A Couple of Thoughts

CB Bucknor is terrible -- wildly inconsistent strike zone and wants to argue about it. The announcers of a Bucknor-umped game, whoever they are on any given night, never fail to take note of his erratic calls and pugnacious manner. Contrast this with Wally Bell, who umped second base tonight -- when Charlie Manuel argued a tag play, Bell never lost his composure, and nobody got agitated. Tact and self-possession, not defensiveness, are signs of a good umpire.

kc at Braves Journal notes that Chuck James is reminscent of Jimmy Key, an apt comparison. If James could learn a slider to bridge his fastball-changeup repertoire, he'll have an even brighter future.

Wilson Betemit can hit.