The Guy You Love To Hate

How long have you been at your current job? How about the industry that your career is in? Some might say five years, some might say fifteen and the really tenured guys would say thirty or more. Well, Bobby Cox has you all beat. He is going to celebrate his fiftieth year in baseball next season and it will be his last, at least as a manager. On top of that, Cox has been with the same team, the Atlanta Braves, for the past twenty seasons. Most of us haven't even had relationships that long, let alone jobs. But it still kills me to hear how Cox and the Braves were such underachievers and that they should have won more titles. Tisk, tisk.

I suppose that five National League Pennants, fourteen straight divisional titles (a record by the way) and one World Series title is underachieving. Wow, what black and white thinking. Those of you out there that think this, probably think the Buffalo Bills were underachievers too. Probably think that Patrick Ewing didn't live up to his potential either. How about that glass over there? Does it look half empty to you too!

Trust me, do I think the Braves could have won more titles, sure. But let's look at the teams they lost to. In 1991, they went up against the Minnesota Twins who were loaded and the Braves had just gone from worst to first so they were still wiping their noses and sleeping with the night-lights on. The next year they came roaring back, went through a brutal seven game NLCS series against the Pirates and would have lost if not for a weak throw from Pittsburgh Pirate left fielder, Barry Bonds. I mean come on, Sid Bream beat the throw, seriously. Anyway after that they got to go up against the Toronto Blue Jays. Nobody was beating the Blue Jays that year. Just take a look at that roster and you will tear up like you do when you look at a beautiful painting.

Next would be the most impressive, and only World Series victory in 1995 against the heavily favored Cleveland Indians. I mean the Indians had Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar and on and on. But the Braves pitching got the better of them and they won the title that year. Their next two World Series appearances were in 1996 and 1999 against the New York Yankees. Sure they probably should have won the 1996 World Series, especially taking the first two games in New York, but then again, nobody expected journey man Jim Leyritz to take ace closer Mark Wohlers deep for a three run homer in game 4 either. 1999 was not a contest anyone was going to win, it was the middle of the Yankees dynasty and the middle title for them in their three-peat.

So I say that we need to stop hating on the Braves and especially on Bobby Cox. The man was there when Atlanta was horrible and old Fulton County Stadium looked like Dolphins Stadium does today when the Florida Marlins play. Of course Cox will be a first ballet Hall of Fame inductee, but lets take the time to remember what he did for Atlanta and for the game of baseball. I'll start by tipping my cap to him!

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