The End of an Era

The most impressive streak not just in baseball, but in all of professional sports, came to a quiet end just after midnight Wednesday. The New York Mets beat the Florida Marlins and mathematically eliminated the Braves from winning the division and the door closed on 14 straight Division Titles. Of course, everyone knew the Braves had no chance weeks ago, but the true fan always maintains that small glimmer of hope all the way to the bitter end. I’ve had a while to get used to the idea, so I’m not angry anymore. Now, I’m just taking the streak in. It’s been quite a ride and I couldn’t be prouder to have been a Braves fan through the whole thing.

What has made this extra special to anyone who has been in Atlanta long enough is the fact that the Braves were horrible until 1991 when this streak began. I remember going to Fulton County Stadium in the 80’s to a team that looked like the team from the movie Major League before they got good. Even the field itself was in disrepair since the Falcons also played there (and they weren’t much better back then). The games would barely draw enough fans to even make noise and any promotion that said: “First 10,000 fans receive a collectors Braves helmet” actually meant “Everyone Gets a Helmet Day”. You went to see Dale Murphy and Bob Horner and whoever the opposing team was. As bad as they were, though, I will always remember my first Braves game, my first baseball game, as a great day. That first moment of walking through the breezeway with baseball glove in hand and seeing the enormous field opening up before me was about the most beautiful site my young eyes had ever seen. Sunny day, baseball, hot dog…what could be better? From that moment on, for better or worse, I was a Braves fan.

Then 1991 came. The year before the Braves had finished in last place with the worst record in all of baseball. No one expected much this year either. At the All-Star Break the Braves were down 9 ½ games and it looked like more of the same. But they rallied and the season went down to the wire with the Braves clinching on October 5. Atlanta went crazy. I got to go to some playoff games and it was the most amazing magical experience. The stadium was packed and The Chant that would accompany the Tomahawk Chop would continue long after the drum rhythm on the PA would stop. The Braves went on to defeat the Pittsburg Pirates in 7 games in a very tense National League Championship Series (NLCS) and the unbelievable had happened: the Atlanta Braves were going to the World Series. The Braves lost a heartbreaker in the 7th game of the World Series to the Minnesota Twins, but in a way it didn’t matter. We weren’t losers anymore. The Braves got a ticker tape parade when they returned home and it was such a big deal we got to watch it on TV in school instead of doing our regular lessons.

Over the next 14 years winning was the name of the game. Season after season we came out on top of our division. There are many unforgettable moments: “The Catch” by Otis Nixon, Sid Bream lumbering around the bases for what seemed like an hour, all the Cy Young awards, the World Series win in 1995, watching Smoltz shut things down as a starter, then a closer, then a starter again. I could go on, and on.

It’s been such a long streak that people just began to assume the Braves would win. It was a given. Over this streak the Braves have had 272 players appear in at least one game. The only active Braves player to be there through it all is John Smoltz. The team has become a dynasty and credit is due in large part to Bobby Cox, the manager, and John Schuerholz, the GM. They have run an amazing team and done something never done before.

It may be over for this season, but there’s always next year. I think it’s about time to start a new streak. Congratulations on a great run, guys, and thanks for all the memories.