Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 18, 1993 TAG: 9309180168
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
The question was whether Atlanta would play in the Central Division or in the East, where the Braves said they wanted to be aligned with the Florida Marlins. Who wouldn't?
The NL should have considered another three-division scenario - East, West, and Out of This World, where the Braves have been playing for two months.
Baseball's Land of Oz is located in St. Louis, but there's something magical in the Chop Shop, the land of the free swingers and home of the Braves.
"Nothing this club does surprises me anymore," said right fielder Dave Justice. "I'll tell you what would surprise me: The only thing that would do it is if we had a game where we made a lot of errors, didn't hit worth a damn and got beat 20-0."
No, that sounds more like the New York Mets, who visited baseball's torrid zone Friday night. CBS and ESPN are here to show games today and Sunday night, but it's not because of the Mets, who lately are getting more mention in David Letterman's monologues than Joey Buttafuoco.
The Braves, meanwhile, aren't laughing their way to a third consecutive NL West title just yet. However, if the San Francisco Giants continue exploding like a Vince Coleman firecracker, the magic number may go poof by next weekend.
For the third consecutive year, the NL Championship Series and World Series figure to be played at the circular stadium beside Interstate Intersection here. In the pennant drive of 1993, the Braves have one big thing on their side.
Not only is Atlanta baseball's best team; the Braves know it.
"This time," said left fielder Ron Gant, the NL's RBI leader, "we feel like we're going to win the World Series."
Many other baseball people feel like that, too. Cincinnati manager Davey Johnson left town after another Braves series sweep saying Atlanta had the best pitching he'd seen in his years in the game. And he played on some of those great Baltimore teams with Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally.
One of the Braves' starters - Steve Avery, Tom Glavine or Greg Maddux - will win the Cy Young Award in the NL. And Atlanta is about to realize John Smoltz has a $5 million arm when his contract runs out next month.
The July 20 trade that put first baseman Fred McGriff between Gant and Justice in the Atlanta batting order has panned out like those cable networks Braves owner Ted Turner established.
The Braves are 44-14 since the All-Star break and 41-12 since the McGriff deal. In the past 35 games before the Mets arrived to continue their drive toward 100 losses, Atlanta was 29-6, with a 2.48 ERA in those games.
Since 1992 Cy Young winner Maddux signed a five-year, $28 million free-agent contract during the winter, the Braves knew the "Jeopardy" answer for their question would be the same as in 1991 and '92.
What about the bullpen?
Well, manager Bobby Cox and pitching coach Leo Mazzone have pieced and blended to spell relief. Right-handed closer Greg McMichael is 15-for-15 in save situations and has given up only five earned runs in his past 45 innings, but he still is so anonymous that Sports Illustrated mistakenly ran Maddux's photo with a story on McMichael this week.
Another crucial paving job was done when Cox returned veteran Otis Nixon to center field when Deion Sanders bolted earlier in the season - and left Nixon there. It made the Braves' clubhouse a much more harmonious place.
"This might sound funny, but our offense is the thing that's underrated," said Justice, who is second to Gant in the league RBI chase. "Everybody talks about our great pitching, and it's there.
"But what does great pitching mean if you don't have hitting. Look at [Cincinnati's] Jose Rijo. He's having a great season. How many wins does he have [13]? If he were on our team, he'd have way over 20 already. If you don't score runs, you don't win."
Although Atlanta ranks only ninth in the NL with a .260 batting average, the Braves are averaging 5.5 runs per game since the All-Star break.
"When we step on the field now, I think we can win, every night," Justice said.
And for Cox, the biggest trouble the last two weeks of the season may be deciding which 25 players he wants to keep on the roster for the playoffs and World Series.
by CNB