Becoming a Braves Fan
by UNFNOLE on Mar 16, 2010 8:25 PM EDT
67 comments
This past August, my wife and I made the move to the Atlanta area. After living in Northern Virginia for a couple of year and growing up in Central Florida, I never have had a rooting interest in baseball. I am not a die-hard by any means, football and basketball are far more my sport than baseball, but I do enjoy going to the games and loosely following baseball. I love numbers, I love analytical stuff so I know this post will come as an annoyance to folks like myself. Regardless, I seek your advice.
I would love to make the Braves my team (I know this is unconventional at the age of 25), but want your insight on things I need to know as a Braves fan. It could be a casual, light-hearted piece of advice or some historical insights. Feel free to delete this post if you feel it is a waste of time. You can often find me at TomahawkNation, BucEm or OrlandoPinStripedPost, I hope to become an active member of this community. Cheers!
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I feel being a Braves fan is a good thing (obviously). The thing that I appreciate as a Braves fan more than anything is that there is always a chance to be competitive. Apart from the Red Sox and Yankees nowadays, the Braves are right up there in giving you a chance to win every year (even though the past few years they haven’t). While our payroll may be shrinking, we still have a decent amount of money to spend on our team, and our farm system is always top notch. These things assure that 90% of the time, we can hope to be playing meaningful games in September even if we don’t make the playoffs.
The First step...
…Is to understand that were a loveably bad team in the 80’s.
With that perspective, watch this clip 500x’s in a row.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200808043251567&c_id=atl
Still gives me chills. Every single time.
www.takeyourskirtofftombrady.com
by Sid Bream's Moustache on Mar 16, 2010 9:02 PM EDT reply actions
I love the fat guy in pink-shirt
jumping up and down. I belong.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
braves win, braves win, braves win!
...still waiting for Minaya to sign Brad Hawpe as a defensive replacement...
by VivaLosBravos on Mar 17, 2010 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I have chills right now..
watched it about 2 minutes ago… still have chills
And I was lucky enough to be at that game. I was 13.
I got home at 4:00 in the morning b/c it was such a party down there. Outside of the day I got married, may be the best day of my life.
this is my brother
We stopped to drop him off at my grandmother’s house in Stone Mountain. I got nasty sick and was planning on going to the game. I was 17 at the time. I couldn’t go, I couldn’t do it, like stomach flu or something. So my brother went, and it was probably the best game ever.
I’m glad he got to experience it though.
Glad to have you on board with the Braves!!
For me, the thing that I’ve always been proud of as a Braves fan is the professionalism you see both on and off the field.
And for the last 20 yrs, we as fans can also count on them putting contenders on the field. It’s always nice to start the season with anticipation of being able to watch post season baseball.
TBS allowed the Braves family of fans to incorporate folks way outside the city of Atlanta and that’s why I became a fan since there is no professional team in my area.
I look forward to cheering the Braves on with you this season!
"When all is said and done, more is said than done." - Lou Holtz
Thanks!
I like Bobby Cox alot. He’s firey, often cranky and understands the game like very few do. It definitely feels like he has created a professional organization, though it seems as decisions have become more questionable the last few seasons. Change may not be the worst thing.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
Then watch this.
Know and love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ltD21rYWVw
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
In addition to BMac’s triple for Chipper’s Birthday – that’s one of my all time favorites.
"When all is said and done, more is said than done." - Lou Holtz
Found the link:
Click to watch: Brian McCann Triple – Chipper’s Birthday
"When all is said and done, more is said than done." - Lou Holtz
wow
its just crazy to see how much weight heap lost
by Braves Equals Life! on Mar 16, 2010 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Two words: Farm System. It all starts right there.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 16, 2010 9:36 PM EDT reply actions
Excuse my ignorance...
but Atlanta Braves are the model of Farm Systems. They consistently have one of the best, if not the best farm systems in the majors. Does this translate well, or have the Braves been too impatient at time and sold off some of the farm? Or would you contend that the Farm System is not as successful in the long run as just buying big name free agents…Dodgers, Yanks, Sox, etc who don’t put nearly as much stock into the farm?
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
It has translated beautifully (a la the Baby Braves), and outside of Francouer. What he was referring to was our current farm system which is stacked.
But yes, to answer your question, the Braves have a history of scouting and drafting well, and turing that into success
"Batting second and playing shortstop-he's Cuban. Yeah, his name's Pablo...no, eh, Yunel Escobar, sorry"
I was actually referring to the farm system overall and through the years, not just right now. We have always had a stacked farm system and have always been able to scout well at every level – high school, college, internationally and perhaps more importantly, other team’s guys.
Our home-grown talent is among the best in the bigs – Chipper, McCann, Hanson, Heyward and others are just spoiling us as a fan base (and we have been spoiled for years).
To answer UNFNOLE’s original question, I am referring to both our abilities to bring up top talent, as well as know when to give up on guys and sell high on them, and the fact that we are not scared to trade away top talent to bring in what we need.
Of course, there are the obvious examples of where this hasn’t worked out very well – the Tex trade, Kotsay, etc.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 17, 2010 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
If you like numbers/analytical stuff and/or you just like to hang out and have fun, this is the place for you, because you’ll find both here.
WELCOME!
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
Jason Heyward...
is the past, present, AND future.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
I've picked that up just by listening to local sports talk.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
Really, what you’re asking is ‘why should I become a Braves fan?"
I think your answer has a couple parts, but is simple:
1) They’re local, and you’ll get to see every game. Something I am envious of. If you watch them enough, I’m sure you’ll develop a liking for them whether you realize it or not
2) They’re a storied club. One of the original six, the Braves have a history. They have some of the best players in history (Aaron, Maddux, etc) and define worst-to-first.
3) They’re a good team. Right now, the Braves have the pieces in place to have a legitimate shot at the World Series
4) They’re not going anywhere. We’re good now, but just wait to see what we have down on the farm
5) Loyalty. Braves fans are fans to death. Its very hard to find a Braves fan that won’t give everything emotionally for the Braves (too bad there are so few)
(6: Turner Field needs people to show up!)
Becoming a Braves fan is a great idea. I hope to see you around
"Batting second and playing shortstop-he's Cuban. Yeah, his name's Pablo...no, eh, Yunel Escobar, sorry"
damnit. Sports fail in number 2. There were 8 original teams when baseball was organized in 1900. Either way they were still one of the first
"Batting second and playing shortstop-he's Cuban. Yeah, his name's Pablo...no, eh, Yunel Escobar, sorry"
And according to our outfield wall
THE longest continually-operating team in history.
Yup
The Braves are technically the most accurately traced back to the red stockings, the obvious Red Sox and Reds are as well but not as much as the Braves. Something about owners splitting up one kept the red stockings later to become the braves and somehow the red sox and reds came from the break off.
Hah, it feels weird 'picking' a team.
It typically comes natural, but never having an affiliation also doesn’t feel right. I do love this city and you give lots of compelling reasons. Appreciate the response!
If the Braves do not compete for the NL, either its a result of an injury or something is seriously wrong. They have a load of talent on their roster.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
I concur. ‘Picking’ a team is weird. I grew up in St. Louis, but now that I’m back in New York, I just can’t root for either of the two football teams. I grew up rooting for the Rams, but damnit, I just can’t, and it’s too weird to root for one of the NY teams.
Then again, a sale to root for the Braves is probably easier than the Giants or Jets
"Batting second and playing shortstop-he's Cuban. Yeah, his name's Pablo...no, eh, Yunel Escobar, sorry"
In no particular order of importance
1. God Jason Heyward is THE man. Period.
2. In addition to When Sid Slid, you should also familiarize yourself with The Catch (sorry I can’t find video for this one, maybe someone more savvy than I can jump in with the assist…?)
3. After this sentence, Jeff Francoeur’s name is not to be uttered. Such action may lead to much internet taunting, and a stray dog will give you a wet willy while you sleep. Don’t do it.
4. You’re not allowed to like the Mets, and are legally obligated by a little-known law to deride them whenever they are mentioned, particularly when anyone mentions the ineptitude of their medical staff and/or anything done by That Guy From Number 3 That We Don’t Speak Of.
5. Don’t ever, EVER, mention the Tex trade. Just trust me on this one.
6. You may follow in Bobby’s footsteps by referring to any player as the first half of their name plus “-ie” and everyone will always know who you’re talking about (i.e. Chippie, Martie, Huddie, etc.)
Most importantly, make yourself at home and a warm welcome to you. We’ll try to drag you along as best we can.
I was definitely at the Spring Training game today and saw a dude in a Santana jersey and immediately began to make fun of him for no reason. My friend turns to me and goes why do you hate the Mets. My response, “Everyone should hate the Mets.”
So there you go number 3. It will become second nature.
I don't need the Cat Lady to throw cats at me to let me know she's crazy!
by McCann and McWill on Mar 17, 2010 1:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Sorry this is what happens when I decide to type stuff late at night.
I don't need the Cat Lady to throw cats at me to let me know she's crazy!
by McCann and McWill on Mar 17, 2010 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
"Batting second and playing shortstop-he's Cuban. Yeah, his name's Pablo...no, eh, Yunel Escobar, sorry"
Chills.
The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a f***in' potato."
by alligatorimpersonator on Mar 17, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
The best part about that was that he robbed Van Slyke…and we drafted Chipper instead!
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 17, 2010 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions
how is drafting Chipper related to The Catch?
Personally, I think the best part is that Nixon played for the US Cricket Team
"Batting second and playing shortstop-he's Cuban. Yeah, his name's Pablo...no, eh, Yunel Escobar, sorry"
Dammit, it was Van Poppel. My embarrassing bad on that one.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 17, 2010 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Sounds like me
I didn’t spend any time in Florida ever, but I grew up in Northern Virginia, and moved down to Atlanta on my 21st birthday, and I’ve been here since. But thanks to TBS, the Big Three, and Sid Bream, I became a Braves fan before I even came down here. And Joe Carter’s WS-ending walkoff made me a lover of the game as a whole, and not just the Braves.
If you like numbers and analysis, there’ll be plenty here. But there’s also a good number of folks who simply love the game on a lesser level, and that’s fine too. I go to about 40 home games a year, and sometimes it’s best as such to sit in the sun with a cold one instead of trying to figure out who’s ISO is going to wreak havoc on who’s FIP, but when I’m bored at work, I like to ready about such nerdy stuff as well.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
Generally
You need to have a working knowledge of a few things.
1. Sid Bream scoring the winning run in the 1992 NLCS against the Pirates. The game propelled the Braves to baseball royalty and dropped the Bucs to the dregs of the NL cellar. Virtually every Braves fan can tell you where they where when that play happened.
2. Hank Aaron’s 715th homerun in 1974.
3. Kent Hrbeks pulling Ron Gant off first base in the World Series. Feel free to use Kent Hrbeks name in vain.
4. Otis Nixon’s catch. Referred to as “the Catch.” I was actually at the game. It wasn’t a mere great catch by an outfielder. It was a superhuman effort.
5. A general disdain for all things Daryl Strawberry.
These guys were pretty good, and all bound for the Hall of Fame:
This guy is a legend, but be warned: his bullpen management will leave you scratching your head:
We’ve had some legendary players:
Hall of Famer in our hearts, but likely not in the real HOF:
One more future Hall of Famer:
I love visual aids.
"Matt Diaz is a baseball player."-Joe Simpson
Me too!
See below…
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
I went to collegel in Jacksonville
and spent a lot of time watching local high school sports. It’s not so much Chipper that rubbed me wrong, rather the Bolles school…or maybe Florida’s rules regarding teams that can recruit players that get to play against much lesser competition and perenially win state championships.
"I have come that you may have life, and life to the max"
We had that in Tennessee for a long time...
but they finally changed it to having separate divisions for public and private schools.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
And then, there's this guy....
Some info from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Diaz
Looking at your profile, I think you will have several reasons to like him as much as we all do!
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
oh and i was wondering NCChopper
do you have graphics yet for the news guys like Melky, Heyward and Glaus? Or will those come as the season progresses?
Omar Minaya is my hero!
"I'm not even allowed in Mexico."
My favorite team is the Giants (long, rambling story there), but I live in Alabama. The G-men are never on TV here, but the Braves always are. So, one day last summer, I started watching. And I liked what I saw. This is a team composed not of celebrities but of people who love the sport. They show up, do a hell of a job, go home and get up the next day to do it all over again.
You never see Brian McCann splattered on the front page of TMZ or read about Perez Hilton’s latest fight with Yunel Escobar. They don’t live under a media microscope — and to their great credit, they don’t seek one out. These are guys who, win or lose, are a hell of a lot of fun to watch just to see them play.
And, let’s face it, several of the boys are easy on the eyes. But that’s a tangential benefit.
Now, I never have to search for something interesting to watch on a given night. Just about every evening from April through October, at 6:05 p.m. CDT, I’ll watch the Braves and find something to love all over again.
Don't forget about Glavine's 1 hitter in 1995
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w=/library/open/ws_history/95ws_gm6_cleatl_glavine_350.wmv&pid=gen_video&cid=mlb&v=2
hey man, if you like analysis and stats, baseball is the best sport for that because it’s how we gauge performance over 162 games. you should try fantasy baseball, its a quick way to familiarize yourself with players in the league and is a lot of fun with friends/coworkers. I became a fan as a kid growing up in Miami because of their success in the 1990’s. They won 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, which is unheard of. It is those years that have really transformed the organization into what it is today, making winning part of the culture. The Braves are one of the most professional and well organized clubs in the league and the players are generally equally committed to winning (and staying out of trouble). Any place where there is that commitment to being good is a great team to start to watch more avidly.
Without TBS, I would have never become a Braves fan the summer of 1982. 13-0 to start the year, and then the Cardinals cheat their way to the pennant.
A lot of heartbreak for the next 15 years all washed away one night in 1995. It was the most beautiful baseball experience of my life.
I’m hungry for more.
tUMD Hockey: In search of a title! But probably not this year.
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