The Book of Mike

"This is no junior college. This is the notorious University of Miami.” -- Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis, after getting knocked around for six runs in 2 1/3 innings by the Canes.

Monday, October 13, 2003

Random Thought

I suppose others have already thought of this and written about it (and feel free to insert your team's name in the place of the Marlins, Cubs, or Red Sox below), but...

If the Marlins do the impossible here and pull out the NLCS and win the World Series, they will have won their second title since 1997. One more than the Braves have won in their run of twelve consecutive division titles.

What the Braves have done is amazing and I don’t mean to diminish what they have accomplished by this observation. As a fan, which would you rather have – the run that the Braves have been on since 1991 or rollercoaster ride that has been the Marlins during that time?

Remember that there was no team in Miami back in 1991 (you could argue that there wasn’t in 1998 either). The inaugural year was the 1993 campaign. There was the steady climb up through 1997 (with a league wide dip in 1994) and a rapid descent beginning in the offseason between 1997 and 1998 immediately following the World Title. Sometime during the 2002 campaign it’s fair to say the Marlins were back on the upswing.

During that time the Braves have essentially been in first place every single day. They’ve reached the playoffs every year it was possible. The Braves appeared in the World Series five times and won it once.

I suppose it’s not much of a question. Nearly all of us would rather support a team that’s in it every year and seems to make the post-season with regularity. It’s much more enjoyable (although still twisted) to have your heart broken during playoff games in October than having it happen when your team is eliminated after losing to the Royals or Reds in August.

But nonetheless, the Marlins could end up one World Series title ahead of the Braves during this unbelievable run they’ve been on – a run that is arguably unmatched in pro sports history.

For that matter, if either the Cubs or Red Sox - allegedly the longtime losers of Major League Baseball – wins the World Series this year, they too will have won as many titles in the 90s and in the first part of this century as the Braves’ dynasty. That’s amazing.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home