| Douglas Benton. 29th September, 2005 - 2:44 am
 While there was not much suspense tonight, the Braves were still able bask in the glory of their 14th division title Tuesday. This practice has become a sort of tradition in Atlanta, but this year was different. With so many young players contributing and their ability to overcome significant injuries, the Atlanta Braves now will look to October and try to rewrite some of their misfortunes from years past.
With four games left in the regular season, the Braves will take this opportunity to get some of their veterans rest before the postseason and see which players will fill out their playoff roster. However, since Bobby Cox manages this team, they will still play competitive ball down the stretch.
Now, possible opponents for the Braves come October are the San Diego Padres, San Diego Padres, and the Houston Astros. While the arguments will be made that the Braves don?t want to play the Astros because of there pitching, but this Braves team doesn?t look at it like that. They are so laid-back with these young players; it doesn?t matter to them who they play.
Of course, this doesn?t mean they will win in the playoffs, but this new attitude of care-free is very refreshing and I think it will help them in the playoffs. Another thing that will help them is the great camaraderie this team has. Don Sutton made mention of this in the post game coverage, but I thought it was worth mentioning again.
Rafael Furcal couldn?t take part in the celebration due to his probation stemming from his alcohol problems last season. The team went over to him in a corner and gave him a Coke shower to make sure he was involved.
This might not help them win the World Series, but it shows why they are so successful and why they are popping the corks tonight. |
