i love the braves!!!

Decent team...needs better starting pitching especially since Smoltz is starting to get up there in age.

They can do better.

Today is April 22. On this date in history, in 1876, the Boston Red Stockings defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in the first National League baseball game.

The Boston Red Stockings is now the Atlanta Braves after going to Milwaukee from Boston and then to Atlanta.

Second to the Cardinals in my interests. Similarly, to the Cardinals, the Braves manage to successfully get into the postseason, but they struggle to proclaim victory in the end. Most recently in 1995? They are a great team with excellent outfielding. Yet, blame Smoltz I say. The guy fired some of the best pitchers in the league for petty reasons. And now look, this year they didn't even make it into the postseason! Chipper's a great player.

Successful year in, year out since '91. When I was a teenager in the late 80's, this was a godawful, boring club, but they really just find ways to win. May not be the most interesting team or have the most interesting characters, but they're just always efficient and fundamentally sound.

Twitchin' Monkey makes an interesting and not entirely invalid point. The Braves have certainly been one of the best regular season teams in baseball for well over a decade, and have racked up a truly impressive number of Division titles. It is also true that any team can have a bad day or a bad week, and if that comes in post season, that's all she wrote. But...... The job of the players, the manager, the front office is to win. Not just win the Division, or the LCS, but to win the Series. I respectfully suggest, that 14 Division titles and 1 Series win is not getting the job done. A truly great team might have one or two bad weeks in the post season over that stretch, but not 13 of them. Look for another early exit this year. Houston has their number in the post season. (Who doesn't)

In the sports page for the NLDS it has St. Louis vs. San Diego, and Houston (Bye). Any team that gets Atlanta gets an easy pass to the NLCS. The Royals would sweep the Braves in the playoffs. And there will be 30,000 people at Turner field to watch the Braves lose 7-1 and 6-0 -- 29,800 will be Astros' fans and 200 Braves fans doing their idiotic Tomahawk Chop. The Braves STINK.

You have to give the braves credit. They won a very tough division with a bunch of rookies gettin the job done. They have one of the best managers in the game in Bobby Cox. The man knows how to coach. Its going to be fun to see how francoer and those other rookies are going to handle the pressure of post season play, but wit guys like smoltz, furcal, giles, and the ageless julio franco they should make the nlds quite fun to watch and in the post season anything can happen.

I won't hold my breath due to past dissapointments, but they look solid.

granted, the world series is the top prize, the title that everyone looks at, and the braves have only one, i think skip carrey said it best: "how can you take the best teams in baseball, who have endured a season of ups and downs, made adjustments, and still maintained the best records, and put them together for a few games to see who's best?" you don't know who's going to be "hot" for those few games, everybody has a bad day sometimes. it's just bad luck if your bad days come in the post season. i know, that's the way it was designed, they way it's supposed to be, a 7 game series to decide a champion, but to me, 14 straight division titles says more than a few world series titles. that shows for 14 years, the braves have maintained the best baseball team in the NL East, throughout the seasosns. through injuries, through ups and downs, through trades, through it all. no other sports team in history can say that they've had that many consecutive titles. best team in the NL East, one of the best teams in baseball. there always in the mix of things in the post season, and that's why they're my team.

As a Phillies fan, I absolutely detest the Braves. That being said, I can't disagree with Twitchin' Monkey's comments. 14 straight division titles is a big deal - no luck involved. If it were any other team, I'd say this year was a fluke, with players who were on double-A teams earlier this season now hitting .330, but I just can't say that with the Braves. They have a formula that other teams (e.g. the Phillies) don't, and they always get it done.

world series baby!!!!

Their back, even with stars out and all the rookies the Braves win. They are in the toughest division in baseball and still have the 4th best record overall 07-27-05. AJones is having the type of year he has always be capable of and Smoltz is still a monster at 38. With Chipper coming back into the lineup and healthy pitchers expect them to win the EAST by 5-6 games. Thats no easy task.

The greatest team ever. So what out of 13 tries they won 1 world series that doesnt make them bad just unlucky they have the greatet farm team of all time and the greatest pitching coach of all time if you notice Mazzone makes stars out of average pitchers because when they leave Atlanta they suck (except for Maddux he will always be a Brave at heart). Andruw Jones has the greatest glove of all time. THEY ARE AMERICAS TEAM!!! (not you you f****** Yankees and thats because yall suck)

They lost a lot of quality players in the offseason but they made up for it by getting Tim Hudson, Danny Kolb, Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan. I expect them to win another divisional title and even make it to the World Series. Anything short of a Fall Classic appearance is inexcusable for this club. If they flop again in the first round or if they don't make the playoffs expect Bobby Cox, Leo Mazzone, and GM John Schuerholz to be on shaky ground.

The N.L. east is a crappy division.

THE ATLANTA BRAVES IS GREAT TEAM GRANT IT THEY CAN NOT WIN A WORLD SERIES SINCE 1995 BUT THE NL EAST TITLES ARE AMAZING, WHO CARES IF THEY ARE A TEAM THAT CHOKES IN THE PLAYOFFS, THEY ARE A OOD TEAM AND ARE ON THE HORIZION FOR A GOOD AND PROMISING FUTURE.

Hate them, but i suspect another NL East title is on the Horizon. Just a solid club the whole way through. Should've won the WS more than they did.

Spoiled

Horrible team for a horible city. Bobby Cox is a wife beater, Andrew Jones is a piece of crap, and the worst thing of all, the Atlanta fans!!! I wish something would just wipe this city off the map and all of its rude citizens!!!

I don't care what all those New Englanders have to say about the Braves they will always be my team. I've been a Braves fan my whole life and I'm not about to quit because some two bit losers from the north say they suck. Let's go Bravos!

Bobby Cox has been BRILLIANT with this team. Kudos!

Over rated

My favorite baseball team. They have the best mangagement, consistantly outstanding pitchers, and have been sucessful despite having a relatively low payroll. Their payroll is less than half of the Yankees! Everyone thought, including me, that after losing great pitchers such as Maddux, Glavine, Millwood, and Moss, that the Braves' era was over. Well gues what, they are back in 1st place again.

Year after year, fans continue to believe that the Braves will lose they're reign as the leaders of the NL East. And year after year, fans continue to be DEAD WRONG. The Braves always put out a team with the right chemistry and commitment to win without spending a ridculous amount of money every year (unlike the Yankees). JS apparently knows the formula to success as he knows constructs a team that wins year after year. Not to mention Bobby Cox is one hell of a manager that gets the best effort out of his players.

Americas team my ass. you think that they could have done a little bit more going all the way, and a little less cowering when the pressue is on, and their time at the top of the division should be coming to an end soon.

I hate them.

AOL/Time-Warner have dismantled a winning franchise and left Atlanta with a pitiful, medicre team. I am a lifelong fan, have seen the Braves win and lose, but have never seen a worse management than occurred following last season.

Here's another team I dislike, but can respect. Division titles from 1991 to 2003. Sure, they only won one World Series during that span, but at least 25 teams in the league would gladly change places with them. I think their streak will end this year, as the Phils and the Fish simply have better squads. Losing Giles for 6 weeks will hurt them, too.

The Braves have turned to the second most hated team behid the Yankees. Only because they win so much during the season and then lose in the playoffs. The Braves biggest trouble is that they have so many players that know during the season that they are good and given time they will win more then they will lose. These same players have trouble adjusting to win now not latter philosiphy needed for the playoffs

I`ve been a Braves fan for many years. I`ve seen them at their worst, and i`ve also seen them at their best, My favourite is definatly Greg Maddux. I used to live in Jacksonville where Chipper Jones was at Bolles HS. Keeping my fingers crossed for a WS win in 2004. Whether they win or lose they`ll always be #1 to me. To the fans who diss the Braves....at least they don`t start fights becasue someone decides to root for "the other side" bad sportmenship indeed. I`ve never liked the Yankees but after that disgusting display I like them even less.

Braves SUCK ASS!!!!!

All bark, no bite!!!

The best team in major league baseball, oddly enough, because of the bats. Over the years, hitting was not their thing, relying on Maddux, Galvine, and Smoltz to pitch well enough for them. But with Maddux having a subpar year (10-8, ERA over 4) and Hampton doing only decent, and Ortiz is okay, their bats are the focal point of their success. Maybe this turn of strategy is thier key to winning the World Series, because they couldn't do it with pitching.

ok...braves suck??? i don't think so..in 2003 they have the best record..i just watched them come back from an 8-3 deficit in the 8th to win 11-8! they have smoltz who has the most saves and they got homerun hitters sheffy, javey, chipper, andruw, and castilla!!! Go brave!!

VERY CONSISTANT!

Though the Braves are my hometown team, I've never been much of a fan. Frankly, I have very mixed feelings about the franchise in general. I always considered them either flat-out terrible (which they were when I was growing up in the '80's), or a maddening combination of exciting (in the regular season since '91) and heartbreaking (in the post season since '91). I have a great deal of respect for Bobby Cox and most of the players through the years, but I've never cared for the ownership and back-office management. I guess, if for no other reason than they're my local team, I'd like to see the Braves do well in '03, and maybe, just maybe, beat the Yankees in the World Series someday.

Even though this team lost three quality starters since last season (Glavine, Millwood, Moss) and a valuable set-up man (Remlinger), and have had attrition in the field in the past two seasons as well, this franchise wants to win and knows how to win. Maybe because Manager Bobby Cox is a baseball genius and his players respect the hell out of him, refusing to let the old guy down. This franchise has choked in the playoffs in the past, but during the regular 162 there isn't a outfit that has done as well during the past decade. This team isn't as intimidating as it was in past years, but it still has enough talent to be in the running at the end of the 2003 season.

NO left-fielder is better than Chipper Jones. Even though the braves dont win the w.s. alot they usually always come first in the division. As for pitching , no one is better than the group of Milwood, Glavine ,and Maddox.

Overrated and overpaid.

AMERICA'S TEAM!!!!

I will always hate this team.

America's family team. The Braves are not only good players, but good people.

Let's face it, I've never seen a bunch of choke artists than I have with the Braves. They've been to the playoffs every year since 1991 and what do they have to show in 13 seasons? Only one World Series title (1995 vs. Indians). They could've been a dynasty but they just lose it all in the pennant/division races. I stopped rooting for them in '93 when they just found away to give it all away to the opposing team.

I hate the Braves with a passion. Ever since I discovered the most irritating baseball invention ever when the Yankees played them in the '96 series (the Tomahawk chop), I've always loathed this team. It is unimaginably annoying watching a game and hearing these fans chanting and doing the freakin' chop. Then with all the comments Rocker made just made my hatred much more vast. They, without merit, called themselves the "Team of the '90s," even though they only won one world series and choked every single year in the postseason (except for '95). The Blue Jays won 2 world series championships in the '90s. The Yankees won 3 world championships in the '90s. The Braves-1. The facts back up that the Braves aren't prolific at winning titles.

The best in the business!

Their long run of National League supremacy is over with the current group they have now, and is their reign of NLCS appearances. Wildcard appearances and division championships are so watered down nearly every team accomplishes one or the other within three years. When I say National League supremacy that's exactly what I mean. For all of the excitment and promise of this farnchise since 1991 they have only one world championship to show for it. In 1996 I figured that this was a Big red machine type of dynasty after they obliterated the Yankees in the first two games at the stadium. But when they failed to win not one game at home I knew they were dead, not just in 1996 but for several more years to come. Yes they are good, but in a close playoff game at crunch time they often fall flat on their faces. I at first compared the 1996 Braves to the 1986 Mets, but

The Braves rule all. They are awsome. They have great players, good numbers, and a great third baseman. I love them. That's all there is to it.

THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL!!! I don't care what anyone says, they're the greatest!! (I especially love Tom Glavine!!) By the way, why are some of you calling them Rednecks? Just because they play in Atlanta? The majority of them aren't FROM the south!!