One of the players who could possibly plug two holes for Atlanta, left-field and leadoff, is reportedly about to sign with San Francisco. Outfielder Dave Roberts is nearing a three-year deal that would pay him between $5 and $6 million per year and reunite him with former San Diego manager Bruce Bochy. There were never really any rumors about Roberts coming to the Braves, and no indication that the two parties ever talked about bringing the well-traveled outfielder to Atlanta. There were, however, a lot of people in the press and blogosphere who believed that Roberts would have been a good fit for the Braves, me being one of them. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin, who also lost out on Roberts, lays out the main reasons for Roberts going to San Fran:
The Giants were apparently also in the running for free agent slugger Carlos Lee, and even offered him more money than the Astros offered, but were apparently rebuffed. That was probably due to the short left-field porch in Houston which is better suited to right-handed hitters, as opposed to the "Phone Booth" in San Francisco which is better suited to left-handed hitters.
The Red Sox are apparently close to a deal with former Brave J.D. Drew which might make Manny Ramirez expendable. The Boston Herald has these thoughts:
You could also look at that from the other side if you're the Braves; that Ramirez's availability could hinder any possible trade market for Andruw Jones.
Fellow SBN blogs Dawg Sports and Ramblin Racket are all set for the big game today. T. Kyle King has a breakdown of the match-up between the two teams at Dawg Sports, where he has scientifically determined that Georgia will win:
In the previous six seasons in which the 'Dawgs beat the Plainsmen yet were beaten by the Commodores, Georgia was 5-0 against Georgia Tech.
My Prediction: Georgia 21, Georgia Tech 17.
Over at the "Racket," GTMcKinley rehashes the old argument between the two schools about their all-time record, but in the end seems to make a better case for the Dawgs than for Tech. Meanwhile, RacketMan is planning on heading up to Athens for the diversions as much as football. What a pity that Techies have to travel to enemy territory to "game on hotties."
Anyone want to guess what school I went to? Go Dawgs!