in Nate McLouth this spring. Once the holder of reasonably high expectations in CF after a Gold Glove 2008 season, McLouth was expected to remedy the gaping hole in CF after Jordan Schafer broke his wrist early in 2009. I'm not really into saying who has the leg up this early in spring, but I will say that it is nice to see that McLouth has really stepped up and is conceding nothing to the once heralded Schafer. A looming free agent year and a 10.65m team option will do that to a person. For all intent and purpose, this is McLouth's last year, as the Braves have no intention of picking up his roughly 10+m team option at the end of the season. The ideal outcome is for McLouth to play up to his 7m salary and lock down CF, and for Schafer to play well enough to either be a fourth OF'er or spend a full year in Gwinnett prepping for the CF job in 2012.

A lot can happen between now and the end of March, but it's good to see that the old Nate McLouth that led the league in doubles (46) in 2008 may be on his way back to form. And even under the lowest of expectations, it will be more satisfying than any McRib comeback.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Deja Vu All Over Again?

Similar swing, similar results?

I knew there was something familiar about Dan Uggla's swing. And it wasn't until I saw a recent still of his HR cut that it hit me.

Fred McGriff.

Same high, one-handed follow through and hopefully the same impact. I doubt there will be extra fire alarms in the press box, but there certainly could be fireworks from Uggla's spot in the lineup. You'd think as a Braves fan I would connect the Uggla swing to the McGriff swing much sooner, seeing how Uggla has held that pose quite a few time against us. I guess I could have been blinded by my hands over my face in disbelief that he did it to us again.

Plumber's Night at the park as a lucky Braves fan goes for a Uggla HR ball

McGriff ended up being that power bat that carried us to the playoffs and ultimately our first World Series Championship. With all the other positions seemingly in place and a potentially dominate and deep staff, could the Dan Uggla acquisition be the new spark that issues in a new run to a championship run? Let's hope it is Deja Vu all over agian.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Let's Get Physical

It's a beautiful Sunday here in Florida and the second day of spring workouts are underway. Well, as soon as everyone finishes the last round of physicals, that is. I can imagine there is a little extra pep in their step as they finish The Westminster Dog Show treatment and head to the practice fields. So, in honor of our buddy Peter Moylan (@petermoylan) and his great comments on the physicals, I give you one of the greatest scenes of said examination.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Lunch Truck Day

All the way from Skip & Pete's BBQ, it's 'Lunch Truck Day'!

Boston isn't the only team with a Truck Day during spring training. We call ours "Lunch Truck Day". It might not arrive with as much fanfare as the one down the road in Ft. Myers, but at least ours includes BBQ and ribs and not smelly catchers equipment. And with no violations since 2011, you can bet that Skip & Pete's BBQ will continue to deliver.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

'Twitter Fakes' Fantasy Baseball League

Remember when 'The Real World' on MTV first came out and professed:

"This is the true story... of eight strangers... picked to live in a house...work together and have their lives taped... to find out what happens... when people stop being polite... and start getting real."?

Well, we've taken that model and added our own uber-fantasy spin to it. We've created a 'Twitter Fakes' Fantasy Baseball League. So now the question becomes 'What if you took eight fake strangers from the Twitter universe and put them into a fantasy baseball league?" Honestly, we operate in a fantasy land anyway, but it seemed like a really fun and potentially funny idea. And luckily we were able to make it happen with some of Twitter's funniest baseball personalities.

Charles 'Old Hoss' Radbourn
@oldhossradbourn

"Can eight fake personalities operate within a fantasy baseball league...work independently and have their moves scrutinized...find out what happens when 'people' stop being polite...and start being...real?"

A Faux Blog? What faux?

First of all I need to thank the real Atlanta Braves GM, Frank Wren, for not sending a cease and desist letter...at least not yet. Seriously, I hear Frank's a good sport about it all and do appreciate it. Just don't get fired, Frank...Faux Dayton Moore is not nearly as cool.

Sooooo, a fake identity on a twitter account and now a fake blog? Can that even exist? Bob Loblaw's Law Blog it ain't, but it's a blog nonetheless, and I'm already well passed 140 characters, so we know it at least works, right?

The Law Blog of Bob Loblaw it ain't.

I love the Twitter but sometimes you need to spout off a little more than 140 characters will allow. Especially when you have Spring Training right around the corner. With potential trades looming, Kawakami and Wagner still on the roster, and the occasional future Hall of Famer hanging around that needs nudging into retirement, who can possibly fit that into 140 characters or less? If you answered David O'Brien, Mark Bowman, Carroll Rodgers, Bill Shanks, Gondeee, Capitol Avenue Club, Jeff Shultz, or Ken Rosenthal you'd technically be right...but it was sort of a hypothetical...but anyway.

We'll keep it fresh and entertaining and see how much fun we can have without actually playing the game. And I'll be at a few Spring Training games in March checking out the Fredi Gonzales era first hand...as long as that cease and desist letter doesn't show up.

Go Braves!