From my 22-year-old mind's point of view, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz are old.
They look old, and they've been running the Braves — Cox as manager, Schuerholz as GM — since before I was born. They've been around.
But these old dogs are all about new tricks. Resting on their laurels has never been an option. And that's why the Braves keep winning, no matter what happens.
Of course, much of the success comes from Cox himself, and his apparent ability to turn any team he manages into a very good team. The Braves can and should credit their decade-plus of dominance largely to Cox.
But not completely. Even great managers can fall victim to bad teams, teams with no pitching, poor defense, and no power. Cox, though, never had to worry about that.
Schuerholz and the Braves front office keep putting together winners, mostly because they fine-tune their formula constantly.
Sure, the mid-'90s Braves had a dominant identity — the big three of Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine. But that was just one piece of the puzzle.
The rest of it was ever-changing.
It seemed that one year the Braves would rely almost completely on pitching and defense, and then the next year, they'd plug power hitters into the lineup. They'd replace Terry Pendleton with a precocious kid named Chipper Jones. They'd trade for Fred McGriff. They'd tinker with the pitching staff and work in some youngsters. They'd put a teenaged Andruw Jones into a playoff pressure cooker.
How about that pitching staff? Broken up, and probably at the right time. Glavine and Maddux have been less than spectacular since leaving town. Smoltz, on the other hand is still kicking, be it as a starter or a reliever.
And now, perhaps the Braves are putting on their best adaptability show yet. There were some pressing questions being asked about the Braves before this season. Could veterans Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi solidify the outfield? Could Chipper Jones stay healthy? Could Smoltz be a starter again? Was the rotation really any good?
A lot of the early answers were no. Brian Jordan struggled. Raul Mondesi got released. Jones got hurt. Smoltz threw in a clunker in his first start of the season. And the rotation looked lackluster.
But these were the Braves, and if things weren't working, things would be changing.
When it became clear that Jordan and Mondesi weren't the answers, the Braves brought the kids up. And they found a star in the process. Jeff Francouer might be the best player to come out of the system since Andruw Jones.
When injuries threatened to decimate the lineup, more youngsters got the call. The same goes for the starting rotation and the bullpen.
And even though a lot of this season's changes were borne out of necessity, a lot of teams still might not have adapted. The Braves never hesitated. They didn't let a pre-established identity govern the whole season. They changed that identity because they had to.
And now the Braves are in first place again. They'll probably be there next year, too. Even if those old guys are the only familiar faces.
Leave a Comment