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Vern Gagne

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Some great divisional races, and wildcard races. The AL batting title is a free for all. The major awards are up in the air.

 

Huge series in Chicago this week. Twins vs White Sox. A big advantage for the Sox in the pitching matchups. The Twins should be happy with a split. After that the Twins have the much more favorable schedule.

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What about the Red Sox/Yanks? The lead is down to 1 1/2 now and most of the Sox final games are at home vs. the sub-.500 teams. I think the Yankees is similar, so this could go to the last week or so. With Seattle and Oakland in the Wild Card hunt, the division may be the only way in.

 

The "Red Sox will collapse" comments will start..................now.

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Guest Choken One

1975 comes to my head...1967 as well...Don't forget 1946 either there are three times they lost in game seven along with 1986...

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What about the Red Sox/Yanks? The lead is down to 1 1/2 now and most of the Sox final games are at home vs. the sub-.500 teams. I think the Yankees is similar, so this could go to the last week or so. With Seattle and Oakland in the Wild Card hunt, the division may be the only way in.

 

The "Red Sox will collapse" comments will start..................now.

Red Sox-Yankees talk is fine. I just wish we'd stay away from any talk of curses.

 

Tomorrow's game is important for obvious reasons. If the Yankees can salvage a game they'd remain 3 games up in the loss column. Not that 3 games is alot, but it would give the Yankees some breathing room.

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1975 comes to my head...1967 as well...Don't forget 1946 either there are three times they lost in game seven along with 1986...

Let's see...

 

1975 - Lost to one of the 5 best teams ever. Came back from a 3-2 deficit to force Game 7.

 

1967 - Came back from a 3-1 deficit to force Game 7.

 

I'll give you 1946, but that was nearly 60 years ago.

 

And, come to think of it, the '86 Mets were a pretty fair team themselves. Boston had no reason to think they were the favourites going into that series.

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Not to mention that most recent game of these was almost 20 years ago.

 

Christ, I was a little over 3 years old during the 1986 World Series. I don't even remember seeing any of the games, but I'm tired of having it rubbed in my face.

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Anyways the Yankees look like the team choking right now but even then the Red Sox don't have the pitching to win World Series (oh and don't point out the Angels last year; best bullpen in baseball and their starting pitching was better than this year's Red Sox) so that means at least one more year of "Curse" talk.

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Guest Choken One
There is no curse. It is a fiction, thrown upon us by one idiot Boston sports writer.

 

Boston just never has the best team. That is all.

Of course there isn't a curse...

 

 

They just choke.

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There is no curse.  It is a fiction, thrown upon us by one idiot Boston sports writer.

 

Boston just never has the best team.  That is all.

Of course there isn't a curse...

 

 

They just choke.

This coming from a Reds fan.

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Guest Choken One
There is no curse.  It is a fiction, thrown upon us by one idiot Boston sports writer.

 

Boston just never has the best team.  That is all.

Of course there isn't a curse...

 

 

They just choke.

This coming from a Reds fan.

Imagine if I was a Braves fan...

 

besides um...

 

The reds Won One more World Series and lost equal World Series...

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1967. They had an amazing two week run just to GET to the World Series, after finishing 9th the year before. And losing to Bob F'n Gibson in the World Series is not choking. Just ask the '64 Yankees.

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There is no curse.  It is a fiction, thrown upon us by one idiot Boston sports writer.

 

Boston just never has the best team.  That is all.

Of course there isn't a curse...

 

 

They just choke.

This coming from a Reds fan.

Imagine if I was a Braves fan...

 

besides um...

 

The reds Won One more World Series and lost equal World Series...

Yea- Getting to enjoy 11 straight division titles and one World Series title- It's pretty sweet

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Guest jonstreich
Yea- Getting to enjoy 11 straight division titles and one World Series title- It's pretty sweet

 

from AltaVista's Dipshit to English translation, the above quote translates to:

 

I greatly enjoy being a bandwagon fan of a greatly overhyped team that has failed more often than any other in recent history.  Also, we like to lie about how many times our team has won the division, just to make ourselves feel better.

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I greatly enjoy being a bandwagon fan of a greatly overhyped team

 

Let's see- I've been a fan of the team since I was born- and that's before 1991. So I jumped on some last place bandwagon then?

 

How are they "overhyped"? For the past few years many people have thought that their run would end- and it hasn't. I don't think they've been overhyped at all considering they weren't supposed to be this goodthis year.

 

that has failed more often than any other in recent history.

 

Winning the division title=failure?

 

Also, we like to lie about how many times our team has won the division

 

So the Braves haven't won the division title 11 times? You're right- They've won more titles then that. Including 1914, 1956, 1957, 1969 and 1982

Edited by bob_barron

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The big question at this point in the season is of course: Who were your biggest fantasy team duds of the year?

 

Hitter: Pat fucking Burrell - Most drafts I snagged him in the 4th round if he was still around.

 

Pitcher: Danny Graves - There were probably bigger names who were busts, but Graves was just so abysmal he out ranks them. I wasn't expecting Derek Lowe numbers out of him, but 4-15 with a 5.50 is just absurd.

 

Reliever: Jose Mesa - I was expecting 35 cheap saves with a 4.50 ERA. Figuring he woulnd't be good, but would manage to keep his job.

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Guest jonstreich
Yea- Getting to enjoy 11 straight division titles and one World Series title- It's pretty sweet

 

Your original post, complete with its factual inaccuracy. Or as they're called where I come from, Lies. The Braves have not won 11 straight division titles. They did win three in a row from 1991 to 1993. And then they won from 1995 on, which is currently eight in a row, not mentioning this year as it is not completed. However neither 3 or 8 = 11, simple mathematics should tell you this.

 

 

Winning the division title=failure?

 

Yes, it is, mainly because the goal of the season is to win the big trophy in October, not some meaningless scrap of fabric in September. The Braves have done that once, in their 11 trips, which gives them a "success" percentage of 9%. Any school in the world will fail you if you put up numbers like that.

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There was no division winner in 1994, so 11 straight it is, sadly.

 

1991

1992

1993

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

 

And will be 12 this year.

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I wouldn't exactly call the Braves winning just one world series out of 11 chances a failure. The baseball playoffs are the hardest to get to, so to get there 11 times in a row is an achievement. That said, if I was a Braves fan, I would be disappointed considering some of the teams they have had.

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1975 - Lost to one of the 5 best teams ever. Came back from a 3-2 deficit to force Game 7.

My dad was at Game 6. Centerfield bleachers. Crowd went INSANE after Fisk hit it out.

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Braves fans don't seem to be the most creative though. Sheff's Chefs? Come on now. And the worst part is that the team is playing into the fan groups, giving out chef hats. Do you know why those work so great in Philly? Because they are FAN groups. Fans come up with them, fans participate, the team appreciates. That's it.

 

BTW, The Pratt Pack owns all.

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Guest jonstreich
There was no division winner in 1994, so 11 straight it is, sadly.

 

Incorrect, for two reasons. One, there was a season in 1994, and there was no winner, like you said. And two, Montreal had something to the effect of a .606 winning percentage, a percentage that was leading all of baseball that year. Besides, if Texas can fly their 1994 Divisional banner with a losing record, why can't the Expos have theirs?

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Didn't the Red Sox also choke in 1978?

 

Bucky Dent.

 

Sad that I know that being the ultimate anti-Yankee fan, but there ya go.

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Guest BobbyWhioux

The Braves have NOT failed more than any team in recent history.

 

Even if you consider it a case of "World Series or Nothing" then there's no difference between making the playoffs but not winning it all and not making the postseason at all. So the Braves would be equal to the 29 other teams that didn't win it all. Their unprecedented run of consecutive years qualifying for postseaston is, actually, a mark of being a perpetual contender, and thus a grounds for hope of this year being "the year" year after year. Most teams' fans' don't have that cause for hope.

 

The Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Padres, Expos, Rockies, and Devil Rays all have NEVER won a world series. The Braves certainly have failed less than those teams. They've failed less than the Indians, Red Sox, White Sox, or Cubs, all of whom are looking at 50+ year World Series Victory droughts. And the Giants will be at 49 years unless they get it done this year (here's hopin').

 

They've qualified for 11 straight postseasons. Nobody has done that. NOBODY. Sure, it's "easier" to get into the postseason now that there are 8 slots, but then, everybody's had a chance at those 8 slots for the 8 years the three divisions and wild card format has been in play [1995-2002]. Only one other team has made it all 8 of those years: The Yankees.

 

And the Yankees are really the only team that have been MORE successful than the Braves over that span. You MIGHT be able to make a case for the Blue Jays on the strength of their repeat W.S. run in 92-93, but they died off quickly after and haven't contended since.

 

I'm sick of this notion that making the playoffs but not going all the way is somehow MORE of a failure than not getting there at all. I'm sure it's real disappointing for the fans and players (heck, I know it is, The A's have been bounced in the first round three straight years, and the Giants were SO DAMN CLOSE but all for naught), but it is NOT a failure comparable to missing the playoffs, or slumming around at the bottom of the league like the Tigers or Brewers or Pirates have been doing for years.

Edited by BobbyWhioux

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