maybe an alabama fan can agree with an auburn fan

[ECEstudentUA 9]

Lets go braves, lets go braves, lets go braves.............

Tim Hudson brings it against the Nationals on sunday.

[AUslug 1]

Go Braves, they are gonna open up in the new Nationals Park.

[ECEstudentUA 9]

Go Braves, they are gonna open up in the new Nationals Park.

Hudson pitched really well......2 runs in 7 innings....thats solid. Just sucks that we cant seem to get the big hit.

[Ranger12 46]

This Auburn fan can't agree with you.

I am not a big fan of the Braves anymore. I used to like them some growing up and actually had them as my second team behind the Red Sox. That is when Joe Torre was coaching them and guys like Dale Murphy, Claudell Washington, and Bob Boone played for them.

However, for some reason, around the mid to late 90s I started hating Bobby Cox and the "business" like attitude the team seemed to have. Ever since then I have found myself rooting against them no matter who is playing them. I think Bobby Cox is a decent season manager, but he sucks when it comes to coaching for the big game during the postseason.

I also think that the team's business like attitude is what keeps them from winning it all, even after those 100 division championships they have won. You have to have heart and that one year they did win the WS, I think it was because of the heart, determination, and "never say die" attitude of an gimpy veteran named Sid Bream that carried that team. He kind of reminded me of how Kirk Gibson let the fire under the Dodgers to take down the favored A's back in '88.

[Nay4AU 2]

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. I’m a long time Mets fan but I use to also like to see the Braves win when they weren’t playing the Mets. However when MLB realigned (1994) I had to become anti Braves. I was ok with them as long as they were in another division (NL West) but had to hope for them to loose once they joined the NL East.

[WinCrimson 61]

This Auburn fan can't agree with you.

This Alabama fan does agree with you.

[SouthLink02 8]

Braves suck

I hate them

I am sorry, I hate them

Booooooooo Braves

GO TIGERS! GO DETROIT!

[Justin5 20]

You have to have heart and that one year they did win the WS, I think it was because of the heart, determination, and "never say die" attitude of an gimpy veteran named Sid Bream that carried that team. He kind of reminded me of how Kirk Gibson let the fire under the Dodgers to take down the favored A's back in '88.

Sid Bream's last year with the Braves was 1993. The Braves won the World Series in 1995. I'm sick of people hating the Braves because of their success. The reason they are successful is that business like atmosphere you dislike so much. The reason they won it in '95 was not because of some scrappy veteran, it was because they had outstanding pitching and got a couple of key hits.

Go Braves. I've gone to all of their games here in DC and I'll be there tomorrow.

[tiger88 934]

This Auburn fan can't agree with you.

I am not a big fan of the Braves anymore. I used to like them some growing up and actually had them as my second team behind the Red Sox. That is when Joe Torre was coaching them and guys like Dale Murphy, Claudell Washington, and Bob Boone played for them.

However, for some reason, around the mid to late 90s I started hating Bobby Cox and the "business" like attitude the team seemed to have. Ever since then I have found myself rooting against them no matter who is playing them. I think Bobby Cox is a decent season manager, but he sucks when it comes to coaching for the big game during the postseason.

I also think that the team's business like attitude is what keeps them from winning it all, even after those 100 division championships they have won. You have to have heart and that one year they did win the WS, I think it was because of the heart, determination, and "never say die" attitude of an gimpy veteran named Sid Bream that carried that team. He kind of reminded me of how Kirk Gibson let the fire under the Dodgers to take down the favored A's back in '88.

Cox lethargic attitude and acceptance of mediocre effort from his players does make it extremely difficult to stick with the braves at times. As long as he had the best pitching in the league and some really really good hitting, he could win. Take away his advantages and he is extremely lethargic and mediocre just like his teams of late. Having some new guys perform well added some life last year, but not nearly enough.

Obviously, they are gonna let Cox coach until his lazy ass is ready to retire. They would have been a lot better off had they axed him a few years back. They could have traded cheeper for someone or two who give a damn as well.

I still love the Braves overall though and feel better for having vented here, lol.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Quick, anyone here who is a hall of fame manager...raise your hand.

That's what I thought.

[Ranger12 46]

Quick, anyone here who is a hall of fame manager...raise your hand.

That's what I thought.

Quick, how many "hall of fame" managers have chocked at as many opportunities as Bobby Cox has to either play in or win a World Series?

That's what I thought.

Just because I don't manage an underachieving MLB team does not mean I can't be critical bro. I have played, coached, and umpired enough baseball in my time to feel comfortable slamming any college or MLB coach without feeling like my opinion is an uneducated. So you can bring up Bobby Cox's credentials all day and I will still tell you I think he is one of the worst big game managers ever to coach in the big leagues.

Sid Bream's last year with the Braves was 1993. The Braves won the World Series in 1995. I'm sick of people hating the Braves because of their success. The reason they are successful is that business like atmosphere you dislike so much. The reason they won it in '95 was not because of some scrappy veteran, it was because they had outstanding pitching and got a couple of key hits.

I stand corrected on the Sid Bream thing, but I stand on the fact that the Braves needed more players like him and they would have won a lot more then just one World Series with all those division championships.

Like I said in my post, I don't like them because of their freakin' attitude, not because of their "success" as you called it. Sorry, but I don't see a successful team or manager, so it is kind of hard for me to hate them because of that. Why would I hate a team for being one of the biggest choke jobs in the history of MLB?

Braves fans can cling to all those divisional championships all they want, but they don't mean crap unless you win it all. Ask any honest MLB player. No matter how much they are paid, the reason the majority of those players step in the field during that first spring training practice is in pursuit of that ring they can't buy. The World Series is why the owner's put a team on the field because a World Series Champion puts people in the seats and sells more merchandise.

[SouthLink02 8]

Quick, anyone here who is a hall of fame manager...raise your hand.

That's what I thought.

Since Bobby Cox is here

Quick, anyone who has beat up his wife...raise your hand

[BamaGrad03 0]

People don't realize, that of those 14 straight division championships...the Braves had no business winning a bunch of them. They won them BECAUSE of Bobby, not in spite of him. They had years where the injuries were out of control...and making it to the World Series, or winning it, was out of the question.

But people don't look at the roster, or the fact that Braves ownership SERIOUSLY handicapped the salary for about 10 years straight.

Bobby Cox has had to manage with one arm tied behind his back. When division rivals are getting guys like Pedro Martinez, Bobby was stuck with Buddy Carlysle or Chuck James.

Bobby is one of the best "player's managers" of all time. He doesn't trash his guys in the media, he takes blame for losses, he basically supports his guys. You'll never find a manager more willing to go to bat for his players.

And the guy knows how to win. You can ask any MLB player and sure they'd say the ultimate goal is to win it all. But there isn't a professional player in the WORLD who would tell you that 14 straight division titles, in any sport, is not impressive.

[AUesquire 1]

Braves suck

I hate them

I am sorry, I hate them

Booooooooo Braves

GO TIGERS! GO DETROIT!

How're those DEEEtroit Tigers doing so far? I haven't really paid attention so far.

[abrnfanatc 6]

Braves suck

I hate them

I am sorry, I hate them

Booooooooo Braves

GO TIGERS! GO DETROIT!

How're those DEEEtroit Tigers doing so far? I haven't really paid attention so far.

They obviously haven't either.

[SouthLink02 8]

Braves suck

I hate them

I am sorry, I hate them

Booooooooo Braves

GO TIGERS! GO DETROIT!

How're those DEEEtroit Tigers doing so far? I haven't really paid attention so far.

Only good thing about leaving Athens....I leave the bandwagon Braves fans

[tiger88 934]

Quick, anyone here who is a hall of fame manager...raise your hand.

That's what I thought.

oh, please. People could throw that kind of crap around in 99.9999% of the debates around here if not all of them.

He has done a lot for the braves and is a good manger. When you make the playoffs 14 years in a row and only have 1 ring something is up though. He is a players manager whose specialty is getting consistent performance out of his players. They play on an even keel. They can't get fired up for the playoffs.

Before he came back to Atl. he was fired from toronto after being the 1st mgr in history to lose a 3-1 lead in the championship series. Soon thereafter they won two in a row. More than he totalled in 14 trips to the playoffs with the braves.

Cox is maybe the best regular season mgr. in baseball and one of the worst post-season guys ever. I respect what he's done for Atl, but wish he would go. Either that or I wish Ted would buy back the braves and once again give him the best team in baseball so we could at least make the playoffs again.Maybe he'll prove me wrong this year, but I'm not counting on it.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Only good thing about leaving Athens....I leave the bandwagon Braves fans

All of us aren't bandwagon fans though. As a matter of fact, I'll bet a lot of the hardcore Braves fans are here in Alabama. I catch 162 reg season games a year either on tv or the radio. I also make it over to Atlanta for about 8 games a year.

I'm one of those people who didn't start following the Braves until they made their worst to first run. But part of that is because I was 12 when that happened. But since that year I've seen or heard almost every game. If I lived in Atlanta (thank God I don't), I'd have season tickets.

I have followed them even the last few years when they were terrible thanks to no $$ being pumped in from ownership. I freaking love baseball, and I love the Braves. And in this state, I know a TON of people who are just like me. But funny thing is, hardly any of my Atlanta friends care much about the bravos.

[AUesquire 1]

I was sitting in Fulton County Stadium with countless dozens of other fans during all of their years as a minor league organization. I've hung with em' through the good and bad times. Some of you young whipper snappers (I'm in my 40's) may not understand this but growing up, you had ONE baseball game broadcast every week. Saturday afternoon game of the week with Tony Kubek and Joe Garagiola announcing.

Anyway, we got the Braves on radio 99% of the time. When cable TV was came out, Turner Broadcasting was WAAAAYYY ahead of it's time and all of a sudden, we were getting the Braves virtually every night they played. There were no other cable stations we could get showing other teams. It was the Bravos, plain and simple. No bandwagon fan here. I really did grow up with them.

[tiger88 934]

You had to love the Mahler brothers, Biff Pocoroba, Jerry Royster, and others.

When I moved back to the south I was a Reds fan but the super station had me watching the Braves more and more and when they finally turned it around in the early 90's, the transformation was complete. One thing I miss about Atlanta is listening to the games on 750 on the way home from work at night. There's nothing like the crack of a bat you hear on the radio.

[SLAG-91 1,483]

'88, I loved being able to pick up a baseball game at night on an AM station while driving and just listen. I was actually able to pick up WSB in College Station, TX one night when the wind was right...I was shocked when I heard the Professor himself, Pete Van Wieren, on my radio.

I started following Braves pretty closely in '82 when a couple of things happened: 1) Our hometown got cable TV and I was introduced to the wonderment that was baseball on EVERY night via WTBS and 2) the team playing on said station was having a good season.

They won the NL West that year by a game.

When I was at Auburn, they were by and large pathetic...I remember watching a 19-inning game against St. Louis one night/morning in '88 when Jose Oquendo pitched at least 3 innings and got Dale Murphy to ground out to 2B. St. Louis ended up winning with a SS pitching and a P playing the OF. Terrible.

The summer I graduated ('91) was when they were making their worst-to-first push. Several nights were spent at the Strutting Duck drinking 0.75 big beers and watching the late games out on the West coast.

I watched the pivotal NLCS Game 6 whilst sick as a dog from a motel room in Tallahassee...a 1-0 nailbiter, if memory serves.

I still haven't forgiven Kent Hrbek for going WWF and pulling Ron Gant off of first and I still cringe every time I see Lonnie Smith get faked out by the Twins IFs while Terry Pendleton's blast is carrying deep into the outfield...he should have scored on that double and then maybe Game 7 turns out differently. We'll never know, but...damn.

When I moved to Texas in '92, I was quite naturally in a minority. Houston folks hated the Braves mainly because for a long time, it seemed like there were as many ATL fans as Astros fans in the 'Dome. Watching the '92 NLCS was a roller coaster and Game 7 almost did me in...and then Francisco Cabrera got a hit, Sid Bream somehow scored from second and I was a one-man wrecking ball in an upstairs loft...if one person can create pandemonium, I did it.

'95 was almost a relief as much as anything...'96 WS was just revolting. Jim Freakin' Leyritz yanking Mark Wohlers' hanging slider just completely flipped that WS around.

I still track the Braves from a distance and watch on TV when I can, but I miss TBS carrying almost all of their games...it's weakened the connection some, along with my just getting older and not investing as much emotionally in pro sports.

[AUesquire 1]

You had to love the Mahler brothers, Biff Pocoroba, Jerry Royster, and others.

When I moved back to the south I was a Reds fan but the super station had me watching the Braves more and more and when they finally turned it around in the early 90's, the transformation was complete. One thing I miss about Atlanta is listening to the games on 750 on the way home from work at night. There's nothing like the crack of a bat you hear on the radio.

Rick Mahler, Rick Camp and Bob Walk...3 former Braves pitchers

3 of the ugliest men to walk the earth.

Wait...Zane Smith....make that 4!!!

[Ranger12 46]

I guess I am the very opposite of what a bandwagon fan is because I stopped liking the Braves when I guess I should have been liking them. Like others mentioned, I remember the pre-succesful Braves on those baby blue uniforms with the lowercase "a" on the hats. I remember visiting my grandparents that lived in Carrolton, GA and watching them on TBS.

We did not get cable until I was a teenager because we lived in a rural area, but when we finally got it our choices for baseball on TV were either the Braves on TBS, the Cubs on WGN, or the weekly game of the week on NBC. I was always a Red Sox fan even though I rarely got to see them on TV and there was only local radio back then, so I never got to listen to them either. So, the Braves naturally became my favorite NL team because of their exposure and proximity.

Now the Cardinals have sort of become my favorite NL team, though I don't follow them as close as I followed the Braves when Dale Murphy and company played. I think the last Braves player that I remember liking was Glenn Hubbard.

[tiger88 934]

You had to love the Mahler brothers, Biff Pocoroba, Jerry Royster, and others.

When I moved back to the south I was a Reds fan but the super station had me watching the Braves more and more and when they finally turned it around in the early 90's, the transformation was complete. One thing I miss about Atlanta is listening to the games on 750 on the way home from work at night. There's nothing like the crack of a bat you hear on the radio.

Rick Mahler, Rick Camp and Bob Walk...3 former Braves pitchers

3 of the ugliest men to walk the earth.

Wait...Zane Smith....make that 4!!!

lol. I think zane had the others beat. The mullet put him over the top.

[ECEstudentUA 9]

I was sitting in Fulton County Stadium with countless dozens of other fans during all of their years as a minor league organization. I've hung with em' through the good and bad times. Some of you young whipper snappers (I'm in my 40's) may not understand this but growing up, you had ONE baseball game broadcast every week. Saturday afternoon game of the week with Tony Kubek and Joe Garagiola announcing.

Anyway, we got the Braves on radio 99% of the time. When cable TV was came out, Turner Broadcasting was WAAAAYYY ahead of it's time and all of a sudden, we were getting the Braves virtually every night they played. There were no other cable stations we could get showing other teams. It was the Bravos, plain and simple. No bandwagon fan here. I really did grow up with them.

I grew up with them too, but not in the same way you did. I remember the mid 80's when they sucked. They were terrible, but I went to like 10 games a year with my Dad. It was great. Always been a Braves fan, always will be.

I dont buy into the Red Sox are awesome hype. Granted many of their fans have been around a long time, and I respect that. But I hate the "Holy Cow, the Red Sox are good again, but I cant name a player on their team fans."