The Atlanta Braves bullpen has been dominant all season long. It contains arguably the best three young arms in all of baseball in Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel. However, they have been exposed and have had so many appearances that it has to be a concern to Braves Country. As of this morning, the Braves' three armed monster rank in the top 5 in all of MLB in appearances. Venters has 82, Kimbrel has 77, and O'Flaherty has 75. For the fans out there that don't know that is a lot, Mariano Rivera (the all-time saves leader and soon to be Hall-of-Famer) has never had more that 74 and Trevor Hoffman (another soon to be Hall-of-Fame pitcher) has never had more than 70.
Here are some quick statistics. In Kimbrel's first 96 appearances in the majors, he allowed one home run. Now he's allowed two homers in his last two games, both devastating. In Venters' last 11.1 innings, dating back to Aug. 26, he has allowed 12 hits, nine walks and seven runs. O'Flaherty hasn't allowed any runs in 10.2 innings this month.
With only 8 games left in the regular season and a 2.5 game lead in the NL Wild Card race, the Braves do not have time to worry about this right now. With the surging St Louis Cardinal right behind them, the Braves just want to make it to the playoffs. The Braves are definately in the better position right now because all they have to do is take care of business and win. If they can do that, then that will put all the pressure on the Cardinals.
The Braves next game is tonight in Miami against the Florida Marlins at 7:10 pm ET. The Braves' Randall Delgado will be up against the Marlins' Jonathan Sanchez. The Braves lost a heartbreaker in game 1 of the series last night to a score of 6-5. Let's Go Braves!!!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
All or Nothing...For the Playoffs!!!
The ultimate goal for every team is to win the World Series. But first, you have to make it to the playoffs. As you may know, only eight teams make it to the playoffs; four from the National League, and four from the American League. Three of the four teams from each league consist of the division winners (East, Central, and West). For the fourth team in each league, they are the Wild Card winner.
The Atlanta Braves are currently in second place in the NL East behind the Philadelphia Phillies who have a commanding lead and are more than likely not going to give it up. Therefore, the Braves' only opportunity to make it to the playoffs is win the Wild Card. The Braves are leading the NL Wild Card by 4.5 games. They did have a 10 game lead at one point, but they caught cold while the St Louis Cardinals have done the opposite. The Braves were just swept by the Cardinals in a three-game series ending a forgetful road trip going 2-6 and going 6-10 in their last 16 games overall. The Cardinals have went 12-4 in their previous 16 games.
The Atlanta Braves have 15 and the Cardinals have 16 games remaining in the regular season. So these next couple of weeks is going to be very interesting. The Braves magic number (the number of games the team leading the division must win plus the number of games the trailing team must lose in order to guarantee a playoff spot) to win the Wild Card is 12. Yes, the Braves have been playing some bad baseball the past couple of weeks, but I believe they will hold on to the Wild Card. I want them to go deep in the playoffs so bad. However, I know they have to get there first. It's all or nothing right now. Everything the Braves and Cardinals do is for the playoffs! GO BRAVES!!!
The Atlanta Braves are currently in second place in the NL East behind the Philadelphia Phillies who have a commanding lead and are more than likely not going to give it up. Therefore, the Braves' only opportunity to make it to the playoffs is win the Wild Card. The Braves are leading the NL Wild Card by 4.5 games. They did have a 10 game lead at one point, but they caught cold while the St Louis Cardinals have done the opposite. The Braves were just swept by the Cardinals in a three-game series ending a forgetful road trip going 2-6 and going 6-10 in their last 16 games overall. The Cardinals have went 12-4 in their previous 16 games.
The Atlanta Braves have 15 and the Cardinals have 16 games remaining in the regular season. So these next couple of weeks is going to be very interesting. The Braves magic number (the number of games the team leading the division must win plus the number of games the trailing team must lose in order to guarantee a playoff spot) to win the Wild Card is 12. Yes, the Braves have been playing some bad baseball the past couple of weeks, but I believe they will hold on to the Wild Card. I want them to go deep in the playoffs so bad. However, I know they have to get there first. It's all or nothing right now. Everything the Braves and Cardinals do is for the playoffs! GO BRAVES!!!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Corn
Corn is a very vital food that plays a major role in the world today. It is not a natural grown crop. It requires cultivation, preparation, and protection by humans in order to survive. Corn is used for many purposes and without it, many products would be less useful, more expensive, and even unavailable.
Corn is a gift to us from the Indians. It was first planted and domesticated by Native Americans approximately 6,000 years ago in Mexico. Columbus was the first person from Europe to learn about after he sailed over in 1492. It soon spread rapidly all over North America as Indians migrated and traded stimulated. Also, the early American colonist used corn as money. People paid their rent, taxes, or debts in corn.
Corn played an important part in the religious life of many American Indian tribes. They had elaborate ceremonies, stories, and traditions when planting and harvesting it. The Green Corn Festival is a ceremony celebrated by many tribes in one form or another to give thanks for the new ripened corn. It was also used to decorate pottery, sculpture, and other works of art.
To give you an idea on just how important corn is to us today, here are a few things corn is found in; chewing gum, salad dressings, paints, soft drinks, medicines, ketchup, and even popcorn. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of corn today. Nearly 80 percent of the corn grown within the U.S. is used for trading purposes to other countries.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)