Marler Causes Braves to Miss Playoffs

Everyone knows that baseball players are superstitious. Some of the rituals they go through are pretty silly. Sleeping with a certain bat during a hitting streak, not cutting their hair, not showering, stepping over the foul line going on and off the field, drawing pictures in the dirt before an at-bat and the ever annoying re-tightening of the batting gloves after every pitch.

I always thought it was kind of dumb personally, but I've turned a new page.

I grew up a Braves fan. I've been through a lot. I've watched sooooo many games that they have lost and too many 100 loss seasons to count. I came to baseball about the time Dale Murphy was breaking in the major leagues. I liked Ted Turner, hated Ted Turner and ignored Ted Turner. But through and through I was a Braves fan.

Then came 1991 and I became a Brave fanatic. Watched every game all 9 innings, read the box scored every day, followed all the major stats of the starting line up and read everything I could get my hands on Braves. And of course I - like many other Atlantans - got spoiled. Fourteen straight years of making the playoffs and I grew to expect it.

Fast forward to now. This year I liked our team, liked the starting pitching thought we had a good chance to win the division. But it seemed like every time I had a chance to watch them - they lost. They hoovered around .500 all season and roll into a 3 game home stand late this season against Cincinnati at home and got swept. I thought the season was over. Here we go again. Loose to teams we should beat. That's been the scouting report on the Braves for years.

I wouldn't read the paper, avoided reading about them on line, didn't want to talk about them. Yesterday while listening to ESPN Radio, they were talking about how the Braves had won 15 out of 17 and were only 2 games out of the wild card race. Damn!! How did that happen??

Of course I tuned in last night. Or course they lost again. And the Rockies won. I'm sorry Atlanta - my bad. I will not be watching until you make it to the playoffs. And when you do make the playoffs I'll only be watching until you are facing elimination.

Go Braves!
David