Trading deadline
So 27 deals on Tuesday capped a frenzied trading deadline.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos did not make a monster move by comparison, but did address the three areas we have discussed by adding back-of-the-rotation starter Jake Odorizzi, reliever Raisel Iglesias and outfielder Robbie Grossman.
Not a big splash as Weeds mentioned this morning, but we all trust AA, so we're good.
That said, the biggest revelation for the Braves has to be what happened elsewhere.
Because the San Diego Padres pushed all their blue chips into the middle for a run in the 'er' months.The Padres acquired the best hitter and the best pitcher that changed uniforms over the last 72 hours by landing Juan Soto from Washington and Josh Hader from Milwaukee. Add in the sneaky great throw-in of Josh Bell in the Soto deal and those are moves not to make the postseason but to win the postseason.
So, for the boys doing work in Smyrna these days - did you know the Braves are a scorching 40-14 since June 1? - the challenge for the next 60 days is clear.
Atlanta currently is second in the East with the third-best record in the NL, a scant 2.5 games behind the Mets. The Braves are pretty much a playoff lock with the three wildcard slots in the modern postseason format.
But positioning is paramount, and passing the Mets is a must, because the East winner almost assuredly will get the 2 seed and the all-important bye, which allows you to wait for your opponent and reset your pitching.
Finish at this pace with the third-best record but no division title and the Braves would almost assuredly get the revamped Padres with the game's best closer and a top of a lineup that could be Tatis, Soto, Machado, Bell with the Dodgers waiting on the winner of that wildcard wildness.
So there's that.
Passing of a legend
I was saddened by the news of Vin Scully's death. He was 94. I did not know Vin Scully, but then again, we all knew Vin Scully. He was the voice of baseball for most of the last 60-plus years.
He called Jackie Robinson's games in Brooklyn. He called Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series. He called Hank Aaron's 715th. He called Game 6 of the '86 Series when the ball went between Buckner's legs. He called Gibson's homer two years later.
If the arm of modern baseball belonged to Nolan Ryan and the swing belonged to Jr., and the glove belonged to Ozzie Smith, then simply put, Vin Scully was its voice.
His story-telling and fatherly tone are strikingly different - and infinitely better - than the catch-phrase carnival barkers of the modern medium.
It's just not the same, and never will be, I suppose.
Scully was baseball at baseball's pace. A day game, back when the spectators dressed like they were headed to church, which meant Scully was going to pay it the proper respect.I met him once, at Turner Field. It's fairly easy in this business to get awed by those around you, especially when you got into this business because you loved sports.
Since I never got to meet Lewis Grizzard, there were only two media members that made me feel like a fan and left me awestruck.
One was Dan Jenkins, the great golfer writer and author who was forever kind and always spoke, calling me "Kid" - a moniker I'm sure he used on half the media members around the country - and me always calling him Mr. Jenkins.
The other was Vin Scully, who was elegant and gracious.
The all-timers don't have to be that way. Tiger's not. MJ wasn't. Neither was Jack to be honest. LeBron pretends to be, but isn't.
And that's OK. Extreme talent and generational skills allow a wider margin for those who are truly artists at their craft.It's a two-way street that is not just on the greats, because our modern demands and 'gotcha' circles force the all-timers to be more guarded and closed off.
But Scully rose to the highest of highs during a time when most baseball players worked winter jobs and the announcers were just as likely to be working a college basketball game in the winter to stay sharp and put some folding money in their pocket.
Still, his gift was undoubtedly pure - like the man - and his style implausibly perfect.
I don't remember what I said or exactly what he said that day in the press box at Turner Field before a Braves-Dodgers game oh so many years ago. I'm not sure that it matters.But I do remember thinking about breaking the cardinal rule of all sports writers everywhere and debating about asking Vin Scully for an autograph.
I didn't, because, well, you know.
Part of me wishes I had now.
NFL discipline
Can anyone put rhyme or reason to the NFL's structure for punishment these days?
So DeShaun Watson gets six games and no fine for more than two dozen allegations of sexual assault.Stephen Ross gets fined $1.5 million, is suspended through Oct. 17 - six games - and his team loses a first-round pick in 2023 and a third-rounder in 2024 for talking to Tom Brady and Sean Payton's agent.
Sounds perfectly fair right?
And to compare apples to apples, and further showing the NFL's complete indifference to how its players, employees and owners treat women, Ross's harsh punishments come with the realization that next to nothing happened to Robert Kraft or Jerry Jones after previous scandals and who knows what will happen with Dan Snyder in Washington.
Here's betting it won't be much. Unless of course he talks to another team's QB.
This and that
- Buckets of blocking backs, did you know the NFL preseason starts Thursday? Egad. And the Jaguars are sitting Trevor Lawrence? C'mon Jacksonville, let the kid play the first series. You guys act like that fifth preseason game means nothing. We're starving for football over here.
- You know the rules. Here's Paschall with more the Vols, and how UT will get young players on the field if they are ready.
- Hey, I know baseball is slow. You know baseball is slow. Baseball knows baseball is slow. But here's some video of White Sox manager Tony LaRussa almost nodding off in the dugout Monday during against the Royals.
Today's questions
Which way Wednesday starts this way:
Which baseball announcer is your all-time favorite?
Which announcer, if any, is as tied to his or her sport the way Vin Scully was to baseball?
Which song is a guaranteed-turn-it-up tune in your car, regardless of the passengers?
Answer some which ways, leave some which ways.
As for today, Aug. 3, let's review.
On this day in 1492, Chris Columbus set sail for the 'Indies.'
Tom Brady is 45 today. Wow. Amazing.
Today is national boob day. Seriously. So there's that.
And while we will not get into the anatomy conversation of the day, it did make me think about the classic comedy 'boob' roles played so well by so many.
I think we all agree that Barney Fife is the MJ of the TV comedy 'boob' character, but who else joins him on that Rushmore?
Go and remember the Rushmore.