Hampton Out again!!!

Snap! Crackle! Pop! Breakfast time?

Nope, it's another trip to the disabled list for Mike Hampton.

Slated to make his first major league start since August 19, 2005 in the Braves' April 2 game against Pittsburgh, Hampton dejectedly walked off a bullpen mound at Turner Field after straining his left pectoral muscle. One day later the 35-year-old southpaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list, all-too-familiar territory for Hampton.

Atlanta's 2008 fortunes in a division packed with young talent will depend heavily on the output of its highly-touted starting rotation. With that in mind, Braves fans must be a little nervous after two of the team's prized hurlers, Hampton and Tom Glavine, who left Sunday's game against Washington in the first inning with a strained right hamstring, have been hobbled by early-season injuries.

Glavine, who has never spent a day on the disabled list during his storied career, ceded the baseball after just 16 pitches on a cold day at Nationals Park.

While Glavine and Hampton are not figured to miss significant time due to their respective maladies, age for both and Hampton's track record are causes for concern. Hampton has undergone two major elbow surgeries, which, along with a series of hamstring, back and groin problems, have caused him to miss nearly three whole seasons of baseball.

Said Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell, who was at Hampton's side in the bullpen at the time of the injury, "It was like Christmas Day got cancelled."

"I wish there was a miracle cure," said Hampton. "But I just want to get this thing taken care of and get it ready. I want to be on the DL [disabled list] the least amount of time as possible and I want to be out there pitching as soon as possible."

Hampton, in the final year of an eight-year, $121 million contract, is understandably down. However, the light at the end of the tunnel may be within reach. Whether or not you're a fan of the Braves, you can't help but pull for this guy.

Will he make it back? Stay tuned...

Spiezio Let Go From Braves

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The Atlanta Braves on Saturday released veteran utility man Scott Spiezio from his minor league contract at Class AAA Richmond of the International League.
Spiezio's release comes five days after he was sentenced to three years probation in a California courtroom. The 35-year-old earlier had pleaded guilty to charges of drink-driving and hit-and-run.
Released by the St Louis Cardinals on February 27, Spiezio signed a minor league deal with the Braves on March 31.Released by the St Louis Cardinals on February 27, Spiezio signed a minor league deal with the Braves on March 31.
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"When we signed Scott it was our hope, based on our meeting with him and from the work he had already done in his treatment, that he was heading in the right direction," Braves general manager Frank Wren said.
"Unfortunately, it is now apparent that he needs more time devoted to getting his personal life in order."
On December 30, Spiezio crashed his car about 200 yards from his condominium in Irvine, California.
Responding officers discovered that a 2004 BMW registered to Spiezio had smashed into a curb and fence. The driver of the vehicle was seen running from the scene.
According to a police report, a follow-up investigation located a neighbour of Spiezio's who told officers he was assaulted by Spiezio immediately following the collision.
Spiezio has a history of substance-abuse problems. Last season, the Cardinals placed him on the restricted list so that he could be treated for a chemical dependency. He returned to the team in September.
Spiezio has appeared in 1274 career games with four different clubs since 1996, owning a .255 career batting average, 119 home runs and 549 RBI.

Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer suspended for HGH use

Outfielder Jordan Schafer, the top prospect in the Atlanta Braves' farm system, was suspended for 50 games Tuesday by the baseball commissioner's office, which said he used human growth hormone in violation of the sport's minor league drug program.

The 21-year-old Schafer, ranked as the No. 25 prospect overall this year by Baseball America, is projected to take over in centre field for the Braves in 2009. He got his first taste of the big league club this spring as a non-roster invitee.

"We are extremely disappointed that Jordan has violated the commissioner's performance enhancing drug policy," Atlanta general manager Frank Wren said in a statement issued in Colorado, where the Braves were facing the Rockies. "We are supportive of the program and will continue to educate all of our players."

Schafer was batting .091 (1-for-11) for the Double-A Mississippi Braves of the Southern League. He batted .312 at Class A last year with 15 homers and 63 RBIs for Rome of the South Atlantic League and Myrtle Beach of the Carolina League.

"Earlier today, Jordan asked to speak to his teammates to apologize for the mistakes he has made and for letting the organization and his team down," Wren said. "During his suspension, we will continue to support and counsel Jordan."

Schafer became the fourth player suspended this year under the minor league program, following St. Louis pitcher Scott Vander Weg (positive test), Kansas City Royals pitcher Jacob Rodriguez (failure to test) and Chicago Cubs pitcher Robert Hernandez (positive test).

There were 30 suspensions last year under the minor league program and eight under the major league plan.

Schafer impressed in his first camp with the big league club, hitting .316 (12-for-38) with four doubles, six RBIs, a team-high three sacrifice flies and a .421 on-base percentage before he was sent back to the minors March 22.

He's considered the centre fielder-designate for a team that had perennial Gold Glover Andruw Jones manning the spot for the past decade.

Jones became a free agent after last season and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves then acquired Mark Kotsay from Oakland, but he's in the final year of his contract and isn't expected to re-sign with Atlanta, clearing the way for Schafer to take over in 2009.

The youngster's defensive skills are already good enough to play at the big league level, but the Braves feel he needs at least another full year in the minors to further develop his hitting.

Schafer's drug suspension could certainly push back that timetable. He'll miss about a third of the season.

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!

Ahhh yes! I can hear the voice of Harry Carey now!
Cubs took the series from the Astros thanks to the
big bat of Derek Lee.Lee smashed two dingers in
a typically nerve wracking Cubbies game.
Carlos Zambrano looked good,going 7 innings
allowing 2 runs on 7 hits...GO CUBS!!

John Smoltz going onto 20th year with Atlanta Braves

Smoltz to start for Braves on Sunday
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves activated ace John Smoltz off the 15-day disabled list to start against the New York Mets on Sunday.
Tom Glavine was supposed to get the nod, but the first game of the weekend series was rained out on Friday. That led manager Bobby Cox to tweak the rotation, moving Smoltz to Sunday's contest against New York's Johan Santana.
Smoltz began the season on the DL with tightness in his back, and will pitch Sunday to avoid having to make his first start in Colorado, where it's likely to be cold.
I'm not afraid of any situation," Smoltz told the team's website. "It's just that I've got to do what's best, and what's best for me is what's going to be best for the team. If this were July, it wouldn't even be an issue."
Smoltz had just one spring outing against big league competition, allowing four hits and five runs -- three earned -- in 4 2/3 innings.
To make room for Smoltz on the roster, the Braves optioned pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes to their Triple-A affiliate in Richmond.

Braves May Still Have Formitable Bullpen

Braves score at least 10 runs for third time in 5 gamesBy CHARLES ODUMAP Sports Writer

ATLANTA The Atlanta Braves are only 2-3, but they've already shown signs of having a potent lineup.
If the article you are looking for does not appear on this page, With Saturday's 11-5 win over the New York Mets, the Braves have scored 10 or more runs in three of five games. They lost to Pittsburgh 12-11 in 12 innings on Monday and then beat the Pirates 10-2.On Saturday, Chipper Jones had three hits for the second straight game and is hitting .478. Jeff Francoeur had three hits and drove in three runs, and Mark Teixeira shook out of an early slump with two hits. Mark Kotsay also had two hits.The Braves had 15 hits and drew five walks."The lineup came through big-time," said manager Bobby Cox. "A lot of runners on, a lot of chances to score today and we picked them up."It's a great middle of the lineup. It doesn't get much better than that. Everybody in the lineup is good. There are no easy outs."Pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson had the biggest hit, a pinch-hit grand slam that broke open a close game in the seventh inning."It was a nice game to come together like that," Johnson said. "Our whole offense came together with some hitting."The Braves have a .296 team batting average, and their offense will face a stiff test on Sunday against Mets ace Johan Santana.---JOHNSON ALMOST READY: Johnson ran sprints in the outfield Saturday and said he's ready to play. Johnson, the regular second baseman, was held out of the starting lineup for the third straight game before delivering the pinch-hit grand slam.The pinch-hit was Johnson's first appearance since leaving Monday's game in the fourth inning with a sore right knee. Trainer Jeff Porter watched as Johnson ran before the game."I'm not gonna say it's perfect right now but I can definitely play," Johnson said. "I told Porter I could play. There's no doubt."Cox stuck with Martin Prado as the starting second baseman for the third straight game."Let's give him another day and see what happens," said Cox of Johnson. Even after watching the grand slam, Cox said he'd wait to pick his starting lineup on Sunday.Johnson said Friday he was hoping for dramatic improvement, and he said Saturday he felt a "huge" difference in the knee."I didn't think I could go past a jog (Friday)," he said.Even while he couldn't play, Johnson said he has hit "a ton" in the batting cage."It doesn't hurt to hit or throw," he said."I was glad to be ready when called on. It felt pretty good to have a good at-bat after not playing for so long."---FIRST STEAL: Fill-in starting second baseman Martin Prado stole second base in the second inning, giving the Braves their first steal in five games. It was Prado's first career stolen base and his first attempt.---PROBABLES: With Saturday's decision to push back Tom Glavine one day and have John Smoltz make Sunday's start, here are the pitching matchups for the Braves the next three days: Smoltz against Santana on Sunday, Glavine against Colorado's Aaron Cook on Monday and rookie Jair Jurrjens against Ubaldo Jimenez on Tuesday.

Roger Clemens attends sons season opener.

A famous name is playing for the AVS this season. Roger Clemens' son Koby is the catcher.

Fans welcomed Koby to Salem Friday with open arms.

"It's really exciting because I've seen him on TV and I've checked out his stats, and they're really impressive," said fan David Dillard.

The Rocket himself was also at the game Friday night.

News7's Justin McLeod found Roger Clemens in the gift shop just before the game. He went up to him and asked for an interview. Clemens politely declined saying he may do one next week, which may be an indication that Clemens plans to be here for awhile.

Clemens signed plenty of autographs. When he came out of the gift shop, he remarked to us-- now that he had an Avs hat, he was ready to go.

"No, it never hurts to have a big name like that," said general manager John Katz.