Team Of Decade Wants Big Prize
The title is there for the Atlanta Braves to claim, without much argument or debate.
Team of the Decade.
The Braves have won more games than any other major-league team since 1991.
They qualified for their third World Series of the ‘90s when they finished off a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Championship Series on Saturday.
They have played in the NLCS four times, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993. It might have been five if not for the strike that canceled the playoffs last season.
Team of the Decade.
“We have proved we can flat-out play this game,” said outfielder David Justice, one of nine Braves players who has been with the team since 1991.
That, though, is not good enough.
“You can talk about in a five-year period we’ve won more games than anyone, but it doesn’t matter,” said pitcher John Smoltz, another five-season Braves veteran. “They don’t give a trophy for being the best team in the ‘90s.”
No, but they do give a trophy for winning the World Series. A nice big one.
That is the missing piece for this otherwise excellent team. They out and do it. There’s nothing left for us to do.”
And so the obligatory series-winning celebration Saturday night was somewhat subdued. Oh sure, champagne was sprayed and poured, but it quickly was put away.
Instead of drunken revelry, there was sober reflection.
“I think we’ve been very businesslike,” pitcher Tom Glavine said between sips of a light beer. “We’re excited about being here, but there’s still that big piece of pie out there.”
Without that big piece of pie, that big trophy, the Braves are in danger of being branded as losers by the all-or-nothing attitude of the American sports fan.
“I think we realize what we’ve accomplished,” Smoltz said. “We know we’re a great team. But you have to win a championship to be considered a truly great team. The pressure has been win the World Series or nothing.”“
This might be the Braves’ best opportunity to win that championship.
The sweep of the Reds proved that they have the necessary ingredients to win: a strong pitching staff, a good defense, a deep bench and clutch hitting.
They have a week to rest, to let Justice and shortstop Jeff Blauser heal from injuries.
They can set up their pitching rotation the way they want, probably with Greg Maddux starting Game1 followed by Glavine and Smoltz.
They can watch the final game or two of the American League Championship Series, and pick apart the lineups of their World Series opponent.
And that might be enough to allow the Braves to take the big step from Team of the Decade to championship team.