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Atlanta Braves: An End of an Era

10
Vote

by user Christof

The 2006 Atlanta Braves currently have a 30-41 record. They have lost 8 in the row, and 18 out of their last 21. They are a cool 14.5 games behind the NL East leading New York Mets. They also trail the Cincinnati Reds by 8 games in the NL Wild Card race. Longtime starting pitcher and the heart and soul of the Braves John Smoltz has stated publicly that he is open to a trade away from the club, if it helps the Braves future. All of this means that the Braves era of dominance has come to a crashing end.

The Braves Era began in 1991. From 1991 through 1993, the Braves won the NL West and appeared in two World Series. In 1994, the Braves moved to the NL East. However, that season was cut short by the baseball strike. The strike cut the Braves a break, for they were trailing the Montreal Expos in the standings when the season was called in August.

When baseball returned in 1995, so did the Braves winning ways. The Braves won the NL East every year from 1995 through 2005, which was an unprecedented in modern baseball. The Braves appeared in two World Series during these years, including winning one in 1995.

As with all good things, the end will come sooner or later. It just happens that 2006 is the time when the Braves era ends. So to the Braves, you have had a great historical run. You should have, however, won more than just one World Series, and that fact will hurt your place in history. Nonetheless, congratulations on the past and good luck with the LONG rebuilding process!


Date

Wed 06/21/06, 6:05 am EST

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JuTMSY4Legend
1258 days ago
Score 0+-
I'm probably going to be wrong on this but would everyone stop counting out the braves. There's still 90+ games left and this is the team that won something like 14 straight. I see all the problems, but until someone officially wins the division, the braves streak is alive...of course...i have the feeling i'm going to be wrong...
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ChristofMVP
1258 days ago
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Jut - I was not counting the Braves out until this week. But when you have a team losing 18 of 21, including 8 straight, being 11 games under .500 toward the end of June, and where the heart and soul of the team (Smoltz) is publicly saying that he is open to being traded for the good of the club going foward- that just means they are DONE. Stick a fork in them! The Braves era is over, finished, dead.
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JuTMSY4Legend
1258 days ago
Score -1+-
Oh, I truly believe they are done. But this has happened before, not to this degree but it has happened before...
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UfgatorsDiv-I Stud
1258 days ago
Score -2+-
An Atlanta Braves column and you fail to mention Chipper. Im offended.
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ChristofMVP
1258 days ago
Score -1+-
Why...Are you a Larry "Chipper" Jones fan?
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Patrickburke1980All-American
1258 days ago
Score 0+-
The Braves had a historic run...thank God it's over. It's been boring for awhile now. I want to see different teams in the playoffs every year. It's more exciting.
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Awrigh01All-Star
1258 days ago
Score -1+-
The Braves run centered on good pitching. They don't have anymore good pitchers and they don't have any good pitchers coming up through the system. I think the Braves are going to be down for a couple of years.
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ASwaffAll-American
1258 days ago
Score -2+-
I disagree that it will be a long rebuilding process. They have a good offense with a healthy balance of youth and veterans, and they still have a lot of young pitching. Certainly nothing of the likes of Smoltz or Glavine, but guys like that don't come around that often. I wouldn't be stunned if this ends up being the kind of hiccup the Astros had in 2000. They were coming off, I believe, three straight division titles. In 2000, they totally collapsed. They were one of the worst teams in baseball through the first half of the season. They rebounded a bit in the second half, but still finished 72-90. The next year, they made one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in baseball history by winning 93 games and the Division Title. They have gone to the playoffs three out of the last five seasons, and just missed out on the playoffs in 2003 when they finished 1.0 game behind the divison-winning Cubs.
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ChristofMVP
1258 days ago
Score -2+-
It will take 3 years before the Braves are truly contenders again. The question is: Will Bobby Cox retire now?
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JuTMSY4Legend
1257 days ago
Score -1+-
At least he has a ring...
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ASwaffAll-American
1257 days ago
Score -1+-
Why do you say it will be three years? You shouldn't use numbers so arbitrarily. Say it will be years, but if you say three yeras, you convey the idea that you actually have some reason to believe it will be three years, and not two or seven.
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The sharkDraft Pick
1257 days ago
Score 0+-
I agree whole-heartedly. The Braves are done and will be down for a long time. Their pitching has been their foundation for 15 years. Right now, their major league pitchers are either completely inconsistent (ie: Ramirez, Davies, Thompson, Sosa) or aging and on the decline (ie: Smoltz, Hudson). Their minor league pitcher do not look all that promising. Their offense is average at best and no longer can rest its laurels on pitching dominance. And, hey, Francouer - Learn To Take A Pitch Now And Then!!!
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WrightsmyboyTee-Baller
1257 days ago
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The Mets are ending two era, the Braves winning the title, and the Yankees domination of NY. Now the Yankees still have it but the bar is starting to the lean closer and closer to the Mets side, if the Mets win it this year, and do better the year after, than the Yankees can forget it will be Mets town.
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ChristofMVP
1257 days ago
Score -3+-
Wright, the Mets are winning a division that is the worse in baseball. Be happy about it. But don't get too high strung over it. The Yanks are still the much better team, and they will always own New York.
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JuTMSY4Legend
1257 days ago
Score -1+-
The Yankees will always own New York and for that matter they are the team face of baseball. You Mets fans are getting a little ahead of yourself. For the mets to overtake the yanks its going to take years...BTW, winning the worst division in baseball really isn't that great. I mean, there's a reason teh braves dominated for 14 years...
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