Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, MLB Bans Hazing, Ronald Acuna Makes All-Star Team
MLB Bans Certain Rookie Hazing Rituals
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Nooo, take anything else, but this!! The rookie dress up day was awesome a good laugh for fans and teammates. Inside the locker room, the moral soars when you see your playing mates being silly. It’s a way to bring guys together and build friendship bonds. We all know that baseball, over any other sport, is a game where teammates are key and playing together will take you a lot further. Teams/players will have to find ways around these new rules to develop these laughs. I can see players thinking about it already.
@SirLEFTYDuro it was honestly one of my favorite things we did. Being able to laugh at yourself is team glue.
— Danny Burawa (@dannyburawa) December 15, 2016
As part of the new collective bargaining agreement recently negotiated between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, certain hazing rituals that rookie players have had to endure as a “rite of passage” will no longer be allowed.
According to the Associated Press, the rule now prohibits “requiring, coercing or encouraging” players to participate in hazing rituals which involve “dressing up as women or wearing costumes that may be offensive to individuals based on their race, sex, nationality, age, sexual orientation, gender identify or other characteristic.” Also banned is requiring players “to consume alcoholic beverages or any other kind of drug, or requiring the ingestion of an undesirable or unwanted substance (food, drink, concoction).”
While no serious backlash over past practices has triggered this policy, MLB President Paul Misfud said that a number of players have complained about the rituals. The overarching motivation here is to avoid any possible negative perception before it happens.
AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: In 16 games for the Australian Baseball League, Acuna has a slash line of .356/.400/.542 with 11 stolen bases. The 18-year-old (turns 19 on December 18th) is backing up his successful 2016 season with the Rome Braves with a great Winter League season. In 40 games with Rome, he had a slash line of .311/.387/.432 with four homers, two doubles, two triples and 14 stolen bases.
It’s going to be interesting to see if Acuna starts the 2017 season with the Rome Braves again or if he gets promoted to the Florida Fire Frogs. I can see him on the FFF to bring him up with the top prospect pitching staff that will most likely jump up to Double-A in 2017. Also, the Braves want fans to attend games and Acuna is someone that will sell tickets.
One last item for the Australian Baseball League All-Star game, Braves left-handed pitcher Steven Kent is playing for Team Australia. The 27-year-old is rehabbing after appearing only in one game for the Gwinnett Braves in 2016.
Ronald Acuna, recently ranked the No. 6 prospect in the Braves’ system, will take part in the Australian Baseball League all-star game, which will take place Dec. 22 at Melbourne Stadium.
Acuna is the highest-ranked prospect to be chosen to play, but not the only one. The Marlins’ Stone Garrett, No. 9 in their system, was also chosen for Team World.
Team World
Ageless wonder Julio Franco makes it onto ‘Jeopardy!’ as clue
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: August 31, 2001 the Atlanta Braves signed a 42-year-old from the Mexican City Tigers to help with the Braves playoff run. Franco help the Braves that year defeat the Houston Astros to move on to the NLCS, but unfortunately we got beat by the eventually World Series champs, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Franco played for the Mexican City Tigers in 1999 and 2000 after being released by the Rays in 1999. Before that, Franco played in three consecutive American League All-Star games from 1989 to 1991 with the Texas Rangers.
From 2001 to 2005 and then again in 2007, Franco played for the Braves. Franco was one of the best hitters the MLB has probably ever saw. It amazes me that even in his 48-year-old season with the Braves in 2007, he was still playing first base. Funny stat…in 2007 he had two stolen bases, in 2006 he had six stolen bases and in 2004 and 2005 he had four stolen bases. He is also the oldest baseball player in MLB history to hit a home run at the age of 48.
Julio Franco gets a Jeopardy shout out, & someone actually got it right! $2000 should be “who is Matt Franco” #Mets https://t.co/47JvBEgUMW
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) December 15, 2016
Next: Braves Sign Lefty John Danks
You know you’ve truly arrived as an athlete when you’ve been used as a clue on “Jeopardy!” In Julio Franco’s case, he can now list that along with his accomplishments.
Franco was mentioned as a clue during Wednesday’s edition of “Jeopardy!” for playing in MLB at age 49 and playing pro ball in Japan at age 57.
Franco played 23 seasons in the majors, most notably becoming an All-Star from 1989-1991. He led the league in batting average in ’91. That was 25 years ago. The guy is still playing pro ball. I guess when you love something that much, you never give it up.
More from Tomahawk Take
This article originally appeared on 
