Strange but justified? Braves hang wild card banner
The Braves' banners are color coded by accomplishment. The new entry: white for wild card.
For the first time in franchise history, the Braves made it into the playoffs last season via the National League wild card berth. After a four-year postseason absence, the celebration was understandable. But here’s the question of the day: Was it worth hanging a pennant?
The Braves returned to Turner Field Tuesday night. The most obvious stadium addition was on the second deck facing in left field: a pennant with “2010″ on it, the number painted in white. It’s the 17th pennant in the line and they’re color coded. The pennant for the Braves’ lone World Series win (1995) is red.
All others are yellow with numbers in blue (division champions) or red (National League champions). Or white.
Gotta tell you: It looks a little strange. I’m not knocking the Braves’ decision. Fact is, when I first heard a couple of months back that they were consider it, I thought it was unusual, but now I’m somewhat neutral on the subject.
Here was general manager Frank Wren’s response when asked about any debate that might have gone into the decision to hang a wild card banner: “I never thought there was a debate. When you travel around baseball, you see them displayed as we have. Making the playoffs is special and should be recognized. In other sports it doesn’t carry the same significance because over half the the teams that start the season get in, whereas in baseball it is still an elite field that make the playoffs.”
One slight correction: This is not an automatic in baseball. The Braves’ are the 17th team in major league history to reach the postseason as a wild card (10 in the National League, seven in the American League). I decided to canvas the other 16. Here are the results of my email survey:
– The Braves are only the sixth wild card team to hang a banner. Oddly, all are in the National League. The others: Colorado, Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
– Eleven decided not to hang a banner. They are: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.
– A Florida official said since the team won the World Series in wild card seasons (1997 and 2o03), wild card banners weren’t hung. He wasn’t certain if the banners would’ve been had the team not won the title.
– St. Louis won’t even acknowledge that it was a wild card in 2001. The Cardinals consider themselves “co-division champions” with Houston and have that designated on a wall in the clubhouse. They have no sign in public view.
– Seattle, a wild card in 2000, has a banner designating it was an ALCS participant. A Mariners’ official said they probably would not have recognized the wild card berth if it lost in the opening round.
So what’s your view on this? Were the Braves justified in hanging a banner or do you find it strange (or both)?
Coming later: Why I think the Braves will win the National League East.
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By Jeff Schultz
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88 comments Add your comment
Rodney Dangerfield
March 29th, 2011
4:02 pm
Personally, I would prefer one of the other banners in the picture. Would be tickled pink to have the 12 or the 153 million. Of course, if I was a major league player, the 12 would be for one year.
Arno
March 29th, 2011
4:12 pm
The problem is, it’s shaped like a pennant. Demeans the true pennants.
HPSP
March 29th, 2011
4:12 pm
Too silly. They should have put a banner up that read: “Whew”
juvenal
March 29th, 2011
4:20 pm
Arno, my point exactly-WSC>NL(PENNANTS)>div>wc(banners)-should be different somehow…..
BFD
March 29th, 2011
4:31 pm
They are different. Wildcard – white numbers, Division – blue numbers, League – red numbers, World series champion – red banner instead of yellow.
Mike
March 29th, 2011
4:35 pm
I like it, plus it’s not just a wild card berth but it’s also Bobby Cox’s last playoff appearance.
Arno
March 29th, 2011
4:35 pm
juvenal- Do we change it from a pennant race to a banner race? (Gag.)
Richard
March 29th, 2011
4:36 pm
Let’s have a new rule: You may only hang banners for something less than first place if the British start celebrating July 4th for coming in second.
Malibu Braves Fan
March 29th, 2011
4:45 pm
Will they get “Wild Card” rings also?
Herschel Talker
March 29th, 2011
4:51 pm
Pathetic
PTC DAWG
March 29th, 2011
4:58 pm
IF I owned the team, I would approve.
bfred
March 29th, 2011
5:04 pm
I think the answer to C’s question is No. If the Braves were still winning divisions, the wild card would feel like a letdown. But after five years, and with it being Bobby’s last season, the perspective is a little different. I expect that’s why some of the teams cited don’t do it – it’s viewed by them as a middling accomplishment.
Ken Stallings
March 29th, 2011
5:05 pm
Ugh … YEAH!
Every other wildcard team hung one, right?
Regardless, it is absolutely the right thing to do and I’m surprised you even wrote a column to ask if it was!
RC in the ATL
March 29th, 2011
5:25 pm
Jeff,
Since the wildcard is here to stay, I would say that it is worth acknowledging. I wonder how many teams were eager to recognize divisions titles in the early 70s when that was a new way to get into the playoffs? For me, I am glad that they are recognizing it. Only 8 teams make the postseason, and to be one of those is a great accomplishment.
DHD
March 29th, 2011
5:51 pm
It’s certainly not worth spending the time to write an article about it. Opening day is this week and this is what you write about?
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
March 29th, 2011
5:58 pm
SHULTZ! Why must you make a mountian out of a mole hill?
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
March 29th, 2011
6:04 pm
Malibu Braves Fan
March 29th, 2011
4:45 pm
Will they get “Wild Card” rings also?
And a trophy….
Dr. Phil
March 29th, 2011
6:22 pm
I guess the Wild Card could be considered a pennant. At any rate, the Braves earned it, and they should display it.
Stinky
March 29th, 2011
6:32 pm
lame
Braves, not Phillies, may be best team in National Leaue East | Jeff Schultz
March 29th, 2011
6:49 pm
[...] title came in 2005. It was the last time they hung a banner in Turner Field until team officials decided to commemorate last year’s wild card team with a flag on banner row — only the sixth of 17 wild card participants to do [...]
Burtin Lonnie
March 29th, 2011
6:52 pm
You are right Jeff. Congrats to Braves for the wild card, but it’s misleading, demeaning and self congratulatory. BTW, where does one find the official pennant color code decoder anyway?
clusters are back
March 29th, 2011
6:53 pm
hope return of baseball means more clusters posts. We enjoy him.
Peter
March 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
If we had won the wild card during the string of 14 straight playoff appearances, then I would say no to a banner. But 2010 was a special year for a lot of reasons. It should be recognized in some capacity.
Bob the Blogger
March 29th, 2011
9:28 pm
You’re in the playoffs just as much as the other teams, so it makes sense to hang a flag.
Dr. Warren
March 30th, 2011
1:41 am
It’s a business decision. Flags look like flags from a distance, and the Braves to maintain their image as a winning brand in any public way they can.
scottbravesfan
March 30th, 2011
2:22 am
They should hang the banners for winning the World Series in 1914 and 1957. Forget about the wild card. The Dodgers, A’s, Lakers, Giants, and other franchises that have moved from different cities have hung banners recognizing their past world championships from those cities, the Braves should do the same. They used to have banners hanging outside in Monument Grove but someone stole one of them so they took them all down.
idot
March 30th, 2011
9:15 am
The banners for 91 and 96 should also been red.
Joe Tess Fish House
March 30th, 2011
10:24 am
It’s funy cuz they sux last year.
Lank
March 30th, 2011
10:27 am
Everything in between Heyward’s first AB and Cox’s final good-bye was special last season. I say we move the first two flags somewhere else and replace them with a Thanks Bobby sign.
Robert
March 30th, 2011
11:29 am
Personally I think it’s crazy to hang banners for anything less than a league title
Robert
March 30th, 2011
11:32 am
“I say we move the first two flags somewhere else and replace them with a Thanks Bobby sign.”
Indeed – Dear Bobby – Thanks for finally leaving. Wish it couldve been 17 years earlier
Josh
March 30th, 2011
12:26 pm
D A DoubleU G… great post.
Skeezix
March 30th, 2011
12:47 pm
With all the titles/banners that precede this one, I guess I’m okay with it—the wild card is now part of the game and it it designates that you were good to get into postseason play. Now if all a team had up was wild cards banners—that would be weak.
P. Bull Terrier
March 30th, 2011
1:31 pm
The Wild Card Pennant is fine as a temporary decoration until the Braves reach the playoffs again, then it should be replaced by the new pennant. If the next playoff appearance is another Wild Card, then replace the old Wild Card pennant with the new one. If the next playoff appearance is a Division Championship or better, then retire the Wild Card pennant. Only the Division Championship, NL Pennant, and World Series pennants should be permanently displayed.
Braves Fan Since '84
March 30th, 2011
8:49 pm
Hang the banner in honor of Bobby Cox and his final remarkable season.
The banner is justified. Those Braves gave meaning to over-achievers.
Congratulations to all, including those who are now gone ..
Chuck M
March 31st, 2011
12:39 pm
It is Dumb that the other teams don’t hang one.If it meant nothing then,why did they bother going to the playoffs when the won the wild card?come on!
Sonny Jackson
March 31st, 2011
4:25 pm
Maybe they should just get “participant ribbons”.
westside
April 5th, 2011
12:51 pm
i think they wanted to hang it for bobby, being a wild card isnt the most exciting achievement..but with the team they had after injuries(jurjjens,prado,chipper,medlin) they really did good..so i would let it hang