Hello Old Friend

Everyone has there first favorite player. Typically, the one you like above all when you first start taking your sport of choice seriously. Sometimes its a very established player that has been around for a while, other times it can be a younger player breaking through. For me, it was the latter.

I seriously started following baseball on a daily basis in 2005. I had watched baseball off and on throughout childhood, as my granddad was a big Braves fan, and went to games a few times a year, but baseball wasn't a part of my nightly routine. In 2005, something about the Braves youth movement, dubbed the "Baby Braves," got me really excited about baseball. During this time, a lot of fans were drawn into two players particularly: Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur.

From 2005-2009, Jeff Francoeur was my player. I'm sure some of you have seen my Jeff Francoeur collection and I'm sure some of you also know I was obsessed. Even through the struggles in 2008 and 2009, I was still a fan. I might have defended him a bit to much, but it still annoys me to see some of the bashing from a portion of Braves fans. It seems some that still trash him even though he's gone might have been bought into the hype and got burned when he didn't live up to expectations.

All that being said, I'm still a fan, just not to the extent I was. Why? Because I have to say, favorite player or not, I'm a bigger fan of the name on the front of the jersey, opposed to the name on the back.

However, I still respect what he did for Atlanta, and most importantly, making me into the baseball fan I am. So, here it is, my TTM from Mr. Francoeur:



2010 Spring Training TTM Success 6 of 20.
Scan Courtesy of Photobucket.com/atlantabraves

More Than I Bargined For?

Anyone who sends out cards to be signed through-the-mail knows never to mail anything in the mail you can't live without. Well, unfortunately, one or more Todd Redmond fans learned might have learned that the hard way, as not only did I receive back the card I sent him, but three others signed and one unsigned. Here's a look at two of the cards:

Todd Redmond 2007 Bowman Chrome Rookie Card

Todd Redmond 2007 Bowman Heritage Rookie Card


I didn't scan them all, as the extra two signed cards are the same as the above. For now, I have one of the Heritage cards spoken for(I had one signed a few years ago when I was lacking a Chrome card) but I might give away the others and keep one Chrome in my collection.

Anyway, Todd Redmond is a favorite farmhand of mine. Acquired in 2008 by the Braves in a Spring Training trade, he was shipped from the Pirates for righty reliever Tyler Yates. If I recall correctly, Yates was out of minor league options and was in danger of being the odd man out of the Braves bullpen. Enter Mr. Redmond.

I think the first time I saw Todd pitch was in the Southern League playoffs in 2008. That night, he pitched 8 scoreless innings in the first round of the playoffs against the Birmingham Barons. It was great to see post-season baseball again, as I haven't seen a MLB playoff game since 2005. The Mississippi Braves would go on to win that series and the next to become the 2008 Southern League Champions. He would also be named 2008 Pitcher of the Year by the Southern League. To top off these honors, he was named AA Braves pitcher of the year for their 2008 Minor League Awards Day.

2009 was not a kind year to Todd in the minors, but he did receive the honor of representing the United States in the 2009 in the World Cup of baseball. He shined with 3 wins and 17 strikeouts in route to the USA winning the World Cup.

Now, he is currently a part of the Atlanta Braves 40 Man roster. Hopefully, he'll bring good luck to the Braves this year in the form of a 2010 World Series. Seriously, 2008 - SL Champs, 2009 - World Cup Champs, 2010 World Series Champs. That'd be an impressive resume, whether or not he is a key player.