Braves Parking Only

Last night I watched the Braves play the Nationals; it was more out of necessity than curiosity– Hudson and Texiera are on my fantasy team. While it wasn’t the most spectacular Opening Day game I’ve ever seen, it certainly wasn’t the worst. I can appreciate the Braves. They were the Yankees’ competition for being named Sports Illustrated’s Team of the Century almost a decade ago. However, the Braves were the equivalent of the “Boy-do-I-Love-Losing-Superbowls” Bills, save the one World Series victory they pulled off in 1995.

Back to the present day, I saw why the Braves have been declared a contender this season, with a pitching staff that’s finally come around and a team that’s getting back to basics. I also got a cold chill down my spine with a revelation that the baseball gods may have a twisted sense of humor this season. The Braves have two starters who are older than almost 2/3 of their teammates and may need to be wheeled out to the mound in a wheelchair (Smoltz and Glavine). But here is where the chill came in– what if they have one more ridiculous season, making their careers come full circle?

The sick sense of humor comes into play with the Yankees having doled out ridiculous contracts for under-performing, aging ball players who weren’t worth the paper their cards are printed on (Caveat: their worth as measured by their stay with the Yankees; I will not trash an entire career because of a few poor seasons, no matter how pissed off I may be). Randy Johnson, 6′+ and no where near 20 wins; Kevin Brown’s best throw was against the clubhouse wall that broke his hand; Al Leiter was the Mets’ sloppy-seconds, and the list could go on-and-on. Now picture the Braves having the same situation with aging players on their roster and then having them NOT be huge disappointments.

This possibility is why I love baseball and why I cannot wait to see how the season progresses, and if the careers of Smoltz and Glavine are to come full circle with a World Series appearance, who better to face than the Yankees?