Miracle Braves

I found "Miracle Season," a book by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the 1991 season and made just after it, at a thrift store today for about .65 and bought it. I figured some select passages would be humorous in retrospect. Just flipping through the book, here are some:

"[John Schuerholz] promised to rebuild the Braves in the image of the Royals, who had won six American League West titles, two pennants and one World Series and had a gleaming stadium complete with a huge fountain, appetizing food and good treatment of the customers." Yeah, build in the image of the Royals...that's never been a good thing to do from my experience, but it was then.

"[T]he Royals[']...1990 record of 75-86 was the second-worst in franchise history." They've only had 6 seasons that good since then.

"But the money! Bream got $5.6 million over three years, and that paled against Pendleton's four-year, $10.2 million contract, the biggest in Braves history." Earlier, it talks about eating a $475,000 option on Ernie Whitt. That's barely an hors d'oeuvre now.

Never knew that before Schuerholz got there, Ernest P. Worrell was their main advertising frontman. That says a lot...

Question in spring training: "Could first baseman Nick Esasky overcome the vertigo symptoms that threatened a premature end to his career?"

"Shortstop Jeff Blauser wondered if Belliard's acquisition meant he was going to be traded." No, it means you hit in contract years only. Duh...

After driving in 5 against the Cardinals, Belliard on hitting: "They say I can't hit, but I showed them I'm more than a fielder, more than just a glove." In one game? Okay.

I had never heard of their original fifth starter, Paul Marak. That one's new.

In a game somewhere in the second half, it mentions Charlie Leibrandt giving up Darren Lewis's first major league home run. There would be only 26 more over the next 11 years. Just seems like a weird thing to mention.

An L.A. columnist wrote late in teh season: "The unwritten rule of sports continues to be that no professional team based in Atlanta ever wins anything, which is why the hockey team moved to Canada."

Same guy on David Justice: "He could give ego lessons to Rickey Henderson."

There's even an afterword by the Cox man himself. It's not remarkable for anything, but it's cool to have.

All in all, this was a cool buy for a few cents, one of those "after the event" books with tons of full page pictures and just a ton of fervor, not knowing that the next 14 years would be even better.