BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!

July 27, 2014July 27, 2014 Katie M 1367 Views 0 Comments Atlanta Braves, Atlanta-GA, baseball, Bobby Cox, Cooperstown, Glavine, Hall of Fame, La Russa, Maddux, Torre

To some people, today is just another ordinary, hot July summer day. But to those who are baseball fans, and more specifically Braves fans, today is special.

Today, July 27, 2014, marks the day that FIVE former Braves are getting enshrined into Cooperstown. Bobby, Mad Dog, Glav, Torre, and La Russa. All of them left an indelible mark on the Braves franchise.

La Russa and Torre may be best known for their stints as managers for the Cardinals and Yankees, respectively. But both played for the Braves, one for a season (La Russa) and one for nine seasons and then came back in a managerial role in the 80s (Torre). Torre’s stats, while he was a Brave, showed how much of an impact he had and how good he made the team, whether it was from having a career .294 batting average to being a 5x all-star, 3x MVP, and a gold glove winner. He made the Braves of the ’60s and early ’70s a force to be reckoned with. Torre also took over in ’82 as manager, after Turner fired Bobby (yes THAT Bobby) and went 257-229.

I love and respect that part of Braves history, because I am a fan, but I don’t really connect with it because well, I wasn’t even alive yet when La Russa and Torre were part of the Braves. But these next three guys, oh these next three guys, they bring back memories of my childhood and summers growing up. It’s like I can smell the hot dogs, fresh cut grass, and ambiance of Fulton County/Turner Field all over again.

Bobby, Maddux, Glavine. Say any of those three names to a Braves fan and they know will know immediately who you’re talking about and more than likely, they’ll remember what those 3 did for the Braves. Worst to first in ’91, the title in ’95, the unprecedented 14 straight division titles, the number of records that got broken, the commercial. These will be the guys that my generation will be talking about when we’re sitting in our rocking chairs, old and gray, reminiscing about the good ol days of baseball.

I’m sure 99.9% of us know how amazing and fantastic Bobby, Maddux, and Glavine were. But in case you didn’t, while Bobby Cox was with the Braves he won the NL Manager of the Year 3 times, had a 2149-1709 record (a .557 winning percentage), won 5 pennants, a world series title and was ejected 156 times. ** I can hear the Bobby, Bobby, Bobby chants now**

Maddux while with the Braves put together a 194-88 record (.688 win percentage), had a strikeout/walk ratio of 1828/328 and an ERA of 2.63 (INSANE). Maddux was known for being a quick worker and that’s one of the things I loved most about him. Glavine, while with the Braves had a 244-167 record (.624 win percentage), had a strikeout/walk ratio of 2091/1177, and an ERA of 3.41. Also, equally as impressive as Maddux. But like Schuerholz said recently, it was a great feeling to know that you had a 1-2-3 punch in Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz because you knew you had a great opportunity to win 3 games in a row. (and yes I think Schuerholz should be going in the Hall too, because without him, who knows if the Braves would’ve accomplished what they accomplished).

All I do know though, is that these guys all deserve to forever enshrined in Cooperstown because of what they did for the game. And I’m beyond thankful that I got to spend my childhood watching 2 of the best pitchers to ever play and 3 of the best managers manage.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs today on MLB Network at 1:30pm. I’ll leave you with a few pictures. (and the commercial)