Don Sutton said on a Braves Radio Network broadcast that he was convinced that Chipper studied theater in the off season. I on the other hand, think it was a mandatory team activity- kind of a Banding People Together team building activity. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go check it out!) If you look at this young season in the musical drama terms, it is shaping up as a rock opera.

Noun 1. Albums of rock music that aspired to the status of art; first appeared in the 1960s.[Wordnet].

Rock operas, concept albums, song cycles and oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each other in terms of storyline. The rock opera style sometimes overlaps with concept albums, song cycles and oratorios. More recent developments include metal opera and rap opera (sometimes also called hip-hopera). The category a particular work falls into is, to some extent, defined by the intent and self-definition of the work by its creator, as long as the creator’s interpretation does not stray too far from the accepted definition of what constitutes a rock opera. The formal distinction may be that the rock opera tells a coherent (if sometimes sketchy) story, often with first-person lyrics sung by characters; while a concept album or song cycle sets a mood or maintains a theme. Some albums share characteristics of more than one category. Opera consists of individual singers acting out a specific character within a drama. The same is also true of a legitimate rock opera. If a work consists of singers who sing a story, but do not act it out, it is not a rock opera, and should not in the traditional sense, be categorized as such.

Not seeing the correlation? Atlanta is using a collaboration well beyond five part harmony, a variety of instruments, a coherent (if sometimes sketchy) story mostly sketchy, and most importantly, individual singers giving a dramactic performance, not merely singing the lyrics. » Continue reading “Braves Banding Together”

It’s funny in a game that went 19 innings and 6:39:00, we are only talking about 10 seconds of it.  For the Braves, the other 6:38:50 could change the course of the season.  Atlanta has to feel fortunate that this game happened before the trade deadline because Brian McCann, Jordan Schafer, and the bullpen all took a hit last night.

In the middle of what could be a MVP season, Brian McCann left the game with the injury of the year a strained oblique.  The Braves placed him on the day disabled list before game’s end.  McCann carried the offense to this point in the season, and losing him in the line up could change Atlanta’s opinion of getting Carlos Beltran.  The Mets outfielder was not optimal for the Braves with McCann, Dan Uggla, and Freddie Freeman all hitting, and Beltran is not a true center fielder.  Taking McCann out for at least 15 days while Chipper Jones is again injured makes Beltran more attractive.  At the time of this post, it is reported that San Francisco is close to a deal with the Mets for the outfielder, and center field option Colby Rasmus has been traded from St.Louis to Toronto.

Going after Beltran would be more likely if Jordan Schafer were healthy.  Schafer had eluded to possibly going on the DL before the game with a chipped bone in his middle finger.  He then worked 9 innings in which he was hit on that finger during an at bat.

In a game full of scary moments, Martin Prado went 0-8, and Scott Proctor was forced to pitch three innings.  This goes to show the need for another bullpen arm and another top of the order bat.  Nothing like playing a 19 inning game to find your weaknesses!