you'll love this article about Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. It gives alot of insight into just how good they were.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...-fame-together
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you'll love this article about Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. It gives alot of insight into just how good they were.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...-fame-together
I'm so happy they're moving.
Great article, thanks for sharing.
There definitely will never be anything like that period again. I can still remember reading the paper the day after a game and being shocked if Maddux gave up more than 2 runs and thinking, 'What is wrong with him?'
Wasted a ton of good pitching that decade. Should've won a few series. Loved those guys.
I agree 100% with thisQuote:
Originally Posted by thunderclap
Yeah, what surprised me from the article was that he averaged 1.8 walks per 9 innings. That is obviously a stellar number.... but it still seems high to me. I thought I recalled a couple seasons where he walked like 10 batters all year.Quote:
Originally Posted by smootness
I wouldn't say they wasted it. With those two the Braves went to 3 world series, 7 NLCS and the playoffs every single year. The problem is as good as these guys were power pitching is what wins in the postseason, and that's why John Smoltz was the best in that regard. That said, they should have won in 1996 but blew it, and with Millwood they had the arms in 1999 but ran into a buzzsaw in the Yankees.Quote:
Originally Posted by thunderclap
Agreed. Some may say they should have won more than 1 world series... but 1 is infinitely better than 0. What can I say, I'm an optimist.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Croom Diaries
I've always placed that on Bobby Cox. Cox was possible the greatest coach ever for the regular season. He knew how to motivate through he grind of 162; gave rest and kept the bench sharp; and played with an end game in mind. However, Cox may have been one of the worst post-season managers of all time - especially in a short series. Benching Gant in the WS in '92; not pitching a 20-5 Denny Neagle in '97; never stealing bases when you have Kenny Lofton, Marquis Grissom, or Otis Nixon but letting Lonnie Smith run???; pulling Tommy Hanson after 8 innings and 98 pitches against the Astros then having Soriano blow it. And that is just off the top my head.Quote:
Originally Posted by thunderclap
I agree that he didn't always make the best decisions, and there are certainly better postseason managers, but he did win 12 postseason series and lost 13 with the Braves...so virtually a .500 record in series play isn't bad for the playoffs.Quote:
Originally Posted by BrunswickDawg
You're not too far off. From 1995 to 1997, Maddux averaged only 24 walks a season, which equated to about .92 BB/9IP.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiterallyPolice
Maddux was something special in the 90s.
And doing so well for so long should not be discounted either - which is why I prefaced it the way I did. Definitely frustrates a fan when you are in a position to win it all so many times and you don't. If I had not lived through 70s and 80s Braves baseball, it would have made me more frustrated.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Croom Diaries
I was a pretty big fan**
http://my.jetscreenshot.com/12222/m_...-cg3h-57kb.jpg
Of course, this particular one pre-dated Maddux by a couple of years. Has the full 25-man roster + coaches from the team that played in, and consequently lost, the best World Series that I've ever seen in my lifetime. Also started my all-out hatred of the Metrodome as a baseball location. Who plays on astroturf and a WHITE roof that balls hit pretty regularly?
I will still always look back on that period fondly as a Braves fan. Obviously the ultimate goal is to win the WS, but I think a little too much focus in sports now is placed on championships. I loved that period of time, despite many years ending in disappointment, and would take the disappointment of losing a WS all day over not ever getting there.Quote:
Originally Posted by thunderclap
I know you didn't necessarily say the opposite, but I don't look back on it as 'wasting' the pitching. Those games still happened, and they were extremely fun as a Braves fan.
Kent hrbek pulling Ron gant off 1st is probably the maddest I've ever been watching a baseball game. Second place is carpenter pitching to uribe with kimbrel available (yes, I'm still upset)Quote:
Originally Posted by engie
I agree. The Braves started their run when I was in the 1st grade and ended it when I was a senior at MSU. That is one hell of a long ride. And every year I was engaged and having fun watching the team from April to October. Lots of winning and lots of fun. Baseball is a lot of fun when you follow a team throughout the season...but it's really hard to watch a loser night in and night out. I've always said I would take the Braves 14 division titles with 1 World Series over the Marlins 2 World Series and losing seasons in all the rest.Quote:
Originally Posted by smootness
Now I feel old! That '91 season was my Sr. HS/Fr. MSU. Being from Marietta, we always went to a lot of games in HS - and that summer was unreal. People really didn't catch on how good they were until late, so we could get $3 Upper Deck seats, sit where you wanted, and drink and enjoy a couple of games a week cheaply.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Croom Diaries
That Hrbek call was one of the worst I've ever seen at any level of baseball by an umpire.Quote:
Originally Posted by msstate7
I think what usually tripped the Braves up in the postseason was their bullpen. Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz were awesome- but in the playoffs if you had a starter that was close to as good as them and could match them and get into the bullpen, you had a chance.
I was a huge braves fan until the mid to late 90's. By that time one needed to complete a full Rosetta Stone Spanish course just to pronounce most of the players names. How can you me Americas team with hardly any Americans on ot? It was more like the Centeal American team, and I slowly lost interest in them. Now they are a bunch of spoiled brats, so I still enjoy watching them lose. BitchCann is the main one.
I have only lived in Atlanta for a couple of years, but I have enjoyed going to Braves games the most out of the major league teams here. I am always surprised by how down a lot of Braves fans are when it comes to the team. They have been really successful for basically my entire life....I would think it would have been a joy to root for them for all of these years.Quote:
Originally Posted by smootness
Also, yeah it's very difficult to judge a baseball team by championships. It's a lot of luck involved and it's funny that they boil such a large amount of games down into such a short playoff.
Yikes.Quote:
Originally Posted by RougeDawg
Well, you'll be happy to know McCann is now a Yankee.
Are you talking about the mcgriff, Grissom, justice led braves with all that pitching? Or the jones, klesko, Boone led teams? Or maybe the years they had McCann, francouer, and still jones? Or maybe your talking about having a hard time pronouncin andruw? In other words your reasoning for not liking them sounds stupid...not to mention there are tons of Latin players on every MLB roster.Quote:
Originally Posted by RougeDawg
I'll never understand why anyone cares where players from their favorite team are from. I wouldn't care if State's entire football team was Polish, Mexican, Ghanaian, or French so long as they beat Alabama and Ole Miss.Quote:
Originally Posted by shoeless joe
Wow. You know the football and basketball team is 90% black but the stadium is 80-90% white people. Can you believe the fan accept other races playing for their team*. Good grief. People are people no matter where they come from or what they look like. At least this thread is about the Braves and not MSU because that post is embarrassing.Quote:
Originally Posted by RougeDawg
I would take a MSU team full of Polish Rifles any and every day!Quote:
Originally Posted by smootness
Pizinnski for Heisman!