Atlanta

What more do you want from Chipper now? 

He now has the hits, he is a few RBI from 1,500, and he has the home runs. What makes these stats more special is that he is a switch hitter.

If, more like when, he reaches that 1,500 RBI mark, then he will be only the second switch hitter in baseball history to have that amount of RBI, as well as 2,500 hits.

Some people do not think he will get in because he doesn't have 3,000 hits, or he hasn't hit 500 HRs. But what he has done, I think, should easily get him in.

Heading into Milwaukee, I was feeling pretty good about the Atlanta Braves. Their pitching was phenomenal, their offense came off an 11-run game, and spirits for the team were high. 

They won a series on the road against a team that has given Atlanta fits in the past two years. It looked like the Braves would be able to open at home with a winning record due to their success against Milwaukee. 

Two years ago, Tommy Hanson was the pride and joy of the Atlanta Braves. 

A 22nd-round selection from Riverside Community College in California, Hanson was a product of the Braves' booming farm system and exploded on the scene in 2009 as a 22-year-old rookie.

Two opening days, two first at-bat home runs for Jason Heyward.

Last season, in what may have been the single biggest home run call of the year, Braves rookie phenom Jason Heyward went yard on his very first at-bat against Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs.

One year later, history and Heyward repeated themselves.

Heyward took a 2-1 pitch from Washington Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez chest high and belted it over the right field fence, extending the Braves' lead to 2-0.

On Thursday, March 31, baseball will make its long-awaited return with its traditional Opening Day.  It will be a day when fans just sit back, relax and enjoy the game before the divisional rivalries cause battles in the bleachers.  With the epic pitching matchup of CC Sabathia vs. Justin Verlander kicking off the season, it's sure to be a great 2011.

In other games, careers will be made while others may end due to injury.  Fans will laugh, cry and cheer as their favorite players have (hopefully), amazing first games.

Dear Mr. Wren,

I had a toy when I was a kid, perhaps you had one just like it. It was an octagon-shaped toy with various different shaped holes on it that you would put plastic blocks into to help you learn shapes.

Looking back on it now, this toy was a lot like building a successful ball club. You have all these pieces available to you, but each hole would only accept one block so you have to make the right decisions.

Atlanta Braves (2010 record: 91-71)

The Braves begin the new season without long-time manager Bobby Cox, who stewarded the team to a succession of 14 consecutive division titles (from 1991-2005, absent the strike-shortened 1994 season), five World Series appearances and a world championship in his 20-plus years at the helm. The 2011 season will usher in the Fredi Gonzalez era in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Braves finished the 2010 regular season with a 91-71 record, which was good enough to claim the National League Wild Card. They lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in four games with every game being a one-run affair.

New manager Fredi Gonzalez replaces the legendary Bobby Cox and has a roster that should be in the playoff mix again.

Let's take a look at player-by-player projections for the 2011 Braves based on the probable Opening Day lineup.

The Braves look to be on the right track with their performances in spring training so far.

Saturday's 6-4 win over the Mets flirted with a no-no for five innings. Derek Lowe looked on the right track with an outstanding outing.

Chipper Jones looked to be on the right track as well with a key homer in the game and suffering no knee pain at all.

The countdown has begun, and it is only 26 days to Opening Day.  

Every year, new players filter in and out of the league as they look to make a name for themselves in the majors.  

However, these particular players won't take long to cement their spot on their teams as we look at the top 5 rookies who will make an immediate impact for their team in 2011.

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