at long last

Baseball fans are in heaven today. The desolate weeks of winter are officially over: Spring training games have begun. The Braves are playing the Tigers on XM radio at this very moment. They have two on with two out in the top of the first. Former Mississippi Brave Jeff Francoeur is up – and he bounces out to end the inning. Hope that’s not an omen, Braves fans. A big issue in Atlanta camp after the signing of free agent Garret Anderson is what happens to former M-Braves Brandon Jones and Gregor Blanco in a crowded outfield. Jones had a tough year in 2008, split between Triple-A and Atlanta. He has such a sweet left-handed swing, yet he needs to hit for more power as a left fielder. That may come as he matures. Atlanta should not give up on him. Speed is Blanco’s main skill; the enduring image of Blanco from his days at Trustmark Park is of him hitting a ball to one of those deep gaps and scooting around the bases for a triple. He can fly. He hit .251 in 144 big league games as a rookie in 2008. But he is primarily a center fielder, and the Braves have Josh Anderson and Jordan Schafer (not to mention rising star Gorkys Hernandez) lined up to bid for that job, as well. That doesn’t bode well for Blanco’s future in the organization. … Meanwhile, back on XM, the Braves have fallen behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Yeesh.