Part One
Oddly enough, part one will focus totally on the Atlanta Braves' rise to Dynasty Proportion to later compare my predicted rise of the Falcons' to Dynasty Proportions.
The Braves moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1966. Four of their first six years in Atlanta, the team would compile a season record of above.500 winning percentage. In 1969, they would win the West Division Title. Yes, the Braves were in the Western Division from 1969-1993. This was so unfair since they had to travel to 3 west-coast teams for divisional play. Back to '69: In the National League playoffs, the Miracle Mets swept the Braves in 3 games while going on to win the World Series! The Braves would not finish better than third in the West Division until 1982. Under the Management of Joe Torre, the Braves began this magical season with a 13-game winning streak. They would play only 3 games over .500 the rest of the way, but that was enough to win the division. Once again they were swept in the NLCS. This time the Cardinals were the spoilers. The Braves would finish second in the division for the next 2 years. The hated Dodgers won the division both years. It one of the most unbelievable Braves' moves ever, and they've had about a million, the team fired manager Joe Torre.
Now, they were back to TERRIBLE again! Winning more than 70 games (out of 162) only once in the next 7 years! It was awful to be a Braves fan.
Then 1991 happened! The phrase "From Worst to First" was owned by Atlanta! After finishing dead last in the division for 3 years in-a-row, the Braves won the West! Atlanta had a record of 94 wins and 68 losses. It was their best record since arriving in Atlanta in '66. For the first time in Atlanta Braves history, they were NOT swept in the NLCS! As a matter of fact, they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in dramatic fashion by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, after trading by 1 run entering the inning!
On to the World Series to play the Minnesota Twins. It was one of the best World Series in MLB history. It all came down to the 7th and final game of the series. The Braves would send John Smoltz to the mound, while the Twins countered with Jack Morris. After 9 innings, the game was tied 0 to 0! WOW! In the bottom of the 10th inning, the Twins scored a run to defeat the Braves 1 to 0. A crushing defeat!
Honestly, I don't remember how people reacted to the game, other than disappointment and second guessing. But, after 25 years with only 2 division titles and no playoff wins, this was a DREAM SEASON! We are talking from worst to first! After literally enduring thousands of losses in 25 years of Atlanta Braves baseball, this may have been enough to last us weary fans for a few years. But thankfully, there was more to come! The Braves would rattle off 14 Division Titles in-a-row! The Braves went on to win 4 more NLCS in the decade of the 1990s! Therefore, they were the National League Champs in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, and 1999. But the crown jewel was the World Series win against the Cleveland Indians in 1995, 4 games to 2! That's right...The Atlanta Braves had built a Dynasty! Plus, they had given Atlanta their only Major Sports Professional Championship with the 1995 World Series win! They were the team of the 90s! The Braves followed their 90s run with 6 straight Division Titles!
What's the connection? If the Braves' Dynasty began in 1991, which ended in a crushing extra inning loss, could it be there is another team in Atlanta ready to begin their own dynasty?! Even if that team ended their wonderful season with a crushing over-time loss?!
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