The baseball season has concluded. The first sport back on their normal schedule post COVID just crowned the Atlanta Braves as World Series Champions. The team that just about the entire country was rooting for in the World Series pulled off a 4-2 series win on the road. The cheating scandal that Commissioner Rob Manfred tried to sweep under the rug wasn’t forgotten by most fans and resulted in the majority of the country to back the Braves. In a way it’s serendipitous – Manfred pulled the All Star game out of Atlanta earlier this year but the city of Atlanta won in the end.
Congratulations to the Braves for ending their 26 year championship drought. For a team that picked up tons of fans in the 90s version of the club (due to their national coverage on TBS back in the day) ending this drought is a bit of sweet nostalgia. That version of the Braves dominated but somehow only was able to get the one championship in 1995. This version was built in a similar way – start with pitching and put together some exciting players in the field. It’s the recipe for success that every team tries to follow, but few are able to do.
The exciting as it is for Atlanta to win – and for the Astros haters to have them fall short – the best part about this win is that the COVID rules are finally done. There’s no more runner on 2nd in extra innings. The worst rule ever introduced in baseball is finally gone. It’s hard to say if that rule cost any teams a chance at the playoffs, but it was a needless rule that was installed last year and kept for some unknown reason this year. The fact that we’ll never see a runner gifted scoring position with no effort or strategy by a manager is easily the best part about this season coming to a close.
The other part, hopefully, that is great about this season ending the way it did is we can put the Astros cheating scandal to bed. Manfred messed up when he barely gave a slap on the wrist to those involved, but having this talking point put to bed with a Braves Championship. Add in the Astros falling short is, again hopefully, enough for this tired issue to disappear.
The Braves slayed a demon by getting another championship the fans felt should have been added sooner. The city of Atlanta was vindicated and got 3 huge games at home instead of just one weekend of attention. The Manfred debacles continuing terrible COVID rules in a full season and failing to punish Houston are done. We can all move on now and focus on the play on the field. Thank you Atlanta, you’ve set us free and now we can focus on the play on the field going forward. Oh and the south needs another team, but that’s for another time, enjoy the spoils that come with winning it all.