Dec 30 2008
As 2009 approaches, Braves hope for better times
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA — Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we have every reason to believe it’s not a freight train bearing down upon us this time.
We awaken on this Tuesday and find ourselves within 48 hours of kissing 2008 goodbye, and embracing the hope and wonder of 2009.
Mind you now, 2008 was – for the most part – a great year for my family and me. We were blessed in numerous ways – professionally, personally, spiritually. It’s been a great year in just about every regard.
But when it comes to the baseball team I write about on a daily basis, suffice to say 2008 can’t end soon enough. When the topic of conversation includes “2008” and “Atlanta Braves” … well, let’s just say the dialogue that follows is not pleasant.
I’ve been away from my day job for 12 days now, part of a year-end vacation those of you who know me on Facebook know I’ve dubbed as “Super-Duper,” for Super-Duper vacation. It’s been a time for family, for friends, for relaxing and catching up on work around the house and playing golf and going to ballgames and some good old-fashioned straight-chillin’.
And all of that has been fantastic, until my thoughts turn to what the Atlanta Braves endured in 2008. Yes, good people, it’s been a rough year, a tough one indeed, one that this franchise hasn’t experienced in nearly two decades. No, we won’t run through the laundry list of everything that spun awry for the Braves in ’08. I no longer wish to wallow in the misery this team put us through.
(If you really wanna relive just how unpleasant it was, just click on some of the posts I’ve authored on this site the past eight months.)
No, we’re on the verge of welcoming in the new year, and with it comes a natural optimism and a sense of renewal that sparks the hope of better times to come. And for the Braves, better times indeed would be welcomed.
So as we get ready to pop the cork at midnight tomorrow and raise a glass to 2009, here’s to the hope that the baseball we see from the boys with tomahawks across their chests will be better. Not so many road losses. Not so many losses by one run. Far fewer injuries. Far fewer disappointments between the lines.
To this point, the offseason has done nothing to dispel the agony and angst of Braves Nation. But as we get ready to flip the calendar, it’s time to put all of that behind us. It won’t be long until the Braves reconvene at Lake Buena Vista for spring training. Before you know it, we’ll be blogging about who’s going to be on the 25-man roster. In a blink of an eye, we’ll be watching Sunday Night Baseball, as the Braves take on the world champs in Philly in the first game of the season.
So enjoy the holidays, and don’t let your thoughts be burdened by what’s transpired in 2008. Because the new year is knocking on the door, and that in and of itself gives us hope that the sun is about to burst through the dark clouds we’ve grown so accustomed to seeing.
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