Atlanta Braves Spring Chop: Notes to Cap Off a Monday

The Braves looked a lot more like the Atlanta Braves today… which is what you’ll get when they’re at home during February.  With that… there is still news.

I admit that I’m having a bit of trouble with this today.  The Atlanta Braves are reported to have told Ronald Acuna…well, I just want Mark Bowman’s words here instead of mine:

"The Braves want Acuna to wear his hat straight and maintain a professional appearance while in uniform. But they do not want to change much about the fun-loving, flamboyant approach that has made him one of the game’s most exciting young players."

Hoh boy.  Where to start.

This snippet is surrounded by a bigger – and nicer – story about how Andruw Jones is working with Acuna as he gets ready for the majors.

There’s discussions about cockiness, about respect, and humility.

The one name he mentioned that’s striking in this discussion of hats is that of Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey – ‘The Kid’ – made his very name step out from behind the considerable shadow of his own father  while wearing his hat backward.

As you can see from the photo at right, this was such a trademark that he even did it on baseball’s most hallowed grounds.

So did Griffey ‘diss’ the game of baseball?  Did he get chastised by his teams for playing the game the ‘wrong’ way?  I don’t think so.

Mind you, rookies are typically told to be show up on time, keep their head down, do their work, perform, and do a lot more listening than talking.  That does need to apply to Acuna, too, though this modified adage from Animal Farm also applies… all rookies are equal, but some rookies may be more equal than others.

Braves Twitter is almost universally against this news – if it indeed is legit.  This tweet could be accurate:

We have players covered in tats, players with crazy beards, players with electric shoes or sleeves… heck, we had a weekend in which most uniform rules were thrown to the four winds.  Personality is part of the game – and needs to be embraced, not suppressed.

Speaking of uniforms, MLB has been using them to try and make money virtually once a month without concern for ‘respecting the game’.  We had a player who decided himself that there was a uniform that dissed his own game, and a pair of scissors took care of that little problem.

Then there’s this tweet, which I think the MLB should cringe a bit over.

Stick that in your pace of play, Mr. Manfred.

Oh… and about that topic…