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
Edward
October 12th, 2010
12:11 am
1 IN 15: You are a complete moron and proved it by your idiotic comments. Thank you Bobby for everything you did for this organization and if it wasne for the injuries this team had who knows how far we would have gone. I look forward to next year already with a healthy team ad a few upgrades. Your the man Bobby, np matter what retards like 1 in 15 say/
Best from San Francisco
October 12th, 2010
12:13 am
I am in SF and a lifelong SF Giants fan. The Braves played a hard fought nail-biting series that was close the whole way and your pitching was outstanding. You did a great job and best to Bobby Cox – a class act.
Not sure about the Tomahawk chop thing but hard fought – errors and missed opportunities on both sides.
Gawdfather
October 12th, 2010
12:13 am
0-8 in playoff elimination games at home.
Hy McBobman
October 12th, 2010
12:13 am
Hear that? It’s the sound of one hand clapping.
Mark Bradley
October 12th, 2010
12:14 am
That’s not correct, Gawdfather. The Braves won Game 7 against Pittsburgh here in 1992, did they not? Did they not win Games 6 and 7 against the Cardinals here in 1996?
Darryl Blackberry
October 12th, 2010
12:14 am
A great season. To have made it this far says a lot about how much heart this ‘10 team had.
Mark Bradley
October 12th, 2010
12:15 am
Headed home now, folks. Thanks again for hanging with me. It’s been a really enjoyable season.
Bill Donohoo
October 12th, 2010
12:15 am
Probabaly the best job he’s ever done. I don’t know how he got that many victories from this team.
Reminds me of Tom Landry and how he received so much criticism during his tenure.
Really enjoyed this year hope Bobby will go out and scount and continue to develop the young players.
Scott in Screven
October 12th, 2010
12:15 am
Coach smith….I remember those 7:35 starts on TBS….turning up the radio and down the tv in 1991….so we could hear skip, Ernie, and pete call the game……the sid bream slide…..wow…so many memories…..I bet a lot of the naysayers on here weren’t born or were in diapers then…..who can forget…..worst to first!!!!!!
Best from San Francisco
October 12th, 2010
12:15 am
Just curious – but why was the stadium not full? did it not sell out for NLDS?
Falcon66
October 12th, 2010
12:16 am
Good night Mark.
ATL Fan in Pittsburgh
October 12th, 2010
12:16 am
As the only Braves manager I’ve ever known in my young life, I can’t imagine the Braves dugout being the same without Bobby. I will always remember him as the manager behind the ‘95 World Championship team, as well as the 13 other division titles in the 90’s and 00’s. Watching the Braves from near and far, I’ve always been inspired by his passion for the game and for the players he coached.
Say what you want about his managerial decisions or that he only won one title, it’s the love for his job and the respect he garnered that I will most admire. Best wishes in your retirement Bobby and Godspeed!
As for the team, it’s been such a wonderful treat to follow these Braves and see a bunch of character guys gut it out and fight to the very last at bat all season long. Atlanta and the fan base across the country are rejuvenated by this team, and I congratulate the Braves for giving us all a truly memorable summer! Already excited for spring training and the 2011 season, GO BRAVES!
kaminari
October 12th, 2010
12:16 am
There’s so much more to life than baseball. Seeing the failures & successes this year, the emotional ups & downs. I’ve never felt this before about a game. And I’m just a fan. I can’t imagine what’s going through the hearts & minds of the players & especially Bobby. I wish them all well. I suppose I’ll be around next April when a new season begins. I’m heartbroken now & just need to get away to all those things that are much more important than this beautiful game.
Randy
October 12th, 2010
12:17 am
It will just never be the same.
Falcon66
October 12th, 2010
12:17 am
Got cut out by the Bradley filter.
Braves Fan Lost In Ohio
October 12th, 2010
12:18 am
I can’t even express how classless Bobby bashers are tonight. This is one of those occasions where if you can’t say something nice, then go home and look in the mirror. Something’s wrong with you.
TheAntiMe
October 12th, 2010
12:20 am
It really was deflating seeing all of our hopes in the 9th inning riding on Melky Cabrera. I had plenty of hope one batter earlier when Omar Infante was the batter but when it all boiled down to Melky getting a hit, I new that I had a better chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot than the Braves had of going back to San Fran.
In any event, it was still a good season, although in some ways, I’m not totally sorry to see it end. I hardly missed a game from April through August but when September rolled around, these Braves became a very frustratingly tough team to watch, even when they did win. In September I typically just waited for the game to end or followed the game every 30 minutes or so on ESPN Gamecast. I’m already looking forward to next year when the Braves will most likely become fun to watch again, even if they happen to lose. Go get ‘em next year, Bravos.
JASon
October 12th, 2010
12:20 am
Thanks bobby. Don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you. you suck. I drank 5 beers at the ball park tonight.
Joe
October 12th, 2010
12:20 am
Thanks for the great memories for 11 baseball seasons that I’ve watched out of your 25 seasons in Baseball. I hope you have a great retirement party, and good luck on your cruise. Bobby is a Brave for life #6 shall never be worn again. I watched you coach when I lived in Massachusetts, and New Jersey now I will remember seeing you at Fenway Park, Veteran Stadium, Turner Field, Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium, and Petco Park, and Spring Training down in Port St. Lucie (exhibition games), and Champion Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Fins and Chins
October 12th, 2010
12:20 am
It will just never be the same.
Never is.
Either A: Better or B. Worse.
and in the case of shouldabeengone Booby, A. Better.
Falcon66
October 12th, 2010
12:20 am
Take care Bobby, we’ll be around in the Big “A” come by and say “hey.” Thanks.
blackshark
October 12th, 2010
12:21 am
As a Giants fan I admit I was pulling for the Braves all season (not expecting the Gnats to even make the playoffs). While I’m thrilled for the home team, it was bittersweet watch them be the ones to usher the end of an era. No matter who was in the dugout over the years, seeing the Braves coming up on the schedule was always nerve-wracking. To those fans who are upset that the Braves only won one championship, it’s worth remembering most other fans would love to be in your shoes. It’s always bitter to lose, but to get this far with so few superstars (like the Giants themselves) is something if a storybook ending anyway. Good luck, Mr. Cox.
Homer
October 12th, 2010
12:22 am
Thank God the long National Braves Nightmare is finally over.
Quicherbichin
October 12th, 2010
12:23 am
Mitchell, Lake Dawg, bruce mac, Saint Richt and all of the other Cox bashers need to be traded to the Nats for fans to be named later. The Good Lord knows they’ve never made a mistake in their lives. True fans support their team in good times and bad. all those I am not happy to see Bobby go, but I am happy that now the Cox bashers will shut their ignorant mouths.or was something to complain about. am glad to
Flynt Powell
October 12th, 2010
12:23 am
From a lifelong south Ga.YANKEE FAN! What Ball Player has not dreamed of playing for one of THE GR
From a SOUTH GA. LIFELONG YANKEE FAN…All Baseball Players want to play for one of the greatest managers of ALL TIME! Cox,Torre,Lasorda,Martin,Herzog ,Larusa. Those managers are part of why BASEBALL IS THE GREATEST GAME …PERIOD! Thanks for your service to Americas GAME Bobby. Flyntrock.
Simply an Atlanta Fan
October 12th, 2010
12:23 am
It seems so surreal. In an age when teams change managers like socks, to have a manager to stay with one organization so long is stuff made of legends. Bobby Cox is definitely OLD SCHOOL. As I read the memories, the well-wishes, and even the unkind comments, I must make my comments.
I remember what the Braves were before Bobby Cox came to Atlanta. Making tickets $1 and still not selling out the game….100+ loss seasons…promises of ticket tape parades. Then he took over and things change. People started to believe. Schools had Braves’ Day. The Braves became OUR team. Finally Atlanta had something to be proud of for a change.
I agonized over each game during that long losing streak that first year. I marveled how that fended off the Dodgers.That magical first year, some co-workers came down to watch the final playoff game against the Pirates. My faith was weak so I said my good byes and left before the traffic. I got home just in time to see the Braves score the winning run. I learned that a Bobby Cox team should never be counted out. The worst team in baseball became first “the best in the west” and later “the beast of the east.”
Yes, we should have won more championships, but I guarantee you there are fans of other teams out there who would take the Braves’ record since 1991 in a heart beat. The Braves have out-performed the Hawk, Falcons, Thrashers, Chiefs, Yellow Jackets, and Bulldogs combined in that same time period.
Now it is time to turn the page. With the Braves out, my attention to baseball will wane. We are in uncharted territory. For the first time, there will be someone new in the dugout. Atlanta will get a new manager, but I do not think there will be anyone who can replace Bobby Cox in terms of love and affection one city could have for one person.
JTH
October 12th, 2010
12:25 am
Thank you for everything Bobby. I guess it’s appropriate you go out with a loss in the playoffs.
candler park fans
October 12th, 2010
12:25 am
Greatest game we ever lost. Yes, the youngster and I cried all the way home, but what a night! Fans on their feet 99 percent of the game, the rousing ovation for Brooks Conrad, and 50,000 fans cheering (yes cheering) for Bobby Cox and the team the end of a game they lost. That’s what makes baseball so great…. sometimes it actually isn’t whether you win or lose….but how you play the game. Well done, Bravos. We look forward to 2011!
TheAntiMe
October 12th, 2010
12:28 am
Mitchell, Lake Dawg, bruce mac, Saint Richt and all of the other Cox bashers need to be traded to the Nats for fans to be named later.
Thanks, Quicherbichin, I laughed out loud on that one.
braves42011
October 12th, 2010
12:28 am
It was fitting that the Bobby Cox era began and ended on TBS. How many watched Braves games at 7:05 or 7:35 on Saturdays after wrestling? 1991 will be a year that Atlanta was recognized as a sports city, staying up past my bedtime watching the Braves/Pirates then the Braves/Twins in what is still in my mind the greatest World Series ever. While some criticized the one World Series in 15 tries, the Yankees are the only team to make the postseason every year since 1995 so to the Braves credit, no other team has come close. Thanks Bobby for the last 25 years. Rest assured in 2011, a healthy Braves team will be a dangerous Braves team.
kaminari
October 12th, 2010
12:29 am
The 0-8 record at home for elimination games was published by an AP article. But it was only talking about being 0-8 at the Ted & didn’t take into account old Fulton Co. Stadium. Gosh, miss that place.
ward
October 12th, 2010
12:30 am
good luck to you good classy giants fans in san fran. you show a lot of class,and good luck to the philly fans that showed a lot of class too. fun year, and i can;t wait till opening season next year…can;t wait to the winter meetings…..great taliking……until next have fun ever one!!!!
JRW7
October 12th, 2010
12:30 am
Thanks BOBBY!!!!!!
Al
October 12th, 2010
12:30 am
Bobby, you did a damn fine job with the tools you had. That was a lot of class putting Brooks Conrad in as a ninth inning pinch hitter. Thanks for a great season–start to finish.
A-Jax
October 12th, 2010
12:31 am
Joe Torre’s best managing job was probably with the Braves in 1982. He was a largely unsuccessful manager until the New York hired him, at which point he rode the Yankee$$$ to four titles. Tommy Lasorda, who I would compare Cox to the most since he was from my memory a “player’s manager” won only two titles, but he was also helped out in 1981 by Rick Monday and the miracle of all baseball miracles in 1988.
One thing I like about Bobby…he hates the DH, as I hope any other real baseball fan would.
glad he's gone
October 12th, 2010
12:31 am
people forget, besides losing so many short series by over managing, he’s also an alcoholic, wife beater…glad he’s gone
Mr Charlie
October 12th, 2010
12:32 am
So who was a better manager than Cox?
Leyland? Hahahah, gotta be kidding. If there was somebody Cox owned in the post season, it is Leyland.
Torre? How many Rings did he get when he was not managing the Yankees?
Larussa? Where did the cards finish this year?
Angels Coach? I don’t remmber seeing the Angels in the playoffs either.
Falcon66
October 12th, 2010
12:34 am
Hey Simply an Atlanta Fan: The Chiefs are the only winner here in Atlanta. No other pro team has won the “big one.” Georgia Tech was co-winner in 1990 in college football. However, I agree, the Braves have given us a world of entertainment. Go Bobby!
george Holman
October 12th, 2010
12:35 am
I don’t remember a season that I have enjoyed more watching the master work. Cox got more out of a team of rag tag utility players than possible. There is no way that this club should have ever made it into the playoffs, but Cox made it happen. He is, unquestionably, one of the best ever, and we, as Braves fans, were privileged to watch. Thanks, Bobby!
Gumby
October 12th, 2010
12:37 am
Thanks Mark……Nothing else to say but thank you for writing about a baseball manager and a man we may not see the like again on the diamond.
Only one question, did I hear the PA playing Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock” when it was over? If so, that said it all about Bobby Cox. If I dreamed it, well it was a good one.
Alex
October 12th, 2010
12:37 am
I had the great honor of meeting Bobby Cox in person. I sold him a piece of excercise equipment. I can see why all of his players love him and always give all they’ve got for him. He treated me with the upmost respect and was even nicer to me than most other customers with far less impressive resumes.
14 straight division titles is a record that I don’t think will ever be broken and a record that in some ways is harder than wining four World Series in a decade like the Yankees did in from 1990 to 2000. I know that the winning the World Series is what we use to measure greatness and rightfully so but there is something to be said for that amazing consistency over 162 games for 14 years. Bobby Cox was a consistently great manager of people of day to day and will never be forgotten.
The proof is in the pudding they say and it’s hard to find a player that has a bad word to say about Cox. Yes it would have been nice to win more than one World Series but thanks to Bobby Cox, us fans experienced playoff baseball and talked about the chance of winning World Series in 15 different Octobers.
That’s a problem that every other major league team’s fans save the Yankees would have love to have.
Congratulations to a Great Hall Of Fame Manager and more importantly, a Class Act!
Bravesbobblehead22
October 12th, 2010
12:37 am
Ok MB, you are the best, see ya next season. Pray Gonzolaz is the manager.
Rachel
October 12th, 2010
12:38 am
I’m adding this to my favorites, it joins Furman Bisher’s column “Skip Caray Did it His Way”. Thanks Bobby Cox, you (along with Skip, Pete, Joe and Don) taught me to love baseball when I was a 9 year old kid who didn’t know much of anything about sports, and I’ve loved the Braves and baseball ever since. You gave us a lot to cheer for every year, and you were the epitome of class. You and your teams never ever gave up. I respect you and I’ll miss you.
Giants#1
October 12th, 2010
12:39 am
I am a Giants fan but anyone who says this is the end of an era in Atlanta is badly mistaken. Prado, Heyward and Mccann are a solid nucleus and the bullpen is stacked. Jurrgens is solid as are many of the others. Mr. Cox was a legend but everyone must eventually move on. I doubt this will be the last time these two teams meet in the playoffs which is unfortunate since Atlanta is one of the toughest places to play in the majors. I tip my cap to a great Braves team that had the misfortune of breaking down physically at the wrong time; it could happen to any team. Now we move on to take on the imposing Phillies. Hopefully this tense series will make us battle tested. Go in peace Bobby and Go Giants!!
myra
October 12th, 2010
12:45 am
My family loves the big 3 of sports:football,basketball,baseball. We moved to Atlanta ‘84. We are(now) 4th generation Yankee fans. We didn’t even know the Braves exsited until 1991. An old guy I worked with would come in every morning and announce the Braves did so and so. He kept telling me ‘Hey your a sports fan, have u watched the Braves?’ I said no of course. Couldn’t care less about Atlanta Braves….a joke team. No players worth knowing about. Everyday, over the course of the spring and summer of ‘91, the old man kept reminding us how the Braves were really good. I finally checked em out on TV.
From the late summer of ‘91 to this day, October 12, 2010, the Braves became my main team. I will and forever be a Yankee to the core,….but the BOBBY COX Braves were the team of my HEART.
I can only hope the tradition of winning baseball continues.
Thank you Bobby for giving us your all.
And making me a fan.
Coach (2011 or Bust)
October 12th, 2010
12:46 am
Bobby Cox, manager of the year for 2010, no question about it.
This bunch overachieved all season long. They were too slow, couldn’t field very well, injured and lacking in power. The pitching had to carry the load and did. But Cox made them believe they always had a chance.
Sure, everybody knows Cox is fourth all time in wins. However, his true legacy is still being played out. Players like McCann, Posey, Francoeur, Dexter Fowler and countless more were all inspired to play the game in the great state of Georgia because of number 6.
So, I look forward to Bobby’s inauguration in Cooperstown in five years. In the meantime our Braves will have a new manager and yes, they will keep on winning because Cox showed them how to.
glad he's gone
October 12th, 2010
12:46 am
What a dumb fan base…best pitching staff ever…in the history of baseball, and this loser wins 1…1…world series…with 3…3 Cy Young winners and the best talent in baseball and you clueless ‘fans’ glorify him…The National media is right here Atl fans are clueless
Mitchell
October 12th, 2010
12:50 am
“We’re not the best team in baseball, OK?” But you know what these Braves were?
What kind of a person says that about a group of guys who played their asses off (or should I say hip pointers?) for him.
Not for themselves.
They won those games to honor him.
And he says they’re not the best team in baseball.
What a f***ing slap in the face.
Six f***ing All Stars.
The Phillies didn’t have six All Stars.
Please stop telling lies Mark Bradley.
This team was good enough to win the division but as we realized, the manager wasn’t.
This team gave enough of themselves to win this series but Bobby gave it away.
Only one of the six All Stars had a season ending injury during the regular season and that was in the last week.
And it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Somebody should have recognized that Martin Prado was not just in pain but legitimately injured. It would have been best for all involved to have taken him out of the line-up as he was failing to contribute offensively.
The hip pointer was a needless injury. He should have been on the bench.
Now he’s going to have to sit on his couch for two months before he can do anything and it wouldn’t surprise me if it carried over into next year.
This team won in spite of Bobby and lost because of him.
End of story.
I wish I could say they’ll be better off without him but I don’t know what it’s going to take for some of these young players to swallow the excruciating disappointment of Game 3.
These guys have a lot of years ahead of them but perhaps not nearly enough to erase the memory of the last two days.
Mitchell
October 12th, 2010
12:53 am
Giants#1
October 12th, 2010
12:39 am
How ’bout you go F yourself?
Go Giants?!
F you.
Reggie
October 12th, 2010
12:55 am
Mr Charlie
October 12th, 2010
12:32 am
So who was a better manager than Cox?
Leyland? Hahahah, gotta be kidding. If there was somebody Cox owned in the post season, it is Leyland.
Torre? How many Rings did he get when he was not managing the Yankees?
Larussa? Where did the cards finish this year?
Angels Coach? I don’t remmber seeing the Angels in the playoffs either
Umm…sorry dude but all those teams and managers have won the world series since Cobby Box won his one and only.