The Atlanta Braves missed the playoffs on the last day of the season in a September collapse that equaled the previous standard for collapses. Of course, the high profile Boston Red Sox have gotten most of the attention but that doesn’t stop the pain for those in Braves Country. I know I have had a hard time watching the playoffs this week if not for the simple reason that I’m a little bitter (and forget about me writing or watching anything to do with the Phillies-Cardinals series). With this discontent and outright anger brewing in the hearts of Braves fans, team President and the man most believe is in charge John Schuerholz sent an open letter to Braves fans basically apologizing for the September collapse. Below is the letter which I have pulled from ajc.com and was shared to them by a man named Steve.
(Braves logo here on letterhead)
755 Hank Aaron Dr SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30315
October 6, 2011
Dear Steve,
On behalf of the entire Braves organization, I would like to thank you for all of the great support you showed us this season. Your continued involvement in this team plays a pivotal role in our ability and drive to succeed. While there were many exciting moments during our 2011 season, unfortunately, we fell short of our ultimate goal. Together, we share in the disappointment and frustration of how and when this season ended.
For a majority of the season we owned one of the four best records in baseball. We had five members of our team representing the Braves at the All-Star Game, and we had the two best rookies in the league on our team – either Kimbrel or Freeman will surely win the Rookie of the Year Award. We witnessed an historic hitting streak by Dan Uggla and his incredible defense all year. Throughout the season, we began to see the remarkable depth of talent in our young players.
However, our performance in the month of September was unacceptable to all in the organization, and we will evaluate and analyze our missteps to do all we can to prevent this from happening again. Our General Manager, Frank Wren, and his staff have already begun to evaluate our team and will be focusing throughout the off-season on building upon the strengths of this team and repairing our weaknesses to achieve our goal.
Like you, I am very proud of the history and achievements of your Atlanta Braves organization. However proud we are of that legacy, I would like to reiterate to you that our focus is on the future and our goal for next season is to win a World Championship for you, our loyal fans.
Once again, I appreciate all you do to support the Braves organization and team. I truly hope you will continue to be part of the great atmosphere and community we all share in Braves Country.
Sincerely,
John Schuerholz
President
Atlanta Braves
As you can tell, the letter will do little to make Atlanta Braves fans feel better about the collapse but it does a good job of showing some resolve from the front office in a much needed time. I looked at many of the comments from the ajc post of the letter and most can be summed up as “nice gesture.” Still, there doesn’t appear to be any specific plans yet on how to make next year’s team better.
Stat of the Day: Dan Quisenberry lead the league in saves 5 times.
-Sean Morash
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