Adios, Champ.

In the past couple of years, Braves fans have said good bye to some of the greatest, classiest, fun and funniest players and announcers the game has ever seen.

Greg Maddux.  Pete Van Wieren.  John Smoltz.  Skip Caray.  Tom Glavine.  Billy Wagner.  Javy Lopez.  Eddie Perez.  The list goes on.  They are all missed like crazy. 

Smoltzie and Glav are still with us as announcers, and boy, are they fun to listen to.  Javy got a standing ovation on Opening Day.  Eddie is the bullpen coach, and I've got to say, more deserving of being our next hitting coach, assistant manager and finally (after Terry Pendleton retires, of course) manager, than anyone I can think of. Billy Wagner (nominated for Best Off-season Deal EVER), although retired on Monday, proved himself emblematic of the type of players Atlanta attracts:

“This year has been nothing but great for me,” Wagner said. “I thank God I got to retire as a Brave. It’s the greatest honor I could ever have — to be on the favorite team of my childhood. About the only thing [better] would have been if I could have snuck Dale [Murphy's] number on. That would have been about it.”


Atlanta was once called Loserville, USA, by Sports Illustrated.  On Monday night we proved them wrong.

We are a city who holds our heroes close.  We're not as outspoken as some cities (I'm looking at you, Boston), but I think we feel it deeper. This season has been nothing short of incredible:  the late-inning heroics that proved it really AIN'T over till it's over, the classy guys we had working for us that showed that being a ballplayer is different than playing baseball, gutting it out, screaming until your throat goes hoarse and your hands are numb from clapping, hugging complete strangers, fireworks and respect and honor. 

Baseball lost its greatest manager on Monday night. 

Since he began his managerial career 1978, Bobby Cox has amassed six one-hundred win seasons, won the National League Pennant five times, the World Series once, Manager of the Year four times, 2,504 wins (4th all-time) , and is the all-time leader in being tossed out, 158 times.  He managed the Blue Jays for four years, and the Braves for 29 years. 

Relentlessly positive, Cox never had a bad word to say about any of his players, regardless of how they played.  Not even when he had to bench Brooks Conrad because of a MLB-record three errors in a post-season game.  His 158 chuck outs were never because of bad behavior - they were from sticking up for his players.  He was fined so often, legend has it (from Jeff Franceour - the source will go un... -crabbed about) that he wrote MLB a $10,000 check every year and told them to call him when it was used up.  He's a relic of an older time, when money didn't matter so much, players ran out sure-thing outs and pitchers took the mound on three days' rest. 

So many of his current players name him and the Braves as their favorite team when they were kids, which shows how long he's been around and how deeply felt his influence is.  Look at Billy Wagner - a great pitcher, and the only thing that could have made this season better would have been if he could have gotten his hero's number?

Chipper, Brooksie, Wags, Huddy, Tommy H, The Jay Hey Kid, Mac, JJ, Matty D, Ankels, Mar-teen, O-MAH, Glausosauras Rex, Little Nate, Lee, Johnny V, Kimbrall?, Freddie Free - the fans have their nicknames for Our Braves.  But to Bobby, they were all "Kid".  He was a father, a friend, a role model and a mentor to all of them.  And he yelled at them sometimes, too.  But only when they deserved it.  

Bobby drew baseball to Atlanta and made it great.  He made us, the fans, great, too.

Bobby IS the Braves.  Bobby IS baseball.  How much we lost on October 11, 2010. 

"Would you mind signing a few things for me?" Conrad asked.
"I'll sign anything you want," Cox said with a smile.

I have never been prouder of my city, my team, and my manager. 

So long, #6.

We'll miss you.