B r a v e s 5 CONTENTS CHAPTERS A Club of Many Names 6 The Braves Make Their Move 16 Southern Hospitality 25 Dominating Their Division 31 Struggling to Stay on Top 41 AROUND THE HORN The Miracle of 1914 12 Destiny Versus Dynasty 23 Hank’s Mail 24 Worst to First 33 A Crown at Last 38 Escobar’s Escape 43 ALL-TIME BRAVES P Greg Maddux 10 C Joe Torre 13 1B Fred McGriff 14 2B Bobby Lowe 18 3B Eddie Mathews 21 SS Rabbit Maranville 27 LF Chipper Jones 32 CF Dale Murphy 35 RF Hank Aaron 39 M Bobby Cox 40 Index 48
6 B r a v e s A CLUB OF MANY NAMES hen Atlanta Georgia was established in 1837 its founders had trouble coming up with a good name At first the settlement was called Terminus because it was the end point of several different railroad lines That name didn’t attract many new residents however and a railroad executive suggested naming the town Atlanta after his daughter Martha Atalanta The name change seemed to add to the town’s appeal and Atlanta grew rapidly The city was nearly burned to the ground during the Civil War by Union general William T Sherman but residents rebuilt it into a major business and cultural hub By the 1960s Atlanta would also become the sports capital of the Southeast Although Atlanta boasts professional teams in football Falcons basketball Hawks and hockey Thrashers local fans feel the strongest loyalty to their National League NL baseball club the Braves The Braves arrived in Atlanta after having assembled a 90 year history playing in cities located farther north and under several different names The club’s roots were established first in Boston W
Atlanta is today the headquarters of such world famous companies as Coca-Cola and host to popular teams in all four major pro sports
