The Braves won their 5th straight tonight with a 5-2 win over the Pod-squad and tomorrow the team looks to sweep its second straight series. Jo-Jo the monkey boy will take the hill against an 0-3 Justin Germano. The Braves will prolly win 5-1 if this trend holds up. Also, Greg Norton got his first hit and RBI as a Brave. Way to come through and Chipper continues to dazzle. Why are teams still pitching to him? If I am the Pirates Friday, I walk him 5 straight times and hope he gets out of his rhythm for the rest of the series. Do SOMETHING. And hey Tex, you left a few on base tonight. You maybe should have worked on that in spring training. Finally, Matt Diaz, I know you play hard, but I hope Kotsay is manning left next season. Sorry Matty.
In tonight's show we raised an interesting thought though and I wanted to share here. When Smoltz comes back, he has said he is headed to the bullpen and at 40, soon to be 41 he doesn't have much time left and he thinks the pen can save his arm for now.
And with Smoltzie in the pen, in about a month, or at least by the all-star break, the Braves bullpen should be backended by Smoltz, Soriano and Gonzalez. NICE. With a rotation of
1Huddy
2Glavine
3Jurrjens
4Reyes
5James/Bennett/Carlyle
come the postseason, the rotation, assuming no trades for a guy like Joe Blanton go down, will be
1Huddy
2Glavine
3Jurrjens
You don't really need a 4th starter in the LDS, MAYBE in the LCS, but come World Series time, you get by with the three pitchers. STEP UP IT'S WORLD SERIES TIME
I see in the postseason Huddy giving you 7-8 innings (look at his numbers. He just picked up his 5th win of the year and he has GREAT stuff that can last into late innings. Glavine gives you 5-6 and Jurrjens gives you 6-7 innings. With Gonzo and Soriano and Smoltz in the pen, rotating who saves the game, you have several wins BUILT IN.
But here is my point....In a game seven, does John Smoltz look at his 41yo body and say, "I only have MAYBE 2 more years if COMPLETELY healthy. How many more titles will I have a shot at?" I am banking he walks into Bobby's office and DEMANDS the ball.
They would even keep it all quiet. You would watch Huddy warming up in the pen, then all of a sudden, after the outfield is announced position by position, same with the infield, you hear AC/DC and JOHN SMOLTZ walks out of the dugout and Turner Field GOES NUTS. He pitches until the 6th or 7th when, after 120 pitches, his arm literally gives out, but ONLY after hurling one final 96MPH fastball to strike out the final hitter. Maybe you can even hear the arm go. But as he walks off, arm dangling at his side, he tips his cap, stands at the top of the dugout steps, gets a standing O, not just from the crowd, but also the team....NO WAY the team loses. Maybe he ends his career, but I am guessing the Bulldog Smoltz would TOTALLY go out like that. So what if his arm is messed up? He gets another ring! Kevin McHale walks with a limp because he played with a broken foot. Curt Schilling stapled his tendon to his anklebone. The bloody sock is in Cooperstown. (Though I will argue that the sock is now overblown. True it inspired the team, BUT it didn't end Schill's career. He just got a new contract before the year started. Though he is now hurt, but not his leg. Kind of takes a little away. If he had never pitched again, WOW.)
I am guessing Smoltz WOULD take the trade and he would go down in history as a HUGE gamer, not that he won't but that clip would be shown forever.
Smoltz doesn't have that much left, why not go out like that. Hollywood right there, but if the situation came up, I wouldn't be shocked if it didn't just play out.
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