Today’s Topic:  Win Today, Celebrate Later

Mood Music:  Fearless by Pink Floyd

So it comes to this…..

In a season where the Braves lead baseball in come-from-behind wins…..it’s only fitting that their postseason hopes come down to 1 game, on the last day of the season, against their division rivals. 

and oh yeah….it’s Bobby Cox’s last regular season game as the Braves manager. 

Wow.

Folks……yesterday was for celebrating the career of one of the greatest managers of all time.  And it was a grand sendoff……but folks, that ain’t the way Bobby Cox deserves to go out…..and today….it’s time for the players to give him a deserved going away present.

Cox deserves that, doesn’t he? 

Bobby Cox will go down as a Hall of Fame manager, the most ejected manager of all time, and probably the greatest regular season manager of all time.  The one knock against him (which is exasperating considering he led the Braves to 14 straight division titles, which, in my opinion, will never be duplicated in any sport) is that he only won 1 Championship.

Again, Wow.

Folks, I cannot stress enough how fitting it would be for these “come-from-behind” Braves to win today and enter the postseason for the first time (if the Padres were to lose, of course) as the NL Wildcard team.

Why would that be fitting?  It’s easy. 

The Wildcard structure (implemented before the 1994 season) was started to give 2 more teams in the NL and AL a chance to make the playoffs.  Each League was split into 3 divisions from 2, which created 1 more division champ slot, and then the team with the best overall record, that didn’t win the division, would get the wildcard spot.  Sounds good.  More teams in the postseason, better ratings, fans have more of a reason to watch later in the year, etc……for the Braves, the wildcard has been more annoying than beneficial.  They’ve watched the Marlins win the World Series in 1997 and 2003 after finishing a mere 9 plus games back of them during the regular season in the division.  The Mets lost the “Subway Series” to the Yanks in 2000, but thanks to the wildcard, they made the playoffs that year despite losing the division to Atlanta.  The Braves lost to the Giants and Astros who made it into the playoffs from the wildcard slot, and let’s not even get into the ridiculous matchups (Prior and Wood in their only healthy season with the Cubs) the Braves have been forced to play (in a 5 game series) because the wildcard team came from their division.

So, all that, for this……it’s the Braves’ turn.  It’s Bobby Cox’ turn.  Listen, I know that these Braves have overachieved.  I know that they are hobbling into this last game, barely able to patch together a lineup (due to season ending injuries to Chipper, Medlen and Martin Prado) and the inability for the outfield platoon of Diaz, McLouth, Melky Cabrera, and Ankiel to due anything offensively, and the inability of “Mr. Clutch” Brooks Conrad to play defense……buuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttt…..

Everyone loves an underdog….and well….here you go. 

These players owe their manager one last trip to the postseason…period.  I don’t care if half the damn team is taken off the field on stretchers…..these guys BETTER leave it all on the field today.  Period.  The Braves can’t control the shocking inability of the NL West to help them out (the Giants actually have the division title on the line at home, and have shit the bed for the first 2 games)….but they can do everything they can to hit the effin’ ball today and take fate into their own hands…..

There will be time to celebrate the career of Bobby Cox later (hopefully….a few weeks from now, after a World Series victory from the most unlikely World Series team)…but today, as Tim Hudson takes the mound, and thousands of fans show up in support of this team and this incredible manager (who will undoubtedbly be ejected at some point today….I mean, come one…it’s only fitting), let’s focus on celebrating a tremendous season…..with 1 more win…..a much deserved win, for a players’ manager that’s given his all for far too long…..and deserves something in return from his players…..even if it’s just for today.

I’ll talk at you all again later.

GO BRAVES!!!!

“I’ll climb, that hill in my own way”