Victory is fleeting...

I missed Biff Benedict Pocoroba's birthday last week, at the moment I believe he's still the longest Atlanta Brave ever to spend his career completely with the team (nine years). That surely will be shattered in a few years when Chipper Jones or John Smoltz retires. Anyway, on to the Teixeira days and truly we are now an offensive juggernaut but tonight's extra inning loss was a deeply bitter pill to swallow. Five extra innings of the Baby Prophecy, Chip Caray!!! Finally I just tuned him out. You can't turn off the volume completely because it's too detached and I need the crowd noise and Bobby Cox, eternally rooting for his guys. Anyway, I did witness the possible end of the Julio Franco era on Tuesday night but I hope they can find a way to bring him back September first. He showed he's still got the fire. I was really riding high until the final out tonight but I won't worry too much. If we score in double digits like we have the last four games then we'll be fine. Tonight, let me reiterate, really sucked. And now the injury bug paranoia is starting to creep up. This was supposed to be a happy occasion.

I read nothing but positive news from Falcons training camp now. What a relief. With both eyes open I look forward and see good things happening to begin the Petrino era. I can't wait for the first preseason game, which is just seven days away. And if you get a chance, watch ESPN First Take, which comes on in the morning and then they beat a few topics to death for a few hours. Mostly it's a bunch of preening idiots spouting opinions like conservative talk radio hosts. Don't watch too much of it, though. Just peek at the train wreck. Which leads me to... Thank God the Raiders signed Daunte Culpepper so they can stop speculating whether or not the Falcons would sign him. They said they wouldn't. Two minutes later, ESPN has someone say, "Will the Falcons sign Daunte Culpepper?" Then Chris Mortensen, a good reporter, comes on and says the Falcons will not sign Daunte Culpepper. Five minutes later, going to break, someone says, "Why Daunte Culpepper would be a perfect fit for the Falcons." AARRGGHH!! We didn't want him and said so. Repeatedly. He couldn't beat out Joey Harrington in Miami last year, why would he now? All the speculation was a thinly veiled way to say that the Falcons should sign a black quarterback to keep some of their alienated fan base happy. What a crock. Thanks God sanity prevailed.