Sharks should follow Braves’ model
Posted: Friday, May 01, 2009 3:50 PM
The debate rages in the Bay Area: Do you break up a team, the San Jose Sharks, that was the best in its league during the regular season only to collapse in the first round of the playoffs?
And with that, I think of the Atlanta Braves.
They were in the playoffs 14 times in 15 seasons (1994, though unfinished, counts in the record books, and Montreal's efforts that year should not be discounted). They won one World Series. After reaching the World Series in four of their first five postseasons, they would play in just one Fall Classic over their last nine playoff seasons. In five of their last six Octobers, they were out in the first round.
Obviously, those connected with that era of Braves’ baseball are sensitive to talk of October failures. They are rightly proud, as are the Sharks, of their long-term regular-season success. Although they admit to disappointment, they feel that does not minimize their achievement.
As the Sharks’ management embarks on a summer of self-examination and difficult decisions, it could learn from the Braves model. During that 15-year run, Braves general manager John Schuerholz never panicked. He refused the temptation to "blow up" a successful core in the elusive search for postseason wins.
No one has found the "magic" to postseason success. Oakland general manager Billy Beane drew attention with his "Moneyball" claim that the playoffs were "random", that the results came about almost by chance. Admiration for Beane notwithstanding, I can't buy that stance. Not when I witnessed the World Series heroics of Jack Morris and Kirby Puckett as well as multiple October failures by Barry Bonds. The playoffs are different. Each moment is fraught with the tension that alters the central nervous system. Individuals react differently to this phenomenon, and we celebrate those who overcome.
Where Beane has a point is the radical shift from the regular season to the playoffs. Would you expect a marathoner to run a world-class 100-yard dash? That's what baseball demands. Teams are built to survive the 162-game marathon, and then are then tossed into a series of sprints.
Which brings me to the Braves. Theory: They were built for the marathon, replete with superior depth in starting pitching that often produced lopsided games involving the 4-5 starters. In the postseason, the 4-5 starters rarely matter. And the Braves edge in the 1-3 rotation spots was marginal, thus their often unsatisfying October results.
My hockey experience is dated, thus I am not current on the differences between the 82-game regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the Sharks have proven a superior team that has pleased season-ticket holders, corporate partners, and suite holders. That group pays the freight in a sport with lower TV revenues, and their voices should be heard.
So, when decisions are made in San Jose, it seems the Sharks would be well served to look at the Atlanta success (hard to term it a dynasty with just one World Series title). As years pass and Atlanta fades into the NL pack, there is a greater appreciation for that sustained run of brilliance.
FIVE SWINGS:
1. NOTICE THE MARLINS…last three wins, all comeback victories featuring terrific relief work (three more scoreless innings Thursday; 10 in the three wins), and clutch hitting from Jorge Cantu, who has adapted beautifully to the cleanup spot. Take out the much-noted wins over Washington, and the Fish are still 6-4 on the road, a recipe for success.
2. IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY IN OAKLAND. Matt Holliday hit his first homer of the season Thursday afternoon, just the A's ninth of the season. They rank last in the AL in most hitting categories, highlighted by a woeful .314 slugging percentage. And now, the offense that Oakland general manager Billy Beane aggressively addressed in the winter is hurt with DL trips for Mark Ellis and Nomar Garciaparra,and nagging injuries slowing Eric Chavez.
3. REVISITING MY BLOG ON CRUCIAL PLAYERS FOR 2009…brings two Friday notes: Yovani Gallardo is becoming the ace of the Brewers’ staff. He has won two of his three starts through his own bat (homers off Randy Johnson in San Francisco and Pittsburgh's Ian Snell). Meanwhile, Travis Hafner is back on the Cleveland DL. The Indians have scored a ton of April runs with minimal contribution (8 RBI) from Hafner.
4. MAYBE THE TRIBE TOOK SOME STING OUT OF BOSTON. Tampa Bay’s important weekend set with the Red Sox opened with a resounding win as Matt Garza silenced Boston's bats. In another sense, it's a telling set for the Red Sox, who follow the series with Tampa Bay with a two-game set in the Bronx.
5. ANOTHER WEEKEND COLLISION…is the season's first meeting between the Mets and Phillies in Philadelphia. Neither team's ace will pitch, but Jamie Moyer does go for career win 250 on Saturday. The Mets are being hammered in New York for their lack of offense, David Wright taking much of the abuse. Can the Mets score in a hitter-friendly park? And can they avoid digging too deep a hole in early May?
