A ‘great ride’ ends for Bobby and his Braves, and we applaud
We'll never see his likes again. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The great manager said it after Game 3: “We’re not the best team in baseball, OK?” But you know what these Braves were?
Pound for pound, they were the most entertaining aggregation we’ve seen around here. And you know what the great manager also called this band of Braves? “The hardest-working team I’ve ever had.”
It ended for both parties Monday, for Bobby Cox and his final ballclub. It ended because these diminished Braves weren’t good enough to deliver big hits or field their positions in the crucible of October. It ended not because they didn’t give it the ol’ professional try after the abject disappointment of Sunday’s Game 3. On the contrary, it ended because a true professional pitcher talked the departing manager into letting him go a batter too far.
Seventh inning, one out. Working with a one-run lead, Derek Lowe walked Aubrey Huff, then yielded a swinging-bunt single to Buster Posey. It was just the second hit the Giants had mustered, a point Lowe surely made to Cox when the manager paid a visit. Indeed, Lowe had begun lobbying when Cox was still on the infield grass. After a short dialogue, the manager patted his pitcher on the flank and let him stay.
And Lowe walked Pat Burrell on five pitches to load the bases.
That was it for Lowe, and that one final walk was enough to lose the game. Such was this team’s margin for error. Speaking of which …
Alex Gonzalez threw high to second on Juan Uribe’s RBI grounder, enabling the bases to stay loaded with the game tied. And then, after Jonny Venters struck out Aaron Rowand, the No. 8 hitter Cody Ross — considered a target of interest for the Braves back in July — drove the go-ahead single into left field.
Being the Braves, they tried to give us a finish, as Ernie Johnson Sr. would say. Rick Ankiel walked with one out in the ninth. Then Eric Hinske, who was very nearly the hero of Game 3, walked. The winning run was aboard. But Omar Infante struck out, and it was down to Melky Cabrera, which tells us something about this season and this roster. Cabrera grounded to Juan Uribe at third, and this fighting club was finally finished.
And then something wonderful happened. Even as the Giants were celebrating at the center of Turner Field, the crowd started chanting, “Bobby! Bobby!” And the great manager, his heart surely breaking, emerged from the dugout to tip his cap and acknowledge the cheers, and then you looked back at the happy Giants and you saw them …
Standing and applauding Bobby Cox.
Said Chipper Jones, who has seen many things: “That was classy.”
People on the outside don’t understand the reverence in which this manager was held in this game. His critics see him as the guy who only won one World Series, but there can be different levels of success — yes, even in professional sports. And Bobby Cox’s last act was his greatest.
He took a team that lost Chipper Jones, Martin Prado, Kris Medlen and Jair Jurrjens along the way and led the National League East for 99 improbable days. He squeezed 91 victories and a wild card out of one of the weakest rosters ever to grace a postseason diamond. And he made the Giants work like crazy to win three games by one skinny run apiece. If you don’t think that’s managing … well, I don’t know what to tell you.
But his team knew, and the winning team in this Division Series knew, too. These Braves weren’t the best team in baseball or even, in terms of aggregate talent, the 12th-best, but they got to October and they gave it a go, and they gave us 26 wins in the final at-bat along the way.
Afterward Cox addressed his final team, or he tried. Said Chipper: “There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Out of all the teams he’s had, he’s got a soft spot for this club.”
And what did Cox actually say? “Maybe 10 words. He couldn’t get it out. He started to break down.”
Before the game, I was talking with Reid Johnson, a fan from Smyrna, and he called this whole season “a great ride.” And that’s what it was, from Jason Heyward’s Opening Day home run to the final out of Game 4. It was a great ride, a wild ride, a sentimental journey with the best manager we’ll ever see. That it ended Monday night changes nothing. It was, and will forever be, a season to remember and cherish.
Thanks, guys. Thanks, Bobby. Go in peace.
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785 comments Add your comment
What a year
October 12th, 2010
9:49 am
I have followed the Braves as my family has moved from Birmingham to South Florida, back to Birmingham to Memphis and finally to Atlanta — and it’s all been under one manager. And given the record of these teams, it seems odd that people say Bobby Cox wasn’t successful. It is going to seem very strange to see someone else in the dugout.
This season has been the most entertaining in many years! Just think how different it would have been if the season ending injuries had not occurred. But they did – Congrats to the 2010 Braves for what they did accomplish!!
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
9:50 am
stendek
October 12th, 2010
9:40 am
So tell us exactly how you hold anyone accountable for anything in all of this? Posting crap on blogs doesn’t count, nor do the call-in shows. None of the people who matter can even HEAR your obnoxious voice; you’re just bothering everybody else.
Brown Eyed Girl!
October 12th, 2010
9:50 am
As I sat and watched my Braves play from my Kentucky living room, everything about it was surreal. I knew this game/series was going to end this way. It had to. We suffered too many injuries to too many key players to make it any further than SF. I knew this and I think most real fans knew it too! But what I watched on TV warmed my heart more than any of the prior years that we made post season play. I watched the fans cheer with wreckless abandonment! They were loud, they were strong, they were FANATICS! I watched that broken down team do its level best to get it done for their city, their team and their manager. Sure there were errors along the way, but heck, that’s where the encouragement lies with me. SF should have waxed the floor with us after one guy strikes out 14 and another 11. But they only beat us by one run each game. That says a lot about our team and it yells a lot about our future pitching staff. No JJ, no Medlan, no Wags…and we were still in it! I almost cried when I watch all of those guys from both teams salute a guy that I didn’t always agree with, but he got the most and the best out of his teams. We played with house money for this series and we finally rolled snake eyes! But when I turned the tv off, I smiled and I told my husband, the long suffering Reds fan, that I was proud of my team, proud of my manager! I will miss seeing him wobble out of the dugout! But we have a bright future with the guys we have, maybe add a couple of pieces! Look out next year, Phillie…we will be on your back!
stendek
October 12th, 2010
9:52 am
Thanks for excuses Dawg Gummit. Fans like you let athletes know that failure is not only accepted graciously but embraced! Why bother to push themselves? Fans accept mediocrity. Why should they be different? So very sad. STENDEK
Phil
October 12th, 2010
9:54 am
How come when the Braves lost any game dating all the way back to 1991, it was the players fault and “they didn’t perform”.
But when the Braves won, it was ONLY because Cox “put them in a position” to win.
Some of you fans are completely delusional.
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
9:54 am
stdndek, still waiting for an answer to my question about the ways that you hold sports professionals accountable for sub-par play. Maybe all of us can learn something. (Or not.)
SONNY JACKSON (SS)
October 12th, 2010
9:55 am
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MAJOR LEAGUE MANAGER THAT HAS DONE SO LITTLE WITH SO MUCH. A WONDERFUL REGULAR SEASON SKIPPER NO DOUBT. UNFORTUNATELY HE COULD NOT RISE TO THE OCCASION IN THE POST SEASON. IF NOT FOR A DAVID JUSTICE (IRONIC LAST NAME I MUST ADMIT) HOMER RUN IN 1995 BOBBY COX WOULD BE 0-15 WS IN THE PLAYOFFS.
WHAT HURTS THE MOST IT THAT ATLANTA COULD HAVE HAD A TRUE SPORTS DYNASTY AND BOBBY BLEW IT. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME, TALENT AND OPPORTUNITY.
THE LIKES OF COX WILL NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN – OTHER TEAMS WOULD HAVE FIRED HIM AFTER THE 1996 MELTDOWN (AT HOME) VERSUS THE YANKEES.
GOODBYE AND THANKS FOR THE PAINFUL MEMORIES
stendek
October 12th, 2010
9:56 am
Brown Eyed Girl. Wah. Went through a box of tissue on that one. Maybe choke left you misty eyed. Made me damn mad! Should have been 4-0 Brave sweep. Every game given away by Bobby Cox philantropists. Sorry for blasphemy. STENDEK
stendek
October 12th, 2010
9:57 am
Excuse me. 3-0. STILL MAD AS HELL! STENDEK
Brown Eyed Girl!
October 12th, 2010
9:57 am
One more thing, my seven year old Kentucky born son knows without a doubt that his mother is a Georgia Peach and a Braves fan! Go Braves! Spring 2011 is right around the corner!
Fried Pie
October 12th, 2010
9:59 am
Should have been 4-0 Brave Sweep…
Is the extra game for bonus TV coverage or something?
Brown Eyed Girl!
October 12th, 2010
9:59 am
Stendek, kick rocks! If you can do any better than those guys, put on a uniform and play!! Go Braves, 2011!
Viva La Bam
October 12th, 2010
9:59 am
So long, Bobby…and don’t let the door hit you in your backside on the way out. Finally, we won’t have to watch him whine about balls and strikes anymore…like Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz didn’t have expanded strike zones. The Braves did the right thing last night by losing to SF…they can sit back and watch the Giants get smacked around by the Phillies. Phils in 5, book it…or as the late great Whitey Ashburn would have said, “it’s a lead-pipe cinch”…
stendek
October 12th, 2010
9:59 am
I am a member of your fan club Sonny Jackson! Well said friend. Will not be popular here among sheep apologists. Truth nonetheless. STENDEK
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
10:02 am
Okay, stndek, now that you’re apparently finished badgering Brown Eyed Girl, for your next trick would you tell us the ways in which you hold sports professionals accountable for sub-par performance? I mean, this could be important.
I’ve asked twice, but
all…
I…
hear…
are…
crickets.
stendek
October 12th, 2010
10:02 am
KICK ROCK YOURSELF! **** **** *****. I remind you these bums are paid tremendous amounts of money to win! Not lose close. WIN! Damn. I would say more but I respect women. Not you though. STENDEK
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
10:04 am
I keep hearing “this is not acceptable.” I know what it means when I say it to my kids. I know what it means when my boss says it to me.
What EXACTLY does it mean in a sports fan to sports franchise relationship?
Lobosolo
October 12th, 2010
10:05 am
Stendek, you wouldn’t know truth if it bit you on your couch-sitting rump… You couldn’t pick Cox’x nose on TV… what exactly have you “won” in your life??? You’ve shown you have no class or knowledge… You’ve shown you are a bad sport… What exactly are you a winner in?
stendek
October 12th, 2010
10:06 am
For one thing Ekim forget excuses! Make players accountable for poor performances and defeats. Get angry. Let players know losing will not be tolerated! Build a winning tradition by demanding accountability. True winners do not win year in and year out by luck. True winners do not make excuses nor do they accept them from fans! PERIOD! If leaders fail fire em. If players fail bench or trade em! Someone waiting in wings may be next superstar! STENDEK
Brown Eyed Girl!
October 12th, 2010
10:07 am
Stendek, I don’t need your respect nor do I want it! If you have an issue with this manager, he’s gone! Find something more constructive to do with your venom! Go Braves, 2011!
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
10:07 am
Lobsosolo, Stendek’s only taking “selected questions.” Like ones that don’t lay bare the fact that he’s an angry man who knows little.
MikeR
October 12th, 2010
10:07 am
Stendek – I would enjoy an intelligent debate with you but judging by all the curse words you use in your posts, I see that would be impossible. Please try to learn to express yourself in a professional manner. Using curse words to disguise ignorance is very unbecoming.
Hillbilly Deluxe
October 12th, 2010
10:08 am
Last night on MLB-TV, Harold Reynolds and Kevin Millar gave a very interesting demonstration of the Brooks Conrad play in the 9th of the 3rd game. Using game film and a demonstration, they showed that the 2nd base umpire was shielding Conrad and he didn’t see the ball until the last second, and that’s why he played it to the side; he didn’t see it. Reynolds said you have to ask the umpire to move but that most players without a lot of big league experience don’t feel comfortable doing that.
stendek
October 12th, 2010
10:08 am
Lobosolo I am usually not inclined to respond to vermin but I will make this one exception. **** off! Sincerely…STENDEK
Fans are like SHEEP
October 12th, 2010
10:08 am
Bahhhh Bahhhhh Bahhhh…….you baseball “fans” are like a bunch of sheep. The last time I went to a Brave’s game, with my daughter, it cost over $125…..for parking, tickets, food, and a souvenir from the Chop Shop…..just to watch a bunch of millionaires play a game. After I got home and thought about it…..I realized what a bunch of bull. Do baseball players really need to make $15 million a year to play a game? Wake up folks!
P Rose
October 12th, 2010
10:09 am
Phil, your analogy doesn’t hold up. (1) We’re talking about baseball, not football – different sport. (2) They play 16 games a year, not 162. (3) Marv Levy won 6 division championships, not 15. (4) Despite his four Super Bowl losses, Marv Levy WAS a great coach. Ask anyone who ever played professional football. I’m not comparing him to Bobby Cox (you are). I’m just saying lack of post-season success is the only thing they have in common. Your argument is too simplistic.
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
10:09 am
Fluff words, Stendek. You just used more words to make no point.
Hillbilly Deluxe
October 12th, 2010
10:09 am
On MLB-TV last night, Harold Reynolds and Kevin Millar gave a very interesting demonstration of the Brooks Conrad play in the 9th of the 3rd game. Using game film and a demonstration, they showed that the 2nd base umpire was shielding Conrad and he didn’t see the ball until the last second, and that’s why he played it to the side; he didn’t see it. Reynolds said you have to ask the umpire to move but that most players without a lot of big league experience don’t feel comfortable doing that.
P Rose
October 12th, 2010
10:09 am
Stendek – please seek medical attention immediately.
Hillbilly Deluxe
October 12th, 2010
10:10 am
Why won’t my post go through?
Ekim
October 12th, 2010
10:10 am
Glad to see that when you’re really angry, your vocabulary really shines.
coach joe
October 12th, 2010
10:11 am
Thanks for a great season Bobby- what a thrill… needed a few more players to play like our catcher did. he never gave up… tell the phillies to give him a ring when they win the World Series with the Home field advantage..
Great Season..
stendek
October 12th, 2010
10:11 am
Rev MikeR. Was not talking to you. So **** off pal. STENDEK
P Rose
October 12th, 2010
10:12 am
Bob McHyman @ 11:36 pm – what’s wrong with being a jew?
nobama
October 12th, 2010
10:14 am
Stendik give it a rest its a game! don’t like what the guys make don’t go to / watch the game. Want to pay them less, buy your own team but get a job first.
Lobosolo
October 12th, 2010
10:14 am
StenDICK… you couldn’t pick my nose. either… I can guess by your retort that you aren’t a “winner” in the smallest of ways… what you know about baseball, me, and seemingly about anything else is a lot…
Again, tell us all about how much of a winner in life you are, and the secrets to your success..
Eddie
October 12th, 2010
10:15 am
Torre doesn’t compare. Who couldn’t win with Rivera as a closer? Move Rivera to ATL and Bobby may have had 12 Championships. Also when Torre managed in ATL he was more interested in what his girlfriend (at the time) was doing than managing the game. And he really did a bamng-up job with the Dodgers this year.
clanmack
October 12th, 2010
10:18 am
Great writing, Mark-on a par with the best in Sports Illustrated! A great tribute to a great manager, among the best in Baseball history. Bobby Cox was a great class act, brought the best out of his players through his respect for them and loyalty to them. He deserves Cooperstown on the first ballot. The naysayers are the background buzz of frustrated flies, irritated they cannot find fecal material to dine on.
voice of reason
October 12th, 2010
10:19 am
hershel talker reminds me of his name sake no class thug lol
Mack Jones
October 12th, 2010
10:20 am
Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E! Bob-E!
KD
October 12th, 2010
10:21 am
Mark, what names do you hear that might replace Cox as manager ?
voice of reason
October 12th, 2010
10:21 am
yea and i recall torree lost a cpl time with pretty good clubs in atlanta too good luck mr cox your the best!!!wait tell these rubes n cotton pickers watch fredi for a season as i have then well see there tune lol
Blackberry Cobbler
October 12th, 2010
10:22 am
I wish the Braves had gone further but nevertheless, I agree that this team gave it all they had.
All season long, this team fought injuries, lost Chipper then Jurgens then Prado then Wagner, had to put up with McOUT, and then Lee and Gonzalez failed to deliver much of anything.
Not the most talented team but they were fun to watch and made us believe in them.
drmondo
October 12th, 2010
10:23 am
I remember getting ribbed by my friends in college who were Mets fans back in 88-90. When the ‘91 season happened I finally got to give it back to them. Thanks Bobby for all the years where the Braves were relevant. You made it fun to be a Braves fan again.
DrewF77
October 12th, 2010
10:25 am
Gonna miss the legend! Brought Atlanta from being a joke in baseball to 14 pennets, 4 National League Titles and a World Series!
stendek
October 12th, 2010
10:25 am
GO PHILLIES! Go Braves. Anywhere. Just go. Huh? What? I see. Game three goat just made ANOTHER error? Sigh. STENDEK
voice of reason
October 12th, 2010
10:27 am
the guy above with the three keys !!! perfect my man the 3 keys went like this mccan absolutly cluch and awsomee way to go bryan hyseed pathetic not one cluch hit and struck out 40 perecent of his at bats defence as weak as any playoff team i ever saw and must be fixed if i was wren i think id bring ankiel back just because of thewt or has anyone ever heard how jordans wrist is doing he could handle cf maybe
Tom House
October 12th, 2010
10:28 am
Nicely done Mark… I think you said it all!
Julie
October 12th, 2010
10:29 am
Hats off to Bobby Cox. A class act and a first class manager! The dugout won’t look the same without you!
P Rose
October 12th, 2010
10:31 am
“It’s all about the championships.” I keep hearing that. Well, Bobby Cox has 14 of them as Atlanta’s manager. Only one of them is a World Championship, but they all count, my friends. Don’t think so?
The following is a list of active managers who will NOT be in the Hall of Fame as managers. Remember, the sports writers who vote on Hall inductees know a little about the sport.
Bobby Cox is a shoe-in.
These guys aren’t:
Kirk Gibson
Buck Showalter
Mike Quade
Ozzie Guillen
Dusty Baker
Manny Acta
Jim Tracy
Jim Leyland
Edwin Rodriguez
Brad Mills
Ned Yost
Mike Scioscia
Ron Gardenhire
Bob Geren
Bud Black
Bruce Bochy
Daren Brown
Ron Washington
Cito Gaston
Jim Riggleman