Congrats to the Atlanta Braves

[Geronimo]

The team and the fans should be proud of the 14th consecutive division title.
I still think that they should have kept the name "Beaneaters' but maybe that is just me.

[BobMurdoch]

I'm sorry. 14 years with only ONE world series title? I'm just a jealous Met fan, but if they aren't going to DO anything with that division pennant, they should be stopped from participating (we'll call it the Buffalo Bills rule).

Sorry, just kidding. We'll see if things change. At this point I'm just praying that the Yankees get shut out from the playoffs. Then I root for the White Sox (longest drought), Red Sox (just to see the Yankee fans squirm), and the Astros (never won the World Series).

[Geronimo]

And how many World Series have the Mets won in that time?

as a fan of the WORLD CHAMPION Boston Red Sox I somehow find the concept of coming close but not quite winning it all too familiar.

[BobMurdoch]

Since 1986 the Mets have won one and the Braves won one. And we only had two cracks at it.

14 straight years is just bad for the sport. Parity keeps more fan bases satiated. Football is healthier due to the salary cap that makes sure that all teams have the resources to at least have a chance at being equal to their competitors. The Devil Rays will never win the division because they spend 75% less than the Yankees and Red Sox. And the fans have stopped coming now that they have realized this. The only ones who show up are the ones rooting for the VISITING team.

[Jacob S]

Lets Go BRAVES!!!

[Geronimo]

I didn't ask about 1986. Come on Bob UI Know they are division rivals but give them their due.

[djlong]

The Braves have NOT won 14 straight division titles.

They finished the season in 2nd place in 1994 and the division was won by the Montreal Expos.

When the postseason was cancelled by the comissioner due to the strike, baseball awarded divisional titles to the teams that were in first place as of the strike.

This meant that although no 'pennant' would be awarded and no World Champion would be determined, the Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers were division champions.

They have won 11 straight (1995-2005) and 14 out of 15 - impressive in ANYONE's book, but not 14 in a row.

[Geronimo]

Interestingly enough MLB seems to recognize Division winners in that year but also recognizes Atlanta's" streak". It certainly deserves an asterisk or maybe even two since different divisions are involved.

But I have to admit DJ that your commet is necessary to fully describe the achievement.

[BobMurdoch]

I didn't ask about 1986. Come on Bob UI Know they are division rivals but give them their due.

As I said, I'm jealous. They've done an amazing job and won all those pennants. Also, my Mets have a complex and can't beat them at Turner Field. The entire Division could go to the playoffs, if any one of them were in the NL West.

Their problem is that they put together a team ideally suited for a 162 game season, but one that is NOT suited for a playoff run. As much as we can't beat the Braves, they can't beat anyone else in the playoffs.

Does anyone think they can beat the Cardinals?

[Nick]

The Braves have NOT won 14 straight division titles.

They finished the season in 2nd place in 1994 and the division was won by the Montreal Expos...No, I don't know what you're smoking, DJ, but the truncated 1994 division titles were not WON by any teams. Because the season was cancelled due to the strike, division "titles" were merely "awarded" by the commissioner, and as such, were and are meaningless, as they were not WON by the teams involved.

Despite your wimpy protestations to the contrary <sour grapes>, the Atlanta Braves have, in fact, WON 14 straight division titles and are entitled to and fully deserve the accolades and recognition for their unprecedented achievement.

Stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it! :D

[djlong]

I'll have to see if I ever took a picture of the banners that were on the right-field walls of Olympic Stadium. One for 1981, one for 1994, one for retiring Gary Carter's number (8), one for Rusty Staub and one for Andre Dawson (both #10).

Sounds like a Jeopardy question. "This the only team who's division championships only occured in strike-shortened seasons!"

...and the Expos WON it in 1994. The front office of MLB just *recognized* it once the postseason was cancelled. The Expos were 6 games ahead of Atlanta. And I say this with all respect due Atlanta's team. You needed a heck of a team to beath them! The Expos had an *incredible* team that year where it ALL came together. They weren't just the best team in the NL East, they had the best record in baseball.

You had a rotation of Ken Hill, Pedro Martinez, Jeff Fassero, Butch Henry and Kirk Reuter. 2 ERAs under 3, 2 more under 3.50 and finally, Kirk Reuter had a 5.17 but a record of *7-3*!!!

You had the most deadly setup/closer with Mel Rojas (3.32, 16 saves) (who flamed out as a closer later on) setting up for Jon Wettland (2.83, 25 saves).

An outfield of Moises Alou (.339, 22HR), Marquis Grissom (.288, 11HR, 36SB) and Larry Walker (.322, 19HR, 15SB, 44 doubles)

In the infield, you had a very young Cliff Floyd at 1st, Mike Lansing at 2nd, Wil Cordero at SS and Sean Berry at 3B. Respectively, they had 10, 12, 14 & 16 SB. OBPs between .328 & .363 - even the CATCHER (Darrin Fletcher) hit .260 with 10HR and led the leage with 10 SF.

On the bench you had Lenny Webster (who caught a lot), Lou Frazier, Juan Bell and Rondell White. ALL of them hitting over .270. Frazier even managed to steal 20 bases.

The reason that RFK Stadium was a sea of red caps this summer was because of the strike. The Expos had it all that year and would have reaped the benefits had the players not walked out.

Sour grapes? No, not really. Someone has to hold the torch so that history isn't forgotten. It may not be much, but this is one of my torches. Watching this band of (then) anonymous athletes play their hearts out year after year had me abandoning Fenway Park and making annual trips to Montreal's Stade Olympique every year from 1986 to 2002.

My sour grapes, if there are any, are directed at Don Fehr and Bud Selig.

[invaliduser88]

Game 1 Astros 10 Braves 5

Go 'tros!!!

[BobMurdoch]

And the Braves are 0-1 in the playoffs so far. And I thought the Mets bullpen was bad.....

[invaliduser88]

Now that was a lllloooonnnngggg game....:icon_cof:

[dpd146]

I was watching the game and the only thing I could think about was, who in the halibut designed that stadium. There are 90 degree oufield walls, a pole in center field, and to top it of there is a hill in the outfield. A HILL?!?!?! I'm surprised second base is not a tire.

I mean the retractable roof is cool, but there is a HILL in centerfield.

That's OK Braves we'll get 'em next year. lol

[SamC]

Stadium - different yuppie-cutesy ballparks got different weird stuff for no reason, unlike the real old ball parks which were shaped like they were to match the lots they were on. Houston seems to have drawn several short straws.

Braves - Braves lose, Braves lose, Braves lose. Wonderful. The most disgusting team in baseball, with the worst fans, are gone. Great.

[durl]

I'm constantly amazed at how the Braves can't win in the playoffs. How in the world do you win the regular season division race so many times and fail to even make it to the World Series year after year? This has got to be some kind of record.

[djlong]

Latest theory I've heard is that the Braves are constructed to win a complete 162 game season.

HOWEVER - things change when you reduce the season to a 5-game series. The Braves match well for *7* game series, but not best-of-5.

[BobMurdoch]

They do it again. Now that the Braves have fallen, now I just need the Yanks to lose tonight for this Mets fan to end the season with a smile on my face.

I'm hoping for a White Sox-Astros series. Either can win, although the Astros are starting to tug at me after that marathon win last night (which reminded me of the time they fought the Mets to 15 or 16 innings in playoffs in 86 - they came up short there.... baseball Karma strikes again though and theyget a couple of JUST barely high enough home runs in that pinball machine they call a baseball stadium.)

[dpd146]

I'm constantly amazed at how the Braves can't win in the playoffs. How in the world do you win the regular season division race so many times and fail to even make it to the World Series year after year? This has got to be some kind of record.

As a long standing Braves fan, I can say I find myself saying "what the @#$%".
But then I think, I would rather go into the playoffs ever year and have that glimmer of hope that this is the year and deal with 5 minute disapointment than to labor through a dismal season and finish below 500 like say....mmmm the Reds :D

[Smthkd]

.............Braves - Braves lose, Braves lose, Braves lose. Wonderful. The most disgusting team in baseball, with the worst fans, are gone. Great.
You must be kidding! Atlanta Braves fans are not the worst fans and our team is definately not the most disgusting. :nono2: We support our team like everyone else! Its not our fault we have won 14 straight division titles! That alone says our fans are backing their home team plus we are nothing like Yankee and Mets fans who yell every possible profanity and ugly remark to visiting fans! C'mon give me a break with this BS! Okay, okay... I admit when John Rocker was on our team only then did we have a bad spot.... but our own fans felt like he sucked but in no way did that reflect the whole teams reputation! Anyway, I give a fair congrats to the Houston Astros for their valiant win and a job well done! Who would have ever thought Roger Clemens could bunt! :eek2:

[durl]

As a long standing Braves fan, I can say I find myself saying "what the @#$%".
But then I think, I would rather go into the playoffs ever year and have that glimmer of hope that this is the year and deal with 5 minute disapointment than to labor through a dismal season and finish below 500 like say....mmmm the Reds :D

I hear ya there, brother! At least the Braves have a competent front office staff that knows baseball. The Braves are an excellent example of what happens when you have top-notch baseball people in the organization, from the scouts to the front office. If the Reds ever develop pitching, we'd be contending just about every year. At least we DO have a very potent offense to give us some encouragement.

[BobMurdoch]

Once again, I'm a jealous Mets fan. If my Mets can't win, I just keep wishing that the Braves continue to fall flat on their face in the playoffs (which they do regularly, year in and year out).

Luckily, the hated Yankees are beginning to do the same thing. I couldn't be happier that long suffering fans are finally getting to the promised land.

Astros/Chisox is my dream matchup. I'm still on track, although they have to get bythe Cards and Angels first (two teams that have had lots of recent successes and could afford to allow another team to win to help the sport win new fans (as winning teams do.... 1986 pretty much made me a Mets fan for life.... I'm still trying to recapture that winning season feeling with a new team)

[gbranch]

I mean the retractable roof is cool, but there is a HILL in centerfield.

The hill was the idea of team president Tal Smith, who got the idea from old Crosley Field in Cincinnati. The difference is that the hill at Crosley was necessitated by the fact that the field was below street level.

There is a website dedicated to the elimination of the hill:

Kill The Hill (http://www.killthehill.com/)

[djlong]

And here I thought it was 'inspired' by the old "Duffy's Cliff" in Fenway Park.

[greatwhitenorth]

I heard it was inspired by Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, with the flagpole in play and everything. Still a bad idea that shouldn't have been recreated. Like if and when the Red Sox get a new ballpark (I know, heresy of the highest order), there shouldn't be a Green Monster.