Atlanta Braves News: Afternoon Chop, “Gutting This Team”??
By Jeff Schafer
Braves assistant GM: We’re not gutting this team at trade deadline
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: It’s without question the Atlanta Braves are looking towards the future, but that doesn’t mean the organization isn’t focused on 2015 either. With the trade deadline quickly approaching (yes, tomorrow is the first of July) on July 31st, the question on many minds are “will the Braves be buyers or sellers?” Great question and one we will find out answers to within the next few days and weeks. Gut feeling? Sellers…but not key pieces.
"The Braves are currently 36-40, which is currently good enough for third place in the NL East. Although, there is little chance Atlanta will make the postseason this year, the front office is still focused on fielding the best possible team it can every game.“I think [the many different roster moves] show that we’re trying,” assistant general manager John Coppolella said, perMLB.com. “We could have sat back and just said we’re going to try to finish with a .500 record or finish in third or fourth place. That isn’t good enough for us. We’re trying to win every game and we’re trying everything we can within the rules and our power to give the Braves a chance to win ballgames every time they take the field.”“When we get to the trade deadline, we won’t look to ship out everyone who is on a free-agent contract or everybody who is over the age of 30,” he said. “We’re going to look to make good solid baseball trades that will be made in the best interest of this franchise. I don’t know if we’ll be as active as we have been previously. We’ll see what comes up at the deadline, but by no means will we totally gut this team.”"
Atlanta Braves host tryout camp at Howard Lake Field
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: The Atlanta Braves are one of only five professional teams to host these tryouts to young adults, but they see the need to continue these just in case a player stands out or if they need someone in a hurry. Most other teams decided to do away with these tryouts because they felt they rarely produce a high-priority player. Former college students and high schoolers showed up in front of Braves coaches to display their talents. Wouldn’t it be a great story if a player was picked up and he turned out to be something special?
"More than 150 hopeful players showed up to an Atlanta Braves tryout held at Chattahoochee Valley Community College’s Howard Lake Field on Monday, hoping to catch the eyes of scout Hugh Buchanan.Buchanan, a former Parkview High coach, said the types of players he sees at tryouts such as these run the gamut — from players who are hoping for another shot at the professional level to high schoolers hoping to get their names out there for the first time.“We’ll have some guys who have already played professional baseball and are looking for a second chance,” Buchanan explained. “We’ll have some young men who have played college ball and were overlooked and looking for an opportunity. And we’ll have some younger men, high school age, looking for that first experience.”"
ATLANTA BRAVES: Georgia high court says bonds for Braves stadium are valid
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Yes, the Braves are currently under .500 for the 2015 season, but at least we have something to look forward to…right?? In 2017, the Braves will open the gates to their new ball park facility. This SHOULD also bring in top free agents and possibly our top prospects will be ready for a World Series run in 2017 and beyond. So look on the bright side, at least we are on the upswing.
"The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the authorization of up to $397 million in bonds to build a new baseball stadium for the Braves in Cobb County. Three Cobb County residents opposed the authorization and appealed a Cobb County Superior Court ruling approving the bond issuance to the high court.In the unanimous opinion published Monday, Justice David Nahmias wrote that an intergovernmental contract used to authorize the bonds is valid. He also wrote that the issuance of the bonds does not violate the state’s Constitution or revenue bond laws and that the process used to validate the bonds was not improper.The Braves announced in November 2013 that they would be leaving Turner Field near downtown Atlanta for a new stadium to be built in Cobb County near the interchange of interstates 285 and 75. The team plans to begin playing at the stadium, called SunTrust Park, for the 2017 season. The three Cobb residents who challenged the bonds — Larry Savage, Richard Pellegrino and attorney T. Tucker Hobgood — argued the lower court judge’s ruling validating the bonds was incorrect."
.