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Howard Bryant does a great job chronicling the life of a true baseball icon. However, I still don’t feel like I know much more about the person Aaron is. You can argue that this is a pretty important component of a biography, but don’t be too quick to blame Bryant. The book is very well written and a great read, but I believe the issue is Aaron’s reclusive nature.

My personal highlights include Bryant’s account of Aaron’s pursuit of Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record and Aaron’s true feelings about Bonds breaking the record.

I discovered that the chase for Ruth’s record wasn’t as glorious and exciting as it would seem in an ideal world. Aaron dealt with death threats and hate mail during a time that wasn’t that long ago, yet vastly different from today. Aaron’s own disgust with Bonds was kept to himself during the chase in 2007, but his feelings were strong.

The book is a great read and a great insight on the life of a player that was second only to Jackie Robinson in terms of civil rights leaders in the game. Check it out if you want to glance inside the mysterious life of one of baseball’s all-time greats.

Former Mississippi Braves skipper goes a little crazy in this 2007 game agains the Chattanooga Lookouts.

In Monday night’s 4-2 loss in Los Angeles, Tim Hudson threw a pitch directly at the head of Dodgers rookie Jerry Sands in the young player’s major league debut. Needless to say, this drew a lot of boos and words from the Dodger dugout. Hudson appeared to take the blame for it after the at-bat, pointing at himself saying that it was his mistake.

I have since learned that Hudson sent over a signed ball after the game and apologized to Sands for the mistake pitch.

This didn’t stop Ted Lilly from coming out and throwing a ball behind Nate McLouth causing a warning to be given out to both sides by the home plate umpire. The best part about this was the anger in McLouth’s eyes as he paused and stared Lilly down for a moment…and then the double he ripped down the right field line right afterward.

This might remind fans of Saturday’s win against the Mets when pitcher Pat Misch brushed Freddie Freeman off the plate and he hit a home run in the very next pitch.

So please throw at all of our struggling hitters, opposing pitchers. It just seems to piss them off enough to actually hit the ball…

Tom O’Connor took time to visit students in Steve Klein’s sports journalism class on Thursday at George Mason University to discuss the business of basketball.

O’Connor discussed several topics, including why men’s and women’s basketball seems to get favored compared to other NCAA sports that the school participates in.

“Basketball makes more money than other sports,” said O’Connor. “They get more money in the end because they earned it.”

The basketball program doesn’t only make money for itself, however. The Colonial Athletic Association‘s (CAA) three NCAA tournament bids earned the conference a cool $13 million this year.

O’Connor stressed that the basketball players are a great way to represent the Mason student body and create a sense of community.

“The basketball team is an extension of every student on campus,” said O’Connor, who is currently in his fourth decade in NCAA Division 1 athletics. “Filling the Patriot Center with 10,000 people really brings the community together.”

O’Connor is currently in his third year of a five year contract as the university’s athletic director with no plans of stepping down, as he has helped to put Mason on the map in recent years.

“Success creates visibility for the university,” said O’Connor. “The more inquiries we now receive allow us to tell our story.”

The Natural shows both the highs and the lows of making a living in professional baseball in the 1950s. Based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Malamud, the film uses baseball as a vehicle to tell a compelling love story and how the sport kept young lovers apart and eventually brought them back together.

Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) makes the Cubs as a 19-year-old pitching phenom before getting his young career cut short by a seductress who doesn’t want him to become the new greatest player of all time. This film tells the story of Hobbs’ return to the big leagues as a thirty-something man who has converted to a slugging right fielder for the fictional New York Knights.

There are often complaints about this film where Redford seems to be the “hand of God” and that it focuses too much on sentimental and divine themes, but it is a well-made film with a great story even if it only uses baseball as a backdrop for the compelling story.

I thought that the film was too quiet at times, meaning that there was a lot of empty space where dialogue was lacking. Redford plays a very quiet and reserved character and almost does it too well. This sometimes made it seem like the film was dragging and could have used a little pick-me-up.

Overall, I thought this was a great film with great acting led by one of the all-time greats. By using baseball in its golden age as a backdrop to tell a deeply sentimental and inspirational story, director Barry Levinson succeeded in making a film that will be a classic for years to come.

Image via Wikipedia

Brandon Beachy’s 16 innings this Spring were impressive enough to win him the job as the Braves’ fifth starter. He struck out 16, walked four and only allowed two earned runs in this span. Primary competitor for the job, Mike Minor, pitched 10 innings striking out seven and only allowing one earned run.

General Manager Frank Wren feels Beachy “gives [the Braves] a better chance to win right now.”

Mike Minor will be the opening day starter for the Gwinnett Braves and likely the first to be called up if Jair Jurrjens’ health becomes an issue.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Nate McLouth seems to have figured something out this Spring, as he his hitting .310 in 58 at bats. Everyone knock on wood with me so that he keeps this up during the season, where it actually counts!

We are seeing his positive attitude and self-expectations translate to the field which is very comforting. It is a good thing that McLouth is doing well too because Jordan Schafer, who would theoretically be next in line for the job, is batting .167 in 54 at bats…and has been cut.

To put these numbers in perspective with the rest of the Braves‘ position players this Spring, McLouth is only being outdone by Chipper Jones who is batting .407 in 59 at bats. I am only comparing players with 40+ at bats this spring. There are 16 of them.

We should expect to see McLouth hitting second in Fredi Gonzalez‘s lineup. Martin Prado will most likely retain the leadoff role.

Martin Prado, Nate McLouth, Chipper Jones, Dan Uggla, Jason Heyward, Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman…wow, that will be a scary lineup to face!

Before the interview: Preparation

• know the audience
• determine interview method
• recognize your agenda
• determine theme of story
• stakeholders (people related to story)
• setting

At the interview:

• create atmosphere of trust and confidence in order to help the respondent speak more freely
• establish trusting relationship with respondent
• pre-interview (chit-chat)
• ask easy questions first

Questions:

• allow questions to build on one another
• have a list prepared

Image via Wikipedia

Anybody following the Braves closely over the past couple of years might be used to this, and many fans were fortunate to see the many ‘ifs’ of 2010 come to fruition and result in a great season. 2011 is no exception and this year’s ‘ifs’ will make the season another fun one to watch.

1. Chipper needs to stay healthy: Jones underwent knee surgery for the second time in his career to repair a torn left ACL after suffering a season ending injury last August. Some might find themselves wondering what Fredi Gonzalez would do if Chipper gets injured again. What is the backup plan?

• The first, and most likely option, would probably be Martin Prado moving in from left field to take over at third. Joe Mather can play left and work as a permanent or temporary solution.
• Eric Hinske could theoretically fill in at third as well. Although he has only four plate appearances while playing third base with the Braves, he has played there more than any other position in his career.
• Brooks Conrad. Hmm…with his three error performance in the NLDS still fresh in the team’s memory, I don’t see him getting too much defensive responsibility until he earns it.

2. Freddie Freeman is unproven at first base, yet he has the opening day  job. He certainly has a lot of potential based on his minor league numbers, but the show is a different game. We will have to wait and see how he fares. Luckily, the Bravos will get by with Hinske and Prado both being more than capable first basement.

3. Nate McLouth. As I discussed in an earlier post, McLouth needs to come back for the Braves this year. After a disappointing 2010, 2011 will be a great opportunity for McLouth to show that he can be the great center fielder that everyone seems to think he can be. Backup plans:

• Make a trade and get some outfield depth. A big bat in center field would be nice.
• Move Jason Heyward to center. Platoon Mather, Hinske in right. If Chipper is also injured then make a trade, too.

Keep your heads up, Braves fans. Last year we were uncertain of Heyward‘s abilities, Tim Hudson‘s comeback from Tommy John’s, and Martin Prado starting at second base. Look how those turned out!

Staying on the topic of the Braves 2011 pitchers, I am posting a poll. With a very talented staff, it will be exciting to see who leads the team in wins this season. It really could be anyone this year!