Tag: Freddie Freeman

Marcus Mariota signs a two-year deal with Atlanta Falcons

Marcus Mariota will call Atlanta home for the next two years as he has signed on to play for the Falcons.

As soon as quarterback Matt Ryan was traded to Indianapolis, the Falcons needed his replacement and needed it quickly.

It appears Atlanta found the perfect guy in Oregon’s own and former Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

It’s being reported that Mariota has signed on for two years, which should give him a little stability and hopefully more playing time than he received in Las Vegas as a Raider. In his two seasons in Sin City, Mariota played in just 11 games and threw 30 passes. Before that as Tennessee’s QB1, Mariota put up good numbers, including throwing for over 3,400 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2016.

Mariota becomes the second athlete in just a week to replace an iconic sports figure in the ATL. Braves first baseman Matt Olson is about to replace Freddie Freeman, a World Series winner. Ryan played 14 seasons with the Falcons and led them to one Super Bowl.

Freddie Freeman penned a classy farewell message for Braves fans after Matt Olson trade

Freddie Freeman says goodbye to Atlanta.

When the Atlanta Braves traded with the Oakland A’s for All-Star first baseman Matt Olson, the writing was on the wall that Freddie Freeman’s time in Atlanta was done.

On the field, Freeman’s legacy for the Braves is undeniable. He had spent his entire career with the Braves, won an MVP, hit a World Series home run in his final at-bat and helped bring a World Series title to Atlanta. On top of that, he was a leader in the clubhouse and one of the more respected players across baseball.

So, there was understandably a lot to process for both Freeman and Braves fans. And on Wednesday, Freeman found the time to acknowledge that his Braves career was coming to an end. He took to Instagram and thanked Atlanta with a goodbye letter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbLPMpsJwcE/

Freeman wrote:

Braves Country

I don’t even know where to begin. For the past 15 years I got to be apart of your organization. It was truly an honor. We went through the very highs together and some lows but those lows is what made last year so special. You watched me grow up from a baby faced kid to marrying my love @chelseafreeman5 and seeing us bring 3 beautiful boys into this world. I’m so glad my family got to be apart of yours! To Snit, my coaches, teammates, training staff, clubhouse staff, and everyone who made Turner Field and Truist Park so special for my family and I over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been a blast to have you cheer for me and I hope I was able to bring smiles to a lot of your homes over the years. I gave everything I had day in and day out and I hope you guys saw that as well. Although our time has come to an end, I look forward to seeing and playing in front of you all again. When that time comes, I hope you remember all the wonderful memories we made together. I love you Braves Country! Champions Forever!

Love,

Freddie, Chelsea, Charlie, Brandon, Maximus

It’s going to be strange to see Freeman in a different uniform — that’s for sure. He is reportedly considering the Red Sox, Dodgers, Rays and Padres as potential destinations.

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Braves manager Brian Snitker was speechless when reporters told him about the Matt Olson trade

He knew it meant Freddie Freeman was gone.

Braves manager Brian Snitker knew that there was a possibility that Freddie Freeman would leave Atlanta. After all, Freeman was a free agent. That’s how it works. But he probably didn’t expect for the Braves to make a move that paved way for Freeman’s departure.

We could see that surprise on Monday.

The Braves and Oakland Athletics agreed on a blockbuster trade that sent All-Star first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta for a package of top prospects like Cristian Pache and Shea Langeliers. The trade almost certainly meant that Freeman was going to sign elsewhere, but what a time for Snitker to hear about the news.

The Braves manager found out about the trade while he was speaking with reporters who read off Jeff Passan’s tweet in realtime.

Braves gave up on re-signing Freddie Freeman with trade for Matt Olson and MLB fans were shocked

End of an era for the Braves.

From the moment the Atlanta Braves won their first World Series title since 1995, the focus shifted to re-signing first baseman Freddie Freeman. The five-time All-Star had spent his entire career in Atlanta, stuck through a rebuilding period and emerged as a World Series champion. He was the face of the franchise, and many around baseball expected him to stay in Atlanta.

That likely isn’t going to happen now, and shockingly, the Braves made the move to pave way for Freeman’s exit.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Braves and the Athletics agreed on a blockbuster trade to send All-Star first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta for a package that included three of the Braves’ top 10 prospects.

Freeman had reportedly received offers from the Dodgers and Yankees, and with this trade, it signals that the Braves didn’t think they were going to compete with the offers Freeman had out there. The trade for Olson — an Atlanta native who turns 28 in two weeks — also provided some cover for Freeman to leave Atlanta without facing backlash from fans. It makes it look like the Braves made the decision for Freeman instead of Freeman leaving on his own.

But wow, what a trade. No wonder baseball fans were shocked.

Braves fans need to calm down about Joe Buck’s call of Freddie Freeman’s home run

Joe Buck did nothing wrong here.

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Joe Buck, who I think is the GOAT of announcing, is used to having fans being upset with him for things he says while calling a game. He knows his name is always trending during games that he’s working and he knows that usually means people aren’t saying nice things about him on Twitter.

That was true again last night as Braves fans got really upset with Buck for his call of Freddie Freeman’s solo home run in seventh inning that gave Atlanta a 7-0 lead and was their final run before clinching the World Series in Houston.

Here was the call:

“1-1 pitch. Flies into left center field… well hit… back at the wall… it is gone! A home run for Freddie Freeman! How about that!? In what might be his last at-bat for the Atlanta Braves he just made it 7-0 with a shot into left-center field.”

The part they are upset about is when Buck had the gall(!) to make mention of the fact that it might be Freeman’s last at-bat as a member of the Atlanta Braves, a franchise he has been with since coming into the league in 2010. He’s going to be a free agent this offseason and last night very well could have been his final game with the team.

Joe Buck has a job to do and he did it last night. That job means telling the story of what is happening and mentioning that it could be Freeman’s last at-bat with the team was a big part of that story in that moment. I don’t follow the Braves all that closely and when I heard Buck say that about Freeman I immediately thought it was interesting and made the moment more impactful.

Joe Buck’s job isn’t to coddle a fanbase and shield them from a storyline they might not want to hear in that moment. That would be a disservice to all the other fans who are watching the game.

Buck made his comment, he commended the home run, and he moved on. There really shouldn’t be anyone upset with that. He’s a storyteller who told the right story in the right moment.

Instead, Braves fans should be a celebrating an incredible team and wild run that ended with an improbable World Series title.

Don’t be so sensitive about this, Braves fans!

Quick hits: Ozzie Albies becomes hilarious meme… NFL trade deadline winners and losers… Pippen rips Jordan… And more. 

– Braves star Ozzie Albies looking into the dirt cam at second base last night became a hilarious meme. That guy is too funny/cool.

– Christian D’Andrea looks at the winners and losers of yesterday’s NFL trade deadline.

– Scottie Pippen is not happy with Michael Jordan, at all.

– Steelers players hilariously trolled Mike Tomlin by wearing USC gloves.

– Are the new NBA balls the reason for early shooting slumps?

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Hottest batters entering World Series between Braves and Astros

The smart money is on these players to come through.

The World Series has finally arrived, bringing with it countless ways to make money betting on the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros, from which team wins Game 1 on Tuesday to how long the series will go.

For those looking to cash in on player props in this matchup, it’s important to know which players have been recently performing at a high level, as no sport is more streaky than baseball. Below is a list of which players have been the hottest throughout the playoffs, or even just the league championship series, prior to entering the World Series.

All good runs have an ending, so it’s always possible these players have let downs — especially depending on matchups — and others emerge as World Series heroes, but this should provide a nice starting point going into Game 1, with odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook.

 

MLB fans loved how Freddie Freeman responded when the Nats intentionally hit him with a pitch

Sportsmanship on display.

Wednesday’s game between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals easily could have fallen off the rails and turned into a hostile game of beanball. But fans can thank Freddie Freeman for putting a stop to that.

Tensions somewhat sparked during Tuesday’s Braves win when closer Will Smith hit Nationals star Juan Soto with a pitch. Smith and Soto have some history, and Soto wasn’t happy about getting hit there. Given baseball’s nonsensical unwritten rules, retribution felt inevitable. And the way Nats starter Sean Nolin handled that task could have been enough to spark a bench-clearing incident.

Nolin threw his first pitch high and behind Freeman. The next pitch hit the Braves star, and Nolin was ejected because, well, it was obvious. You can’t get two attempts there.

But look how Freeman responded. He cooled the tensions with some great sportsmanship.

Freddie Freeman went out of his way to check on a young fan who was hit by a foul ball

He also gave her a pair of batting gloves.

After years of watching fans sustain serious injuries from foul balls, MLB finally took league-wide action to ensure that stadiums expanded netting for the 2020 season.

And while the extended protection does help prevent the scary incidents of the past, baseballs will inevitably find their way into the stands and strike fans. That happened during Tuesday night’s game between the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates.

But you really have to appreciate how reigning National League MVP Freddie Freeman reacted to the frightening scene.

Upon seeing a young fan get hit by a foul ball that ricocheted into the PNC Park stands, Freeman walked over to an usher to deliver batting gloves to the girl who was hit.

The young fan, whose father was wearing a Braves cap, appeared to be OK. She was getting checked by stadium staff after receiving the batting gloves.

But it was a great gesture from Freeman to make sure she was OK and to offer batting gloves to somewhat salvage what must have been an unpleasant experience.

The Pirates would go on to win, 2-1.

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Jacob deGrom had some hilarious infield pointers for Freddie Freeman from the Mets dugout

Jacob deGrom, bench coach? It’s more likely than you think!

Jacob deGrom may still be injured for the New York Mets, but that doesn’t mean he can’t participate in baseball shenanigans. On Monday, during the Mets game against the Atlanta Braves, deGrom was seen hanging out in the New York dugout giving very serious position coaching to his opponent’s first baseman Freddie Freeman.

The Mets broadcast, SportsNet New York, captured a handful of moments between deGrom and Freeman over the course of the game, which included deGrom waving Freeman forward into a better position and telling the first baseman that a bunt was likely incoming.

Overall, it’s a hilarious exchange that lasted multiple minutes between the two in the midst of the game.

Given deGrom’s instant chemistry with Freeman on the field, Braves bench coach Walt Weiss better watch out or the 32-year-old pitcher may be coming for his job soon.

Hilarious stuff! Keep it up, deGrom, and you likely have a career in this business before long.

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Freddie Freeman homered right as the broadcast showed his emotional interview about Mother’s Day

What incredible timing.

Atlanta Braves star Freddie Freeman spoke openly on Sunday about how Mother’s Day used to be hard for him since his mom, Rosemary, passed away when he was a kid.

He added that the day has since become a happy one for him as he gets to celebrate his wife, his stepmom and all the other mothers in the Freeman family.

Freeman said all of this in an interview that aired during his third-inning at-bat in Sunday night’s Braves-Phillies game. He then made this moment even more special when he hit a home run while the interview was airing.

Check out this awesome moment:

I mean, what timing!