It’s the All-Star break, and I am not sure what to think about the Atlanta Braves. They sit six-and-a-half games out of first place in the NL East, a division which the Mets may soon break wide open. The Braves remind me of doing a New York Times crossword puzzle, down to the last three or four questions and you just can’t figure it out. Unfortunately, the team can’t Google the answer.
And I don’t know if there is one this season.
Actually, with the way this lineup has failed to hit and the fact that starters John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are out, it is surprising things aren’t much worse.
So there is reason for hope, as Tim Hudson, a young rotation, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have kept this team at least competitive.
Their chances of a comeback probably hinge more on the play of the Phillies and Mets than the actual Braves. Both of those teams are better, though at times neither has stepped up to take what I thought would be a very tough division.
I do feel general manager Frank Wren is going to have to make a huge decision very soon and that is whether to move first baseman Mark Teixeira. He was brought here last season to help this team reach the postseason, but through free agency (Scott Boras is his agent) the Braves could lose him and get nothing but a draft choice in return.
In the days when Ted Turner owned this team, Teixeira would have already been signed to a longterm deal. But the budget for salaries has shrunk and Teixeira is expected to get a huge offer from perhaps more than just one team. I do wish somehow the Braves could find a way to keep him, feeling strongly that, at 28 years of age, he is the type of player this team can build around for the future. But Boras is going to make that hard and if this team is not going to the postseason (which will become clear soon), then they need to get something in return.
Meanwhile, the only way this team has a chance is if the lineup hits the way it’s supposed to and Bobby Cox finds some old magic left in that managerial suitcase of his. In fact, for me, it is on Cox’s shoulders. This team could use a little kick in the butt, perhaps similar to what they did to Jeff Francoeur. There is no better manager over a 162-game season than Bobby.
Can he get this team back on its feet and on top of the division?
I know I wouldn’t bet against him.
WHAT’S IN THE WATER?
Like Phillip Wellman did at the Braves’ Double-A Mississippi affiliate last year, another minor league manager went nutso last week. This one also has a Braves affiliation. Wichita manager Kash Beauchamp, the son of the late Braves coach Jim Beauchamp, coaches in the independent American Association and recently, according to the Associated Press, “took it a little too far, letting loose a spit-flying, shoe-slamming, armpit-showing tirade that left him standing on the field in his red socks and earned him a four-game suspension.” Covering his father for many years with the Braves, I never saw that kind of reaction from the elder Beauchamp, though his son had spent most of the night and morning in the hospital with his 94-year-old grandmother that was gravely ill. Jim Beauchamp passed away last December. Kash’s temper tantrum made the internet but still couldn’t compare to Wellman’s last season when he did a military crawl to the mound, picked up a rosin bag and perfectly hurled it like a grenade at the home plate umpire’s feet. Wellman received a three-game suspension while Kash will take four games off.
YOUR HEARD IT HERE
I was glad to see former Turner Broadcasting president Mark Lazarus land over at Career Sports & Entertainment, the company that Lonnie Cooper has built into a sports marketing powerhouse. Lazarus will certainly help the company when it comes to broadening their television production capabilities. What did surprise me, however, was William Pate’s departure from the company. Pate earned his spurs over at BellSouth as their top marketer and is very well respected in the community. He was also very careful in what he told the Atlanta Business Chronicle about his departure, saying, “Mark, I know, was concerned with how it would look for me.” Cooper’s company continues to grow and has seen some good people come through the door and leave, which includes Reed Bergman, who went on and worked with agent Scott Boras for several years, and Todd France, who now has his own agency and is one of the top young agents in the NFL. I’m looking forward to seeing what Lazarus does at Career, certainly giving them an ace in the hole to grow on the television and web-video side. … On another note, I’m sad to see that the Atlanta Spirit did not renew the contract of senior vice president Lou DePaoli. I had written a few months ago that DePaoli, with tremendous marketing and management skills, would be the perfect president for the Atlanta Spirit. I guess the owners were not interested. I talked to Lou Monday and guarantee you he will land on his feet and someday run an NBA franchise. It appears the departure can be attributed to cost-cutting, but the Spirit will really miss him. His departure means Tracy White, who handles sponsorship sales for the Hawks and Thrashers as well as for Philips Arena, will play a bigger role and take over the responsibility of ticket sales. But here’s wishing DePaoli all the best.
Rosenberg can be reached at 404-256-1572 or ijrosenberg@scoreatl.com. Don’t forget to check out I.J. and the rest of the Score gang at the new webpage at Scoreatl.com. If you are interested in a web internship at Score and a chance to write and blog for the site, email webmaster Alex Ewalt at aewalt@scoreatl.com.
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