Boo

Sometimes just a normal Monday night game during the first half of the regular season can turn out to be far more eventful than you thought it would be. The Braves beat the Pirates. The win combined with Philadelphia's loss in Arizona pulled Atlanta into a tie for the lead in the East. Nick Markakis tallied the 1,000th RBI of his career last night. And we had a little dust-up in the first inning...

A recent study performed at The Boo Institute (a not-for-profit think-tank based in Tennessee which is just me sitting around giving my opinions on everything) stated that trying to keep up with all the contradictory health reports that come out can drive a person crazy. Do This For Better Health reads the headline this week. Fast-forward a couple of months from now and the headline reads: Don't Do That, It'll Kill Ya! I went down the rabbit hole of trying to keep up with all of the latest studies and reports when I took up the whole health and fitness thing. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. Healthy living is rather simple so long as you don't complicate it. Take care of the big things first and listen to your body.

According to the radar, that foul tip was moving at 102 m.p.h when it hit Yadier in the sack. Damn. I don't have anything else to add....just, damn.

I've heard people say that the wisest among us are those who have dealt with the most pain. If that's true, that guy with the ruptured nut must be some kind of sage oracle by now.

Exercise and deep breathing got me through those moments when I felt irritable or let myself get all wound-up during the early days of the quit. I don't even remember the last time I wanted a cigarette but still use the deep breathing exercises I learned when I quit daily. Taking a little pause for the cause and breathing intentionally is just a good way to get yourself centered again. I don't want to make light of the flatulence situation, but I'm not really sure how much worse my farts were when I quit. Our sense of smell is improving at the same time our digestive system is adjusting. Not sure if the farts are worse or if they're just magnified by our improved ability to smell things.

I'm not proud of this, but I would chew some of that nicotine gum when I had to fly. Still remember being in that awful smoker's lounge in the airport (you remember...the place with the stained gray walls that smelled like the Devil's asshole) chainsmoking and popping pieces of Nicorette before boarding the plane. Being an addict is no way to live.

Welcome back Michelle. Freedom is right there in front of you. You just have to reach out and grab it. Go for it.

Welcome aboard Richard. Good call giving up the cigarettes. It takes a little time for the body to adjust to not being pumped full of toxins and carcinogens all day. That combined with the fact that when we quit we are reversing years and years of conditioning. I think we all felt a bit wonky during those early days of the quit. Worth every bit of it though. Those moments of discomfort early in the quit pass and when you settle into your new life as a nonsmoker, you will feel better than you have in years. Buckle up, knuckle down, and drive on.

Welcome aboard George. Congratulations on deciding to ditch the smokes. Commit to the quit. Trust the process. Enjoy the ride.

Last report I saw had Craig Kimbrel and the Cubs in agreement pending a physical. Good job by the North Siders to address their bullpen issues. Anthopoulos wouldn't budge on giving Kimbrel a third year and that took the Braves out of contention. I'm not crazy about how the situation was handled, but nobody in the front office asked for my advice. With Kimbrel off the table for Atlanta, I really hope the Braves aggressively go after Keuchel. The bullpen is still a concern, but the starting rotation could really use an anchor like Keuchel right now. Foltynewicz and Soroka look to be solid. Gausman and Fried have both been shaky at times. And Juilo Teheran is still Julio Teheran...you just never know what he's going to do.

Freddie Freeman hit a double last night, the 300th of his career. That makes him only the sixth player in Braves history to hit 300 doubles and 200 homeruns in his career. He joined: Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Dale Murphy, Andruw Jones, and Eddie Mathews. That's a damn fine club to be a part of. Atta boy Freddie!

The Braves have been on the clock to sign Keuchel and/or Kimbrel for months now. The first round of the draft is behind us now. Alex Anthopoulos will not be asked again to give up the second pick as a part of the compensation deal. It's time for Los Bravos to shit or get off the pot. I enjoy trade rumors to a certain extent, but patience is not my greatest virtue.

I don't think Chris Paddack will win Rookie of the Year. There's talk of the Padres starting to limit his pitch count more as he is coming off Tommy John surgery. Depending on how Fernando Tatis Jr. comes back from his rehab stint, Paddack may not even be the leading ROY candidate in San Diego. Also (and I'm not just saying this as a Braves fan) if the N.L. ROY is going to go to a starting pitcher, at this point Mike Soroka is having a better season than Paddack. As for Paddack's attitude, he seems like he may turn into Madison Bumgarner 2.0. A good pitcher, but so damn tiresome with the constantly being offended by something and playing the "red-ass" role.

Jokes aside...I realize that it is highly unlikely that Riley will continue to hit a homerun once in every eight at bats for the duration of a season. Probably not going to continue to average 1.3 RBIs per game either. How long does the hot start continue? Who knows. Now...with those boring realistic expectations put aside...I'm ready to go ahead and declare Austin Riley a first-ballot Hall of Famer right now! Just like I did with Ronald Acuna Jr. last season.

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone

Congratulations Ankush.

So...a drunk Yankees fan decides to get a tattoo. Nailed it!

Great job Linda. Hope you have enjoyed your time on the Train as much as we've enjoyed having you here.

Congratulations Abby.

Way to maintain the refrain Wayne.

Three years of freedom. Drive on Jillar!

Cool deal. I hate to ask, but can I borrow a few bucks? I need more swag in my life.

F*** the Marlboro Man and the horse he rode in on.