ATLANTA, GA – It’s a Braves New World out there and this writer is ecstatic to continue with ongoing coverage of the Atlanta Braves 2013 World Series Run.
Not only was Atlanta my pre-season pick (out of 30 teams) but it’s also my hometown which, I might add, has more Arby’s and Chick-fil-A’s than Manhattan has Starbucks. And there must be like thousands of these caffeine-dope dealing stores in mid-town alone!
To the naysayers out there… let’s look at the numbers. The Braves have the best record in the league at 13-2. Any short-lived, beginning of the season caffeine high would have worn off by now. Folks, this is legit.
Now let’s take a look at a few of the Braves… Justin Upton with “9” HR, also leads the league. And oh yeah… let’s take Chris Johnson and his .438 Batting average which –YES!! – also leads the league… and don’t forget about Craig Kimbrel who has 7 saves, which also (you guessed it) leads the league.
The starting rotation, with Paul Maholm, who has 3 wins – which also leads the league – (ok, to be fair he’s tied with a few others), has been great.
Conclusion: Both at the plate and on the mound, the Braves are dominating.
Who’s up next? The (7-8) Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend in steel town and then the (11-4) Colorado Rockies out west next week. Preacher Collins’ (I rock Third Person) predicts the Pirates to beg for Parley and the Rockies to be the first true test of the season next week. Did I mention that the Braves are undefeated on the Road (7-0)?
What else is going on? The NY Nicks open up at the Garden against the Boston Celtics on Saturday for Game
1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Expect Carmelo Anthony to continue his league-leading offensive performance (28.7 PPG) but questions remain about the overall health of the team. With star players like Jason Kidd and Amar’e Stoudemire listed as day-to-day and their core big men – Tyson Chandler (out) and Marcus Camby (day to day) this could be a tough series to win. And Boston has a lot to play for now so see them going hard from the start. A great match up to start the NBA Playoff season!
On another note…whats going on with Tim Tebow?? He’s getting dissed from every corner – old coaches, former teammates, sports broadcasters, and it now looks like the Jets might let him go next week during the April 25-27 draft. What the hey?? Not only does this writer feel ‘the Tebow‘ got a raw start with the Jets, but Preacher Collins smells a least one conspiracy here to keep Tim off NFL payrolls. Good thing for Arena football and who knows…even Lingerie football??
That’s all for Preacher’s Row folks. Be safe, be kind and be back here tomorrow for Cheesy Bruin.
