Sports fans love to make lists, especially dedicated ones.
Sometimes its favorite teams, favorite players, or most memorable moments.
Diehard fans normally have a favorite team or favorite sport that they follow more closely than others. Mine is without a doubt the Atlanta Braves.
A little later in this column I’m going to begin sharing you the list I compiled of my personal all-time favorite Atlanta Braves, but first I want you to get involved.
I would like you to e-mail or text me your own personal sports Top 10 list. It can be your favorite all time wins for your school or team, the top players for any sport, the top 10 moments, your Top 10 favorite colleges, the Top 10 Golf shots you’ve ever seen, the top 10 events you’ve been to in person, your top 10 Los Angeles Lakers or NBA players in general, etc., etc., etc.
Once this come in I will write a column later down the line and include some of your submissions. You can e-mail them to starsportsboss@yahoo.com or text them to me at 601-938-2471.
But for now, lets get to my all-time Braves. Last year during the middle of the initial COVID-19 Crisis I began to put together a list of top 100 All-Time Braves. It’s certainly a movable list and is made up of players from almost every decade
This week I’m going to quickly going through the bottom 70 of my list before taking a closer look at the other 30 ten at a time for a three week period. Remember, these aren’t necessarily the greatest players, but my favorites.
— Numbers 91 through 100: Bob Watson, Adam Laroche, Jason Heyward, Rick Camp, Kerry LIgtenberg, Lonnie Smith, Jim Hardin, Biff Pocoroba, Francisco Cabrera, and John Oates. Smith would be higher, but I’m still a little ticked about that that base-running mistake in game seven of the 1991 World Series. Hardin is there because he was the winning pitcher in the first Braves victory I saw in person, tossing a 3-2 complete game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
— Numbers 81 through 90: Mark Melancon, Matt Diaz, Carl Morton, Joe Torre, Julio Franco, Gary Sheffield, Mike Stanton, Mike Gonzalez, Brian Jordan, and Chris Chambliss. Melancon earned a place on this list with his excellent work last season, while Franco’s ability to hit despite his age has always intrigued me. While Sheffield didn’t play long for the Braves he had one monster season. Torre was also a manager for the Braves, but he’s on this list because of his play as a catcher during the 1966-68 seasons.
— Numbers 71 through 80: Rowland Office, Larry McWilliams, Craig McMurtry, Greg Olson, Rico Carty, Marquis Grissom, Walt Weiss, Mark Teixeira, and Jeff Francoeur. Carty put together . 366 season in 1970.
— Numbers 61-70: Marty Perez, Kevin Millwood, Davey Johnson, Mike Lum, Kent Mercker, Rick Mahler, Nick Markakis, Brett Butler, Sid Bream, and Steve Bedrosian.
THere is no way I could have an all-time Braves top 100 without Sid Bream and Francisco Cabrera on it. It was in the seventh game on the 1992 National League Championship Series that Cabrera drove in Bream with the run that sent Atlanta to the World Series in of the most historic plays in franchise history.
— Numbers 51-60: Mike Soroka, Eddie Mathews, Andres Gallaragas, Mark Wohlers, Josh Donaldson, Felix Milan, Travis d’Arnaud, Jerry Royster, Paul Assenmacher, Gene Garber.
Even though he only played one season for the Braves, what Donaldson — also known as the “Bringer of Rain” — did for the Braves in 2019 can’t be overlooked.
— Numbers 41-50: Earl Williams, Dave Justice, Rafael Furcal, Ryan Klesko, Adam Duvall, Charlie Morton, Marcus Giles, Martin Prado, and Bruce Benedict.
Williams was NL rookie of the year in 1971 and in 1972 became the first Atlanta Brave I ever saw hit a homer in person.
— Numbers 31-40: Austin Riley, Glenn Hubbard, Gary Matthews, Javy Lopez, Craig Kimbrell, Kris Medlen, Otis Nixon, Kenny Lofton, Jeff Burroughs, and Ron Gant.
It’s very possible that Riley will continue to ruse up the list, while the other nine certainly have places in Braves lore.
Next week I will give you a more detailed player-by-payer breakdown of numbers 21-30.
Until then, work on your own personal top 10 lists and get them to me. I can’t wait to read them and share them with others.
Austin Bishop, AKA The Old Sports Dude, has been covering high school, college, amateur and professional sports since 1975. He is currently pastor of Great Commission Assembly of God in Philadelphia, Miss. He may be contacted at starsportsboss@yahoo.com.
