Do You Ever Wonder ...

How crazy the trade deadline actually is? All these experts and journalists with their "sources" never get anything right. They kept talking about Teixeira almost certainly going to the D-Backs. Oops, he went to the Angels (well, the Angels were technically in the discussion, but they were considered on the fringe of the discussions). No one saw the Pudge trade coming. No one saw the Griffey trade coming. We just keep looking at websites, finding the latest rumors, worrying that are teams are screwing up/missing out, and then ultimately it doesn't matter. I can't stop looking for more information because I want to know what's going on so badly. I want the Braves to sweep in and get Bay from the Pirates before he ends up in Boston. I want Will Ohman to be traded for Brandon Moss. I want Mark Kotsay dealt to a team for anything. Will it happen? I don't know. Even if the experts say it will, Ohman and Kotsay will still be Braves on Saturday.

You Know You Have Had a Bad Season When

The headline reads "Hudson, Smoltz to Have Arms Checked", and even better, they are doing it together. How lovely! The Braves' two best pitchers going to see Dr. Andrews together, almost like a cute couple. God this makes me sick. At the beginning of the season, these two were supposed to be our 1 and 2 guys in the rotation. Hudson was supposed to be the man (which he essentially has been), and his drop-and-drive mechanics are supposed to help keep his arm healthy. Smoltz is getting older, but he hadn't had any health problems for years. He should have been healthy this season. AAAAHHHH! A lot of things should have been, but that's what happens in baseball. Nothing goes as planned. The Twins should have sucked. The Rays shouldn't have been this good. The Astros shouldn't be looking for more veterans while giving away more prospects they don't have. 'Tis the season I guess.

Teixeira to Angels

Well, I'm back after a month in England (it was very fun). I missed a lot of things going on, but I'm catching up. Anyway, on to Mark Teixeira. I was watching the game tonight, and Frank Wren said he made an "aggressive offer" to Tex before the season. Who knows what that means, but I bet Boras fielded the call, told Tex it wasn't worth it, and told the Braves no. Fair enough. With the Braves doing poorly and the injuries piling up, Wren had no choice but to trade Tex. The Angels won the bidding by offering Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek. From first glance, it looks like a poor deal, but it actually isn't too bad. By not trading Tex, the Braves would have gotten two draft picks who would be ready in four years. The problem is they need a first baseman now. Without Tex, there are no MLB-ready first baseman in the Braves system (although Freddy Freeman and Jason Heyward might do well there in a few years). In Kotchman, the Braves found their first baseman for the next few years. I think the power will come, but he probably won't hit more than 25-30 HR in any season, but that wouldn't be terrible. In Stephen Marek, the Braves find an interesting bullpen arm. Keith Law says that Marek has a good fastball with a plus curve, and you only really need two pitches from the bullpen. In 46 IP, he has struck out 57, so he has an out pitch (I'm guessing the curve, but I'm not sure). Overall, I was a little disappointed with the trade because I felt we could get a bit more. However, most trades are done with prospects, but in Kotchman, we have a MLB-proven hitter and great defender. I think he's worth at least two good prospects, so all in all, it's not a bad trade. For the Angels, this makes them the front-runners for the World Series. They have the pitching, fielding, and hitting to keep winning, but we all know how the playoffs seem to ruin the "best teams". The problem for the Angels comes after the season. Who plays first? They may have the money to bring Tex back, but I have a feeling the Yankees will splurge on Tex to get that good first baseman they have been missing. The Angels lack a long-term prospect there, but would they move Brandon Wood there? I don't know, but they'll have a tough choice to make in the offseason. For now, they can enjoy their new teammate and a World Series trophy.

Hampton Possibly Back After All-Star Break

Mike Hampton threw 3 innings last ight in Class A without incident. Now, the chances are still remote in him getting to actually pitch in a MLB game, but you have to wonder if the Braves would rather him just stay injured. Tim Hudson has been pretty good this season. Jorge Campillo, Charlie Morton, Jose Reyes, and especially Jair jurrjens have been great so far and real surprises. With the pitching staff intact now, why bring Hampton back unless one of the young guys gets injured. That way, you don't send them down just to be promoted the next day when Hampton gets injured. With all the injuries to the lineup, they need more sticks than pitching. It has really been weird with at first all the pitchers getting hurt, and now when the Braves are starting to get that under control, the offense suddenly gets injured.