The Atlanta Braves Are The Face Of Mental Weakness

I've certainly been as or more disappointed in several sports results over the years, but I really don't think I've ever been more shocked at anything than the 2023 Braves offense scoring eight runs in four games to get knocked out of the postseason. You could have given me 100 scenarios to play out in this NLDS that I would have believed, but that wouldn't have been one of them.

This is now the second postseason in a row that the Braves have completely no-showed against the Phillies, this one in almost identical fashion to the first. And while Philadelphia is a great baseball team I would not be surprised to see win the World Series, that's completely unacceptable. The Braves were the best team in baseball for six months with a historically great offense and they looked like they didn't even belong on the field with the Phillies for just about the entire series. Even when the games were close, it didn't really feel like it.

I don't know what the answers are, because it's not like Atlanta is making any dramatic roster alterations with the best young core that in baseball that just won 104 games. But this has to be somebody's fault. I don't know if that means gently nudging Brian Snitker out the door and getting a new manager or what the solution is, but clearly something has to change after two consecutive postseason collapses.

This just fucking sucks. I don't know what the answers are. This team was maybe the best professional sports team I've ever watched for a 162-game season and then they took the field in the postseason and looked like the Oakland A's.

I think the most disheartening thing is that the Braves seem to have turned into Tennessee basketball under Rick Barnes. We know it's going to be the exact same thing next year: 100 wins, elite offense and then we're gonna lose to the Phillies in the NLDS again.

Whatever. I guess I at least appreciate that they were considerate enough to get this over with tonight rather than dragging this series into another college football Saturday and turning back into pumpkins then. I will be forever grateful for the 2021 World Series championship I was able to witness. It's difficult to say whatever deal was made with the devil was worth it right now, but it probably still was.