Category Archives: atlanta braves

2021 NFL Week 14 – Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 8-6 against the spread last week. 

I only had one loss after the early games on Sunday, but the late games really destroyed my hopes of a huge week. I did hit a nice Lions moneyline play which kept me in the black this weekend.

The primetime games on Sunday and Monday nights are great. The Bills/Bucs and Rams/Cardinals games will have playoff implications. 

Can the Washington Football Team win their fifth game in-a-row and cover against the Cowboys?

We pick every NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 14 of the 2021 NFL season.

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Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F/M/K – April 8th

We are just a little over a week into the 2018 baseball season. You are still trying to figure out your lineup. If you’re a streaming-heavy guy, figuring out which guy you should drop to free up a streaming spot can be an issue.

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe some guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on April 8th, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

Before I begin, let’s go over the F/M/K terminology. The guys that I list under “F*ck” are guys that are currently hot and you need to pick them up. “Marry”, are guys that you need to stick with the whole season, even if they are struggling a bit. “Kill”, are guys that need to be dropped for better players in the free agent pool.

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have been marking time until their young talent matures enough to compete in the Majors. They haven’t been competitive for a few seasons, but they should start to see their win total increase over the next few seasons.

Atlanta’s rebuild has been going well, but the wheels nearly came off when their former general manager John Coppolella was caught up in a international signing scandal. MLB made an example of him and banned him for life. Former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos stepped in this offseason.

Anthopoulos is known to have an itchy trading finger. Will this detail their long-term rebuilding plans?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2017 MLB Season Preview: Atlanta Braves

2017 MLB Season Team Preview Atlanta Braves Bartolo Colon funnyThe Atlanta Braves have made some interesting moves. The team has mostly relied on young talent over the last few seasons while rebuilding, but they turned the page and acquired some veterans who were once All Stars.

The Braves now have two former Cy Young winners in their rotation (Bartolo Colon & R.A. Dickey) and have acquired two other former All Stars since just before last seasons’s trade deadline (Matt Kemp & Brandon Phillips).

Both of the former Cy Young winners are over the age of 40, but if they can get 175 innings out of each of them, they will be worth their salary to mentor their young talent.

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2016 MLB Season Preview: Atlanta Braves

ender inciarte atlanta braves 2016 mlb team preview america's white boyThe Atlanta Braves are cleaning house. They pulled off possibly the most lopsided trade this offseason when they shipped Shelby Miller to Arizona for Ender Inciarte, former #1 overall pick Dansby Swanson and pitching prospect Aaron Blair. If they can pull off a few more trades like that, their rebuilding time will be shortened.

2016 will not be kind to the Braves. Their team is filled with underwhelming bats and many wild, young arms.

Fredi Gonzalez is still Atlanta’s skipper, but his seat is the hottest in the Majors. He won’t last until the All-Star Break.

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2015 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves 2015 MLB Team Preview funny Chris Johnson weird shirtlesThe Atlanta Braves are cleaning house. They got rid of Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Kris Medlen and a handful of others. They made a decision to blow up the team.

On paper, Atlanta had a great lineup. Power hitters, on-base percentage darlings, strikeout pitchers and a dominant closer. That is a formula for dominance. The team never lived up to their potential. They ended up being one of the worst scoring teams in the Majors.

Fredi Gonzalez is still Atlanta’s skipper, but can he keep his job while the Braves try to rebuild?

Which players may end up on the trading block?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

Kate Upton Atlanta Braves MLB Team Preview 2014The Atlanta Braves are coming off a successful regular season, but disappointed in the playoffs. Their big acquisition of Justin Upton last offseason didn’t pay off immediately. They struggled offensively in stretches, but was bailed out by their pitching.

The Braves lost starting pitchers Tim Hudson and Paul Malholm to free agency then lost Kris Medlan and Brandon Beachy with elbow injuries. Newly-signed Ervin Santana & Gavin Floyd will help fill the need, but it will be an uphill battle.

The Braves spent the offseason signing all their young talent to contract extensions. They lost Brian McCann to the Yankees and didn’t sign any impact bats to fill their on-base needs.

Will the Braves repeat as NL East champs?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves.

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2013 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are trying to repeat the success they had in the 1990s. They have been hovering in & out the playoffs for a couple years and they hope their offseason moves will push them to the next level.

The Braves are replacing two-thirds of their outfield with a pair of talented brothers. Justin & B.J Upton have a lot of pressure to produce this season. They are replacing Martin Prado and Michael Bourn, two players who had career years in 2012.

Can the Braves fight off the Washington Nationals and win the NL East?

Will Kris Medlen start this season hot, as he ended 2012?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the Atlanta Braves. Continue reading

Black Lips Pay Homage to Iconic Baseball Mascot [VIDEO]

Chief Noc-A-Homa was the super racist mascot for the Atlanta Braves from the 1950s until 1986. He was beloved by fans and best known for emerging from a tepee in the bleachers to rally the hometown crowd.

Black Lips is a band from Atlanta and wanted to pay homage to the former mascot. “Noc-A-Homa” is their song about the former Braves mascot. The video depicts a present-day Chief Noc-A-Homa who has fallen down on his luck. He enacts his revenge for being humiliated for years. Continue reading

Who Will the Cubs Get In Return for Ryan Dempster?

Going into the season, Matt Garza was predicted to be the prize of the trading deadline. He is still a major prize, but Ryan Dempster is the belle of the ball.

Dempster, who currently leads the Majors with a 1.86 ERA, is on the trading block and nearly every team has contacted the Chicago Cubs about acquiring him. He has the right to veto any trade and wants to pitch for a contender.

He is owed nearly $6 million for the rest of the season and the Cubs have said they would pick up most of the money if they receive an upgraded prospect in return.

Dempster has a short-list of teams where he would like to end up. Which teams are on that list and what are the Cubs looking to get in return for him?

FOX Sports is reporting that Dempster pinpointed the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves as his top destinations. He is rumored to be open to other destinations, which is good for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Nationals.

The Cubs have made it clear they want young pitching and/or a third base prospect. These teams will be renting Dempster, since he’s a free agent at the end of the season. If they miss out on him, they will include many of these prospects in hopes of landing Garza.

Who can those teams offer? Let’s take a look at who may be involved.

Detroit Tigers
The Cubs would LOVE to trade Matt Garza, Darwin Barney, and Dempster in a package to Detroit. They would ask for third base prospect Nick Castellanos, top pitching prospect Jacob Turner, and a few other young pitchers from the group of Bruce Rondon, Drew Smyly, Casey Crosby, Andy Oliver, and Brenny Paulino.

Detroit has all the right pieces to trade for any player currently on the Cubs roster.

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been very proactive on trying to acquire Dempster. They are rumored to have a deal currently on the table. No one knows which prospects are in the deal, but pitching is definitely the centerpiece.

The pitching prospects rumored in the deal begins with 20-year old Garrett Gould. He is the prospect most likely to be in the deal. Zach Lee, Nate Eovaldi, Allen Webster, and Chris Reed aren’t as likely to be included, since L.A. thinks too highly of them to part ways.

A group of secondary pitching prospects that could be thrown in could include Aaron Miller, Angel Sanchez, Matt Magill, Chris Withrow, and Ryan O’Sullivan. The Dodgers are also trying to acquire Aramis Ramirez from Milwaukee and Shane Victorino from Philadelphia, so this group could all find new homes by August 1st.

Atlanta Braves
Even though Dempster would like to pitch in Atlanta, I don’t see this deal happening. The Braves were looking hard at Zack Greinke, but Milwaukee’s asking price was too high.

Atlanta is in a bad situation in the present day. They are finding it hard to trade for a veteran pitcher, since every team is asking for their stud pitching prospects in return. The group of Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Sean Gilmartin are asked about in nearly every deal. If the Braves want Dempster, they would need to part with someone from that group. Using that reasoning, they could focus on cheaper talent, like Francisco Liriano or Jason Vargas.

Washington Nationals
Washington is in need of a veteran pitcher to fill-in for Stephen Strasburg, since he’s on a innings limit this year. Their farm system isn’t what it used to be. They have already called up most of their top-tier young talent.

Third base prospect Anthony Rendon is the only Nationals prospect in the Top 100 list that the Cubs would be interested in. The only pitching prospects they could include would be second-tier. Alex Meyer, Matt Purke, and Robbie Ray are those pitchers.

Boston Red Sox
The rumor out of Chicago is that Boston is scared to trade with Theo Epstein, because he knows their farm system so well. I would assume that Ryan Lavarnway would be asked about right away. Epstein isn’t sold on Geovany Soto as the long-term catcher for the Cubs. There are big question marks about Lavarnway’s defensive ability behind the plate, but he could be worth the risk.

The pitching prospect cupboard is pretty bare in Boston. Matt Barnes is the best pitcher in their farm system. If the Cubs trade with Boston, Epstein will get the most out of the trade. They may not get the young arms they covet, but other holes will be addressed.

If a mystery team ends up with Dempster, they will have given up a lot to leapfrog these teams.
By: TwitterButtons.com

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

A Thigh Is Chipper’s Kryptonite

I have a vested interest in the success of Chipper Jones. No, he is not on one of my fantasy teams (I wish!), I own nearly every one of his rookie cards and I hope he can tack on a few more amazing seasons so he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Jones was batting over .400 for most of the season, but he re-injured his quadricep a few weeks ago and has dropped down to .394 (it’s still like 2 1/2 Tulowitzkis).

The Braves could end up being sellers at the trading deadline, which would mark the first time in over a decade that they will be attempting to build for the future before the deadline. They have been plagued by injuries to Yunel Escobar, Brian McCann, and John Smoltz. The Braves disabled list looks like an all-star team, so it would be smart for Bobby Cox to get thrown out of some more games to at least pad his already staggering record of tosses.

The Braves are an older team, but they have some young players that could step in and be competitive in the coin-flip that is the NL East. They will most likely lose Mark Teixeira at the end of the season if they don’t try to trade him. Tom Glavine and John Smoltz are mostly likely going to the Hall in five years and I don’t know how many more seasons Bobby Cox has left in him.

It would be great to see Chipper Jones on a contender again. He was like Derek Jeter in his earlier days, always in the post-season and doing things to win games. If the Braves aren’t a contender within two seasons, look for Jones to either go somewhere else to win or the Braves may have to deal him to build for the future.

If Chipper ends up batting .400 this season, imagine the effect he would have on my baseball card collection?!

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.