2006 Braves Baseball

Can we really count the 2006 Braves baseball team as out in the NL East already before the All Star break. They have recorded 14 straight division titles, and the Mets and the Phillies are notorious for choking down the stretch. However, I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb in saying that their run is done.

Why? Simply put, the staple of their success has been quality pitching and this season they aren’t getting enough quality starts. And even when Smoltz and Hudson pitch well, their bats have been asleep. This has Atlanta backers going crazy who are used to tomahawk chopping while counting their winnings.

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Over the past 4 seasons, Braves supporters have gained an impressive 57 units, but they could be giving back a big chunk by staying on their squad in 2006. The NY Mets now have the best pitching in the division and a good mix of youth and experience. Now the weak NL East may have a new team in position to clean up for several years to come.

The Braves are currently on their second dreadful stint of the season and we are capitalizing with our baseball picks. They followed their first up with a great run of solid play, but have since turned back into the bad news bears and another run to get back on track doesn’t look possible. Braves fans shouldn’t seem so surprised that they are no longer the front runners as the caliber of the NL East has been in question for sometime and it was only a matter of time before one of the other franchises got something together in the regular season. But I can understand the disappointment as they shouldn’t be in last place, leapfrogged by even the lowly Marlins at this point, who just had another fire sale.

But isn’t it still too early, with the 2006 season not decided, to think that the Braves will no longer rule the roost in the NL East. No. It might be time for them to hold a fire sale of their own and take a lesson from the Cleveland Indians, whose prospects showed great maturity already last season, as their current veterans have already had their best days in the sun. It’s too bad that such a great baseball franchise who has enjoyed so much success has fallen off so quickly. Hopefully the baseball gods will allow the Braves to make it out the cellar by season’s end. In the mean time, if you’re an Atlanta backer, you may want to think about going against your team for the sake of profit or at least lay off of them until they can show some more consistent play that is easier to get a handle on. If you think I’m counting my chickens before they hatch, you may be counting your losses.