5-at-10: Braves' biggest Freeman question, Masters picks and a free contest, a $25,000 hamburger

Atlanta Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, left, gets a high five from Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, right, after Olson's solo home run in the first inning during spring training baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at CoolToday Park, Sunday, April 3, 2022, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Atlanta Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, left, gets a high five from Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, right, after Olson's solo home run in the first inning during spring training baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at CoolToday Park, Sunday, April 3, 2022, in North Port, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Braves new void

Well we're here. Baseball season.

(Side question: True or false on a Wednesday, you thought the strike would have caused the start of the season to be much later than tomorrow's first pitch.)

(Side question, part II: With the first round of the Masters on TV all afternoon tomorrow and first-pitch of the Braves-Reds scheduled for 8:08 p.m., that's a glorious sports TV day, no?)

The Braves start tomorrow. I am excited. I am sad. The Braves are going to be as good as anyone in the NL. I don't believe the Braves will be as good as last year.

The difference. Freddie Freeman is in Los Angeles.

Oh, we've debated the move. And yes, the move makes financial sense and even franchise sense considering the analytics folks rave about replacement Matt Olson, who has more power and plays as good with the glove as Freeman while being four years younger. But, while it makes fiscal sense, and other than average and OBP, physical sense, does it make baseball sense? That's the looming question for me as the world champion Braves look for a repeat.

And baseball sense can be different than making sense for the baseball operation, because for all the other questions before the Braves - will Ronald Acuña Jr. return on time and be Ronald Acuña Jr. when he does, will Mike Soroka ever not have an Achilles issue, will the Braves' right-handed relievers be able to fill the Luke Jackson void, which is the real Austin Riley, the 2021 superstar or the 2020-and-before prospect, and are the rotation spots 3 thru 5 trustworthy - my biggest hinges on Freeman's absence and has nothing to do with Olson.

My question is this: Who takes over the clubhouse now that Freddie is in L.A.?

Because I do not believe it's Brian Snitker, who has become a way better manager than I ever thought he would be. Snitker and Freeman vibed on Snit's old-school, Bobby Cox ways.

Acuña, Albies and a few of the other young, Latino players do not see the game through that prism. But they respected the sliding shorts off of Freeman because he kept everyone loose and he was the best hitter in the league.

Who fills that void and handles things when Snitker flies off the handle at Acuña for not playing the game the 'right' way or at Marcel Ozuna for goodness knows what? (And side question: Has there been a more quiet controversy than Ozuna just coming on back after his domestic violence suspension last year?)

I hope the Braves have an answer. Truly, because the summers are more fun when the Braves are good.

But this question can't be answered with a budgetary slide rule or analytics.

It's a practical matter, and paramount if the Braves are to repeat.

Masters

Ah, yes, it's close. It's close.

Nicklaus, Player and Watson will put pegs in the ground in roughly 21 hours from when this hits the interwebs as the honorary starters of the Masters.

Yes, we're fond of the Masters. No, it's more than that.

If we love the draft - and you know this - we're hopelessly and head over heels smitten with the Masters.

And it has nothing to do with the fact that we've played it twice. (Have I mentioned that lately? That I've played Augusta National twice? Even made birdie on No. 7. Stop me if you've heard it before, perfect drive on the short par 4, a spinning lob wedge that almost rolled in for a 2 and left a kick in - what's that? You have heard it before? Well, fine.)

The news that swept the sports world is that Tiger says he's planning on playing. And because of that, Tiger is the headline. Heck, if it was the exact opposite thing, Tiger would have been the headline, because honestly, Tiger gave the opposite of a non-denial denial, he gave the non-positive affirmative, and it's got everything related to Augusta National in a beaucoup buzz.

(Side note: Remember last week when we offered that 'faux conversation' about the Augusta National honchos worried about the Mickelson talk marring the Masters? Yeah, me neither. But this Tiger buzz has pretty much left everyone saying, "Phil Who?")

As if the Masters needed it, right? It's the Masters. I'm sure the Zurich Classic is thinking, "Hey El Tigre? What about us?"

Heck, Tiger now has the most bets and the most money wagered on him at almost every sportsbook to win this thing.

And yes, I know Tiger said he feels like he can win, and yes, I'd never, ever bet any meaningful amount of money against Tiger during winning time, but c'mon. If dude makes the cut - he's minus-115, which is roughly even money to make the weekend - after all he's been through, that's a success. For all of us.

But it's the Masters. And it's Tiger.

And everything is right with the sports world.

Speaking of the Masters

You still have time to enter the free "Masterfully Mastering the Masters, Masters degree not required" contest.

The rules are easy. Send me five golfers, top four count, and for the place each player finishes, you get that many points. Low score wins. A perfect entry would be 7 - the winner, which would be 1 point, and three players tying for second, which would be 2 each - and good luck with that. You can email your free entry to jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.

If we ever get the comments back up and running you can enter there too. And if we get the comments going, I will post all the names from all the folks who have entered, including former winners of this contest like Spy, Jules, Mark W., scole023 and others. (If you feel slighted by not being mentioned, well sorry. And get over it.)

With that, and continuing the Masters High 5 lists we've offered this week, I will share first, the five most memorable shots I've seen while at the Masters. Then I will share the five picks in my entry.

Deal? Deal.

Top five shots:

1. Tiger's Nike commercial chip on 16 in 2005; one of golf's greatest shots and the worst high five since Balboa-Creed in "Rocky III." I was not at 16 for this - I was in the media center 'working' - and the roars that started from back in the pines swept through the grounds like a tidal wave. Unforgettable.

2. Louis' 2 on 2, which curled around the massive green and in for albatross. I was standing behind the green as the ball rolled more than 90 before falling safely into the cup.

3. Phil from the pine straw on 13 in 2010, which was stupid and brilliant, so it was quintessential Mickelson. Another one I was there for, and I remember thinking, "So this is the swing that will lose Lefty the Masters" but he clinched it for him. He's a scary guy, you know?

4. Jack's first drive as an honorary starter with Arnie in 2010. Talk about two kings in their ultimate court. Got up early and the number of grown men - and almost certainly grown millionaire men - in tears was staggering.

5. Bubba Watson's miraculous wedge that traveled 155 yards in the air and hooked 40 yards toward the playoff hole of his 2012 victory. Another one that happened while I was 400 yards away in the media facility because of deadline, but the disbelief among the media folks was palatable.

As for my five picks, let's try these:

Scottie Scheffler. Dude is as long as anyone and driving it very well. I would not pick him to win, even with his Tour-leading three victories this season and his No. 1 world ranking. But I bet he's near the front after 36 and is headed for a top-10 finish.

Viktor Holland. Of all the names I submitted, this is the biggest "He could very well win; he could very well miss the cut" of the group. Why? Well, it's not because of the funky spelling. It's because while Viktor is killing it with his klubs, but he's killing his skore with his khips and way, Way, WAY too many three-jakks on the greens. And if you are sketchy - or balky, or skittish or any other synonym with a 'k' - with the putter, if you get a smidge off kilter, and you kan co skidding down the kharts on the Augusta greens.

Brooks Koepka. It's a major. Brooks will contend. And he will look like he's having as much as someone getting ready for a colonoscopy while doing it.

Xander Schauffele. I think it's his time. I really do. And his unflappable nature is perfect for this place.

Jon Rahm. I think Rahm's relatively quiet six months or so has been by design. I believe he's been working on all parts of his game for this, because the greatest golfers from Spain have had two common career traits: excellence in the Ryder Cup and a green jacket. Is this the time for Rahm to join Seve and José Marie and Sergio with a spot at next year's Champions Dinner.

We'll see. And I'm stoked.

This and that

- Speaking of the Masters, want a sneaky fun bet today? Of course you do. On DraftKings, local golfer-made-good Luke List is plus-1400 - bet $100, win $1,400 - to be in the top five after round one Thursday. Luke is top-of-the-world long off the tee - hello all par 5s in 2 - and there's no telling how many times he's played this joint since moving to Augusta several years ago. Like the price, and really like the player.

- Speaking of the Braves, here's a story about a new menu item dubbed the 'World Champions Burger,' and the description is mouth-watering. It is described as a "half-pound Waygu beef burger on a toasted, Irish-buttered brioche bun, topped with cage-free pan-fried eggs, gold-leaf-wrapped Hudson Valley foie gras, grilled cold water lobster tail, heirloom tomato, garden-fresh Bibb lettuce, Tillamook cheddar cheese and truffle aioli." And, for the tidy sum of $151 it also comes with a replica World Series ring like the Braves received for winning it all. Want a real World Series ring, well, that's $25 grand, burger included. That better be one tasty burger, and look at the big brain on Brad.

- Here's an expanded opinion with quotes from Daniel Wallach, one of the nation's leading sports betting laws experts, on the inability of Georgia legislators to come to terms on legalized sports betting in the Peach State. Man, governmental confusion, disagreements and failures? No way that's possible.

- You know the rules. Here's Paschall on UT's Juwan Mitchell growing as a player and as a person.

- So MLB technology is hitting 'Radio Shack, circa 1991 levels' and is offering catchers and pitchers a PitchCom, which is an electronic transmitter from catcher's wrist to inside the pitcher's cap on what to throw. Take that Houston Astros. Now someone get the GeekSquad on the blower ASAP to see if Kershaw's throwing the curveball. The MLB expects about half the teams to use the PitchCom.

- UT's Kennedy Chandler has entered the draft. More from Paschall. UTC's Malachi Smith has entered the draft. Here's more from TFP UTC beat ace Gene Henley. According to this mock draft from USAToday, Chandler is pegged as a first-rounder; Smith is not.

Today's questions

Which way Wednesday starts this way: Which team's championship ring would you must like to have? Yes, this is a personal choice, and mine would have to be a 2010 AU title ring. Man, that feels like a lifetime ago these days.

Which MLB technology issue is bigger, strike zone or sign stealing?

Which player will have the better pro career, Kennedy Chandler or Malachi Smith?

Which Braves player will be viewed as the leader now that Freddie is leading the Dodgers?

You know the drill; answer some 'Which Ways' leave some 'Which Ways' - provided the comments get fixed before my kids go to college. (And if you want to play along, you can always email me at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.)

As for today, April 6, let's review.

Merle Haggard would have been 85 today. Rest easy, Merle.

Billy Dee Williams is 85 today. Which role do you recognize Billy Dee as most, Gale Sayers in "Brian's Song," Lando from the Star Wars movies or the pitchman for those classic Colt 45 commercials?

Paul Rudd is 53 today. Yes, and he looks closer to 23.

What's on Paul Rudd's Rushmore, and this one will be more difficult than most realize 'cause dude has been consistently aces in everything since his debut in "Clueless."

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