My least favorite team next to the team formerly known as the Utah Jazz. They have made the playoffs like 15 years in a row, and it seems like they never age or get worse. On top of that they have mangaed to win only 1 World Series Championship over that time... I guess its better than losing, but man I hate them. And who is that coach in the dugout that keeps rocking back and forth?!?? Get that dude on some Ritalin. venting......
They're a well put together team. For something like the last six or so years they've had the best starting pitching in baseball. Now that that's starting to fall apart, they've added a couple of big bats and have one of the best core of position players out there. They'll have their down time though eventually. At some point everybody sucks.
Did the Utah Jazz change their name? The Braves are my favorite team, I think I inherited it from my father who has like them since they had Dale Murphy. It sucks that they always choke but like you said it's better than losing.
Oh yeah I'm from Jonesboro, AR and everybody up here likes the f*cking St. Louis Cardinals. I hate them!!!
I believe he's referring more to the core of players that they lost in the current offseason than the organization itself.
The era the Braves are in now is probably one of the best ever for any sports club. I think they are the best run and best coached team in the league and in almost any league. I know they haven't won the big one a lot. However, their farm system is always stocked with talent and they aren't going out and spending stupid amounts of money to win. Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone (the rocking guy) are probably two of the best pitching friendly coaches the game has seen in a long time. Almost everyone they plug in does great. Schurholtz(sp?) is a great GM as well. IMHO, they are the best run team in baseball even though they don't win in the playoffs...as the saying goes you can't win if you don't get there...the Braves are almost always there.
Yeah ESPN did a story on their GM and how he has been able to keep them in contention for over a decade. Remember the last time the Braves sucked everyone? I believe Sanders was still playing for them and they had been the worst team either in the NL West (yes they used to be in the NL West), the NL, or maybe even the league and then the next year they won their division and I believe the phrase was coined "From Worst to First".
Will they ever impose a cap? It really does make thing difficult, and salaries are only going to escalate even more.... But hell look at the Angels and Twins last year, and the A's and Royals this year. Plenty of teams can still win - even in the playoffs.
Just because it's theoretically possible for non Atlanta/New York teams to do well doesn't mean the system is sound. Because in the same fashion, teams like the Expos are virtually automatically eliminated before the season even begins. The sad truth is that there doesn't seem like much of a chance that any cap will ever be introduced. Bud Selig is a puppet for the owners, and guys like Steinbrenner and Ted Turner wield way too much influence, which makes sense if you consider they may be doing more than anyone else in the world for promoting baseball. Unfortunately, they do it to pad their wallets, not for the good of the game. Plus, the likelihood of the players and owners getting together and agreeing on any kind of a cap isn't likely anyway, since the players and owners baseball have the absolute worst relationship in all of sports, anywhere. What can you do? Might as well root for the 'Stros and hope for the best.
The system is fine as it is. Teams can compete but obviously teams with more money (most of them earned it, if you look back at their history and fan base), will have an upperhand. That doesn't mean the underdog teams can never win. It's a business, it's ran like a business, and it always will be. And this doesn't happen in other sports because of frugality? If you are going to look at why a team is failing and can't bring in cash look at the fan base, and the amount of fans they bring in to each game. It's their own doing.
The fact that you're from New York almost automatically disqualifies you from making a fair judgement. What do you mean teams "earn" the right to spend more? That's the most asinine, elitest argument I've ever heard. If your residence wasn't enough, this comment tips you over the edge. The depth of the owners pocketbooks should not have bearing on the ability of the team to compete. The question isn't about teams being unwilling to compete with the Yankees dollars-wise, but literally unable. The cap levels the playing field, and makes the game a GAME, as opposed to an exibition of David vs. Goliath, sans a well placed stone. Baseball is a great sport, but the MLB as an organization is a joke.
Hey guys....last time I checked spending money doesn't mean you will win anything. See Texas, Baltimore, and Mets. Baseball is different from other sports in the sense that having the best players doesn't always mean you will win. Baseball is much more of a chemistry sport than anything else.
Great post. The Braves just keep it simple: * Always draft well & develop talent * Think before making trades & signing FAs * Keep an eye out for talent, try to discover "hidden gems" A lot of teams could learn from them. It's no coincidence (despite everyone's gripes about Drayton not spending $$) that the Astros have followed a similar path, & have enjoyed their most successful stretch over the past decade. Draft well, develop talent, & go for "steak" over "sizzle" in FAgency (look at what "sizzle" has done for the Rangers). Simple as that.
