Does The Tin Man Have A Heart?

Looks like we have a new braves blog. So far, two great posts. ------------- I have a grand idea for the government to stimulate the sluggish economy: instead of sending every tax payer a check for a measly 600 bucks, why not just send a plea to Mike Hampton, asking him to go on a spending spree at his local mall this weekend, and inject into the economy, say, 1/3 of his earnings from the last several years. He will still have enough to buy a small island to retire to–er, again to–I mean. Couch the proposal in patriotic terms; the Braves are, after all, America's team. He has had a spring void of cataclysm: aside from a groin strain, he has pitched pain free and has posted one of the better ERA's on the club. But, of course, we have seen this before. Last year, when the Braves needed him more than ever to shore up a rotation that was left with no choice but to send Mark Redman to the mound with his two pitch repertoire of laughable change-up and god awful curve ball, Hampton's fragility reared its ugly head yet again and back to the pasture he went to count blades of grass. Or maybe 100 dollar bills. I am hopeful. Before the chronic brittleness set in, he was a fierce competitor and multifarious athlete–Bobby Cox has used him on more than one critical occasion to lay down a bunt or even swing away for an RBI. With the addition of 42 year old Tom Glavine to a rotation already boasting a 40-year old John Smoltz, Mike Hampton is merely the Cindy of the Braves Bunch. Despite his mettle seemingly being made of tin in recent years, we can only hope that 2008 will see his return to former glory, with the heart of a lion.