Thanks, Joe. That was some pretty darn good writing, yerself.

Mac was, and is, a piece of work. He'll be missed by a lot more people than his family.

I never met him, but feel a great sense of loss at his passing. Mac once did a series on the greatest X Braves which was very good, he asked for contributions of write ups for those that missed the cut. I contributed a piece on Pete Smith (who obviously just missed out) in which I embarrassingly forgot to mention his Braves career was essentially ended by a line drive off his head. Still, feels good to have been part of that place for so long.

Melky Cabrera is fat.

Braves Journal's essential problem was that it's hard to talk about stupid management that was so damned successful for so long, after being so horrible for the preceding decades. Mac may have been insightful and to the point in his criticisms, but he incitied a lot of ######## and moaning from his readers that I couldn't stomach for long.

Regardless, RIP to a critic who was highly successful for a very long time in a rapidly changing medium.

There was never any doubt that the Journal was "for Braves fans, by Braves fans." That was the real secret of Mac's genius over there. Never get confused about who the good guys are, or who the bad guys are. Never let past success dictate future idolization. Hold even Bobby Cox accountable for sticking with Jeff Francoeur for too long. Remind everyone that Melky Cabrera is fat.

Also, while it's easy to suggest that Braves fans at the Journal might ##### and moan more than their fair share, I'll argue that there's no fan base in recent memory who really understand what it's like to get thisgoddamnedcloseeveryfuckingyear just to have some schmuck from this year's model rip the ring from your hand at the last minute. Leave us to our ########, asshat.

I'll argue that there's no fan base in recent memory who really understand what it's like to get thisgoddamnedcloseeveryfuckingyear just to have some schmuck from this year's model rip the ring from your hand at the last minute

Considering you actually won one of them rings and they didn't (and you guys were the schmucks in question for one of them), I'd say the Indians fans from the same general time frame had a pretty good understanding of that concept.

Considering you actually won one of them rings and they didn't (and you guys were the schmucks in question for one of them), I'd say the Indians fans from the same general time frame had a pretty good understanding of that concept.

Yes, but they were all from Cleveland. God hated them already.

We had a different problem at Birds in the Belfry. For eight years, all we COULD talk about was the dysfunctional Orioles organization. You can only do that for so long, so we finally packed it up. I think it's easier to complain about things a good organization does that you don't like...though it does smack of 'ungrateful' a little.

Well, more than a little. :)

It's hard to write up "well, the O's still suck" year after year.

Leave us to our ########, asshat.

I was a Braves fan long before you were the twinkle in my eye, Sam.