March 2nd Gamethread: Braves vs. Pirates

[McCarroll21]

<table class="tborder" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="tcat" colspan="4" align="center">Braves vs. Pirates</td></tr><tr><td class="thead" colspan="4" align="center">March 2nd
</td></tr><tr><td class="tcat" colspan="4" align="center">Pitching Matchup</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="thead" align="center">PITTSBURGH</td><td colspan="2" class="thead" align="center">ATLANTA</td></tr><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_430636.jpg</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">Ian Snell
2006:
14-11, 4.74 ERA</td><td align="center" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_122477.jpg</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">John Smoltz
2006:
16-9, 3.49 ERA</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="tborder" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="tcat" colspan="4" align="center">Today's Lineups</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="thead" align="center">PITTSBURGH</td><td colspan="2" class="thead" align="center" width="50%">ATLANTA</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">1.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">C. Duffy, CF
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">K. Johnson, 2B
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">2.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">D. Kelly, SS
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">M. Diaz, LF
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">3.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">N. McClouth, RF
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">C. Jones, 3B
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">4.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">A. LaRoche, 1B
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">A. Jones, CF
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">5.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">J. Castillo, 3B
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">B. McCann, C
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">6.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">M. Ryan, LF
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">J. Francoeur, RF
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">7.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">C. Maldonada, C
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">S. Thorman, 1B
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">8</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">E. Garabito, 2B
</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">T. Pena, SS
</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">9.</td><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">I. Snell, P</td><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#e3e3e3">J. Smoltz, P</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="tborder" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="tcat" colspan="4" align="center">In-game Links</td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#e3e3e3">» MLB.com Gameday (http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y2006/gd.html?2007_03_02_pitmlb_atlmlb_1&brand=mlb)</td></tr></tbody></table>
And we have to get this for your listening pleasure:
A-Town
http://www.choptalkonline.com/sound/shamrock.mp3

:clap::gobraves:

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Lineups to come. Hopefully before the game starts. It's kind of hard getting them as quickly as we could during the regular season.

The gameday link may not work yet.

This is just a trial run at this gamethread set up so work with me. I may make changes. It's not complete today because they don't have as much stuff for Spring Training as they do for regular season games.

[Chief Knockahoma]

I ROCK A A-TOWN HAT WIT MY A-TOWN JERSEY!

THIS IS BRAVES BASEBALL!

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

Time for Smoltzie to big his 2nd Cy Young season!

[McCarroll21]

w00t! It all starts here.

[Chief Knockahoma]

please let me see some Diaz action today...:please:

[Freeze]

couldn't you just have the Tomahawk Chop? :)

[Chief Knockahoma]

couldn't you just have the Tomahawk Chop? :)

no....because the Braves have to be young and hip...with some white kid from Decatur rapping....

[McCarroll21]

no....because the Braves have to be young and hip...with some white kid from Decatur rapping....
Should have just gotten Davies then. :D

Which horrible ESPN announcers do we get today?

[Chief Knockahoma]

Which horrible ESPN announcers do we get today?

come on ESPN....give us Rathburn and Torborg, that would be WAY out of Left Field

[McCarroll21]

couldn't you just have the Tomahawk Chop? :)
Just for you...


http://www.braves-nation.com/media/tomahawk_chop.mp3

[McCarroll21]

DOB released a blog about LaRoche playing today and here's the intro...

We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried: Adam LaRoche showed up with the Pirates to play his old team Friday wearing No. 96. “First game, forgot my jersey,” he said, unable to keep from laughing.

I’m talking to him in the visitors’ clubhouse here at Disney and we start to head out to the field. The tunnel to the visitor’s dugout is directly to the left of the clubhouse door, but LaRoche turns right and starts heading down the long hallway the other direction _ towards the Braves clubhouse.

[Chief Knockahoma]

from the blog just posted by DOB:

We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried: Adam LaRoche showed up with the Pirates to play his old team Friday wearing No. 96. “First game, forgot my jersey,” he said, unable to keep from laughing.


EDIT - damn you McCarroll.

[BravesFan7689]

I wish I could watch it. I gotta drive home from my dorm for the weekend which will take about 2 and a half hours. I'm about to leave and hope to find the game on ESPN radio somewhere.

[McCarroll21]

Lineups posted.

[Chief Knockahoma]

i don't know how up to date this is, but you could check it out...

http://www.abradionetwork.com/local_affiliates.html

[CB1]

Hmm, Pena at Short.

[Chief Knockahoma]

awwwwww yeah! Diaz in left to start!

[Freeze]

Just for you...


http://www.braves-nation.com/media/tomahawk_chop.mp3Thanks, that just what I needed. :bow: (even if it is FSU's version)

[McCarroll21]

I'd rather see Lillibridge. :D

Using the last time McCann started, Salty will relieve him at catcher today. I'd love to be able to see Lillibridge and Salty. We'll get our first look at Gonzalez today and I hope we'll get some of Wilson at some point in the day.

[McCarroll21]

Hard to find the Atlanta version to download. If you can find it anywhere let me know. I'll switch out the version I have.

[JayDonnelly10]

I wont be able to watch unless it is still on at 3:00-3:30.....damn pharmacy school and our stupid midterms scheduled during braves games....they should know better....Im going to petition that televised Braves should mean no exams for us.....sounds like a good plan to me

[Chief Knockahoma]

well, that was stupid....the ESPN HD logo shows up and then it goes to ESPNews....there we go!

[McCarroll21]

I was thinking the same thing. I was like NO!

KJ was hit by a liner, may not play.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070302&content_id=1822468&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnered=rss_atl

Almost as soon as the liner came off his bat at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex on Friday morning, Pete Orr was screaming "Kelly!"

Unfortunately for Kelly Johnson, he didn't see Orr's batting practice liner until it hit him squarely in the chest, just below his throat. Fortunately, the incident provided just an immediate scare and likely bruise.

After evaluating Johnson, the Braves determined that he was healthy enough to remain in the starting lineup for Friday afternoon's game against the Pirates.

"It just missed the Adam's apple," a relieved manager Bobby Cox said. "Two inches higher and he's dead."

[Chief Knockahoma]

there's ol' number 96!

[McCarroll21]

Ugh! Phillips...

[Chief Knockahoma]

so....what time is first pitch? apparently we're going to look back at the St. Louis Cardinals, talk about Barry Bonds, and remember Jackie Robinson

[McCarroll21]

Smoltz/Gonzalez/Wickman for sure and McBride/Moylan/Boyer/Villarreal

I think it will go Smoltz (2), McBride (2), Villarreal (2), Wickman (1), Gonzalez (1), Boyer or Moylan (1).

Let's get this thing started!

[Chief Knockahoma]

here we go!

STRIKE!

[McCarroll21]

w00t! Play ball!

[Chief Knockahoma]

K!

[McCarroll21]

WOW! Can we start the season in about 5 days? Smoltz has an A+ slider today.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

Breaking Ball already in mid-season form :)

[JayDonnelly10]

Does anyone have the gameday link for the game?

[McCarroll21]

Does anyone have the gameday link for the game?
Check the first post.

[Hobbes]

Smoltz looking great already.

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

He's throwing smooth and easy...nice to see these pitches without any effort behind them...

[McCarroll21]

Smoltz is looking pretty sharp with his breaking ball. 2 Ks and a ground ball back to him.

12 pitches.

[vnodnarb]

i hope he has this stuff on opening day, damn he looks good

[McCarroll21]

Have I said that I hate Steve Phillips?

I'm anxious to see KJ.

[Hobbes]

We'll have no more of that "Hudson is the #1" talk.

[Chief Knockahoma]

come on Diaz!

[Hobbes]

Have I said that I hate Steve Phillips?

I'm anxious to see KJ.
Much like Carson Daly, Steve Phillips is a massive tool.

[Chief Knockahoma]

:)

[vnodnarb]

there you go Chief

[McCarroll21]

Someone tell Kruky to look at the stat sheet and see that he hit right handers better last year. Yay Matty!

There's ol' 96.

I'm digging the goatee Chipper

[Hobbes]

How long has Andruw had that web tattoo on his elbow?

[Chief Knockahoma]

same ol' Andruw...

HUMAN STRIKEOUT MACHINE FTW!

[McCarroll21]

How long has Andruw had that web tattoo on his elbow?
It's new. He said it's not done yet. It started hurting too much.

If you ask me, you can see a difference in his build, but that still doesn't help him avoid the K.

[Ryland]

I think that's new.

[McCarroll21]

Smoltzie breaking out the knuckleball.