Despite the fact I was escorted out (kicked out) of old yankee stadium for being obnoxious and drunk as shit they are still my team. There may or may not be a youtube video of said event.
You don't want an all-East NLCS? I'm stressing out about today's game. Freeman and Donaldson need to show up today!!
(From The Athletic) Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson couldn’t be more different outwardly: Friendly Freddie, the amiable first baseman and unofficial team spokesman, the smiling face of the Braves franchise. And swaggering JD, aka “Bringer of Rain,” never one to play coy, never one to walk away from potential confrontation, and prone to the occasionally brash rather than boilerplate response to a reporter’s generic question. Even their haircuts reflect their personalities. Freeman with a close-cropped style that would seem appropriate on the “most popular” or “best jock” photo in any yearbook in just about any decade; Donaldson with something resembling a hybrid of a mohawk and a mullet, nearly shaved on the sides but slicked back elsewhere, evolving to a mess of stringy curls poking out of the back of his hat once he starts sweating. Business on the sides, what-the-hell-are-you-looking-at? elsewhere. Donaldson hit his 34th home run Monday, a two-run shot in the first inning of a 6-3 win over Toronto at SunTrust Park that extended the Braves’ winning streak to five games and pushed their National League East lead to 6 1/2 games over Washington. It was his 26th homer since June 11, tied for most in the majors during that period, and Donaldson punctuated it with a bold home-run celebration that thrilled most Braves fans but also raised a few eyebrows. The trot-turned-performance art goes like this: Donaldson passes under first-base coach Eric Young’s outstretched hands, representing rain as he crosses first base, then pulls out an imaginary umbrella that he holds in his right hand until he gets to third base, at which point Donaldson acts as if he’s putting it away. When he gets to the dugout, pitcher Mike Foltynewicz hands him an actual umbrella, which Donaldson carries as he trots to the other end of the dugout, with his teammates spraying water as he passes. Reliever Luke Jackson is the one who thought up the umbrella part of the act, and in the bullpen Monday, he and other relievers pulled out another umbrella and crowded under it as Donaldson trotted around the bases. That’s the second time they’ve done that, although it wasn’t noticed the first time. Young came up with the idea of portraying rain with his hands. Donaldson was more than willing to partake in the evolving ritual, a 33-year-old veteran looking like a kid having a blast. “It wasn’t my idea; the other guys have kind of taken off with it,” Donaldson said. “It’s pretty cool. I like it. But there’s no way I could have ever came up with that.” Donaldson first simulated holding the umbrella with Young doing the “rain” after a homer on the road in mid-August. He then did it after each of the two homers he hit Aug. 25 in a win against the Mets at New York, where it first drew attention. The umbrella prop wasn’t added until he homered Saturday in a win against the White Sox. Josh Donaldson hit his 34th home run Monday. (Dale Zanine / USA Today) Braves manager Brian Snitker said he was looking the other way previously and didn’t see the umbrella until Foltynewicz handed it to Donaldson as he entered the dugout after Monday’s homer. “We’re not that far from Happy Gilmore running around the bases,” Snitker said, the look on his face indicating he almost certainly wasn’t too thrilled with the whole thing, but also that he would thoroughly assess the event before deciding what, if anything, he needed to do about it. When told what Snitker said about it being almost Happy Gilmore, i.e., a bit cartoonish, Donaldson smiled, paused and said, “It is. The bullpen guys, every day they want to do something. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel like we’re pushing the line a little bit.’ But at the same time, we’re having fun. I feel like it’s not something that’s on the field that’s disrespecting anyone. So, in the dugout and whatever … maybe.” Did we mention Donaldson is neither timid nor shy? That he’s the other extreme from timid and shy? This would be a good place to mention that. “He is (entertaining),” said Braves utility man Charlie Culberson, whose locker is adjacent to Donaldson’s at SunTrust Park, providing an up-close view of one of the most colorful and unique characters to wear a Braves uniform in decades, as well as one of the best players to wear one. “He has a lot of fun, which is pretty infectious for us in the clubhouse. He has his own personality. He is who he is; he’s unique. That’s what makes him pretty special, and he’s fun to watch play baseball, too. “He’s very, very good at baseball — and he knows it, too. I’ve learned a lot from him by being next to him. He’s, uh … I’ve had fun with it. He’s interesting.” Donaldson, who was the 2015 American League MVP with Toronto, could be an adult version of the fictional character Kelly Leak — if the rakish star of the “Bad News Bears” had been raised in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama and played at Auburn. And then there’s Freeman, who, before he was married, was the kind of guy parents wanted to have knocking on the door to date their daughter. But here’s the thing: They really aren’t entirely different. At least not when they’re in the clubhouse or the dugout or on the bus or team plane. In that environment, Donaldson is as big of a trash-talking ball-buster as most players will ever have as a teammate. “Oh, it’s 24/7,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said. “He don’t stop.” “Yeah, and you’ve got to give it back to him,” Culberson said. “It’s funny, I feel like the louder he gets, the better it is. It makes it fun. He brings a different element to the clubhouse, and I think he’s made a lot of people better, just being who he is and what he brings to the table. He’s obviously a heckuva ballplayer, and what he can do on the field shows why he’s an MVP. He’s super-confident, and that definitely helps him.” But you might be surprised to learn Freeman, of all people, can and does dish back just as well as he takes it from Donaldson. “Oh, I wear Freddie out,” Donaldson said with a laugh. “But Freddie wears me out just as much. I can’t get into everything we say. Freddie wears me out. Freddie wears us all out at times. He picks his spots. Which is good.” McCann, 35, and Ender Inciarte are two other favorite verbal sparring partners of Donaldson’s. They give it as well as they take it, and there is plenty going both ways among them and Donaldson. “Oh, me and Mac go on for days,” Donaldson said. “We’re like brothers, like, spatting. Me and Ender do it a lot, too. Ender’s sneaky. Him and I are always talking. Ender has a soft voice, but you can hear it everywhere.” Donaldson continued: “I haven’t really gotten on Ozzie (Albies). I get on (Ronald) Acuña (Jr.). I don’t know if he understands me. (Laughs) I think Ozzie translates for me.” Inciarte smiled and confirmed, “Yeah, I’m always messing with him.” At this point, we should note that most of what Donaldson and his teammates say when kidding, teasing and mocking one another can’t be repeated on The Athletic, much less in a family newspaper. But he starts talking trash pretty much from the time he enters the clubhouse and doesn’t stop until he exits a game. And some of his teammates quickly realized they could and should respond in kind. “That’s part of it. That’s part of being in a clubhouse,” Donaldson said. “Part of what makes our job fun, too.” He added: “What we do and say you’re not normally saying in a normal 9-to-5 office, probably. Or HR (human resources) is probably getting involved.” Freeman enjoys giving Donaldson a hard time. Loves the whole give-and-take with his loud and energized teammate, the guy who not only has made things better for Freeman, who hits fourth behind him in the lineup, but who’s also made the long season more enjoyable for all the Braves, on and off the field. “It’s so fun. Every day is an adventure with Josh,” Freeman said. “When he walks in, you just don’t know what’s going to come out of his mouth. It’s always in good fun, though. He’ll let you know — whatever he’s thinking, it comes out of his mouth. And it’s fun. It really is. And everybody knows. It’s almost like a comedy session. It just makes everyone laugh. “And that’s the thing — like I told you guys in spring training about B-Mac, about how having B-Mac in August, when you go through a (bad) stretch, he’ll bring it back and make you feel like you’re doing good. And Josh has been like that since Day 1. So when you have guys that can make you laugh when you’re going through a grind, it makes everything better. That’s what clubhouse chemistry is. People can’t quantify that.” “He gets on everybody,” Freeman continued. “He finds something. It’s funny. It’s good stuff.” Everybody? What, one wonders, could Donaldson have to say that’s disparaging to Culberson, one of the other nicest guys in baseball? No one has ever had anything bad to say about Culberson on any team he has played for. So, Charlie, what could Donaldson possibly get on you about? “Being too nice,” Culberson says sheepishly. “Which is OK. He’s probably right; I might be too nice sometimes.” Told what Culberson replied, Donaldson smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I say to him,” he said. “I find something about everybody. Which is good. Keep ’em on their toes.” Culberson said: “It’s fun. But he says some good stuff. He’s definitely got some good stuff. You have to think through it sometimes.” Culberson and Donaldson’s lockers are in a back corner of the clubhouse. They’re in close proximity before and after games. Culberson sees Donaldson come in wearing dark sunglasses and various baseball caps pulled low — an Oakland Raiders cap and trucker caps are in the rotation — with his designer black-leather backpack and his Air Jordan sneakers. (Donaldson has a unique style. It’s a calculated mess of cool.) Earlier in the season, Donaldson had a neon sign hung in his locker stall that read: “Zero fucks given.” Even in the morning before a day game, Donaldson can be relentless with barbs and jokes about teammates. Does Mr. Nice Guy, Culberson, ever feel like just telling him to shut up when Culberson hasn’t even had time to get caffeinated before the smack-talking ensues? “You’re just ready for it. You’re ready for it,” Culberson said. “But it’s good if it keeps you on your toes. He’s kept me on my toes this year. And he holds you accountable, too. I think it’s great. He’s been a lot of fun to be around. Yeah, he’s super-confident, and that helps him out as a player.” That self-assuredness is something Donaldson has always had in abundance, and it helped him become the player he is. And being around him, other players say, can help them, too. “He’s one of those guys that for sure he can make you a better player,” Inciarte said. “Not only with the stuff he says, but how he handles himself on the field. When we were in Philly after my first injury, and Nick got hurt, I’m about to go out to the on-deck circle, and he stopped me and goes, ‘Lock the … in.’ Like: ‘Let’s go. It’s your time now.’ He used a bad word in the middle of that sentence; I don’t want to say it.” (Laughs) What Donaldson said to him was simple: “Lock the fuck in.” Message received. “He’s that kind of guy that can tell you something and make you click,” Inciarte said. “And I looked at him, and I was like, ‘He’s right. It’s time to just click and start doing what I know how to do.’ Right after that, I hit a home run. I’m not saying it’s because of that, but just the type of person that he is, the type of comments that he can give you; he can make you tougher in your mind. “The more I play with him, the more I admire him, because not only is he a great player, but his energy and how positive he is when he’s going against any pitcher, any team, that’s the type of player you want to be around.” Donaldson is a leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year after missing more than 100 games last season due to calf injuries. He’s hitting .260 with 34 homers, 79 RBIs and a .910 OPS in 135 games, after hitting .246 with eight homers, 23 RBIs and an .801 OPS in 52 games last season for Toronto and Cleveland. If it weren’t for Colorado’s perennial Gold Glover, Nolan Arenado, Donaldson likely would be a strong candidate for NL defensive honors at third base, so strong has his work been in the field. Braves pitcher Dallas Keuchel, the AL Cy Young Award winner with Houston in 2015 when Donaldson won the AL MVP Award with Toronto, was asked what he has thought of Donaldson while playing with him for the past 2 1/2 months, after Keuchel signed with the Braves in June. “Unbelievable,” Keuchel said. “His .260 plays like a .280, .290, especially with the 30-plus pumps (homers) and a month to go. He’s just a total package. I faced him for seven years and hated going up against him because you never knew when he was going to unleash something on you.” In addition to his performance on the field, Keuchel agreed Donaldson’s confidence and presence also have meant a lot to the Braves as a whole. “Yeah, he brings the X-factor that this team needed,” he said. “I don’t think this team is the same without him. I don’t even know if I’m here without JD.” Freeman agreed with Keuchel’s assessment and said: “We wouldn’t be in this position without Josh, in first place. There’s a lot of people that you can say that about, though. But Josh sitting in the four-hole after he made the lineup change, being in there every day — day games after night games, no matter what — changes the lineup and just changes the course of games.” What he has meant for Freeman, who already has career highs in homers (38) and RBIs (majors-leading 114), is readily apparent, Keuchel said. “JD jokes a lot that Freddie’s welcome,” Keuchel said, “but that’s not only a big name; what he’s done in the last 2 1/2 months — he’s every bit worth that $23 million that he got.” Donaldson has played in 135 of the team’s 139 games, including 128 starts at third base, already more than most believed he could or would play in the entire season after health woes sidelined him to just 165 games combined during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Only 10 National Leaguers have played in more games than Donaldson this season, including teammates Freeman, Acuña and Albies, who have a three-way tie for the league lead with 138 games. “Ever since May, he hasn’t missed a game. That’s the key — being in there every single day,” Freeman said Sunday, after securing two homers and five RBIs while playing on a sore foot from being hit by a fastball the night before. “It doesn’t matter if you’re feeling good or not, just like today — I didn’t know I was going to do that, but just me being in that lineup and him being in that lineup, Ronald being in the lineup, it’s a presence that changes the course of the game. They have to make the perfect pitches on you; that’s a lot of energy to have to invest into that. And they might take a pitch off to the next guy, to Josh, and he’ll get you. “So that’s the little things in games that you win. Even if you don’t have a good game, they’ve still got to pitch you tough, and it might be able to help the next guy out.” The last time anyone started at third base for the Braves other than Donaldson was Austin Riley on May 10. Since then, Donaldson has started 89 consecutive games. “Last year was pretty tough for me because there’s not much more that I enjoy than playing baseball,” Donaldson said. “And getting to do it at a very high level, and playing with a team that is as good as ours is. … I’ve always appreciated the game, but you just appreciate it that much more, and you try to have as much fun with it as you can. I’ve put in a lot of hard work this offseason, and right now I feel like it’s starting to pay off.” For him and for the rest of the Braves, particularly Freeman, who has never had as formidable a hitter batting fourth behind him as Donaldson. (Donaldson was moved from second to cleanup May 10 when Snitker revamped the lineup, moving Acuña from cleanup back to the leadoff spot, where he thrived during the season half of his rookie season and has again this year.) “It’s been big (having Donaldson bat fourth),” Freeman said. “I’ve had a lot more righties left in (to face) me. I think that’s the biggest thing. Especially, like, I was hitting lefties before the lineup got changed, then I kind of went downhill on lefties because I wasn’t facing them very often. But my righties numbers were going up. And I’m OK with that because we’re going to face way more righties. “But I think that’s the biggest thing, is some situations where last year a lefty would’ve been brought in. Instead of doing damage, I would have done like I did in the eighth inning (Sunday): Just try to slide a single through. With having the righty stay in and be able to drive runs in, I can do more, damage-wise, because they’re leaving them in because he’s behind me.” The numbers illustrate what Freeman referenced: From Opening Day through May 9, Freeman hit .333 with three homers and a 1.022 OPS in 45 at-bats against lefties and .284 with four homers and an .862 OPS in 102 at-bats against right-handers. But from May 10 through Sunday, Freeman hit .220 with five homers and a .652 OPS in 100 at-bats versus lefties, compared to a robust .330 with 26 homers and a 1.115 OPS in 282 at-bats against righties. Donaldson stated his preference for batting second when he signed a one-year, $23 million free-agent deal with the Braves in November and again when asked about it during spring training. But when Snitker told him he wanted to make a change, Donaldson went along. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” Snitker said. “I told him, I think he had 18 opportunities to no runs in at that point in the season, and it’s just like, ‘This isn’t going to work. We’re not utilizing what we have in you with you hitting second.’ And he said, ‘Let’s roll with it.’ “I think it’s worked out. Getting him in the meat of that order has been really good. Because he has that mentality. He’s a cleanup hitter. You have to have a mentality to do that job, too. And he’s got the perfect mentality to shoulder that job.” Teams aren’t so willing to pitch around Freeman as they were in the past to bring up Donaldson. In past seasons, a far lesser hitter was usually behind Freeman in the order. Donaldson has 27 homers and 60 RBIs in 97 games from the cleanup spot, after totaling six homers and 18 RBIs in 31 games batting second. “I mean, that’s a guy that can carry you,” Snitker said. “The kind of hot that he gets is that hot that has the capability of carrying a team and liking doing it, too. That’s the thing with him, he wants to be that guy, I think is what makes him so good.”
I haven't followed baseball in a long long time but I do recall that the Yankees were always known for their hitting and the Dodgers were always known for their pitching and base stealing.
I already know that I'm going to hate how this season ends. Can't stand NY or Houston, and the 2 NL teams left don't stand a chance.
