The Atlanta Braves have become the Atlanta Tin Men. Where is their heart? What we have to come to grips with in Braves Country is the World Series team is, and was always going to be, the anomaly. Winning empty-calorie nonsense division titles, only to bow out almost immediately is our bread and butter lather, initially spread by Bobby Cox. Brian Snitker is the executive chef we have had for years.
All the while, I do feel for the man. He is getting worse and worse ingredients to work with every offseason. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has to make chicken salad out of chicken mess, while Atlanta Braves Holdings is more concerned with acquiring more territory in a game of Metro Atlanta risk nobody outside of Cumberland seems to care about. What we care about are people like Wash...
Truth be told, it was not losing guys like Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Travis d'Arnaud in free agency that hurt this team. It was losing its most beloved member in third base coach Ron Washington. Admittedly, he was so long overqualified for his role with Atlanta. Naturally, the toothless Los Angeles Angels came beckoning with an offer that he could not refuse.
Two years removed since he left, the Braves are considerably worse off after his Los Angeles exodus.
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Ron Washington would have found a way to reach these Atlanta Braves
I played competitive baseball throughout my childhood. I am well aware that the mental makeup of most ballplayers is different. They have to become overly confident to cocky to handle the game they play that is designed around failure. Striking out and not making quality contact at the plate are the name of the game. Conversely, it is the one sport where you cannot simply will yourself to win a game.
Being fired up or mad does not make you pitch, field, run, catch or hit better. In fact, it often does the opposite. Having a cool, calm and collected demeanor is the preferred way to go, but the losing can often get to you. What Washington provided, in addition to great infield coaching, was some of that looseness this team is sorely lacking. I do not see a team having fun anymore. They are all sad boys.
While things may turn around in the latter part of a season, keep in mind that change is hard, and that is even if you want change to happen. I will never expect for Sean Murphy to be the life of the party or for Matt Olson to talk one's ear off. That is not who they are. That is not in their nature. What I am hoping is for this team to find a way to lighten up a bit and just play some damn good baseball again.
Washington always found a way, whereas his successor Matt Tiuasosopo feels like Fredi Gonzalez...