Who's the real pretender here, Carlton?
I know it was two weeks ago and Jeff's already done a complete 180 on this subject, but I can't resist digging up these lines that Jeff wrote on our blog.
"And the Braves and Marlins have dropped 4.5 games back in the East after leading the division. Are they pretenders? Injury-riddled Atlanta, sure. But Florida? We'll see."
Atlanta, pretenders? How can a man who's always complained bitterly about the Braves' dominance of the NL East so suddenly dismiss their chances?
To be fair to Jeff, plenty of others jumped off the Atlanta bandwagon (which always has plenty of room around playoff time)recently. Their spate of injuries, particularly to the starting staff, had the Atlanta Braves looking a lot like the Richmond Braves.
Well, as it turned out, and as Tim Kurkjian writes, those Richmond Braves are pretty darned good.
I still like the Braves chances to catch the Nats eventually in the East. But that doesn't mean I'm reserving tickets for the World Series yet (given the unbelievably apathetic local fan base, I imagine plenty will be available the day of, anyway). Though Atlanta has finally gone with the playoff-proven formula of two dominant starters - Smoltz and Hudson - but is lacking the other necessity to win in October - a strong bullpen. Granted, half that pen has been forced into spot starting duty lately, but still, I'm not optimistic.
However, the recent strong play of the Baby Braves gives me this warm and fuzzy feeling. Even if the Braves don't get it done - again - this year, they appear to have the talent stocked to stay at or near the top of the division for years to come.
Comments (2)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
Oh, twist that knife, Jim. Don't let Jeff off the hook!
I, too, have been impressed with the Baby Braves. Kelly Johnson seemingly drives in a run or two every night and Kyle Davies has proved to be far more than a stop-gap starting pitcher.
The Braves should be able to track down the Nats because 1. Washington has to hit a slump at some point and 2. They eventually will have to play another road game. I mean, doesn't it seem like the Nationals have played about 30 straight at home?
The Atlanta bullpen remains a concern, but once some of the veterans get healthy, this will be a team to deal with. And even if they don't win their 14th straight division title, they still lead the NL Wildcard race.
Posted on June 30, 2005 3:52 PM
The Braves should make the postseason but that's about it. For whatever reason, year after year this team isn't built for anything other than winning the NL East. When they get the lineup straight, the pitching goes south and vice versa. The bullpen will be a problem because playoff games are won in the late innings. Last night is a perfect example.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bravados grab either of the soon-to-be-released former Yankee relievers Quantrill or Stanton. I'm sure Leo can whip either of them into respecitibility.
Posted on June 30, 2005 6:50 PM