So as I sit here after watching the Braves choke again in the playoffs I cannot help but ask myself why do I get my hopes up just to have them smashed to bits again and again? I have been a Braves fan for 22 years. Is that a terribly long time? No but 22 years of frustration and failure with so many chances. From 1991 to 2005 the Braves made the playoffs every year. 14 chances to win a World Series. 14 chances to create a dynasty. What did we do? Go to the World Series 5 times. Awesome right? Well when you win only 1 and had an amazing shot to to win at least 2 others not so much it stings. Watching year after year the amazing choke job by the bullpen or a starter or an offense. 2003 we had of the most insane offenses in the history of baseball but we run into the Cubs and we go down in flames. That one hurt, that one hurt almost as much as losing to the Yankees in 1996. Oh I did not mention 1996. We were defending World Series champions, we were up 2-0 on the Yankees and winning game 3, oh yeah we choked that away and lose 4 straight. So lets fast forward to 2011. We have not played well since 2005, but 2011 was different. We have an amazing bullpen and we open a ten game lead in the Wild Card standings and then we blow it. That was historically bad. So no playoffs and next year is our year right? Nope we play just good enough to sneak into the Wild Card game. Our best starter had been toasting the league in the last part of the season. So what does he do? Fail epically in the playoffs. Again OUCH. So 2013, great bullpen, we make a huge trade and signing to revamp our offense, so 2013 the year we finally do it! Well not so much, our big free agent signing is terrible, like almost historically terrible, our second baseman has the worst season batting in major league history. We still have our bullpen and great pitching staff right? No again same pitcher playing great last part of the year and then lays a big goose egg. We had lived and died by the home run all year and we hit home many in this series? 5? 9?...Nope 1 and it came in garbage time in a game we were getting shelled in. So can our bullpen hold a one run lead to get us back home for Game 5? Nope, lets go ahead and give up a game winning home run to a fat over the hill Dodger and then proceed to do what we do best, strikeout 3 straight times to the end game and our year. So next year is gonna be our year right? No because this has become the new norm being a Braves fan. To be honest I would rather not make the playoffs then choke every year, at least then I would not get my hopes up. Most teams do not get so many chances to do something great and we just keep using them up like water. Eventually, like all teams, we are going to be bad for a long time. Every year creeps closer to that and more chances falling by the way side. So I ask myself WHY?
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:01:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015