Sixty five years ago the Braves left Boston to make their new home in Milwaukee. They last less than 20 years in Suds City before heading to Atlanta.
What if instead of the Braves moving out west, the Red Sox did? Let's say that Braves owner Lou Perini was able to get the city to pony up some cash to create a new ballpark, the team built on its 1948 successes and with Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn and a rookie by the name of Hank Aaron became the darlings of Boston's baseball set. Tom Yawkey angered that his team was no longer the number one club in the city, packed up and moved to Milwaukee before ultimately landing in Atlanta (closer to his South Carolina home).
Assume that every single thing that happened to the Braves and Red Sox franchises from 1953 through now, which team would you rather have rooted for during these last 65 years?
With the Braves you get:
- You get to watch one of the greatest left-handers ever, Spahn, pitch every fifth day. You get to watch Matthews and Aaron hit every day.
- Back-to-back World Series in 1957 and 1958. Braves won in 1957 over the Yankees.
- Watching Aaron become all-time home run champion.
- Ted Turner buys WSBK TV-38 and turns it into Superstation SBK. "Ask the Manager" goes national.
- The Dale Murphy era, which is a lot of really shitty baseball. But Murphy was pretty excellent, back-to-back MVPs.
- Massachusetts homeboy Tom Glavine leads the Braves back to relevance.
- Worst-to-first World Series.
- Sid Bream chugging around the bases.
- Glavine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux-lead pitching rotations. Bobby Cox managing. The Jones boys raking and shagging.
- 14 Consecutive Divisional titles. Multiple World Series appearances. One Championship.
With the Sox you get:
- You get to watch Ted Williams finish out his career. You get to watch Yaz start his career. Both were on some really mediocre teams.
- The Impossible Dream. Yaz is the Incredible Hulk.
- Some really fun teams in the 1970s
- Game Six (Yay!)
- Bucky F*cking Dent
- Dave Henderson
- Game Six (Boo!)
- Watching Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez in their primes. Watching Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Dewey, Fred Lynn, Nomar, Mo, Papi, Manny and Pedroia hit the crap out of the ball.
- Aaron F*cking Boone
- 2004 Postseason
- 2007 and 2013 World Series, a bunch of trips to the ALDS and ALCS.
And there's more on each side, this is just the stuff that I came up with off the top of my head. But, I don't think that the Red Sox are a slam dunk. The Braves have a lot of really great history too. I think what tilts it in the Red Sox direction, for me, is the 2004 Postseason. That was something that will never be replicated by any team in any sport at any time (not even when the Pats were down 28-3).
What say you?
What if instead of the Braves moving out west, the Red Sox did? Let's say that Braves owner Lou Perini was able to get the city to pony up some cash to create a new ballpark, the team built on its 1948 successes and with Eddie Matthews, Warren Spahn and a rookie by the name of Hank Aaron became the darlings of Boston's baseball set. Tom Yawkey angered that his team was no longer the number one club in the city, packed up and moved to Milwaukee before ultimately landing in Atlanta (closer to his South Carolina home).
Assume that every single thing that happened to the Braves and Red Sox franchises from 1953 through now, which team would you rather have rooted for during these last 65 years?
With the Braves you get:
- You get to watch one of the greatest left-handers ever, Spahn, pitch every fifth day. You get to watch Matthews and Aaron hit every day.
- Back-to-back World Series in 1957 and 1958. Braves won in 1957 over the Yankees.
- Watching Aaron become all-time home run champion.
- Ted Turner buys WSBK TV-38 and turns it into Superstation SBK. "Ask the Manager" goes national.
- The Dale Murphy era, which is a lot of really shitty baseball. But Murphy was pretty excellent, back-to-back MVPs.
- Massachusetts homeboy Tom Glavine leads the Braves back to relevance.
- Worst-to-first World Series.
- Sid Bream chugging around the bases.
- Glavine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux-lead pitching rotations. Bobby Cox managing. The Jones boys raking and shagging.
- 14 Consecutive Divisional titles. Multiple World Series appearances. One Championship.
With the Sox you get:
- You get to watch Ted Williams finish out his career. You get to watch Yaz start his career. Both were on some really mediocre teams.
- The Impossible Dream. Yaz is the Incredible Hulk.
- Some really fun teams in the 1970s
- Game Six (Yay!)
- Bucky F*cking Dent
- Dave Henderson
- Game Six (Boo!)
- Watching Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez in their primes. Watching Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Dewey, Fred Lynn, Nomar, Mo, Papi, Manny and Pedroia hit the crap out of the ball.
- Aaron F*cking Boone
- 2004 Postseason
- 2007 and 2013 World Series, a bunch of trips to the ALDS and ALCS.
And there's more on each side, this is just the stuff that I came up with off the top of my head. But, I don't think that the Red Sox are a slam dunk. The Braves have a lot of really great history too. I think what tilts it in the Red Sox direction, for me, is the 2004 Postseason. That was something that will never be replicated by any team in any sport at any time (not even when the Pats were down 28-3).
What say you?