Braves make changes for changes in October

Bravo!

Atlanta offseason moves change the face of franchise for the better

Caleb Odom

The 2012 season ended with a sour taste in the mouth of Braves Country as the Postseason for Atlanta lasted exactly one sloppy game. Suddenly the great career of Chipper Jones was the past and the truth lingered that something needed to change in order to keep up with the talented Washington Nationals.

With Michael Bourn wanting big money that the Braves didn't want to pay, center field was a need and Chipper retiring opened up a gaping hole at third base. The thinking was that last season's left fielder Martin Prado would make the move back to the infield to man the hot corner for Atlanta.

Prado had started at five different positions last season so moving him to third seemed like a good choice considering backup third baseman Juan Francisco was not very reliable with the glove or with the bat for that matter. This meant that the two biggest positions to address were left and center field.

This past November, the valuable backup catcher David Ross ended his time with Atlanta when he agreed to a two-year $6.2 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. The Braves responded quickly after losing Ross by signing former Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird to a two-year $3 million contract.

The Braves starting catcher Brian McCann was coming off shoulder surgery and he was expected to miss the first couple of weeks of the regular season so the club needed a reliable catcher who was ready to go on April 1 at home against the Philadelphia Phillies. In 174 at bats, Laird batted .282 last season with two home runs and 11 RBI.

The biggest splash for Atlanta this offseason or at least initially was the signing of outfielder B.J. Upton to a five-year $75.25 million deal. In 146 games with the Tampa Bay Rays last season Upton batted .246 with 28 home runs and 78 RBI. B.J. had a .990 fielding percentage in the outfield for Tampa in 2012.

 A key departure for the Braves on the mound this offseason was when righthander Tommy Hanson was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels for Halo's righty reliever Jordan Walden. In 31 starts last season, Hanson went 13-10 with a 4.48 ERA with the Braves but the starter gave up 27 homers and allowed 71 walks despite striking out 161.

But the deal that changed it all for Atlanta took place in January of 2013 when the Braves found a way to get B.J. Upton's brother Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The deal came at a price because the Braves had to give up the super utility man Martin Prado who was a fan and team favorite.

Justin Upton, a two-time All Star, hit .280 with 17 home runs and 67 RBI. "J-UP" as he is nicknamed had fallen out of the good graces with the D-backs and even more so when he rejected a trade to go to Seattle roughly a week before the shocker of a trade with the Braves came together. Upton is expected to hit in the number 3 slot in the Atlanta lineup.

Atlanta sent Prado and pitcher Randall Delgado along with minor leaguers Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury, and Zeke Spruill for Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson. This deal will arguably make the Braves starting outfield the strongest in the majors with the speed, power, and defense of the Upton brothers and the All-Star Gold Glover Jason Heyward.

So as spring training draws nearer the excitement of the new-look Atlanta Braves continues to grow with the hope that this year's club will go deeper into October. It will all start with being able to take down the, Washington Nationals, the big dog currently in the National League East. At the moment things for the Bravos appear to be looking "UP". 

 

Hockey is back

Locked in after the Lockout

Hockey is back.... finally

By: Caleb Odom

The second lockout in eight years for the National Hockey League threatened to take another season due to financial disputes between the owners and the players. The honest truth was that there was no hockey and until Jan 19 2013 and for many sports fans who already regarded hockey as boxing on skates the common phrase uttered was along the lines of "who cares?"

Most sports fans were too immersed in the unpredictable world of college football and the powerfully addictive universe of the NFL who was dealing with lockout of its own when the referees decided to strike.

Hockey was like the little kid holding their breath daring fans to tell them to stop but no one seemed to notice the NHL was gone.

But that was because a large population of sports fans have not given the sport of hockey its due chance to entertain them. Some say hockey is just fighting and hard hits. They are so wrong on so many levels. Hockey is misunderstood for many reasons by casual sports fans who didn't grow up on the ice as a kid or wearing their favorite team's sweater at the rink.

I was born and raised in Alabama where hockey is truly a non factor to most because college football runs the state with a hounds tooth whip. I however have always loved and respected the beauty of watching NHL games on television and I have even had the opportunity to see my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins face the Nashville Predators in person which was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Yes fighting in hockey is fun to watch but it is such a small part of the remarkable game that takes so much effort to play but so little effort to enjoy on a couch or even better in a seat at a game. The speed of hockey is electrifying with the slap shots smoking the net or a quick goalie's glove, the tic tack toe goals that keep your eyes bouncing from player to player as the puck is passed at unreal speeds, and even the hard body checks that players administer on each other.

Then there is what they play for... arguably the greatest prize in sports. The Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize for a sport that has so much history and character over the years. The uniqueness of hockey jerseys, the talent needed to skate backwards just as well as you can forwards, oh and the ability to take a puck to the face and keep playing the game is just a few of the things that sets hockey apart.

So now that the NHL is back why not? Why not give hockey a chance? Watch a game...you might just be shocked at how enjoyable the game is to you. Then you will care when the beautiful game is taken away from you like a stolen puck suddenly in the back of your team's net. Can you hear it? The horns have sounded, the sticks are taped, the Zamboni is ready. Hockey is back.