In the midst of Smoltz’s departure and the other dark clouds that have been surrounding the Braves’ front office the past 3 months, a beacon of hope for success in 2009 shone through on Saturday when the Braves acquired Kenshin Kawakami, the long-time ace of the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Pro Baseball (Japan’s MLB).  Kawakami will be used as a starting pitcher for the Braves in 2009 and for the rest of his 3-year contract.  This move somewhat solidifies the rotation, of which 3 members are now known (Vazquez, Jurrjens, and Kawakami).  So, what should we expect from Kawakami?

When it comes to Braves faves of all time, John Smoltz topped my list. But even beyond the Braves, he will remain my favorite baseball player of all time.

The off-season has not been what the Atlanta Braves had in mind when they entered the market with money to spend. With the fall-out of John Smoltz’s departure fresh on their minds, Atlanta agreed to terms with one of their free-agent pitching targets on Saturday, signing Japanese right-hander Kenshin Kawakami to a three-year contract.

Thanks to our latest contributor Grant McAuley for today’s piece.

ATLANTA — Veteran right-hander John Smoltz appears close to a deal with the Boston Red Sox according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. An announcement could come as early as Thursday.

This blog has a forum for Braves baseball now. Please join the discussion.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the first edition of: “The Launching Pad: Official Book Club”.  I’m going to try and keep this segment going for at least the course of the next baseball season.  That way, the time involved in making this logo will pay for itself.  Speaking of which, here it is:

It didn’t end with a trip to the ACC title match to be played in Tampa, but Paul Johnson’s first regular season with the White and Gold was capitalized today on a high note… a VERY high note thanks to a beautiful win in Athens today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. With the Winter Meetings rapidly approaching, much speculation exists about what would happen should certain scenarios play out. What if the Braves trade for Peavy? What if the Braves trade for Dye? What if the Braves trade for Cain? Well, we’ve played those scenarios out to wits end. One scenario I want to play out is, “What if the Braves make no trades this season?” What if they do nothing at all?

In 2008 Jair Jurrjens and Jorge Campillo both had very sufficient seasons. Jair Jurrjens was shipped to Atlanta in the Edgar Renteria trade before 2008 and going into spring training, Jurrjens was not expected to make the starting rotation. By the end of the season Jurrjens was the ace of the staff. Jorge Campillo didn’t even make the opening day roster in 2008, but was called up when Chuck James was sent to AAA after giving up 6 runs in 3 innings. Jorge Campillo spent a month in the bullpen before even making a start for the Braves and ended the season as the number 2 starter. They certainly conjured up great seasons. However, many people wonder if these seasons were “lucky” or a “fluke”. I am here to try and provide some insight on this subject.

Ladies and Gentleman, it is extremely cold outside and this Georgia native doesn’t like it one bit!  That being said, lets get to it.

It’s Monday, the middle of November and JB is feeling inspired.

Yes there was a lot to be downhearted about last year but here are some reasons to keep your chins up.