I woke up this morning with the biggest smile on my face. Not only did I turn 31 years old today, but MLB is back! And well, the biggest present of today is that the Braves are taking on the Phillies at 8 pm tonight.

The Braves had an impressive Spring Training in the Grapefruit League. By acquiring a new set of pitchers, the Bravos have made it clear that they will focus on pitching this year - a key aspect of the Braves success in the 90's.

With McCann in the best shape he has been in years, we can only imagine how much he is going to be a pitchers nightmare. Chipper Jones, who recently locked up a 3-year, $42 million extension with the Braves is like a fine wine as Mr. Braves seems to be getting better with age. The past three seasons Chipper has had an OPS higher than 1.000 and a batting average higher than .320. Look for Javy Vazquez to be a sleeper for 200 strikeouts and Jair Jurrjens to tally 14-15 wins. A healthy bullpen will translate into success for the Braves. Jordan Schafer, who recently was announced the starting CF for Opening Day has potential to snag 20-30 bags giving the Braves much needed speed on the base-path. Frenchy's strong play in Spring Training should boost his confidence heading into the most important year of his career thus far.

Please join us for a Live Chat and Live play-by-play coverage of the Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies at 8 pm EST tonight!

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Let's go Braves! 

Stockman Cut; WBC Update

The Braves cut injury prone RP Phil Stockman on Sunday. The English RP only appeared in six games last year for the Braves at the Major league level. Stockman had a 2.10 ERA in 19 appearances in AAA-ball for the Richmond Braves. 

As for the World Baseball Classic, USA lost their first game to Puerto Rico in a stunning fashion going down 11-1. The Puerto Rican's were anchored by a great pitching performance from Bravos SP Javier Vazquez. Vazquez tossed four strong innings of ball, striking out two batters while only sacrificing four hits and one run. The PR batting lineup filled with New York Mets players went on a tear against Jake Peavy. Peavy now has a 14.40 ERA in the Classic, and appears to have some control issues. 

Chipper Jones sat out tonight's game versus the Netherlands with an oblique injury. His return will be evaluated by team doctors. As for Garret Anderson, he will be sidelined for at least two-three weeks with a right calf injury. The AJC reports that the Braves are hopeful that Anderson will be starting in LF for Opening Day versus the Phillies April 5th. 

World Baseball Classic Update

Hey folks! Websites almost ready to go! 

Anyways, here a quick Bravos update. Garret Anderson hurt his calf while jogging before Friday's game and is unsure when he'll be back. Anderson has only been on the disabled-list two times prior to coming to Atlanta. 

The World Baseball Classic kicked off Thursday. U.S.A. won a nail-bitter versus Canada on Saturday. Brian McCann had a long ball and 3 RBI's while Chipper whiffed three times! Yikes... Jake Peavy, SP of the first game looked decent; kind of makes me wonder if he is going to be able to rebound after a rough 2008 season. Maybe, Wren saw something that made him hesitant to deal Yunel Escobar and other prospects. 

Sunday night, U.S.A pounced Venezuela for 15 runs. Former Bravo Mark DeRosa had 4 RBI's while Chipper struck out two times. Chipper, who is hitless thus far in the Classic has a mild strain on his right side but says he okay for the next round of the WBC. Chipper claims that it would be near impossible to try and keep him off the field, because his offense has not contributed to the team in any way. 

Things are looking a lot better for Team USA this year, but I am still shocked that players like Roy Halladay and Brandon Webb turned down offers to don the American flag on their jersey. 

What do ya'll think of Team USA's play so far? Do ya'll think they have a shot to go the distance?  

Braves add Veteran OF....Chipper Talks about Tommy Hanson

The Braves and 14-year veteran Garrett Anderson reached a one-year agreement today. The deal is believed to be worth $2.5 million. The signing comes only a fews days after the Bravos missed out of Ken Griffey Jr. (in case you missed out on the drama of that saga, the episode will be re-aired on Oxygen Network sometime this week) An official announcement of the Anderson signing could come as early as Monday morning. Anderson is expected to join the Braves in beautiful Lake Buena Vista, Florida for Spring Training this week. Bobby Cox raved about Garret Anderson in an interview earlier this week. Cox said, "He's got one of the sweetest swings baseball. He's a guy you want up with the game on the line, and he uses all field. I hope we get him." As Hank Hill always says "Dangit Bobby!", we'll guess what, you got your man! 

Anderson is a career .296 hitter and has drove in 80+ RBI's eight of the past nine seasons. Anderson may not be the home run threat he once was but is still capable of hitting 15-20 HR's with under 500 AB's. Anderson will platoon at LF with Matt Diaz.  Oh by-the-way, did I mention Anderson is three-time All Star, winner of the 2003 Home Run Derby, two-time Silver Slugger and is a member of the "Top 500 Home-Run hitters of All Time." 

As for 6-6 Tommy Hanson, Chipper Jones absolutely raved about this kid in a interview with AJC.com Braves beat-writer David O'Brien. Chipper said this about Tommy's control, "Very impressive. He's probably got the best stuff of anybody in this clubhouse, he throws 93-94 with good movement. Great slider. You're talking about a kid that young who can command four pitches. To do what he did in the Arizona Fall League, which has never been done... pretty impressive kid." In the A.F.L. league Hanson made five starts. He posted a 5-0 record, 0.63 E.R.A., and struck out  49 hitters in 28.2, yes 28.2 innings. There's no typo there folks this kid is the real-deal. Oh and don't forget about the no-hitter Tommy threw in Class AA for the Mississippi Braves, while striking out 13 batters. 

Folks, Chipper has been around the league for 14-years and has been teammates with future H.O.F. pitchers such as Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. Those are some pretty strong words coming from a guy of Chipper notoriety. 

Hanson is currently aBn's #2 prospect in the Braves organization and a strong showing in Spring Training could definitely benefit Hanson for an attempt to make the Braves roster mid-season this year. 

What type of numbers do ya'll expect from Anderson this year? What do ya'll think about Tommy Hason? Is a stud is he going to be a bust?

Two Deals in the Works....

Ken Griffey Jr. and the Braves have yet to agree to a contract. Rumors have been circulating around the 'sports-world' that Griffey was going to sign a 1-year deal worth $2 million, but is he is hesitate to agree to terms with Atlanta because he does not want to upset M's fans. I am still keen on the Griffey signing and confident that he is capable of hitting 20 HR's, 60-70 RBI's while maintaing a .250 average. The only thing that troubles me about Griffey are the injury risks he brings with him. 

Atlanta Journal Constitution's Braves beat-writer David O'Brien discusses the possibility of Chipper Jones signing an extension with the Bravos. Chipper is like a fine-wine, and is getting better in age. Chipper has hit above .320 the past three seasons and is by far one of the best hitters in baseball. He outsmarts his oppnonets by drivng the ball to the opposite field and can hit for power or average. If Chipper is capable of putting up similar numbers to what he has the past couple of years I would be willing to offer him 3-4 years. 

Player Preview: Chipper Jones

Sorry for the late blog today... Anyways, there's not much going on in Bravos-land today. Older news is new news again. The Braves are moving closer to signing both Ken Griffey Jr. and Tom Glavine, but no official statement has been made by either party. 

To kick off this wonderful Tuesday I have decided to start "aBn's Player Preview." Chipper Jones is today's feature. Chipper Jones was selected by the Braves 1st overall pick in the 1990 amateur draft. Ever since then he has become one of Atlanta's most prestigious sports icons. Chipper hit 100+ RBI's for eight-consecutive season (between 1996-2003), but his streak came to a halt while Chipper was battling injuries in '04. In 1999 Chipper was awarded the league MVP. Chipper hit his 400th HR off Marlins SP Ricky Nolasco June 5, 2008. 

The past three seasons Chipper has had an OPS higher than 1.000 and batting average higher than .320. Chipper has battled injuries throughout his career. If Chipper can stay healthy this year he is capable of hitting 20-25 HR's, 100RBI's while maintaing a .320-.330 avg. and 1.000 OPS. Chipper is key to the Brave's success this year. He is one of the few experienced veteran bats the Braves will have in their lineup and can definitely help mentor young guns like Jordan Schaffer, Yunel Escobar, Brian McCann and Casey Kotchman. A healthy Chipper Jones can be a huge asset to a our defense and offense. 

aBn Approves Ken Griffey Jr. Signing

The Braves are on the verge of signing outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. Braves beat-writer Mark Bowman says, that the deal is 1-year contract worth $1.5 million. Griffey Jr. would platoon at LF with current Brave Matt Diaz. Signing Griffey would give the Braves a power lefty bat. Griffey would most likely serve as the cleanup hitter, batting behind Chipper Jones. Chipper is confident that he and Griffey can rotate between the 3 and 4 spots depending on whichever serves the "team" better. 

Griffey may not be 20-year's old anymore but he is still capable of putting up strong numbers from the plate. Fan Graphs predicts, that Jr. will hit 20 long balls, 60 RBI's while tallying a near .250 batting average. The interesting thing to note here is that their predictions come off only 400 at-bats. Sounds like their projecting that he will platoon wherever he ends up. Griffey's defense is nothing spectacular but I think he can benefit from the pitcher-friendly Turner Field and a strong defensive CF such as Jordan Schaffer. 

How do ya'll feel about signing Griffey Jr.? Would this be Raul Mondesi all over again or is it one of the better moves this organization would make this off-season? 

Pitchers and Catchers Report...

It's the most wonderful time the of year...Spring Training kicked off today for the Braves. Among those to report early are Chipper Jones (3B), Jeff Francoeur (OF), Matt Diaz (OF) and catchers Brian McCann, David Ross and Clint Sammons. Catchers are not required to arrive until Sunday, when they will hold their first workout. Newly acquired gunners: Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami also made an appearance at the beautiful Disneys Wide World of Sports Complex. 

Derek Lowe is who projected to be the Braves Ace for opening day, worked in the early hours and exited early to spend Valentines day with his wife. Kenshin Kawakami the first Japanese player to play for the Braves (at a ML level) was followed by his groupies from the Japanese media. Tim Hudson, who is projected to be back for the Braves mid-to-late season had a light throwing season as well. 

aBn Projected Opening Day Rotation:

1. Derek Lowe, RHP
2. Javier Vazquez, RHP
3. Jair Jurrjens, RHP
4. Kenshin Kawakami, RHP
5. Tom Glavine, LHP

Rumors in Atlanta are that the Braves are interested in Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners have not been able to land Griffey for unknown reasons. Braves GM, Frank Wren says "We have interest in several available outfielders, including Griffey." Griffey would most likely platoon at left-field with Matt Diaz. Griffey has always expressed interest in playing in a Braves uniform, and I believe he is one of the few available OF's that could serve as a cleanup hitter for the Braves next season. If Griffey is capable of putting up similar numbers like he did in '05 and '07 then he could be a bargain for 1 year/$3 million.