Dear Mets;

[Ekirh]

Thank you for beating Philadelphia and giving us Braves our 14 Division Title in a row. .


Now if you excuse us.. we got the first round of the playoffs to lose :(


Sign Ekirh . . . Braves fan who pretty much doesn't expect much anymore once the regular season is over.

[klook]

1. 1995 all over again?

The last time the Braves clinched against the Rockies was 1995. And that was a pretty good year for Atlanta, as I recall...


I think the youngsters could give them the boost they need this year to get past the first round. But pitching, especially the bullpen, is iffy.

[Ekirh]

2. Bullpen

is what I'm really freting over. . . if the bullpen was just a tad bit (Okay . . several tad bits) . . better I may be a bit more optimistic. .

But as always I can't wait for the playoffs to get going. . . going to be fun.

[klook]

3. Can they pitch Farnsworth every night?

He's seemed like the most reliable guy in the 'pen. Kolb has been a huge disappointment, and so has Reitsma--who's responsible for 9 of the Braves' 20 blown saves this year. It's going to be tough in the playoffs, especially if Atlanta's bats fall silent.

What's been encouraging this year offensively, though, is how somebody always seems to step forward when one or two guys are struggling. And of course Andruw's season has been a pure delight. So, despite my apprehensions (dread, really), I'm looking forward to the post-season too. I do every year, no matter who's playing, but as a Braves fan I'll be rooting for them, even as I cuss them out.

Who knows, maybe we'll get to see Julio become the oldest World Series player ever!

[Ekirh]

4. I would love

To see that with Franco . . .

And Ugh Kolb. . . it got to the point for awhile instead of telling someone they fucked up . . I tell them they were peforming a Kolb. . .

[SammyBlue]

5. You Braves fans are surely enjoying your run of underacheiving

14 straight times to the playoffs. One World Series ring.

Jesus.. .I know my team sucks and gladly say so. . .but it must REALLY suck being underachievers every way.

Good luck though, with that ramshackle rotation. I'm sure the Cardinals or Astros are quaking in their shoes right now.

[Ekirh]

6. Nope doesn't suck

Sorry to dissappoint, I don't care about the underachieving . . I've been enjoying them this all time . .and although it would be nice to have more than one W.S . . . That one was still very fucking sweet. . .

I could care less if they win another W.S. . as long as they keep entertaining me. .


Besides at least my team doesn't suck ;). . .

[klook]

7. You wanna talk about underachieving??

How about the Braves between 1970 and 1990? There were so many lowlights during that 20-year period it's hard to know where to start. Last place in the division, 1976-79, including the humiliating 1977 season, when owner Ted Turner gave Braves manager Dave Bristol the day off and managed the team himself, losing yet another game. ("Managing isn't that hard," said Turner afterwards. "You just have to score more runs than the other guy.") And last-place finishes 4 out of 5 years--except the one year when they ascended to fifth place--from 1986-90.

Great individual players like Dale Murphy, Terry Harper, Ron Gant, and Bob Horner tried to carry the team on their shoulders, while the Braves as a whole continued a slump so depressing that it seemed like a permanent fact of life.

The one bright spot for the team during that long, long drought was the 1982 NL West division championship in Joe Torre's first year as Braves skipper. The result? A depressing 3-game sweep by the Cardinals, including a third game with a long rain delay (the baseball deities punishing Atlanta and their fans relentlessly by prolonging the agony), after which beloved knuckleballer Phil Neikro lost his final bid to advance in the postseason.

Even Henry Aaron's capturing the all-time home run crown with his herculean 715th homer in 1974 didn't ease Braves fans' torture much.

The Braves' consistently abysmal performance over a period of many seasons was a big factor in the Sports Illustrated article calling Atlanta "Losersville, U.S.A."

So maybe you can excuse us, those of us who remember the bleak years in the cellar, as we celebrate the "mediocrity" and "underachieving" of a team that in the past 15 years has won 14 division championships, 4 National League pennants, and 1 World Series.

The Braves under the able general management of John Schuerholz have become an organization that other teams would love to emulate, with scouts who identify young talent, a farm system that develops that talent, and a manager and coaching staff who somehow find a way to win year after year after year despite the challenges thrown at them. Who would have thought the Braves could win another division title this year, especially with all the injuries they've had to overcome? With key players like Chipper Jones, Johnny Estrada, John Thomson, Kevin Gryboski, Brian Jordan, and Tim Hudson out for days or weeks at a time (or months, in the case of Eddie Perez), and season-ending Tommy John surgery for Mike Hampton, I'd expect them to be sucking wind like the Cubs or Nationals, or maybe even the Dodgers, at this point. But somehow they've put together another winning season. And for those of us who can remember the truly painful years, that sure feels good.

[inthebrain]

8. I'm a Mets fan

I wouldnt want to emulate the Braves if you paid me.

Since 1960 we have made the playoffs about 8 times and have a total of four World series appearances. We won two of them and we lost two.

Everyother team that has won come out of the NL East since the Braves run has put up a better fight in the World Series. I'm talking about The Philles, The Marlins and the Mets.

The only thing going for the Braves is they don't have the Buffalo Bills distinction of losing every World Series appearance. They've won 1.

Still, I say anyother team coming out of this division would put up a better fight in the post season. THe Braves are a team full of chokers and flops. I find it hilarios that the mets and Marlins haven't made the post season half the amount of times the Braves have and still have more World Series victories.

Personally I could care less about what you consider the pain of the Braves fans. Their misfortunes aren't any different than any other baseball team short of the Cubs. The Brave. just like the Red Sox, are just another baseball team.

[erpowers]

9. Braves Not Underachievers

I do not see how someone can say that a team that has gone to the playoffs 14 times is a team of underachievers. First they went the playoffs 14 times and one at least once. Just the fact that they went to the playoffs 14 times proves they are not underachievers. Second, look at who they have faced in the playoffs. On at least three occasions they went to the World Series and won the World Series once. On two occasions that the Braves have gone to the World Series they have faced the New York Yankees twice. These Yankees teams had all the big stars and were able to get these stars to work together to win the World Series. I contend that going to the World Series at least three times during the late 90's and early 00's and losing twice to the Yankees is not underachiement. The Braves just need to get a few good young players and restock their pitching and they will win more World Series Championships.