I still remember sitting in my TV room last September. A gut wrenching feeling in my gut as I watched my beloved Braves blow another game. And this time their playoff hopes with it. I don't know if I can remember a more painful sports month. The Braves had just completed one of the biggest collapses in MLB history. Blowing an almost certain wild card berth.
Even the bigger collapse the Red Sox had later that night wasn't enough to take the taste out of my mouth. I watched the rest of the playoffs with limited interest. My interest destroyed. We all know what happened. The cardinals benefited from the Braves fall to win the whole thing. Making the pill even harder to swallow for Braves Country. But that's over. A new season is here.
With a healthy lineup back for vengeance and a club determined to send guaranteed hall of famer Chipper Jones out a winner in his last year the Braves are poised for another run on October. With the aging Phillies team presenting a big question mark, the marlins bringing a team packed with talent but also questionable clubhouse cohesion and the Nats and Mets not really providing a menacing threat yet. The Braves have a good chance of achieving that. Only time will tell.
The Braves return one of the best pitching staffs in Baseball, the numbers skewed at the end of the season by injury and fatigue from frequent use out of the bullpen. They also return all but their starting shortstop in their lineup, with healthy revamped versions of all stars Jason Heyward and Martin Prado. A now comfortable Dan Uggla, NL ROY runner up Freddie Freeman, perennial all star Catcher Brian McCann and the speedy Michael Bourne.
With that potent lineup, the rock that is Chipper in the clubhouse and team that is out to prove something after last years ending. The Braves present a team to fear this year. Now we just have to watch it play out.
Look from more from me on the MLB soon. For now here is Jordan signing off
PS A-Rod Sucks!
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