It seemed like yesteryear but was actually 11 seasons ago when Atlanta Braves skipper Bobby Cox replaced outfielder Andruw Jones in mid-inning for failing to hustle down a fly ball.
On Sunday, Cox refrained from yanking shortstop Yunel Escobar immediately after the latest in a string of physical and mental errors afield. He waited until after the inning to spare Escobar some embarrassment.
Yet, the quick hook by the manager lauded far and wide as a "player's manager" speaks loudly about the state of the Braves. Which is to say, they're the state of Arkansas nowadays. (Hey, I like parts of Arkansas, but you get my drift . . . )
When night descended Sunday, the Braves were back in fourth place in the NL East, looking up at the lowly Florida Marlins.
Chipper Jones has slumped below .300. Jeff Franceour is dangling as tiny, unappetizing trade bait. The pitching staff blessed the Baltimore Orioles with 19 runs in two games. Gwinnett's bonus babies, Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen, are acting their age.
And three games against the Red Sox in Fenway Park loom.
On Opening Day, the Braves looked like a contender. On this 15th day of June, not so much.
If this continues, maybe Cox should wave off the entire nine and put some guys out there who can produce.
What disturbs me (and I saw signs of this last year) is the lack of fundamentals. Bad baserunning. Bad fielding. Indecision in the field. These are signs of rot beneath the surface. Fundamentals used to be the hallmark of Cox teams. Even when we might lack talent, we outplayed the opponents. Now we seem to play to the opponents level. Losing series to the Pirates? C'mon.
Someone needs to throw some bats in the showers and start calling people lollygaggers.
I agree with most of the above, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. We're still a few weeks away from the All-Star break, for Pete's sake! A few things that bode well: McLouth, McLouth, McLouth! He's already producing in spite of initially being a little irked at being traded. Also, the NL East is no longer a slouch's division. Almost every team is a valid contender for the top spot (sorry, D.C. fans). On Escobar, yeah he's been very frustrating at times - what with the rookie mistakes - but we're talking about a guy with one of the best arms in baseball, and (along with Brian McCann) far and away the best walk-up music.