The End? Or The Beginning?
by bstarter29 on Jan.11, 2009, under General
John Smoltz is no longer a Brave. Words that any Atlanta fan never thought they would hear as long as they lived. The only time that kind of sentence would be appropriate would be John’s retirement announcement. But, we aren’t going to get that fitting ending. No, a certain team from Boston will get to bask in Smoltzie’s twilight while us Braves fans, the ones who grew up watching him, have watched him for almost two decades now continue to watch as our team is run directly in the southern direction.
This latest departure, clearly the most severe, is just the icing on top of the most abysmal offseason that any Braves fan has ever laid witness to. We’ve lost out on two ace pitchers. We’ve lost out on a talented young arm from overseas. We were royally conned out of a shortstop that was undoubtedly on our team for several hours. One by one, we’ve seen free agents pen contracts elsewhere, and due to unexplained stubbornness, we’ve been unable to complete trades that seemed very possible to pull off. And now, we have to say goodbye to one of the most recognizable Braves of all-time. A hall of famer who no one could match in intensity or resilience, especially not in the playoffs, will be donning a new uniform this upcoming season. Unbelievable. Wren is now left with no choice but to sign some pitchers now (and now it seems he is doing just that).
But, is this the end? For some bizarre reason, I don’t believe that it is. Smoltz’s departure is just yet another one of the glory day players off on his journey elsewhere. I hate to say it, but wake up Braves fans. We have got to stop clinging to days long since passed. Though we won’t admit it to ourselves, we all know that our next winner won’t involve Smoltz, Glavine, or Chipper, who will most likely follow suit after Smoltz now. I mean, what’s to stop Larry from looking for a winner when he becomes a free agent next offseason? Because, though I think we’ll be improved greatly at the end of the season than from the start, we still won’t be able to achieve championship caliber.
I know. It’s hard. It sucks. Life’s over. But, I believe without a shadow of a doubt, that us fans need this. We’re like drug addicts. We need our Smoltzie, or Tommy, or Chipper fix much too often. It’s about time we kick this habit. It’s deteriorating our health. How can we expect to improve if we keep going back to it, expecting these things to lift us up and beyond?
So, I don’t believe that John Smoltz’s absence marks the end of “The Braves.” No, in fact, I think it marks the beginning of something…new. It may seem like the end right now, but remember, you’re just suffering from with drawl symptoms.
January 11th, 2009 on 4:48 pm
I’m not so sure about that. The Braves have really only relied on Chipper and Smoltz, but what about the other guys on the field? So, the Braves saved a few million dollars and let go of one of their team captains. Now what? Rely on a bunch of ballplayers that don’t have the experience to compete? They’ve been doing that for the past two years, and it hasn’t been working.
Besides, I think the psychological effects of this are going to outweigh the benefits of not signing him.
January 12th, 2009 on 1:06 am
I think that’s a good article, but… if we have to lose, I at least want to lose with the players I love to watch. If we’re not championship calibur for the next few years… at least we can be graced with watching Chipper finish out his carrer here.
January 12th, 2009 on 1:52 am
Well, Ben, look at 2008. We pretty much relied on Smoltz, and Glavine to take us to the playoffs, two 40-year old 90s Braves. And then, of course, we always hinge on Chipper. I mean just look at the team when he’s hurt. They hit the dumps.
The psychological effects will be bad at first, but the Braves have to learn how to deal without Smoltz. It was going to happen soon anyway. The sooner, the better in my opinion.
As for the younger players, yes, we’re going to have to rely on them. They are the future. We have to deal with growing pains.
January 12th, 2009 on 9:56 am
But then why not keep Smoltz in the process? Wren hasn’t been spending that money elsewhere and would surely have some left over. Even with the addition of Kawakami and (maybe) Lowe, what’s the starting rotation going to look like?
Lowe
Jurrjens
Vazquez
Kiwi
Morton/Campillo/James/Reynolds
As of right now, the Braves are basically in the same boat as last year, minus a team captain. They wouldn’t even be competitive. Even then, you’re still banking/relying on Lowe to sign and be good, that Jurrjens won’t slump, that Vazquez will be decent, and that Kiwi won’t get eaten alive in the MLB.
My point is, there’s got to be some sort of foundation for this team, or else you’ll see a mediocre club.
January 12th, 2009 on 2:02 pm
Well, I wasn’t saying let go of Smoltx on purpose. I’m saying now that he’s gone, maybe it’s not really a bad thing, or at least as bad as people are making it out to be. We’ve got to move on now that he’s gone, and I sincerely doubt that Smoltz would have saved our club from mediocrity.
January 12th, 2009 on 7:00 pm
Probably not, but he’d make me feel much better about losing.
February 6th, 2009 on 10:09 am
It is a shame that someone who has given so much to an organization had to leave the team. He deserved to at least be offered a fair contract. It looks like they may do the same thing to Glavine.