|
November 17, 2007
Major League Baseball 2007 Relegation Report
Now the the 2007 Major League Baseball regular season is over, let's see
how the final standings play out given the promotion/relegation criteria I previously proposed
.
The final standings are shown in the table below.
|
American League 2007 First Division |
| Team |
Record |
GB |
| Boston
Red Sox |
96-66 |
- |
| Los
Angeles Angels |
94-68 |
2 |
| New York Yankees |
94-68 |
2 |
| Detroit Tigers |
88-74 |
8 |
| Toronto Blue Jays |
83-79 |
13 |
| Minnesota
Twins |
79-83 |
17 |
| Oakland
Athletics |
76-86 |
20 |
| Chicago
White Sox |
72-90 |
24 |
| |
|
National League 2007 First Division |
| Team |
Record |
GB |
| Philadelphia
Phillies |
89-73 |
- |
| San
Diego Padres
|
89-73 |
- |
| New York Mets |
88-74 |
1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers |
82-80 |
7 |
| St. Louis Cardinals |
78-84 |
11 |
| Houston
Astros
|
73-89 |
16 |
| Cincinnati Reds
|
72-90 |
17 |
| San Francisco Giants
|
71-91 |
18 |
| |
|
American League 2007 Second Division |
| Cleveland Indians
|
96-66 |
- |
| Seattle Mariners
|
88-74 |
12 |
| Milwaukee Brewers
|
83-79 |
13 |
| Texas Rangers
|
75-87 |
21 |
| Baltimore Orioles
|
69-93 |
27 |
| Kansas City Royals
|
69-93 |
27 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays
|
66-96 |
30 |
| |
|
National League 2007 Second Division |
| Arizona Diamondbacks
|
90-72 |
- |
| Colorado Rockies
|
90-72 |
- |
| Chicago Cubs
|
85-77 |
5 |
| Atlanta Braves
|
84-78 |
6 |
| Washington Nationals
|
73-89 |
17 |
| Florida Marlins
|
71-91 |
19 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates
|
68-94 |
22 |
In the American League, the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox would
be relegated to the second divsion with the Cleveland Indians and Seattle
Mariners
promoted to the first division. The Minnesota Twins would face the
Milwaukee Brewers
in a playoff series for the final first division spot. Since the Twins
and Brewers split their season series 3-3, we'll use aggregate runs to
declar the winner. The Brewers outscored the Twins by the thinnest of
margins, 34-33, in their six games together and thus the Brewers would win
promotion to the American League first division.
The American League championship series would be played between Boston Red
Sox and either the Los Angeles Angels or New York Yankees. The Angels went
6-3 against the Yankees in the regular season and so would have met the Red Sox
in the ALCS.
Since the Red Sox and Angels met in an
actual Division Series, I'll use those results to decide the AL champ.
Boston swept the Angels 3-0, and so would be the American League
represenative in the World Series, as they actually were.
The National League presents a compelling case for reassessing the criteria
for promotion and relegation. Half the teams in the first division had
losing records, while over half in the lower division had winning records. One
can certainly argue that more than three teams from the lower division
could improve enough to deserve promotion in a given year. Thus, the
following amendment is made to the promotion/regulation criteria: Any
team outside of the bottom 3 in the first division with a losing record
will be forced into a playoff with team from the second division, provided
there is corresponding second division team outside of the top 3 with a
winning record. Thus, the St. Louis Cardinals would face the Atlanta Braves
in an additional playoff series with a spot in the 2008 first divison going
to the winner.
The Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants are relegated to the National
League's second division while the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado
Rockies
are promoted to the first division. The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros
would participate in a playoff for a spot in the first division, as would
the Cardinals and Braves due to the above mentioned amendment. The Cubs
went 8-7 against the Astros, winning promotion to the first division while
forcing the Astros to be relegated to the second division. The Cardinals
were 4-3 against the Braves thus preserving their spot in the first
division and keeping the Braves in the second division for another year.
The National League championship series would be played between the
Philadelphia Phillies
and San Diego Padres. The Phillies went 4-3 against San Diego in the
regular season, and so the Phillies would meet the Red Sox in the World
Series. Since these teams never met in the regular season, records against
common opponents must be used. Against common opponents* Boston was 43-28
while Philadelphia was 29-35. Thus Boston is my hypothetical World Series
Champion, and for the first year my hypothetical champion is the same as
the real champion.**
In summary, the 2008 Major League Baseball First and Second Divisions are
shown below.
American League
2008 1st Division | National League
2008 1st
Division |
Boston Red Sox
Cleveland
Indians
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles
Milwaukee Brewers
New York Yankees
Seattle Mariners
Toronto Blue Jays | Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago Cubs
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
San Diego Padres
St. Louis Cardinals |
|
2008 2nd Division | 2008 2nd
Divison |
Baltimore Orioles
Chicago
White Sox
Kansas City
Royals
Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics
Tampa Bay Devil
Rays
Texas Rangers |
Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds
Florida Marlins
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh
Pirates
San Francisco Giants
Washington Nationals |
*Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago(AL), Cleveland, Colorado,
Detroit, Kansas City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Toronto.
**Previous WS Champs: Hypothetical (Real): 2005
Cardinals (White Sox), 2006 Mets (Cardinals), 2007 Red Sox (Red Sox).
November 13, 2006
Football Update Seven
It's been awhile since I've updated this (or anything else for that
matter). The glamorous lifestyle that is the early 21st century graduate
student has interfered. But enough about me, let's see how my teams have
been doing.
K-League
September 23, 2006 Pohang 3 - 2 Seongnam
September 30, 2006 Incheon 1 - 1 Pohang
October 10, 2006 Pohang 4 - 1 Busan
October 15, 2006 Daejeon 2 - 1 Pohang
October 21, 2006 Pohang 2 - 0 Gyeongnam
October 25, 2006 Daegu 1 - 1 Pohang
October 29, 2006 Pohang 2 - 0 Suwon
November 5, 2006 Ulsan 0 - 1 Pohang
So since my last update Pohang went 5-1-2 collecting 17 points to finish
the second stage of league play with 7 wins, 2 losses, and 4 draws and 25
points. Although they did not win either the first or second stage, they
did finish with a combined 47 points, good enough to join stage 1 winner
Seongnam, stage 2 winner Suwon, and Seoul (39 points) in the
playoffs.
The said playoffs began yesterday with Seongnam defeating FC Seoul 1-0.
Today Pohang had the tough task of playing Suwon on the road, losing 1-0.
Seongnam and Suwon will play a 2-leg final, the first leg on Nov. 19 and
the last Nov. 25.
Carnegie Premier League
September 23, 2006 Dungannon Swifts 1 - 2 Newry City
September 30, 2006 Newry City 0 - 0 Lisburn Distillery
October 3, 2006 Crusaders 8 - 0 Newry City (CIS Insurance Cup
quarter-final)
October 7, 2006 Larne 0 - 4 Newry City
October 13, 2006 Newry City 1 - 1 Donegal Celtic
October 21, 2006 Loughgall 1 - 1 Newry City
October 28, 2006 Newry City 1 - 1 Coleraine
November 4, 2006 Newry City 3 - 1 Limavady United
November 11, 2006 Glenavon 1 - 2 Newry City
Despite being knocked out of the CIS Insurance Cup competition in a most
embarassing fashion, Newry City has played fairly well in league
competition. After dropping their opener at Dungannon Swifts, they have yet
to lose another match. They are currently 3-1-4, good for 13 points and 6th
place with their +6 goal differential. Their next match is Nov. 18 at home
against Glentoran, currently the first place team in the league.
English Premier League
September 20, 2006 Scunthorpe 1 - 2 Aston Villa (English Carling Cup
match)
September 23, 2006 Aston Villa 2 - 0 Charlton
September 30, 2006 Chelsea 1 - 1 Aston Villa
October 14, 2006 Aston Villa 1 - 1 Tottenham
October 21, 2006 Aston Villa 1 - 1 Fulham
October 24, 2006 Leicester 2 - 3 Aston Villa (English Carling Cup
match)
October 28, 2006 Liverpool 3 - 1 Aston Villa
November 5, 2006 Aston Villa 2 - 0 Blackburn
November 8, 2006 Chelsea 4 - 0 Aston Villa (English Carling Cup
match)
November 11, 2006 Everton 0 - 1 Aston Villa
Since September 16 (my birthday), Villa went 3-1-3 in Premiereship, adding
12 points to their tally. Their overall 5-1-6 record gives them 21 points,
which along with their +6 goal differential puts them in fourth place in
the table.
They also made it into the final 16 of the English Carling Cup before
Chelsea knocked them out of the tournament. They lost more than that match
and a chance at the Carling Cup, however, as defender Martin Laursen went
down with medial ligament damage and is out for three months.
Aston Villa's next match is Nov. 19 at Wigan.
Bundesliga
September 23, 2006 Stuttgart 1 - 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
October 1, 2006 Hertha Berlin 2 - 2 Stuttgart
October 14, 2006 Stuttgart 3 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen
October 21, 2006 Wolfsburg 1 - 1 Stuttgart
October 24, 2006 Babelsberg 2 - 4 Stuttgart (German DFB Pokal match)
October 29, 2006 Stuttgart 3 - 0 Schalke 04
November 4, 2006 Alemania Aachen 2 - 4 Stuttgart
November 7, 2006 Stuttgart 2 - 0 Hamburg SV
November 12, 2006 Hanover 96 1 - 2 Stuttgart
When I last wrote about Stuttgart, the had a 2-2-0 record and were in 11th
place in the 18 team Bundesliga. They have since gone 5-0-3, gathering 18
points to add to the six they already had. Thus, with 24 points and a +8
goal differential, they are in first place, 1 point of ahead of both Werder
Bremen and Schalke 04. Their next match is Nov. 18 at Bayern Munich.
La Liga
September 24, 2006 Barcelona 1 - 1 Valencia
September 27, 2006 Werder Bremen 1 - 1 Barcelona (UEFA Champions
League)
September 30, 2006 Athletic Bilbao 1 - 3 Barcelona
October 15, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 1 FC Seville
October 18, 2006 Chelsea 1 - 0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)
October 22, 2006 Real Madrid 2 - 0 Barcelona
October 25, 2006 Badalona 1 - 2 Barcelona (Spanish Copa del Rey)
October 28, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 0 Recreativo Huelva
October 31, 2006 Barcelona 2 - 2 Chelsea (UEFA Champions League)
November 4, 2006 Deportivo La Coruna 1 - 1 Barcelona
November 8, 2006 Barcelona 4 - 0 Badalona (Spanish Copa del Rey)
November 12, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 1 Real Zaragoza
The most active club that I'm following, Barcelona played a total of 12
matches, 7 of which were league games. In league play, they went 4-1-2,
gaining 14 points. They are now 7-1-2 in league play, occupying the first
place position in the league table with 23 points and a +14 goal
differential. They have a 1 point advantage over FC Seville and are 3
points ahead of Real Madrid. Their next league game is Nov. 19 at Mallorca.
Three of the matches Barcelona played were in the UEFA Champions League,
where they went 0-1-2, making their overall record 1-1-2 for 5 points, good
for 3rd place in their four team Group A. They are 2 points behind Werder
Bremen and 5 behind Chelsea, so their upcoming matches against group
doormat Levski Sofia and the second place Werder Bremen side are must wins
if Barcelona is to defend their title. Their next UEFA league match is at
Levski Sofia on Nov. 22.
Two of Barcelona's matches were for the Spanish Copa Del Rey competition,
with Barcelona winning both with an aggregate 6-1 score. Thus Barcelona is
into the round of 16.
Serie A
September 20, 2006 Torino 1 - 2 Siena
September 24, 2006 Reggina 1 - 1 Torino
September 30, 2006 Torino 0 - 4 Lazio
October 15, 2006 Torino 1 - 0 Chievo Verona
October 21, 2006 Cagliari 0 - 0 Torino
October 25, 2006 Torino 0 - 1 Fiorentina
October 29, 2006 Catania Calcio 1 - 1 Torino
November 5, 2006 Torino 1 - 1 Messina
November 12, 2006 Palermo 3 - 0 Torino
Torino played 9 matches posting a 1-4-4 record and gaining only 7 points.
They now own a 1-5-5 record, 8 points, a -10 goal differential, and 15th
place in the Seria A table. It looks as though they are in fast danger of
relegation as likely AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Reggina will soon surpass
Torino, putting them into 18th place. So, if Torino is to remain in Serie A
after this season, they need to get things turned around, and fast. A home win
against Sampdoria on Nov. 19 would be a nice start.
October 20, 2006
MLB 2006 Promotion/Relegation World Series Update
Earlier this month I wrote about how a promotion/relegation system would
have played out for the the past MLB season. Now that the first two rounds
of playoffs are finished and none of the teams that would have played in a
hypothetical promotion/relegation World Series are left, it's time to speculate as
to how it could have been.
In the American League, the New York Yankees and Oakland A's would have
played in the ALCS. Since Oakland won the season series 6-3, Oakland are the
AL Champions.
The New York Mets and San Diego Padres would have met in the NLCS. The Mets
went 5-2 against the Padres in the regular season, so the Mets would have
been the NL Champs.
Thus, the World Series would have been played between the Oakland A's and
the New York Mets. Since they did not play in the regular season, it's
going to require some creativity to proclaim a winner. I will look at
common opponents. The A's and Mets both played against the Yankees,
Orioles, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Padres, and
Diamondbacks. The A's went 31-22 against these teams while the Mets went
29-19. Thus, based on the Mets' 60.4% winning percentage over the A's
58.5%, the New York Mets are my hypothetical 2006 World Series Champions.
October 02, 2006
Major League Baseball 2006 Relegation Report
Now the the 2006 Major League Baseball regular season is over, let's see
how the final standings play out given the promotion/relegation criteria I wrote about in
August.
The final standings are shown in the table below.
|
American League 2006 First Division |
| Team |
Record |
GB |
| New York Yankees |
97-65 |
- |
| Oakland Athletics |
93-69 |
4 |
| Chicago White Sox |
90-72 |
7 |
| Los Angeles Angels |
89-73 |
8 |
| Toronto Blue Jays |
87-75 |
10 |
| Boston
Red Sox |
86-76 |
11 |
| Cleveland
Indians |
78-84 |
19 |
| Milwaukee Brewers |
75-87 |
22 |
| |
|
National League 2006 First Division |
| Team |
Record |
GB |
| New York Mets |
97-65 |
- |
| San Diego Padres |
88-74 |
9 |
| Philadelphia Phillies |
85-77 |
12 |
| St. Louis Cardinals |
83-78 |
13.5 |
| Houston Astros |
82-80 |
15 |
| Atlanta
Braves |
79-83 |
18 |
| Florida Marlins
|
78-84 |
19 |
| Washington Nationals
|
71-91 |
26 |
| |
|
American League 2006 Second Division |
| Minnesota Twins
|
96-66 |
- |
| Detroit Tigers
|
95-67 |
1 |
| Texas Rangers
|
80-82 |
16 |
| Seattle Mariners
|
78-84 |
18 |
| Baltimore Orioles
|
70-92 |
26 |
| Kansas City Royals
|
62-100 |
34 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays
|
61-101 |
35 |
| |
|
National League 2006 Second Division |
| Los Angeles Dodgers
|
88-74 |
- |
| Cincinnati Reds
|
80-82 |
8 |
| San Francisco Giants*
|
76-85 |
11.5 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks
|
76-86 |
12 |
| Colorado Rockies
|
76-86 |
12 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates
|
67-95 |
21 |
| Chicago Cubs
|
66-96 |
22 |
| *Giants had one game with
the St. Louis Cardinals rained out. If promotion/relegation were actually
implemented then this game would have been made up since it obviously
effects the standings. However, as it stands I will proclaim a three-way
tie between Arizona, Colorado, and San Francisco based on wins. |
In the American League, the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers would
be relegated to the second divsion with the Minnesota Twins and Detroit
Tigers promoted to the first division. The Red Sox would face the Rangers
in a playoff series for the final first division spot. Since the Red Sox
won the season series with the Rangers 5-4, the Red Sox keep their first
division status.
The American League championship series would be played between New York
Yankees and the Oakland A's. Since this series has a chance of occuring I
will hold judgement as to who would represent the American League in my
hypothetical World Series. As it stands now, Oakland won the season series
6-3, so if they do not meet in the real ALCS then that will decide my
league champion.
The Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals are relegated to the National
League's second division while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds
are promoted to the first division. It becomes trickier to decide which
team from the second division gets to play the Braves for the final first
division spot. Had the Giants played and won the the make-up game with the
Cardinals, they would have the honor. However, I can't assume that they
would win or lose that game, so I will proclaim a three-way tie for third
place based on wins. Now we have a group of three teams, let's see how they
faired against each other. Against the Giants and Rockies, Arizona was
20-18, agains Arizona and the Rockies, the Giants were 19-18, and against
Arizona and the Giants, the Rockies were 17-20. Thus the Rockies are
eliminated, but since we don't have an even number of games played by all
three, we must again proclaim a tie, this time between the Giants and
Arizona. In the regular season, the Giants were 11-8 against Arizona, so
they would play the Braves. Against the Braves, the Giants went 4-3, so
they would win promotion and the Braves would be relegated.
The National League championship series would be played between the New
York Mets and San Diego Padres. The Mets went 5-2 against San Diego in the
regular season. However, as in the AL, this NLCA might
actually occur, so I will not yet proclaim a NL champion.
In summary, the 2007 Major League Baseball First and Second Divisions are
shown below.
American League
2007 1st Division | National League
2007 1st
Division |
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White
Sox
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
Oakland Athletics
Toronto Blue Jays | Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
St. Louis Cardinals |
|
2007 2nd Division | 2007 2nd
Divison |
Baltimore Orioles
Cleveland
Indians
Kansas City
Royals
Milwaukee Brewers
Seattle Mariners
Tampa Bay Devil
Rays
Texas Rangers | Arizona
Diamondb
acks
Atlanta Braves
Chicago Cubs
Colorado Rockies
Florida Marlins
Pittsburgh
Pirates
Washington Nationals |
September 20, 2006
Football Update Six
K-League
September 16, 2006 Jeju 0 - 0 Pohang
Pohang, playing on my birthday, managed a positive results by getting a
point in the road at Jeju. Pohang now has 8 points from a 2-1-2 record and
are in sixth place in the league table. Their next match is Saturday at
home against Seongnam, the team that won the first stage.
English Premier League
September 16, 2006 Watford 0 - 0 Aston Villa
In another match played on my birthday, Aston Villa won a point by playing
to a scoreless draw at Watford. However, reports indicate they should have
easily won the match. No Villa players were shown cards. After five games,
Aston Villa stands in fifth place with 9 points on a 2-0-3 record and a +3
goal differential. Their next game is today in a Carling Cup match at
Scunthorpe. The next league match is Saturday at home versus Charlton.
Bundesliga
September 16, 2006 Werder Bremen 2 - 3 Stuttgart
Stuttgart also played on my birthday, defeating Werder Bremen 2-3 on the
road. Roberto Hilbert scored 2 goals, one for Werder Bremen (4') and one for
Stuttgart (38'). Pavel Pardo tied the score at 2 in the 58th minute and
Mario Gomez gave Stuttgart the winning goal in the 87th minute. Yellow
cards were shown to Daniel Bierofka (40'), Antonio da Silva (82'), and
Marco Streller (84'). The win leaves Stuttgart in 11th place with a 2-2-0
record, six points, and a -3 goal differential. Their next match is at
home against Eintracht Frankfurt.
La Liga
September 17, 2006 Racing Santander 0 - 3 Barcelona
Barcelona once again easily outmatched an opponent, this time Racing
Santander. Samuel Eto'o scored the first goal in the 18th minute, his 3rd
in league play. Ludovic scored his first of the year in the 84th minute,
and Ronaldihno scored his second of the year on a penalty kick in the 90th
minute. Once again, Barcelona did have a player booked, making it three
games. Barcelona is tied for first in the league table with a 3-0-0 record, 9
points, and a +7 goal differential. Their next match is Sunday at home
against Valencia.
Serie A
September 17, 2006 Udinese 2 - 0 Torino
Torino's first road match of the year ended in a disappointing loss to
Udinese. Diego De Ascentis was shown a yellow card in the 49th minute. The
result leaves Torino in tie for eleventh place with 1 point from a 0-1-1
record. Their next match is today at home against Siena.
September 15, 2006
Football Update Five
K-League
September 9, 2006 Pohang 2 - 1 Chunnam
Pohang beat Chunnam, a side that had dominated the Steelers recently. The
win leaves Pohang in fourth place with a 2-1-1 record, 7 points and a 0
goal differential. Their next match is September 16 at Peju, a club Pohang
beat at home at their last meeting.
La Liga
September 9, 2006 Barcelona 3 - 0 Osasuna
Barcelona easily outmatched Osasuna, with Samuel Eto'o scoring in the second
minute and 25 minutes later added another goal. Leo Messi added the final
goal in the 37th minute. After that, the game action slowed although
Barcelona did twice come close to adding a fourth goal in the second half.
No Barcelona players were booked in the match. Barcelona is now in second
place in the league table with 6 points (2-0-0) and a +4 goal differential.
The next league game is Sunday at Racing Santander.
September 12, 2006 Barcelona 5 - 0 Levski Sofia
Barcelona began their Champions League crown defense in fine fashion, with
Andres Iniesta (7'), Ludovic Guily (39'), Carles Puyol (49'), Samuel Eto'o
(58'), and Ronaldinho (90') all scoring goals. And for the second
consecutive match, no Barcelona players were booked. However, with such a
demanding lead I do wonder why stars Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho were still
on the pitch risking injury with another match coming up in five days.
English Premier League
September 10, 2006 West Ham 1 - 1 Aston Villa
Things once again started out very well for Villa, as Liam Ridgewell scored
in the 4th minute. However, in the 8th minute of the second period West Ham
scored the equaliser to close the scoring for the match. Yellow cards were
shown to Gareth Barry and Gavin McCann. Villa now stands in fifth place
with a 2-0-2 record and 8 points. Their next league match is Saturday, September
16 at Watford.
Serie A
September 10, 2006 Torino 1 - 1 Parma
After all the controversy and delays, the Italian Serie A finally began
their season on September 9, with Torino's first game coming the next day. All the scoring occurred in the second half, with Parma striking first in
the 55th minute. Things were looking bleak for the home team until Roberto
Stellone scored in the 89th minute. Yellow cards were shown to the hero
Roberto Stellone earlier in the match and Simone Barone in the 90th minute.
Torino now stands in two way tie for ninth place with 1 point from a 0-0-1
record. Their next match is at Udinese on September 17th.
September 12, 2006
The Quiet End of an Era
In 1991, the Atlanta Braves had an unforgettable season, at least for a kid
who became a teenager during the final September stretch of that year. I
had always cheered for the Braves, no matter how bad they were. To be
honest, I didn't fully grasp just how bad they had been. In 1990, they had the
worst record in all of baseball at 65-97, so very few people held hope for
a World Series appearance, let alone championship, for the 1991 campaign.
But several things happened in 1990 that allowed for the string of titles the
Braves accumulated over the next fifteen years. They signed
Terry Pendleton in the offseason. Chipper Jones was the first player
drafted in 1990. Bobby Cox returned to the dugout as manager. And a pitcher by the name of Steve Avery made his first
major league appearance. Let's take a look at some of the highlights as
remembered by a fan.
1991 April started as so many previous seasons had: a sub .500 8-10
record. However, this was followed by an excellent May that saw them go
17-9, but by the All-Star Break they were 9 games out of first and a game
under .500. Then something happened. A torrid second half saw them go 55-28
and battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Western Division Title
(that's right, the Braves
used to be in the Western Division, back when there were only two per
league). The race that wasn't decided until the next to last day of the season.
During that stretch the Braves completed the first combined no-hitter when
Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers, and Alejandro Pena all held the San Diego
Padres hitless.
On October 5,
John Smoltz, the only player present for all 14 division titles, pitched a
complete game, winning 5-2. The out that clinched the first division title came when Andujar Cedeno lifted a
fly ball to right
that landed in the glove of David Justice.
My favorite player at the time,
Ron Gant, hit a homerun in that game. Of all the titles, 1991 was probably
the most exciting. Tom Glavine won the Cy Young, Terry Pendleton won the NL
MVP and batting title, and Bobby Cox was manager of the year. Steve Avery gave an MVP performance in the Braves 7
game series triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the NL Pennant. In
the best World Series I've ever seen, the Minnesota Twins won game 7, the
best World Series game I've ever seen, 1-0 in
ten innings. The loss did nothing to tarnish the remarkable season the
Braves had that year.
1992 If 1991 was the most exciting division title won, then 1992 was the most
exciting pennant won. Despite starting the season at 20-27, in last place
and 7 games out, they still found a way to win, foreshadowing the
years to come. They went 78-37 the rest of the season, pulling away to win the
division by 8 games. For me, the most exciting moment in Braves history
would occur in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Pirates. In that home game,
the Braves were down 2-0 going into the bottom of the 9th. Terry Pendleton
doubled to start the inning, followed by an error that allowed David Justice
to reach first and Pendleton to go to third. After Sid Bream walked, Ron
Gant lined a sacrifice fly to left allowing Pendleton to score.
Damon Berryhill walked, then Brian Hunter popped out to the short for the
second out. I remember
watching this game with my Dad. My mom had already gone to bed and I was
sitting on the couch. I think I held my breath for Francisco Cabrera's entire at bat.
After running the count to 2 balls, 1 strike, he lined the fourth pitch
to left field, where it fell in front of a charging Barry Bonds. Justice
easily scored, but as to whether Bream could score from second on two bad
knees brought about the penultimate moment in the division title run.
Watching him round third, I jumped up, urging him, willing him to beat
Bonds' throw to the plate. The ball arrived before Bream did, but the throw
was slightly off target, up the first baseline, allowing Bream just enough time
and space to slide under the tag. And of course in all the excitement and
commotion, I managed to wake my Mom, who was happy to see that they had won
the game. While the season ended with a 4 games to 2 loss in the World
Series to the Blue Jays, nothing can diminish the memory of that Game 7.
1993 The 1993 division race with the San Francisco Giants (who
signed Barry Bonds in the offseason from the Pirates) was nearly as exciting
as the unexpected 1991 race with the Dodgers. It was the first year for
Greg Maddux as a Brave, and he continued his Cy Young winning ways. The Braves started the season
respectably and had a 50-39 first half record. However, this placed
them 9 games behind the Giants and 10 back on July 22. But
July 20 will always be memorable as that was the first game in a Braves
uniform for Fred McGriff and his swing with its sweeping over the head follow-through.
A pregame fire in the press box added to the excitement.
McGriff hit a homerun in his first game, leading the Braves back from a 5-0
deficit. McGriff's arrival coincided with an incredible 54-19 second half
that allowed the Braves to overtake the Giants, clinching the division with
Tom Glavine's 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. The Giants won 103 games
that season, but the Braves won 104 in the last real division race in major
league baseball. Now, teams have the wild card to fall back on, but in 1993
the Braves and Giants had to play with everything they had. Every single
game in August, September, and October had a play-off atmosphere. It may
be because of that the season ended with a loss to the Phillies in the
NLCS, but nothing can ever replace the excitement and confidence I felt
after they swept the Giants in San Francisco that August, trimming the
Giants lead from to 7.5 to 4.5 games.
1994 The first season in the newly aligned Eastern Divison, The Braves started off well, but the Expos eventually caught
them, leaving the Braves 6 games out before the strike ended the season.
However, as in 1993, I believe the Braves would have put together
another run that would have allowed them to win the division. Kent Mercker
threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers in a season highlight. Greg Maddux
won his second Cy Young with the Braves and third overall after posting a
phenomenal 1.56 ERA with 10 complete games and 202.0 innings pitched, all
league leading totals. But the 1994 strike did leave a sour taste in my
mouth, as it did a lot of other fans.
1995 The year of the World Series championship was when the Braves
began a run of dominance rarely seen and maintained. However, that
dominance did not begin until after another slow start, 23-20 and 5 games
back in third place. They would finish the shortened season at 90-54,
winning the division
by 21 games. The postseason posed little challenge to the Braves, as they
dispatched the Rockies 3-1 in the division series, swept the Reds 4-0 in
the NLCS, but did need six games to defeat Cleveland. The World Series win
was fun and exciting, but after the strike something seemed to be missing.
Greg Maddux once again dominated the league, winning his fourth Cy Young
award. A fellow by the name of Chipper Jones also had an outstanding rookie
season, winning Rookie of the Year honors. A trademark of the 1995 team
was last at bat wins, accumulating 25 victories coming in that manner.
1996 Expectations were high, and anything short of a second World
Series title would seem like a failure. Perhaps that was too much
expectation to put on a team in a city that had just won its first World
Series, but the Braves seemed capable of living up to it. They won the
division by 8 games, John Smoltz won 24 games and the Cy Young, and Andruw
Jones made his debut in August, hitting his first homer in his second
game. The playoffs were more challenging after sweeping the Dodgers in the
division series. They had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to the St. Louis
Cardinals to make it to the World Series. In taking the final three games
of the NLCS, the Braves outscored the Cardinals 32-1. The Braves then
dominated the first two games of the World Series against the Yankees,
winning 12-1 and 4-0, respectively. In Game 1, Andruw Jones homered in his
first two World Series at bats, becoming the second player to do so (Gene
Tenace, 1972). However, after those first two games they just couldn't get
it going again, losing the next four. Of the four World Series losses during
the division title run, this was probably the most disappointing.
1997 The Braves won 101 games and the division by 9 over the Florida
Marlins, winner of the wild card and eventually the World Series. The
Braves had no problems getting past the Astros, sweeping them in the
division series, but the NLCS against the Marlins proved different. In a
controversial Game 5, umpire Eric Gregg seemed to have two different strike
zones, giving Livan Hernandez a much wider zone than Greg Maddux. Overall
the 1997 season was typical of the late 90's teams: dominate in the regular
season, but unable to get a good roll of the dice in the crap shoot that is
now the Major League playoff system.
1998 Yet another dominate season in which two teams joined the
league (Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL and Arizona Diamondbacks as an
expansion team). The Braves won 106 games,
overshadowed by the Yankess 114. The division was won by a
healthy 18 game margin, never in doubt. They swept the Cubs in the division
series before a disappointing 6 game loss to the Padres in the NLCS. I
remember driving down Atlanta Highway near the Alps Road intersection in
Athens, GA when I heard the that Tony Baustita had just made an error in
Game 6. In fact, the entire series was filled with errors for the Braves,
who committed 8 in the six games. Tom
Glavine won the Cy Young award again and Andres Galarragga, the "Big Cat", who will always
be a fan favorite, played his first season with the team. Ozzie Guillen,
who quickly charmed the Atlanta fans (including myself), signed with the
Braves in May.
1999 The 1999 season was characterized by overcoming adversity.
Andres Galarragga was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and Kerry
Ligtenberg was lost to a ligament tear in the elbow of his throwing arm.
Pitchers Odalis Perez and Rudy Seanez were lost in the summer, as wall as
fan favorite Javy Lopez. Despite all this, Chipper Jones led the team to
103 wins in a season in which he won the MVP award. Although the Braves won
the division with a healthy 6.5 game margin, the race with the Mets was
closer than the final results show. Chipper Jones would simply not let
the Braves lose to the Mets. In games against the Mets, it seemed as though
Chipper was always getting a key hit. My most vivid memory of the 1999 season came
in Game 3 of the division series with the Astros. After splitting the first
two in Atlanta, the pivotal game three was played in Houston. In the bottom
of the tenth inning, the score was tied 3-3 when the Astros managed to load
the bases with nobody out. In such circumstances, it is almost a forgone
conclusion that somebody will score and the game will be over.
After a ground out, the play that very well may have won the
series for the Braves occurred. With the Braves playing the infield in,
Tony Eusebio slapped a pitch up the middle that shortstop Walt Weiss
somehow, someway, managed to grab and throw home. After the final out was recorded via
a strikeout, the Astros seemed to play flat, never able to overcome the
disappointment of being unable to score the winning run. The Mets tried
to make the NLCS interesting, winning 2 after the Braves took a 3-0 lead.
Game 5 ended on Robin Ventura's "grand slam single" in the bottom of the
fifteenth, one of the best games I've seen even if the Braves did lose.
Game 6 was just as exciting, once again going into extra innings. It looked
like the Mets were going to force a game 7 after scoring in the top of the
tenth, but the Braves battled back with a run of their own. The bottom of
the 11th brought about more drama. Gerald Williams doubled, then Bret Boone
bunted him to third, followed by intential walks to Chipper Jones and Brian
Jordan. The drama ended on a rather anti-climatic ball four to Andruw
Jones from Kenny Rogers, forcing Gerald Willims home with the winning run. A four game loss to the
Yankees was disappointing, but given the drama of the 1999 season as a
whole, it goes down as one of my favorites.
2000 Once again the Mets chased the Braves in a tight division race,
but the Braves managed to clinch the division with five games left in the
season, meaning the final margin of 1 game makes the race look tighter than
it truly was. It was another season of overcoming injury, as John Smoltz
went down in spring training with a torn ligament. However, solid play from
Chipper Jones, Rookie of the Year Rafael Furcal, Andruw Jones, Greg Maddux,
and Tom Glavine as well as the return of Andres Galarraga allowed the
division title run to continue. All seemed to be going well for the Braves
until a disappointing final game loss to the Rockies. The Braves went into
the top of the ninth with a 5-3 lead, but gave up 7 unearned runs to end
the season with a loss. The loss seemed to carry over to the division
series, where the Braves were swept by the Cardinals.
2001 Another tough season of injuries and a battle for the Division
title with the Phillies and Mets made for greater appreciation of the
Braves tenth consecutive division title. The 88 wins was the fewest they
had during the division title run. John Smoltz was hampered by arm
problems again, but returned in late July as a reliever, recording his
first save on August 17. He recorded 10 saves in 11 chances, a predictor of
his dominance as a closer for the next two seasons. Rafael Furcal went down
for the season with an injury in July. His loss exacerbated an already
anemic offense, with the only real production coming from Chipper Jones.
This division title was won by the pitching, and served as an example that
the Braves always seemed to find a way to win. Despite their shortcomings,
they swept the Astros in the division series before losing in five games to
the eventual World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001 I was
supposed to attend a Braves game for my birthday, but the September 11
attacks postponed the game I was going to see. The game I was originally
going to see would have had very important playoff implications, but by the
time the make-up game was played the Braves had already clinched the
division the previous game. It was still fun, though, as they beat the Marlins 7-3
on Oct. 6 with a lineup of rookies and backups, none of whom have played
for the Braves this year.
2002 The 2002 team had hopes for being one of the strongest
offensively in several years after the arrival of Gary Sheffield and Vinny
Castilla, but the 2002 team actually scored fewer runs than the 2001 squad.
Chipper Jones moved to left field to make room for Castilla at third.
The pitching in 2002 was even better than 2001, allowing the Braves to win
the division by 19 games, win 101 games, and clinch on September 9, the earliest they've
done. John Smoltz saved 55 games, then a National League record, and the
rest of the bullpen allowed the Braves to shorten games in 2002. The Braves
flirted with a sub-3 team ERA for most of the season finishing at 3.13. However,
it wasn't quite enough as the Braves lost to the Giants 3 games to 2 in the
division series.
2003 The 2003 season was the first in which I was unable to watch
most of the games after moving to Indiana for grad school. I simply didn't
have the time I once had, but I still followed them closely.
The biggest surprise in the offseason had been the trade of
Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for Johnny Estrada, a move I questioned at
the time. They also obtained Russ Ortiz in a trade with the Giants. The
Braves once again won 101 games, winning the division by 10 over the
Marlins. 2003 was also the first year that Tom Glavine played for the Mets,
and a highlight of the season was watching the Chicago Cubs shell Glavine
in his Mets debut on opening day. I had gone over to the student union with
a labmate to watch the game. Unfortunately, those same Cubs would defeat
the Braves 3-2 in the division series, ending another splendid season in
which some thought the division run might be over after losing aces
Millwood and Glavine.
2004 Pitching once again dominated for the Braves in 2004, winners
of 96 games and a surprisingly healthy 10 game margin in the division title race over Phillies.
The Braves had allowed fan favorite Javy Lopez sign with the Orioles as a
free agent. Gary Sheffield left for the Yankees. Greg Maddux left for the
Cubs. The loss of Vinny
Castilla to the Rockies allowed Chipper Jones to begin making the
transition back to third base, where he played most of the season. J.D.
Drew played his only season with the Braves, providing much needed offense.
Johnny Estrada proved that the trading away Kevin Millwood had not been
such a bad deal after all, providing All-Star caliber play. Several young
players, such as Charles Thomas and Nick Green, provided the spark the
Braves needed after struggling the first part of the season. The season
once again ended with a 3-2 loss in the division series, this time to the
Astros.
2005 The year that was supposed to be the end of the run, even with
John Smoltz returning to the rotation and the addition of Tim Hudson. However,
once again the Braves proved too strong. The "Baby Braves" used 18
different rookies and a breakout season from Andruw Jones to win 90 games
and their 14th consecutive division title. The Braves clinched the division
with four games left, and only a four game losing streak coupled with the
Phillies four game winning streak allowed the Phillies to make the final
margin two games. But, for the second year in a row the Braves lost to
the Astros in the division series, this time 3-1. However, the outstanding
play of the rookies gave hope that the Braves might just be able to
continue winning division titles.
2006 On a rainy September night, when most Braves' fans had likely already
gone to sleep after the Braves were rained out
completely,
the Mets officially ended the streak of
division titles with a win over the Marlins. The Mets have not clinched the division yet, but they have
eliminated the Braves from contention. The 2006 team was unable to overcome
unreliable pitching, especially from the bullpen, as well as injuries. The
offense seemed unstoppable at times, scoring 10+ runs in five straight
games, then again in three straight. Overall, their play hasn't been too
bad, but a terrible 6-21 June with a 10 game losing streak ended any real hope
of a fifteenth straight division title. While the wild card is still in
view, realistically the Braves will miss the playoffs for the first time
since 1991. Would I trade the streak of division titles for a few more
World Series titles? Absolutely not. Every year the Braves started the
season knowing they had a very good chance of winning the World Series.
Each and every season was memorable in it's own way, and there's no way I
would want to sacrifice those memories for a few more World Series titles.
The Braves have been a model of consistency unmatched in professional
sports. What a fun ride it as been. Here's to next season and the
beginning of another run of dominance.
References
Baseball
Reference
ESPN MLB Historical Standings
atlantabraves.com : History : Braves Timeline,
1987-Present
Wikipedia, "National League Championship Series"
September 06, 2006
Football Update Four
K-League
August 30, 2006 Seoul 3 - 1 Pohang
It does not appear to have been a good day for the Steelers. Still can't
find much information about the actual match, but Pohang now stands in 9th
place with 4 points from a 1-1-1 record and -1 goal differential. Their
next match is September 9th at home against Chunnam, a team Pohang has not
beaten in over two years. Chunnam enjoys a 5-1-4 record against Pohang
since 2003. Let's hope the Steelers can begin reversing some history on
Saturday.
August 29, 2006
Football Update One
English Premier League
August 27, 2006 Aston Villa 2 - 0 Arsenal
It took all of three minutes for Villa to take control of this home match.
Luke Moore scored a goal in the 3rd minute and Aston Villa never looked
back. Juan Pablo Angel added an insurance goal in the 38th minute. Despite
winning the time of possession and attempting only one less shot than
Villa and forcing Villa goalie Thomas Sorensen to make three saves, Newcastle was unable to break through
on the scoreboard. Yellow cards were shown to Villa's Gareth Barry and
Gabriel Agbonlahor, the first of the season for both. Aston Villa is
currently in tie for third with Everton with 7 points from a 2-1-0 record.
They have a +3 goal differential. Villa's next game is
Sunday, September 10 at West Ham, a team which they lost to twice last
year.
La Liga
August 28, 2006 Celta Vigo 2 - 3 Barcelona
Barcelona was tested today, but managed a victory over a strong Celta Vigo
side. Vigo started the scoring in the 42nd minute, Barça's Samuel Eto'o
scored an equalizer in the 56th minute, then Leo Messi gave them short
lived lead in the 60th minute. Celta knotted the score at 2 in the 65th minute,
but a goal in the 88th minute against a ten man Vigo side gave Barça
the victory. Yellow cards were shown to Barça's Thiago Motta and Andres
Iniesta. Barça's next match is Sunday, September 10 at home against
Osasuna.
August 26, 2006
Football Update Two
English Premier League
August 23, 2006 (EPL) Aston Villa 2 -1 Reading
Aston Villa won their first home match of the year, with Juan Pablo Angel
scoring a penalty goal in the 34th minute after Reading's Ibrahima Sonko
received a red card in the penalty box. Gareth Barry scored the winner in
the 61st minute with a nice header. Things did
not start well, however, as Reading's Kevin Doyle scored a goal in the
fourth minute, then Gavin McCann was shown a yellow card in the 9' minute.
Jlloyd Samuel was also shown a yellow card in the 47th minute. Aston Villa now
stands in fifth place at 1-0-1 with 4 points and a +1 goal differential.
Today's home match against Newcastle was postponed.
La Liga
August 25, 2006 (European Super Cup Final) Barcelona 0 - 3 Sevilla
Barça's last game before league play begins ended in a
disappointing and embarrasing defeat in the European Super Cup Finals.
Barça was going for their third Super Cup win, but instead Sevilla won
their first. Let's hope that this result was simply a fluke and that
Barça's first league game Monday against Celta Vigo goes as expected.
K-League
August 26, 2006 (K-League) Pohang 2 - 1 Gwangju
The Steelers got into the win column today with a win over Gwangju at home.
I was not able to find any information about how the match went, but Pohang
is now in a three way tie for second place with a 1-0-1 record and 4
points. Their next match is August 30 at Seoul and will surely be a test for
the Pohang side.
Bundesliga
August 26, 2006 (Bundesliga) VfB Stuttgart 1 - 3 Borussia
Dortmund
Things did not go well for Stuttgart in today's match. Two minutes after
Serdar Tasci scored an equalizer in the 30th minute, Borussia Dortmund
scored again to take the lead they would not relinquish. In the 63rd minute
Mario Gomez appeared to have been dragged down in the penalty area but was
not awarded a penalty shot, thus a bit of controversy. Stuttgart now stands
in 13th place with a 1-2-0 record, 3 points, and a -4 goal differential.
Let's hope they can get things turned around in their next match at Werder
Bremen, on September 16.
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