World Series Champions

We did it!  Of course, I had nothing to do with the actual accomplishment.  But like many in Georgia, and elsewhere perhaps, we've been intertwined with the soul of this team for so long, suffering heartbreaks in the fall these past twenty-five years.  I was there in '91 at the parade for the Braves when they came back, just barely missing the World Series title.  I remember watching that, then watching again with the Blue Jays and all the notable moments of that series.  I was at a playoff game with Colorado against the Rockies when Maddux was pitching and we won 10-4.  I still have the newspaper the following day for that one.  Of course, I can remember that feeling of finally when we won in '95, that time against a dangerous Cleveland team that had won so many games that season.  And then of course in '96 when we lost against a Yankees team that was all juiced up.  We didn't know that much at the time - all we knew was that we had the better team, and we were up two games to nothing.  But that was the last World Series game we actually won, and the years went by with us as perpetual contenders in the playoffs, only to find ourselves on the short end of things.  It's a Georgia tradition to be so filled with hope, only to have our souls collectively crushed. 

Not this year.  It's a new feeling.  It's exhilarating, of course.  Mom and I were listening to the game tonight, and seemed over with very early on.  We were actually up 7-0 at the top of the ninth, and yet we were all collectively still so nervous in Georgia.  Think about that a moment:  we had a commanding lead, and yet we all knew what our teams were capable of.  LOSING.

And yet, not this team.  That's a beautiful thing.  The curse?  The psychology behind it all?  It's gone.  This team broke through all that with a tomahawk chop, and here we are once again with a World Series title.  It's an exciting time, and it'll be no doubt the theme of this week.  We were talking online with all our friends through the night, particularly Pastor Lance, who is a huge fan.  It was a game filled with highlights, including one player actually hitting the ball out of the ballpark.  Amazing.

Our last victory was in 95, which was twenty-six years ago.  Hopefully the next will be much, much sooner.  Maddie, remember where you were for this one.  I'm not saying the next time this happens, you'll be forty-one years old or anything (26 + 15).  But it is something to treasure, something to savor.  I can't wait to just breath in this air filled with victory and a sense of peace, as if we've all collectively climbed an mountain that so many others have called insurmountable.  What made it so stunning is how unexpected this all was.  This season was supposedly lost half-way through due to injuries and more.  We had a .3% chance of winning the World Series, and with each playoff round, we were the underdogs by a lot.  How did this happen?  It doesn't matter, because it did, and now we can all take a deep breath, or cry, or whatever.  Finally, against all odds, against curses, against a history of expectations, we did it.  The Atlanta Braves are World Champions.