Somebody Up There must really like the Atlanta Braves
The Braves are 10-14 in September. They’ve won one of the past seven series. They’ve gone from three games ahead of Philadelphia on Sept. 1 to six games back with six to play. And you know what?
They still should win the wild card.
They start the week a half-game behind San Diego, which is a half-game behind San Francisco in the National League West. The Braves play the Marlins these next three days. The Padres have four against the Cubs. The Giants have three against Arizona. But here’s the catch:
The Padres and Giants finish against one other. One of them has to lose each of the season’s final three days. The Braves end against the Phils, who have already clinched a playoff berth and a tie for the East title. That quirk of scheduling should be enough to get the Braves into the postseason. Provided the Braves remember what it is to win a series, which is, as we know, not exactly a certainty.
The Braves have lost three series to last-place clubs in three weeks. Of their 10 victories in September, four have been posted by Derek Lowe. Their rotation is coming unglued. Their batting order fell to pieces a while back. The wonder isn’t that this team is losing but that it still holds the chance to win something. The Braves are most fortunate.
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423 comments Add your comment
DawginLex
September 27th, 2010
1:10 pm
Dreamland ain’t just a BBQ joint in Alabama.
Braves make playoffs
Braves beat Reds
Braves beat Phillies
UGA wins out, goes 9-3
Braves beat Yankees
Florida loses to Bama,LSU and UGA
SC loses to Auburn,Bama and Florida
UGA goes to Atlanta
UGA beats Bama to go to 10-3
BCS votes to automatically allow SEC champion into BCS title game
UGA beats Boise State for title
Donny Corleone
September 27th, 2010
1:16 pm
The Braves aren’t dead. They’re just pinin’ for a fijord.
Would You Believe?
September 27th, 2010
1:17 pm
The Braves aren’t dead, they just smell that way.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:18 pm
@JacksonFirth- Joe Jackson isn’t in and he was WAY better than Pete Rose. There was more evidence on Rose than Jackson. Until Shoeless Joe gets in, the Hit King should be locked out as well. @ Mitchell – You and the group of whiners that support you wouldn’t know a good manager from Eddie Haas either. Mitchell would probably start Darrell Chaney at SS, Biff Pocoroba at C , Larvell Blanks at 2B, Frank Tepedino at 1B , with an outfield of Brad Komminsk, Terry Harper and Brian Hunter. With his superior baseball knowledge, he’d probably start Mike Marshall and have Pat Jarvis as the closer. What Mitchell knows about baseball would fit into the bottom of a thimble with plenty of room left.
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:18 pm
This is put up or shut up time. Despite how we’ve played this month. The Braves ARE in the driver’s seat (even if the car is sputtering).
If our guys can step up and win 3 home games against a Florida team without their best players (Ramirez and Josh Johnson)………as well as a Philly team looking to rest up for the play-offs……….then the Wild Card is ours.
I’ll be rooting for our guys. However, it’s hard to not be skeptical and fear that we’re going to continue shooting ourselves in the foot. After all, we’ve been consistently doing that all month long.
southern hope
September 27th, 2010
1:18 pm
Thanks Mr. Bradley….seriously…..your article kept me off the ledge….and I appreciate your insights.
Larry
September 27th, 2010
1:19 pm
DawginLex Damn you got imagination!!!!!!!!!!
Mitchell
September 27th, 2010
1:20 pm
The Braves have done an admirable job this year in their attempt to win it for the Old Man but when they needed him to step up and guide the team when the injuries started piling up and the offense started wearing down, they got NOTHING.
I think we’re seeing how much they did for him. They played their @$$es off and now they’re running on fumes.
There’s no back-up plan. Last Sunday in New York, Derrek Lee hit a grand slam. We won.
On Saturday, Gonzo hit a three run home run. We won.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday… no three run home runs.
Unless we get a big home run, this team knows no other way of scoring or winning for that matter.
We’re seeing now, once and for all, why the man only has one World Series championship.
If we get anything less than a masterful pitching performance or an offensive outpouring, we lose.
Bobby does NOTHING.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:20 pm
and BTW… I know there is no 3B in the above post.. I couldn’t think of one that fit Mitchell’s qualifications for a starter of .210 BA, . 250 OBP, 0 HR and a minimum of 36 E per 100 games.
Val Dosta
September 27th, 2010
1:21 pm
As long as we have TP coaching we will never be a good hitting team. He has messed up every good hitter that we have had.
Tyler Langmeyer
September 27th, 2010
1:24 pm
Why do all you Braves “fans” continue to watch the games then if you’ve lost hope? Save me and the other true fans the typing and just shut up about it. If you don’t like the team, quit watching the games or better yet, quit claiming to be a fan. Yeah, Bobby Cox is REAL BAD. He’s only won 2,500 games and is close to another 90 win season. And for those of you that “don’t want this team to make the playoffs”, please for the love of God quit calling yourselves fans. Fans stand behind the team through good and bad. I bet all you ladies called it quits after that 9 game losing streak in April only to be the “biggest fan” after the 9 game winning streak. Nobody’s making you watch the games, so quit talking about how you “can’t watch anymore”, cause we all know you’re going to anyway. And if the Braves do win the wild card(and I think they will), don’t start spouting off about how they’ll get swept. Cause they won’t be playing the Phillies in the first round and they can handle both the Reds and Padres/Giants. It’s amazing how little it takes to change your minds. We’ll win this series vs Florida and 80% of commentors will be “supporters”. Please, go root for the Yankees with that schizophrenic attitude.
Reginald Denny
September 27th, 2010
1:24 pm
‘ELLO POLLY!!!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o’clock alarm call!
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:25 pm
DC Brave…………even a conglomerate like Liberty Media will react to negative press…..if the pressure is intense enough.
It’s been 15 years since we last won a World Series…and 11 years since we last won a play-off series…..as well as 5 years since we made the play-offs.
I would like for someone to look up the following: When was the last time a manager was able to avoid being fired after going 5 years without making the play-offs (meaning he managed his team to the play-offs…then went 5 years without making it)?
Or how many many managers have gone 11 straight years without winning a play-off series (since he last managed that team to a play-off series win)?
Or how many managers have avoided being fired since they last won a World Series 15 years ago?
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:27 pm
Herschel Talker………thank you. It’s nice to see some appreciation for calling the Atlanta media on their complicity in all this.
So tell me, how’s life on the “other blog” (where intelligence goes to die)?
E-6
September 27th, 2010
1:27 pm
If we could just get any production from below the four spot, we’d have a chance. Am surprised McClouth is not in the every day line up. Even when he’s been 0 for recently he’s hit the ball with authority as opposed to the weak grounders of Gonzo and Melky and the K’s from Ankiel and Lee.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:28 pm
If Liberty Media could fire “fans”, Christopher Chance would be first on the list. and I would happily offer them incentive to do it.
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:29 pm
Mitchell…….your 1:20pm post was well said.
Our manager does nothing to help put our players in a position to win (unless you call picking your nose all game long and yelling “way to go Chipper” when Chipper is at the plate..”managing”, lol).
TTTT-Thumbody Thed Thats Thupid!
September 27th, 2010
1:31 pm
I kept saying when BC was resting the regulars (sometimes 3 or 4 at a time) on Sundays that it was gonna come back and bite him in the “buttocks” in the end. Most of them were losses if you want to check. Wonder where the Braves would be now if they had won all those Sunday games? As one manager(forgot who) use to say, “you have to play every game as if it were the last game”.
mike
September 27th, 2010
1:31 pm
How about you all quit criticizing and get your butts to the Ted for this pivotal series! There are 6 games left, and the Braves are traililng the Wild Card by a measly 1/2 game. You all act like they are 3 or 4 back with 6 to go, it is ONLY 1/2 a game. I know that the Braves have struggled recently, but they are back at the Ted where they have the BEST record in baseball. Instead of giving up and downing the team, go fill the Ted and make it a playoff atmosphere.
I will be there tonight, tomorrow night, and Friday night. Let’s Go Braves! There are some who still believe!
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:33 pm
Tyler Langmeyer……….dude, some of us cant help but watch the Braves. Some of us forked over good hard cash to subscribe to the MLB Extra Innings package because we live far from Atlanta.
Also, Bobby Cox didnt win 2,500 games. He had great starting pitching to make managing easy during the regular season.
Look at his post season record and see how “great” he’s managed.
One more thing, Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1995. Would you consider him to be a “great NFL coach”?
Lesh Philling
September 27th, 2010
1:33 pm
Fact of human nature: it’s easier to watch a team work its way into playoff contention than to watch one dropping out. Having said that, I’m still watching.
I wonder how many of the Bobby supporters have only started watching in the last few years as opposed to those of us who watched the Braves squander so many opportunites while riding the arms of Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine. When you’ve seen the team choke so many times, your viewpoint of the Skipper gets jaded.
Did you see Matt Ryan on the sidelines yesterday during the overtime period? I know that football’s more intense than baseball, but that’s the kind of fire that I’ve never seen on the Braves. If these guys get upset by losing, they’re keeping it to themselves, trying to stay positive, not rocking the boat.
I love October baseball and want to see the boys do well, but I feel like Charlie Brown after Lucy has pulled the football away yet again. I also don’t expect the Phillies to do us any favors, so we had better take care of business against the Marlins.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:34 pm
@Christopher Chance I suppose you’d like TP and Bobby to provide “in-game per pitch coaching” so they would tell the batter what they’d done wrong on each pitch. That would be an excellent idea to give the fans their money’s worth.. I know everyone ( especially the Turner Field vendors) would ;love 9 hour games
Mitchell
September 27th, 2010
1:35 pm
Actually, it’s only been 9 years since we won a playoff series.
2001 NLDS vs. the Astros.
Of course, next year it will be 10 years. And the year after that, 11.
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:35 pm
Quicherbichin…………..how much did you pay for the privilege of lining up on Bobby Cox appreciation day and fluffing him before the game?
Billy ( Not Martin)
September 27th, 2010
1:36 pm
THis goes to show just waht an overated manager Booby is.
He’s just like Lenny Wilkens….all those wins with one title.
How many managers do you know that would have one of the brightest power hitters in the gam in the 2 hole all year. What an idiot.
Manager of the Super 8 Hotel
September 27th, 2010
1:38 pm
Chris Chance and Mitchell- please come pay the bill for your room.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:38 pm
I didn’t pay a thing. I’m going to get my tickets from Mitchell’s windshield before game time since he is going to put them there to see who will take them. I suppose you would prefer the days of Eddie Haas, Russ Nixon and Chuck Tanner to what we have now, Christopther Chance?
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:40 pm
Quicherbichin………..what I want is to see our players coached in the fundamentals of the game…..see them run the bases properly, hit the cut off man, lay a bunt down, hit and run, not lead the league in runners left on base, and field the ball properly (not have 52 more errors than the Padres).
I also dont want to hear lame excuse after lame excuse from Lord Bobby as to liners being caught costing us the game……….when in fact it was our sloppy play that kills us game after game.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:41 pm
” Christopher Chance as a Yankees Fan….. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With the payroll and players we have, we should have won at least 40 WS and never missed the playoffs! We are better than this!!!! BIlly Martin, Joe Torre and Joe McCarthy were all bums!!!!”
mike
September 27th, 2010
1:41 pm
Quit your complaining and badmouthing. Instead, get your butts in the seats at the Ted for this crucial series. I will be there 3 of the next 4 games. A playoff berth, even if you don’t make the WS, is positive momentum to build on for the following year. Get behind these Braves. Nobody is losing on purpose. Momentum is huge, good and bad momentum. It is time we pack the Ted, get that place rocking, and help the Braves to victory. A strong run in these last 6 games could be some huge momentum going into the playoffs.
Believe it or not, there ARE still people out here who support the Braves instead of criticize.
Tyler Langmeyer
September 27th, 2010
1:42 pm
Christopher Chance: Were you expecting the to go 162-0? I’m assuming you knew the risks of paying for 81 games before you did it. I live in Charlotte, NC normally, but Greenville, NC now for college. I watch the pitch by pitch thing whenever they play cause it’s all they have in Greenville.
And tell me this: How many of players who have played for Bobby Cox have left Atlanta saying bad things about him? All you ever hear are good things ranging from his support to his leadership. Do you think Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz would have been nearly as good if they had been playing for another manager? Yeah, there’s the element of what they can do athletically. But they all had strong support from Bobby, not to mention an excellent pitching coach in Leo Mazzone. And last time I checked, the pitchers didn’t do all the hitting and other aspects of the game. So get outta here with that..
As to your post season record statement: Aubrey Huff is arguably the best player the Giants have, but hasn’t been to the postseason yet. Does that make him a bad player? Sometimes you just run into better teams man. And it’s only 5 or 7 game series, not a whole season.
And about Barry Switzer, don’t know him, don’t really care. But if he was able to lead a team to a championship, he must have been good at something. Obviously he’s gone now, so no he wasn’t “great”.
BRAVES29
September 27th, 2010
1:42 pm
Mark Bradley’s next column- Braves are 3 out of the Wild Card with 2 to play- They’re still in it! Give me a break already. When you’re 10-14 in the most important month of the year, you don’t deserve squat…..
bamarrt
September 27th, 2010
1:43 pm
Braves should go after Colby Rasmus in the off season.
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:44 pm
Quicherbichin……..Chuck Tanner won a World Series as manager of the Pirates in 1979 (meaning he’s tied with Bobby Cox).
If Chuck Tanner had the talent that Bobby Cox had when he managed the Braves…….then chances are that the Braves would have more championships. Instead, Tanner had the likes of Rich Mahler, Ed Olwine, Ken Oberkfell, Oddibie McDowell, Ozzie Virgil, Jeff Treadway and Paul Assenmacher to manage.
DC Brave
September 27th, 2010
1:44 pm
Did you know you can read (a little) about the Braves in the Liberty Media annual report to their shareholders? Here are some words from the 2009 report:
Capital Group
The Atlanta Braves have entered into long-term employment contracts with certain of their players
and coaches whereby such individuals’ compensation is guaranteed. Amounts due under guaranteed
contracts as of December 31, 2009 aggregated $199 million, which is payable as follows: $80 million in 2010, $67 million in 2011, $50 million in 2012 and $2 million in 2013. In addition to the foregoing amounts, certain players and coaches may earn incentive compensation under the terms of their employment contracts.
DC Brave
September 27th, 2010
1:45 pm
More from the shareholders report. Glad they have such a diverse portfolio:
Our ‘‘Corporate and Other’’ category includes our other consolidated subsidiaries and corporate
expenses. Our other consolidated subsidiaries include Provide Commerce, Inc., Backcountry.com, Inc.,
Bodybuilding.com, LLC, Starz Media, LLC, Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc. (‘‘ANLBC’’),
TruePosition, Inc. and BuySeasons, Inc. Provide operates an e-commerce marketplace of websites for
perishable goods, including flowers and fruits and desserts, as well as upscale personalized gifts.
Backcountry operates websites offering outdoor and backcountry sports gear and clothing. Bodybuilding
manages websites related to sports nutrition, bodybuilding and fitness. Starz Media develops, acquires,
produces and distributes live-action and animated films and television productions for the theatrical,
home video, television and other ancillary markets in the United States and internationally. ANLBC
owns the Atlanta Braves, a major league baseball club, as well as certain of the Atlanta Braves’ minor
league clubs. TruePosition provides equipment and technology that deliver location-based services to
wireless users. BuySeasons operates websites that offer costumes, accessories, d´ecor and party supplies.
Christopher Chance
September 27th, 2010
1:47 pm
Tyler Langmeyer……….While I didnt expect the Braves to go 162-0 this season…..I certainly didnt expect them to go 10-14 in the month of September AND turn a 7 game lead into a 6 deficit.
meh
September 27th, 2010
1:48 pm
hopefully that SF v SD series will be a sweep one way or the other. we still have to win our games though. I have faith in the Braves. Gonna play well at home and win the wild card.
DC Brave
September 27th, 2010
1:49 pm
Christopher Chance September 27th, 2010 1:25 pm
“DC Brave…………even a conglomerate like Liberty Media will react to negative press…..if the pressure is intense enough”
Again…I make my point…Liberty Media is about as far away as you can get from being an owner that is interested in seeing the Braves win.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:52 pm
Christopher Chance.. and then Chuck Tanner came here.. and his mind fell off.
Billy ( Not Martin)
September 27th, 2010
1:53 pm
Tyler
Of course all players love Booby.
He never critizes them..,ever.. and will never hold them accountable for their bad play. WHat player wouldn’t love a guy like that.
But you critizise a team mate or make some noise in the clubhouse and your gone. Remember David Justice?? But you can screw up as many times as you like on the field.
What a great manager!!!
I’m sure Greg Norton just loves Bobby
mike
September 27th, 2010
1:53 pm
It is a manager’s job to get the team into position to make the postseason. Ultimately, the players have to make the plays. Bobby has had one of his best managing jobs ever. Very little talent to work with, but somehow has this team in contention for a playoff spot with 6 to go.
Also, Bobby’s postseason record shouldn’t fall on him. As I mentioned, the manager can do everything over the course of the season to try and get the team in the postseason. Once they are there, it is on the players to get it done. If you look, too many of our “studs” (pitchers and hitters) did nothing in the postseason. Would you have benched your best pitchers and hitters just because of their lack of postseason producation? NO. You get there, then you play your best players. It is on them to get it done.
Postseason record is overrated when it comes to a manager. Bobby has averaged over 86 wins a season as a manager. That is putting you in playoff contention almost every year. Kudos to the man.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:57 pm
I personally think that Christopher Chance, Mitchell and many of the others here fall into the category of the Robin Williams line from Good Morning Vietnam that began ” in more dire need”… but that is just a gut feeling.
Darryl Blackberry
September 27th, 2010
1:58 pm
Mark Bradley is right, but he forgot to mention one other fortunate fact: the Braves play their last games at Turner Field. Although the Marlins are a tough team, look for the Bravos to win the series, especially with bigger crowds turning out for the Bobby Cox Appreciation Series.
Now all we have to do is hope SD or SF don’t get carried away. Mediocrity in the Western division is our friend.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
1:59 pm
Billy ( not Martin) I hear that Jack McKeon’s available.. perhaps you’d prefer him?
lynne -giving up on the braves
September 27th, 2010
2:01 pm
Do any of the reporters ask Bobby why he didn’t have them bunt with 2 on and no out in the 6th? — and what does he say about it? Why did he put Farnsworth in a tied game knowing he rarely allows no runs or runners?? What does Bobby say about that? No way the Braves will get into post season– but for some miracle they do– they won’t get past the first round. And Wren must share the responsibility for not bringing in VALUABLE players instead of mediocre ones or those who “once were good”.
david10605
September 27th, 2010
2:03 pm
I am continually amazed at the people bashing Bobby Cox. It is very apparent what happened to the Braves and Bobby has no part in it. The Braves have had no decent ownership since Ted (according to him) was shafted by Time Warner. In this putrid era of baseball money is everything. I watched the Braves win division titles earlier in this decade with AAA lineups because ownership kept pulling back on spending. How Bobby was able to win with those lineups is baffling to me. How he has won this year with one outfielder, a damaged rotation, and with the heart and soul of the team down is nothing short of miraculous.
The Braves won all those division championships and a World Series against roided up freaks. The Yankees alone could put an entire lineup in the roids HOF. Bobby won in spite of it. Not to mention, who was responsible for Chipper, Javy, Smoltz, Glavine, et al being Braves to begin with, Bobby. I hope Fredi takes over as well but it won’t matter until the Braves have real ownership again or baseball cleans up its act (not likely unfortunately). And whomever pointed out that the media fails in its obligation to point this out is right on.
Quicherbichin
September 27th, 2010
2:03 pm
@Billy (not Martin) I hear that AJ Hinch is available… perhaps you’d prefer him as a manager? Or maybe we could go the way the Padres did once and hire their broadcaster to manage… which would you prefer? Don Sutton, jim Powell, Joe Simpson or Chip Caray? Or maybe you could lure Pete Vanwieren out of retirement?
bascogcjs
September 27th, 2010
2:06 pm
Can someone tell me how McLouth ever made it to the big leagues?
If he ever had talent, he’s completely lost it. But I really believe
he is a head case. There’s something wrong and I feel bad for him.
So please Mgr. Cox leave Nate alone and let him wallow on the bench.
I’ve never seen a more lethargic player.
Billy ( Not Martin)
September 27th, 2010
2:06 pm
Quicherbichin
I’m just waiting on Freddie.
He showed he has what it takes in FLA.
Especially with Rameriez and that quack of an owner they have.