When the Braves Ruled the Diamond: Fourteen Flags over Atlanta

by Dan Schlossberg, Bobby Cox (Foreword by)

Overview

From 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves did something no pro sports team can match, finishing in first place for fourteen consecutive seasons.

During that stretch, the Braves parlayed powerful pitching with potent hitting that produced under pressure. Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox won with veteran teams, young teams, slugging teams, and several times with teams that emphasized speed and defense. His teams captured 100 wins in six different seasons.

In When the Braves Ruled the Diamond, former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg covers the record-breaking era that transformed Atlanta from the Bad-News Braves to America's Team. With separate chapters on Cox, fabled pitching coach Leo Mazzone, and Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, this book also highlights the contributions of Andres Galarraga, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Brian Jordan, Javy Lopez, Terry Pendleton, and many more Braves stars. It features year-by-year summaries, Opening Day lineups, and even oddball anecdotes that explain why the fourteen-year streak may never be duplicated. It is the perfect gift for fans of baseball history as well as fans of the Atlanta Braves!

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683582731
Publisher:	Sports Publishing LLC
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Dan Schlossberg, a former AP sportswriter, is the author or co-author of 39 baseball books, including Called Out But Safe, a collaboration with former umpire Al Clark; The 300 Club: Have We Seen the Last of Baseball's 300-Game Winners; Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story; and The New Baseball Bible, originally a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate called The Baseball Catalog. Now a national baseball writer for forbes.com, he also covers the game for USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Latino Sports, Ball Nine, and Here's The Pitch. An unabashed Braves fan since 1957, when the Milwaukee Braves beat the Yankees in the World Series, he is the former host of BRAVES BANTER and another podcast called TRAVEL ITCH RADIO. He is a lifelong resident of Northern New Jersey.
Bobby Cox is a former third baseman for the New York Yankees as well as former manager for the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Table of Contents

Dedication iii

Introduction ix

Foreword Bobby Cox xiii

Acknowledgments xxi

People 1

1 The Conductor: John Schuerholz 3

2 The Engineer: Bobby Cox 26

3 The Fireman: Leo Mazzone 37

4 The Survivor: John Smoltz 56

5 The Hockey Player: Tom Glavine 70

6 The Professor: Greg Maddux 85

7 The MVPs; Terry and Chipper 96

Seasons 115

8 1991: Worst to First 117

9 1992: Back-to-Back 134

10 1993: The Great Race 148

11 1995: Nirvana 160

12 1996: Power Pius Pitching 172

13 1997: Friggin' Florida 184

14 1998: Juggernaut 194

15 1999: Mr. Clutch 201

16 2000: Chipper, Andruw, and Andres 210

17 2001: Winning by a Whisker 220

18 2002: Maulers in the Outfield 224

19 2003: Power to Burn 231

20 2004: Rotation Reborn 237

21 2005: Eighteen Rookies 244

22 After the Streak 255

23 The Miracle Braves of 2021 268

24 Cooperstown 282

Bibliography 302

Appendix 305

Index 315