Our fan confidence poll is a nice way to track our emotions about the Atlanta Braves throughout the season, but occasionally it looks out of whack because the results are tabulated a few days after the poll opens. Such is the case with this week's results, which show a five-point rise in confidence as of Monday. If you'll remember back to Monday, we had just finished our sweep of the Mets, and had not yet watched our Braves get swept at the hands of the Phils.
That just doesn't look right as a representation of our feelings now. Though this is really a representation of our confidence prior to the last three games.
Let's take an end of week poll, which I obviously understand will be slanted and extremely panicky, but it will be a good way to gauge our sentiment of the team's chances right now.
0 recs | 48 comments
who here is done sucking gondees dick?
if you are going to be the head moderator on this site, you have a responsibility to be a leader…
the leader is not someone who falls into the mires of the followers.. you have a responsibility to be optimistic and encouraging…
not put videos up where you talk shit about the team and make a joke of our playoff aspirations
willlinn - September 24, 2010
Really?
Since this is an independent blog, not an arm of the franchise or a booster club, I think the manager can do/say what he wishes.
I, for one, choose a more positive outlook of the team. But, to each his own…
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
exactly to each his own
except the head of the site…
willlinn - September 24, 2010
Oh my.
sddbaker - September 24, 2010
What’s your problem? Someone spit in your Frosted Flakes this morning?
MBL1 - September 24, 2010 via mobile
If you can't laugh in the face of adversity from time to time
You’re likely taking things too seriously to the point of becoming detrimental.
A leader is also someone who aspires to not be delusional, too. Optimism and encouragement are positive attributes too, but there comes times when everyone feels a bit glum and discouraged, from time to time.
Relax, man. It’s what the players are trying to do when they play these tight contests, why shouldn’t the fans while just watching?
And no more fellating remarks. Those are just unnecessary.
royhobbs - September 24, 2010
i think you have a legitimate response
i dont believe in delusion or pretending like everything is better than it is..saying yea we will make it no question when its real tough spot… but i dont support the other side.. making jokes like, playoffs? playoffs? are you kidding? and jokes about choking (i dont think gondee made any of those though, but jsut as an example of a detrimental statement)
and let me tell you, i dont take things too seriously, my dog’s name is lila, which is sanskrit for “divine play” which basically means that the ups and downs are all part of the playfullness of the soul.. and it translates well into the tough and sweet spots of a baseball season.
fellating jokes…i just didnt think there was a figure of speech that said it better, maybe kissing ass? but ill apologize anyway.. the trickster in me was a little strong this morning after being saved by a golden wolf in my dream last night
willlinn - September 24, 2010
.....
I think you took the task of naming your dog a little too seriously.
/I’m joking.
//But still going, “Hmmm…”
Chopaholic - September 24, 2010
ahh see thats lila
willlinn - September 24, 2010
Man, and I had the Chris Webber time out picture all queued up and ready to go
Sometimes, that’s precisely what optimism is.
Sometimes, there are times when the mythical powers of “hopes and dreams” make it happen, and sometimes, when a predictable poor outcome happens. If you’re upset with gondeee’s mild remarks, I take it you don’t read some of the abysmal gates of hell statements that some other TCers have written?
royhobbs - September 24, 2010
hope, its the quniticential human illusion that is simultaneously the source of our greatest strength and greatest weakness… says the architect in the matrix haha.. he is dead on except the connotation of falsity in the word illusion..
so of course, hope is believing things are better than they appear, delusion however is pretending like the appearance isnt even bad…
and i do read the gates of hell statements other TCers make, and they drive me nuts, i really dont like it, but i cant expect any better from random fans… i do expect the head moderator to not indulge in pessimism… and by responding to his actions, i was hoping some of the other tcers would think abou ttheir own comments as well
willlinn - September 24, 2010
crude vulgar slurs – whether homophobic, racial, sexual, excretatory or whatever – really should be subject to immediate warnings and then bannings.
fandave - September 24, 2010
They are, actually.
Via the SBNation Terms of Serice:
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
my point is the mods’ discretionary, slack and/or non-enforcement of the policy should be re-thunk.
fandave - September 24, 2010
Who's to say that I didn't issue any warning?
I don’t hide the fact that I might give a little bit of leeway and benefit of the doubt in some cases, and yes, there are official rules and regulations in place, but I’m also still an ordinary guy who likes to think he uses a discretion first. It’s like we’re not supposed to cuss and make joking remarks in the professional workplace, but it still happens.
Furthermore, we’re all sports fans. Sports fans, as a collective, aren’t exactly known for being Mensa material, and some outlandish, potentially offensive things might be said; I know I’ve said equivalent or worse at ballparks or amongst my fellow sports fans, I will wholeheartedly admit, but I refrain from leaving it in writing.
In this particular instance, I’ve publicly admonished the offense, and maybe done such privately. It remains up to show that such behavior isn’t acceptable to others who might want to make some equivalent remarks, but if gondeee, or any other admins want to delete it outright, I’m not going to argue it either.
royhobbs - September 24, 2010
ive been warned, and i wont complain, but in my defense, i will say that the rule is probably about real sexual remarks, a statement about sucking someone off however, has little to do with sex in the way the phrase is commonly used.. does “mental masterbation” really have anything to do with sex? no..
that said, i very much appreciate roy hobbs statement about adding the human factor to rule intepretation and judgement.. without it we are lost
willlinn - September 24, 2010
Since your comment was a reply to mine, I'll reply in kind.
No one said you did, or didn’t, issure a warning. I appreciate your candor, and admission that you admonished the offense. Thank you. I was just merely pointing out in my previous comment, in response to fandave, the rules that we all agreed to in joining this site.
I agree with you on your position about joking and sports fans’ habits. I also don’t necessarily believe the offender, in this particular instance should be banned. I’m also up in the air as to whether or not the comment should even be deleted. Seeing something like gives you a pretty good indication of another’s attitude and other characteristics.
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
It's all good
I just wanted to explain my positioning, and my rationale in my decision making, in my oh-so-glorious position as a site admin.
Normally, this is where I’d post a picture of a group hug or something as visual evidence of our solidarity, but all the pictures I’m finding all have Troy Glaus or Melky Cabrera square in the foreground, and it just doesn’t feel right.
royhobbs - September 24, 2010
Completely understand.
Good job. I agree with you again, on all accounts.
Someone said it farily well, once:
;-)
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
I love TC
we can only hope there is reconciliation with those guys… I have long sensed that the teams struggles of late are comming from a groping at and loss of identity…with glaus on the bench, chipper gone, gonzalez at short, medlen gone, and the inconsistency concerning who is playing in left and center…
however the identity is solidifying…
I think many of us are reconciling with gonzalez at short and now that lee hit a grandslam and is really hitting well at first, i think we are beginning to accept him into the team identity… glaus needs to make a major contribution off the bench, and he will be incorporated into the team identity in this place and become our hope for an amazing world series DH – it will also help our struggles with identity at 1st to see him successful in this role..
we are solidifying ankiel as a defensive CF, stoked about Mclouth playing great CF, Diaz always hitting against lefties in left and cabrera always in center against lefties with mclouth and cabrera in against righties.. now that this identity is solidifying, we are ready to push for the post season…
and thats what we are all here for right? our excitement, hopes and dreams about the post season… so sorry gondee for defending my post season hopes like a lioness defending her cubs..
willlinn - September 24, 2010
Voted 8 again, as I have for some time now.
My confidence in the organization hasn’t changed.
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
My goodness...
I was about to type the same thing. Except I feel obligated to vote 10 to counteract the trolls.
sddbaker - September 24, 2010
Sorry.
Hope you’re not too scared being inside my head. I know that it’s a dark and scary place in there! :o)
Actually, I’ve noticed for a few weeks now that you, sddbaker, and I share a similar philosophy on the team.
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
Check out my new sig
TradeAndruw - September 24, 2010
7
I voted 7 on Monday saying I needed to see the Braves continue what they did against the Mets for another week before I went higher. 3 losses later, I’m still holding at 7. If they sweep the Nats, I might actually go up to an 8 on Monday.
The wild card is there for the taking for the Braves. All they have to do is win 4 or more games vs Washington and Florida then beat the Phillies (who will surely have already clinched the East by then) back in Atlanta. If they can’t pull that off, then it’s just as well they don’t make the playoffs.
(What is the deal with this site constantly logging me out the past few days?)
redwards95 - September 24, 2010
Se7en
Ok. So we got swept by a good playoff-bound team in its own friendly confines that pretty much jiggered its rotation so that it could go for exactly that. It almost didn’t work. Twice. So I’m not as bummed about the outcome as others around here are.
What we are left with is a four-team race for the Wild Card. I think we are the best team in the pack. Marginally. I rate my optimism for a playoff berth a six.
The organization as a whole gets an eight. We have a steady infusion of solid-to-great young talent from the farm for the next several years, including a number of pitchers who rate as elite arms. The front office is run well by guys like Frank Wren, John Scherholz (yeah, yeah, spelled it wrong), and I’m sure Bobby Cox will be there in some capacity.
Hey. It’s playoff time. I have to let that weigh on my mind somehow in this poll.
Chopaholic - September 24, 2010
anyone else feel...
that cox’s 2500th win was just destine to be at home?
Momentum is in wins, but its also in narrative… it hurt to lose, but it built the narrative, which has been one of the big things we believing in this year: cox’s last season, could be chipper’s last season, heyward’s first season, mccann getting us home field for the WS, 9 game loosing streak, 9 game winning streak, we beat every single division rival in sequence going into the allstar break…you know, these things..
willlinn - September 24, 2010
not to mention the come back wins
our season should be a macrocosm of what defines us as a team…comeback wins, we need to come back at the end of the season…. i could say more, but i dont want to deflate their power by making them conscious.. i think many of us have already thought about this one though
willlinn - September 24, 2010
(we are believing in)
willlinn - September 24, 2010
God I hope it doesn't come at home
That would mean we get swept by the Gnats…
BravesDawg16 - September 24, 2010
this
i hope he’s destined to make the playoffs in his last season instead
15ks - September 24, 2010
Y'all should be able to take two of three from us.
I think you’re looking at Jordan Zimmermann who hasn’t looked sharp, Maya who hasn’t looked sharp for the first two games of the series.
Plus it looks like Ryan Zimmerman may not play at all (from natsinsider.com):
souldrummer - September 24, 2010
5th highest voted number is 1
32 votes of 1 on the confidence scale.
We need a big week.
ATLandUNC - September 24, 2010
Concerning the "1" votes,
you have to take the “Troll Factor” into consideration. That being said, there sure are some pessimistic TCers these days.
Old Braves' Fan - September 24, 2010
They don’t like the thought of Heyward, Freeman, McCann, Prado, Hanson, venters, Kimbrel and Teheran leading this team into the future.
bighop - September 24, 2010
that is just too stupid.
this is a poll supposedly based on overall confidence in the oganization as a whole.
using that criteria, I am again right where I have been – 8 – and I doubt I can ever go any higher because as long as Liberty Media is the owner and squeezing our budget, we are competitively handicapped. I view this as our biggest challenge and biggest failing.
fandave - September 24, 2010
Liberty Media is absolutely an anchor holding the Braves down. Hope that changes while we still have some young controlled pitchers. Might be fun in a couple of years.
bighop - September 24, 2010
Sure we’d all like the Braves to have a gazillion dollar payroll like the Yankees, but the Braves have a big enough budget to field a team that competes nearly every year. Wren made a few free agent starting pitching signings that have really handcuffed himself. Hopefully in the future he will realize that a team like the Braves can’t invest a lot of money in a free agent pitcher unless it is somebody who is in his prime and dominating.
redwards95 - September 24, 2010
I’m sorry, but this is just flat wrong.
There can be no doubt at all that the Braves are at a huge competitive disadvantage because their budget is simply not adequate.
According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, here were the teams that had higher payrolls at the start of the 2010 season than the Braves – who were at $83M:
Yanks 213
RSox 168
Cubs 144
Phils 138
Tigers 134
Mets 126
Angels 121
WSox 103
Dodgers102
Twins 97
Giants 96
Cards 94
Astros 92
Mariners 91
Brewers 90
Rockies 84
So the Braves payroll was lower than 16 of the other 29 ML teams.
This is our biggest problem.
fandave - September 24, 2010
And yet...
is true as well. The Reds aren’t on that list. The Rays aren’t on that list, and neither are the Rangers. Including the Braves, half of the teams leading in the division or wild card aren’t on that list.
Four of the bottom half salaried teams have an absolutely legit shot at the playoffs. In an uncapped sport, that’s pretty astounding…
-C
cthabeerman - September 24, 2010
6. My lowest of the season
I generally sit between 7-9, but the way we played against the Phillies really doesn’t bode well for the team in my eyes. Playoff atmosphere in a packed house with fans screaming, and we get swept. Ankiel is looking worse everyday, Sea bass has no approach at the plate other than to swing at everything, and our inability to drive in some decent runs and put some HRs in the seats in that HR park. And I’m not saying the sky is falling, I’m still at 6, but how we play against the Nats and Fish will determine our season’s fate. I predict we’ll do well and my confidence will return.
murph35 - September 24, 2010 via mobile
10
This team is still making the playoffs, and if by some chance the Braves and Phillies meet in the NLCS, we’ll be ready this time.
TonyAlmeyda - September 24, 2010
5
You people voting 10 are silly… as are anyone that would vote a 1. Considering we are playing well below 500 ball right now… but our season and chances still remain above 500 I think 5 is right there in the middle. It’s the lowest I’ve voted but this team is not currently inspiring confidence.
SuperHeyward - September 24, 2010
I think you’re silly for voting based on how the team is playing when that’s not what the poll is for.
Silly boy.
sddbaker - September 24, 2010
agreed
the team has it in them to catch fire in the playoffs.. we are just now starting to find our roles after a clusterf*** of sorting htings out in left, center, and first base..
now that its pretty much sorted, we can move forward and move forward
willlinn - September 24, 2010
Why is the poll weekly?
Every week we have the same argument. It’s pointless to do a poll every week about organizational confidence then complain about people basing their vote largely on the big club’s play or percieved ability to make the playoffs. Do the poll monthly, or quarterly and/or base the weekly poll on confidence in the current team.
15ks - September 24, 2010
6
Sweeping that Mets made me feel warm and fuzzy, but it turns out that the Mets just really sucked. Getting swept by the Phillies sucked, but I managed to take a few positives out of it. Our starting pitching was pretty good, if you take away Minor’s bad start, it was really really good. The bullpen is still one of the best in baseball. The Braves were still managing to get on base, with the exception of Wednesdays game. I was really let down with the defense though, whats with all the errors? I will chalk it up to mental pressure, knowing you have to pretty much be perfect to beat their starting 3 in those games. I have said it before and I will say it again, until Ankiel is sitting and out of the starting line up, I can’t take Bobby seriously when he says they are playing to win. The guy sucks. I really dont want to see the Braves limp into the playoffs and get knocked out early due to non-hitting, so they better get cracking. I expect to go at least 5-1 the next 6 and I desperately want to go at least 2-1 against the Phillies to wrap it up.
HeyMikey - September 24, 2010
I’m having flashbacks to the 1967 White Sox, who went in to Washington needing to win one game and were swept by the Senators, knocking them completely out of contention. As of this morning, the Braves are a half game back in the wild card and, barring an amazing losing streak by the Phillies and an equally amazing winning streak by the Braves, the NL East is out of the question.
The story of the Braves this season has been when the pitching’s hot, the bats are cold, and vice versa, except for early in the summer, when both were hot. We got great pitching against Philadelphia, especially when you consider that two rookies (one pitching his first major league game) were on the hill, but lost all three because this team needs home runs to win and we didn’t get them.
Having said all of that, I gave the Braves a 7. I believe that this organization will win and that the Braves will have another World Series win in the near future. Just not this year.
John Holton - September 25, 2010
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