Brave, as in Atlanta Brave! As I’m certain that most of you followers to this blog know, I’m an avid baseball fan. Of course, me being a southern boy, my #1 team is the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta is a three-hour drive from my home city, Asheville, NC, and over the years since they moved to Atlanta in 1966, I’ve put many-a-mile on my vehicles making the drive to see these guys. We finally made the journey this year for our first visit to their new park. This makes the fourth time that we’ve went to see the Braves as a family since I got Lynndee and Yogi here from the Philippines in 2010. It’s a special feeling to me to know that I introduced them to this great American pastime seeing that this is a sport that isn’t played in the Philippines.

2018 National League East Division Champions

And we actually got to participate in the special occasion of closing down Turner Field, the Braves second stadium. But seeing them play for just the second year in their new location will always hold a special place in our memories because of what transpired just this past Saturday, 9/22/2018. That day, the Braves, for the first time since 2013, won the National League East Division, making them eligible for the post-season playoffs. So now we await the finish of the regular season when we’ll finally learn of who we’ll play in the National League Division Series, hopefully on the way to winning the World Series.

But my following the Braves began way back in the day, in the 70s. Actually, I went to my very first Major League Baseball game on July 2, 1972. I saw the Baltimore Orioles play the Detroit Tigers in Detroit. That came about due to a journey I was taking with my brother and my best friend and his cousin.

We were on the way to Canada for our summer vacation and were going through Detroit on the way to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which goes under the Detroit River taking you to Windsor, Ontario. But on arriving in Detroit, we drove right by Tiger Stadium on the way to the tunnel and decided to go to the game. And what a game it was! I got to see the great Baltimore infielders Boog Powell and Brooks Robinson ply their trade. For Detroit, I got to see the great Al Kaline. Powell hit a massive blast of a home run, almost putting it out of Tiger Stadium. Seeing Robinson and Kaline play was certainly a treat for they were both future hall of famers, both being elected to the Hall on the first ballot. And seeing Mike Cuellar pitch a complete game win for the Orioles was truly a treat, as well. He was one of the four Oriole pitchers to have a 20-Win season in 1971.

It was then in July of 1973 that I made my first trip to Atlanta to see the Braves at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, their first home in Atlanta. Then in September of 73, I went to the final two games of the season, in hopes of seeing Hank Aaron tie and/or break Babe Ruth’s home run record. I got to see him hit #713 on Saturday night. But in the final game, he went 3 for four, all the hits being singles.

Those first games in 1973 were just the beginning of the many games I’ve seen over these past five decades. But this year’s team is one of the most special ones I’ve enjoyed. Their winning of the East Division puts me in mind of their worst-to-first season of 1991. Over the previous three years the Braves have lost 90 or more games each season. As it stands right now, their record is 89-68 with five games to go, making it possible for them to finish the regular season with a record of 94 wins against 68 losses. Quite an improvement.

Their rebuild has come to an early fruition at least a year early, if not two years. One of the greatest reasons is that of their 20-year-old left fielder, Ronald Acuña, Jr., whose season has propelled him to the head of the list to be chosen as the Rookie of the Year. Also, their 21-year-old 2nd baseman, Ozzie Albies, has had an outstanding year. Between the two of them, they have hit 50 home runs, Acuña with 26, Albies with 24. They are the first teammates in baseball history to hit 20+ home runs in the same season before either player turned 22 years old.

But the greatest success of this team has been the coaching job of their manager, Brian Snitker. He has been with the Braves organization for 41 years, first as a minor league player and then as a manager in the minor league system and a coach with the big team. He took over the big team as an interim manager early in the 2016 season, and has been full-time manager beginning the 2017 season. He has done an outstanding job in helping to rebuild this team and lead them back to the top. And just as Ronald Acuña, Jr. has a great chance of being Rookie of the Year, without a doubt, Snitker is hands-down got to be the Manager of the Year in the National League.

So I’m definitely a happy camper, anxiously awaiting the first week of October and the beginning of the playoffs. And who knows? After 23-years of waiting, the Braves may once again be champions of the world, though they’ll always be my champions. CHOP ON BRAVES!