A four game series in Atlanta vs. the Mets turned into just a three gamer due to a rain out and New York easily took the rubber match on Thursday afternoon, 16-4. David & Eric begin with the Braves offense that is pacing MLB so far in production despite Ronald Acuña's Jr. slow start at the plate. However, Jarred Kelenic has continued hitting well and his average is at .462 on the young season.

Despite ominous forecasts, the Braves and White Sox were able to play two of the three originally scheduled games in Chicago. David was on hand for both games and wisely planned his trip home based upon the impending weather for the series finale. He & Eric discuss why it seems the Braves rarely if ever start the season at home even though they have significantly better weather than most other cities this time of year.
(08:30) David was very impressed by the White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, who earned the win on Tuesday night.

Despite ominous forecasts, the Braves and White Sox were able to play two of the three originally scheduled games in Chicago. David was on hand for both games and wisely planned his trip home based upon the impending weather for the series finale. He & Eric discuss why it seems the Braves rarely if ever start the season at home even though they have significantly better weather than most other cities this time of year.
(08:30) David was very impressed by the White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, who earned the win on Tuesday night.

The Braves opened the season by taking two out of three games in Philadelphia. David (Live from his hotel in Chicago) & Eric begin by discussing the crummy weather that is expected for the upcoming three game series at the White Sox.

(02:30) Sunday was a 5-4 defeat, but Chris Sale showed a lot to be happy about in his initial outing (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks). Hear reaction to how Sale already lived up to the reputation of his fiery demeanor.

(12:15) Atlanta's offense had a might start to the year by scoring 21 combined runs in the pair of victories. Michael Harris II came through with a trio of hits on both Friday and Saturday, including a homer. Jarred Kelenic also impressed in his first games as a Brave as he collected four hits in Philadelphia.

(18:35) Jesse Chavez earned the victory on Saturday after Max Fried was pulled in the 1st inning. Chavez was cut by the White Sox during Spring Training and is now in his fourth stint with the Braves.

(21:40) Strider vs. Wheeler was on Friday and each came away with a no decision. Strider struck out eight Phillies in only 5 IP.

(27:30) Chadwick Tromp (catcher) was called up from Gwinett over the weekend after Sean Murphy landed on the 10-day IL due to a strained left oblique muscle.

(32:00) Philadelphia's loud crowd went from booing the Braves to jeering their own team after falling behind early Friday and Saturday. Orlando Arcia had a happy returned to Citizens Bank Park as he totaled with three hits in both victories.

(40:00) If the weather cooperates on Monday then Charlie Morton will take the mound vs. the White Sox at 2:10pm Eastern.

**This episode is sponsored by Joe Van Gogh Coffee's "Blend #44". Visit https://joevangogh.com/ for more information.

The Braves didn't open up their season on Thursday as originally scheduled as it was pushed to Friday afternoon instead due to weather. David (Live from Philadelphia) & Eric discuss how the bright side is that they avoid having the awkward day off in between Games #1 & #2 of the series vs. the Phillies.

(05:00) "The Athletic" ranked the position player tiers for the top 100 guys this season while as part of the coverage to preview the new season. "Tier 1A" has five elite players and not surprisingly led by Ronald Acuña Jr. and dropping down a few pegs in "Tier 2B" from the Braves were Matt Olson and Austin Riley. https://theathletic.com/5372801/2024/03/28/mlb-position-player-tiers-rankings/

(19:00) Matt Olson is coming off a historic season where he set multiple franchise records. David puts in perspective just how astounding his numbers have been since his career began in 2017.

(30:00) Guess how many pitchers last season threw over 100 MPH? How many of them pitched for Oakland? https://theathletic.com/5370030/2024/03/27/mlb-2024-season-numbers-facts/

(51:00) The hosts run through some season predictions including division winners, who will make the World Series, MVP, and Cy Young winners.

Believe it or not, but next week is Opening Day as the Braves announced that Spencer Strider will take the mound in Philadelphia against Zack Wheeler on March 28th. David & Eric say why they agree with the decision as opposed to giving the honor to Max Fried for the fourth consecutive year. They then lay out what they expect the rotation to be for initial road trip at the Phillies and then the White Sox.

(12:00) Reynaldo Lopez was named the 5th starter as opposed to Bryce Elder. Lopez signed a three year deal in November and last season pitched entirely out of the bullpen. His most recent start came back with the White Sox in June of 2022.

(20:40) The Braves got an early jump on the final roster before Spring Training wraps up this weekend. The final bench spot went to Forrest Wall and David Fletcher was sent to Triple-A Gwinett. Wall is a twenty-eight year outfielder who made his MLB debut last summer and stole over 40 bases in each of the last two seasons in the minors.

(24:00) A familiar name is returning to Truist Park as Adam Duvall surprisingly signed a one year deal with Atlanta. Duvall is in his mid-30s and his Free Agency saga is representative of what many veterans have dealt with this offseason. Eric explains why he thinks this current trend is a mistake for the sport.

(38:00) A rundown of how the bullpen is shaping up for Opening Day. Among the relievers is Pierce Johnson, who the Braves traded for from the Rockies last summer. Tyler Matzek and Dylan Lee will begin the season in Atlanta while Ken Giles will first pitch in the minors and is expected to get called up later in the season.


**Join us Thursday evening at approximately 10pm Eastern on our YouTube channel "755 Forever" as we react to Opening Day

David & Eric welcome on one of the great catchers in Braves history, Brian McCann, who appeared in seven All Star games and won six Silver Slugger Awards. They begin with his thoughts on how Atlanta stacks up with Los Angeles and Philadelphia in the National League pecking order. This leads to Brian's observations on the ill effects of the long layoff between the regular season and Division series as he recalls returning to the field after the All Star break.

(10:00) McCann shares the best highlights of his career. He and Eric were teammates with the Braves from 2009-2013 and remember their fond collective memories from the clubhouse. Hear about his first big Postseason in his rookie season against an all time great pitcher.

(29:45) Full discussion about the unforgettable evening when McCann and Carlos Gomez famously got into it in between third base and home plate in September of 2013. Brian explains what happened that night and why he has been unfairly tagged with the reputation as being a member of the "Fun Police".

(43:00) "BMac" talks about the Braves loaded lineup and all the challenges that they present. This includes a conversation on just how special Ronald Acuña Jr. truly is.

(50:00) The best player Brian McCann ever played with and an explanation as to why that is his choice.

(57:30) Just how hard is it to face Chris Sale, especially as a left handed hitter?

Braves Country woke up to good news on Tuesday morning as the team announced that Ronald Acuña Jr. will not miss extended time after a closer look at his right knee and that is only meniscus irritation. David & Eric discuss what the rest of Spring Training will look like for the MVP.

(08:30) Acuña's injury scare spurred criticism on players like him that participate in "Winter Ball" in their native countries during the MLB offseason. Ronald played in the Venezuelan Winter League for about a month recently and Eric points out why that can be better for a player as opposed to "taking it easy" in the winter time. David explains why it is such a draw for some players to play back home in between the World Series and Spring Training.

(23:00) Hear what David thinks are the 3 most important things to happen for the Braves in this Spring Training (not related to Acuña). Hint: It has a lot to do with pitching, both starting and relief.

(34:00) Get to know David Fletcher, a utility infield option that Atlanta traded for in December. Fletcher was considered to have a bad contract on the trade market, but has shown signs of optimism so far.

(42:00) The conversation careens into the best pitchers they've seen in the past few decades. Can Spencer Strider reach that echelon?

David is down in Florida and relays to Eric what he's seen so far as "Pitchers & Catchers" (and some hitters too) reported to Spring Training. The competition for the back end of the rotation is crowded and the locker layout in the clubhouse is indicative of it.

(13:40) Many guys reported to camp earlier than required and that has been a major change that David has noticed from the beginning of his career. Eric explains what led to to shift and why nobody anymore reports overweight around March 1st.

(18:45) Get a sense of clubhouse politics in Spring Training among the players and how every franchise is unique behind the scenes (Hint: it sounds quite similar the 1st day of school).

(26:30) Alex Anthopolos met with the media down in Florida and largely deflected questions surrounding Max Fried's future. Listen to David handicap Max's situation as he enters camp in the final season before Free Agency.

(37:00) A look at the deep bullpen within the organization and the additional left-handed options. A.J. Minter was at times the lone southpaw in the 'pen last season and it resulted in appearing in 70 games.

(47:00) AA concedes that the bench remains unsettled and lends an explanation as to why that is still the case. As it relates to this conversation, its important to note that Matt Olson played 162 games in 2023, with Ronald Acuna Jr. & Austin Riley just behind at 159 games.

David is down in Florida and relays to Eric what he's seen so far as "Pitchers & Catchers" (and some hitters too) reported to Spring Training. The competition for the back end of the rotation is crowded and the locker layout in the clubhouse is indicative of it.

(13:40) Many guys reported to camp earlier than required and that has been a major change that David has noticed from the beginning of his career. Eric explains what led to to shift and why nobody anymore reports overweight around March 1st.

(18:45) Get a sense of clubhouse politics in Spring Training among the players and how every franchise is unique behind the scenes (Hint: it sounds quite similar the 1st day of school).

(26:30) Alex Anthopolos met with the media down in Florida and largely deflected questions surrounding Max Fried's future. Listen to David handicap Max's situation as he enters camp in the final season before Free Agency.

(37:00) A look at the deep bullpen within the organization and the additional left-handed options. A.J. Minter was at times the lone southpaw in the 'pen last season and it resulted in appearing in 70 games.

(47:00) AA concedes that the bench remains unsettled and lends an explanation as to why that is still the case. As it relates to this conversation, its important to note that Matt Olson played 162 games in 2023, with Ronald Acuna Jr. & Austin Riley just behind at 159 games.

David is down in Florida and relays to Eric what he's seen so far as "Pitchers & Catchers" (and some hitters too) reported to Spring Training. The competition for the back end of the rotation is crowded and the locker layout in the clubhouse is indicative of it.

(13:40) Many guys reported to camp earlier than required and that has been a major change that David has noticed from the beginning of his career. Eric explains what led to to shift and why nobody anymore reports overweight around March 1st.

(18:45) Get a sense of clubhouse politics in Spring Training among the players and how every franchise is unique behind the scenes (Hint: it sounds quite similar the 1st day of school).

(26:30) Alex Anthopolos met with the media down in Florida and largely deflected questions surrounding Max Fried's future. Listen to David handicap Max's situation as he enters camp in the final season before Free Agency.

(37:00) A look at the deep bullpen within the organization and the additional left-handed options. A.J. Minter was at times the lone southpaw in the 'pen last season and it resulted in appearing in 70 games.

(47:00) AA concedes that the bench remains unsettled and lends an explanation as to why that is still the case. As it relates to this conversation, its important to note that Matt Olson played 162 games in 2023, with Ronald Acuna Jr. & Austin Riley just behind at 159 games.

David & Eric welcome in their first guest to "755 Forever", C.J. Nitkowski. C.J. will be the newest addition to the Bally Sports South stable of broadcasters after spending the past six seasons behind the mic in Texas. C.J. pitched in The Big Leagues for over a decade and was on the mound for the Braves in 2004 as he shares his fond memories of playing under Bobby Cox.

(15:30) They dig into the seemingly stacked Atlanta bullpen heading into Spring Training. Tune in for his optimistic outlook on Aaron Bummer, who was traded for in December from the White Sox. They also touch upon the recent addition of Ken Giles, reliever who the Braves signed last week to a minor league deal.

(32:00) C.J. shares his perspective on Jarred Kelenic and what to expect from the new outfielder. He points out some of the hurdles he faced in Seattle, including overlapping with the emergence of Julio Rodriguez.

(40:00) A discussion on Charlie Culberson and his attempt to pivot to reliever in his mid 30's. C.J. explains why believes in guys giving it every last chance to keep on their spikes.

(44:35) C.J. explains his path in media after finishing his playing career. He has over a decade of experience in both national and local broadcasts.