All Things Bubba

I was expecting the next Rice Alumni Game to be in February 2014, but it looks like it's been moved to next month. November 2, 2013, to be specific.

I wonder who's going to be there. Tony Cingrani? Phil Humber? Anthony Rendon? Lance Berkman? Maybe even Bubba Crosby?

Not sure I'll get down there on such short notice, but I'm tempted. Not least because I've been meaning to check out the new dinosaur hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It's supposed to be fantastic.

...for the Atlanta Braves, anyway. There's no good ways to wash out of the postseason, but this seemed especially heartbreaking. Trailing most of the game, then a rally to take the lead...only to lose it in the 8th, on one swing of Juan Uribe's bat. After he failed to put down a bunt...twice.

Even worse, it was David Carpenter on the mound when it happened. It should have been lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel. It was an elimination game. Today would have been an off day, if the series continued. What was he being saved for?

Even Joe "Pushbutton" Torre used Mariano Rivera for multiple innings in the postseason. With a one-run lead in an elimination game, Kimbrel should have gotten the ball as soon as a runner got on, if not at the beginning of the 8th.

Even if he can’t go two innings, better to have him in the high leverage situation. It was the bottom of the order due up in the 9th. Arrghhh.

Paul Janish did finally get into the game, as a defensive replacement for Elliot Johnson. He looked all right. Fielded the last out of the 8th. Somehow, I expect someone with a broken nose to look like Marcia Brady in that episode where she's hit in the face with a football. But he looked normal, though you could see a couple of stitches on the side of his nose if you looked closely.

I wonder if that was his last game as a Brave. He's out of options now, so can't be stashed in the minors. I'd guess the Braves will sign just one of Janish, Ramiro Pena, and Elliot Johnson, and it seems like Janish is behind the other two. I think he's most valuable of the lot, but Pena was en fuego in his small sample size. I'd bet on a big regression if he continued to play, but his season was cut short by injury. Elliot Johnson has more pop than Janish, but he struggles to make contact, strikes out a ton, and has terrible plate discipline. His defense is also notably worse.

Fredi seems to prefer Pena and Johnson, though, so Janish may be out of luck. Maybe he'll find his way back to Cincinnati. Walt Jocketty seems to have really liked him.

Labels: Paul Janish

According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Paul Janish broke his nose Friday. He was hit in the face with a 45-pound barbell that fell off the rack while he was lifting weights.

He says he's still able to play, as long as he's not hit in the face again.

He is the Braves only backup infielder; I guess he must be okay or surely they'd have substituted for him. (He says he got some stitches, though I didn't notice it during the game. He didn't play, but they did show him in the dugout now and then.)

Labels: Paul Janish

The Braves team photographer, Pouya Dianat, took some photos of the Braves using a camera modified to take infrared photos. There’s a slideshow at the NY Times site here.

I love the photo above. (That's Paul Janish in front.) It has that eerie feel that IR photos often have. Sort of a Field of Dreams vibe.

I'm a fan of infrared photography. I even have a camera converted to IR. (But it's just a cheap point and shoot, not a DSLR like Mr. Dianat's.) I've used it mostly for landscape shots. The characteristics of an infrared photo - white foliage, black sky, no atmospheric haze - tend to be more evident in landscape shots. Never really thought about photographing baseball players in IR (though I have taken some IR photos of baseball stadiums). I might have to give it a shot sometime.

Labels: baseball photography, Paul Janish

Chad Curtis has been sentenced to 7-15 years for criminal sexual conduct with underaged girls. He’s displayed no remorse, and is even blaming his victims.

His days as a Yankee were before the information age really took off, but I remember hearing he was something of a Bible-thumper. His preaching annoyed his teammates to the point that Derek Jeter took him aside and told him to cut it out; it was a locker room, not a church.

And now this. Sheesh. It just figures.

Labels: Chad Curtis, crime and punishment

I confess, I'm a bit shocked at this. Not that Paul Janish made the Braves postseason roster; I was expecting that. Not even that Uggla was left off. He's not a fit for the bench, and Fredi Gonzalez has clearly lost faith in him as a starter. No, what's really surprising is that the Braves are going with just 5 infielders. Janish will be the only backup infielder on the bench.

This is almost unheard of for the post-season. It will limit Fredi's opportunities to pinch hit, and if anyone gets injured or ejected, he's basically screwed.

I guess they figured with a short series - only 5 games - they're willing to take the risk. Still...wow.

Labels: Paul Janish

Winter has come for the Cincinnati Reds. They never had a champagne celebration. After winning the division a couple of years, I guess a wild card berth didn't seem worth celebrating. They were going to wait until after they won the wild card game. But they didn't win. Their season is over.

Tony Cingrani was not on the playoff roster announced this morning. They were hoping he could return if the Reds went deep into the postseason, but I guess he's still too injured to pitch now.

The Braves have not announced their postseason roster yet, but I'm guessing Paul Janish will make it. According to beat writer Mark Bowman, second baseman Dan Uggla has been informed that he will not be on the postseason roster, at least for the first round.

If this is true, it leaves the Braves with just 5 infielders. Janish will be the only backup infielder. That seems weird and ill-advised. The Braves could call up Phil Gosselin again, but Bowman says they want an extra pitcher for Uggla's slot.

It kind of makes sense to leave Uggla off the roster. He appears to have lost the starting 2B job to Elliot Johnson. And Uggla is just not a good fit as a bench player. His defense is poor, he's not a good pinch runner, and lately he can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. Janish has hit better over the last month than Uggla.

But OTOH...Janish as the only backup infielder on the bench seems crazy, especially in the post-season. I really don't know what to make of all this.

Labels: Paul Janish, Tony Cingrani