No Love for The Predator

Really? I know that the Pro Bowl is a joke, the fans are notoriously bad voters, and that no one really watches the game, but really? No love for the man with the 3rd most sacks at 15.5, which is more than the league leader (Jared Allen) had last year? Really?

Ah well, that just means that I might feel some sympathy for Tarvaris Jackson or Gus Frerotte as Abraham takes out his frustration on the Vikings QB de jour. Might...

Speaking of sacks, they are WAY up this year. In 2007 the league leader had 15.5 sacks, in 2006 it was 17.0, and in 2005 it was 16.0. This year, with two weeks left the leaderboard reads 19.0, 17.5, 15.5, 15.0, and 14.5. That's some major sackage (that's what she said). I blame it on the prevalence of the shotgun spread and the fact that teams are passing more and more. By spreading out the field with receivers, teams are also leaving fewer people back to protect the QB. Additionally more passing downs means more opportunities to sack and plunder the QB's backfield (you thought I was going to say backside, didn't you?).

But in summary, screw you pro bowl voters!

Stocking Stuffer

Little thoughts about Atlanta sports.

Starting with...The Braves offseason.

So far we have traded for a workhorse, signed (likely) a leadoff hitter and middle infielder, missed out on an injury prone strikeout pitcher, and held our ground against Kevin Tower's ridiculous demands.

I've already stated that the trade for Javier was a great move. Our pitching needs stability and consistency, he provides that. Our bullpen will be better due to added rest and our hitters will relax not thinking they have to score 10 every game to win.

Losing out on Burnett is a mixed bag. While I'd like to have a pitcher of his caliber on the team, I'm sure I won't be regretting it this July or next when he is disabled and the Yankees are eating his salary. I also don't mind not spending 16 million on a pitcher who we hope has kicked his injury bug. We just got done doing that already.

I like the Furcal signing a lot. It gives us flexibility, maturity (who ever thought we'd say that about Raffy), and a pure leadoff hitter. His ability (and willingness) to play 2B or SS gives us roster flexibility to trade either Kelly or Yunel without hurting ourselves offensively or much defensively. The shortness of the contract with an option year is also a nice touch to limit our exposure if Furcal declines suddenly.

Relatedly, the Peavy trade is "only mostly dead." Furcal's signing does give the Braves the option to trade one of them to the Padres in a package. At this point, I'm not sure the Braves want to take back in salary as much as Peavy is owed. Really, with the upgrade on the offense and less strain on the bullpen, a starter more like Greinke would be ideal. It would also cost less in prospects and we could perhaps fill a gap or two. Something like Kelly, Gorkys, Locke for Greinke and DeJesus.

The Falcons Miraculous Run

With three close losses and two ugly ones early in the season, the Falcons are proving that they have the testicular fortitude to fight back and pull out tough games. While the Bears' win was on the shoulders of Ryan, the victors against the Bucs came as a result of our O-Line punishing the injury plagued front of the Pirates of TampaBay. Coupled with Abraham's desire to remind everyone how dominant he can be, it was a complete team effort. The true measure of a team is how it responds against adversity and when a key player had a bad game. The coaching staff's ability to recognize and make adjustments was key in getting the Falcons drive going in OT but also in the defense's ability to stop the Bucs after watching Dunn and Bryant go crazy in the second half.

That has been the key all season that has been lacking in the past, specifically in regards to our last "franchise quarterback." While Ryan has gotten accolades, he has been the first to admit that the success of this team is a result of everyone "buying in" and working hard day in and day out to improve as an unit. As the season winds down, it is not pure talent that wins games--it is preparation, determination, and heart. For once, the Falcons have all three and it's a pleasure to watch--win or lose.

The Hawks Home Soaring

After playing 2/3 of their games on the road, the Hawks have looked road weary. The trip to Texas was the same as it always is: a slog through tough road losses. No longer could the team blame the "injury bug" as the entire team was basically healthy. Fortunately, the Hawks remained playing at the Texas teams' level of competition against some inferior teams back on the East Coast. Even though they weren't able to sprint out to big leads and coast, the Hawks seemed in control of themselves at least. Basketball is about confidence and the Hawks seem like they have more of a feel for what they want to do offensively and defensively.

The addition of shooters like Flip (when he's hot) and Mo and emergence of Marvin's beautiful stroke from the corners has freed up more space. While it is not being regularly used to get in the lane, it is creating more ball movement and open shots. Josh Smith has been his usual maddening self going through spurts where he wants to shoot jumpers more than bang in the post. I'd like to attribute that to him needing to get a little more conditioning and being tired from his defensive assignments, I can't help but be pessimistic that it's "Josh being Josh." That said, he is still a great weakside defender and alters twice as many shots per game as he blocks so his value is somewhat hard to calculate statistically (as there is no substantial way to figure out how many of his 'altered shots' don't go in).

I would like to see Woody stick with a rotation and commit to developing emerging talent like Acie and Solo. I would also like to see Woody listen to every statistician and Drew and CoCo and STOP FRIGGING PLAYNG ACIE AND FLIP TOGETHER. You can't develop a PG when your "shooting guard" decides that he = LeBron and can go 1v5 and won't give up the ball. Maybe give him a new pair of shoes for every pass he completes or something. I like Flip in the 4th because he does have Sam Cassellitis and isn't afraid of the big shot, but if we're going to have a shot in the playoffs we need to have a quality backup PG who can actually defend something.

The Thrashers

I'm kidding I'm kidding. And since there is no news to report on the Dawg front, for once all is peachy in the sports world. It's nice to feel like it's good to be a fan all around for once.

What I Love Best About This Year's Hawks

Ball Movement. And no, that's not a joke about the maturation of the Hawks. I mean there seem to be fewer and fewer instances of the give it to Joe and get out of the way offense. No offense to Joe, but that's not the most efficient offense if the other team knows how to play defense at all.

Let's take last night's game for instance. All of the starters had at least 4 assists, led by Bibby's 10. On 40 made field goals, the Hawks assisted on 33 of them (82.5%). Granted this was against the Grizzlies, and the Hawks (and by the Hawks I mean Woody) tend to curl up in the fetal position offensively and just try to cram Joe down the other teams throat when the score is close late in the game, but it's just nice to see the ball swing around the perimeter to find an open shooter in the corner. It's such a simple thing, but it's so beautiful since I haven't seen the Hawks consistently do it in so many years.

Just watch the highlights from last night and go to the 1:12 mark. It's just beautiful.

Please Don't Suspend "Fat" Jackson!

This morning the AJC is reporting that while six NFL players have been suspended due to using a diet pill banned by the NFL, Jackson's appeal is still pending:

"Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jackson’s appeal of his four-game suspension remains pending before the NFL office, which has requested further information, according to league spokesman Greg Aiello."

The article further states:

"Aiello said the league would decide Jackson’s appeal “as soon as possible." The Falcons are 8-4 and in the thick of the NFC playoff race. With four games left in the season, Jackson could be in danger of missing a round of the playoffs if his case is not decided before Sunday’s game."

I think I'm of the opinion that the longer we can push off any potential suspension, the better. Even if that means Jackson missing the first round of the playoffs. Right now we're fighting for a playoff spot, and Jackson is our one true run-stuffer. Without him, things get more difficult. I'd rather make the playoffs and lose, then fall short. It certainly did wonders for the Hawks confidence as a team...

Why The Javier Freak Out

Reports today indicate that the Braves made their first big deal of the offseason coming to terms with the Chicago White Sox on a trade for RHP Javier Vazquez.

I've been browsing comments on all the fan blogs and websites and the overwhelming sentiment is that we gave up too much. To which I respond: huh?

Here is what we get:
A pitcher with a career .500 record a slightly below league average ERA who tosses just under 1K/IP and about 2BB/GS. A pitcher still reasonably young (32) who has started 32 games and thrown 200 Innings every year for the last decade without any history of injuries. A pitcher who has pitched well at Turner Field in his career and could thrive under a less pressuring manager than Ozzie Guillen (that is to say, anyone else).

Here is what we give up:
An A-Ball Catcher who hit the hell out of the ball in the AFL but struggles behind the plate.
A middle infielder who looked (like he is 11) way over his head at the ML level.
A LHP who was so terribly inconsistent that it didn't look like he would ever "figure it out" (Kyle Davies redux).
A throw in low A LHP who no one knew anything about.

So in essence we get 2 years of 200 IP with a league average ERA for 11 million per year and we give up nothing that would have started for our ball club the next 2 years. Additionally, none of the prospects for this deal were keys in a deal for Peavy. Not that I want to blow up our minor leagues to get him, but if Wren decides to do so he still has that option.

I, for one, am happy with a deal. It's a typical trade from strength to shore up a weakness and we do so without giving up anything more than true "prospects".