Thanks Bobby!

Well, my team, the Atlanta Braves, were eliminated from the playoffs this evening, falling 3-2 to the San Francisco Giants. Every one of the four games was decided by a single run, and each outcome was determined in the late innings. The Braves were just too decimated by injuries going in to play up to their full potential, having lost two of their best hitters (Chipper Jones and Martin Prado) and two of their best pitchers (Jair Jurrjens and Kris Medlen) before the regular season ended, then watching their closer go down in game two of the series. Those losses were too much to overcome when all was said and done, and it was to the team's credit that they kept it as close as they did. One reason, of course, was that they had the venerable Bobby Cox filling out the lineup card. But tonight was his last game-- he's retiring after about thirty-five years as a manager with the Braves and Blue Jays, including the Braves stunning run through the nineties and early aughts when they won fourteen straight division titles. I can't tell you how much I appreciate Bobby Cox for all the great work he's done in keeping the Braves competitive for such a long time. I became a Braves fan in the late sixties, and followed them through a lot of down periods in the late seventies and late eighties, when they were perpetual cellar dwellers. Cox's arrival corresponded to their resurgence, and even though they only took one World Series title under his stewardship, they were in the hunt every year. Some fans complained about the lack of championships, but me, I'll take those long seasons of success regardless of what happens in the playoffs every time. Believe me, it's so much better than watching the team lose close to two thirds of the time. So Bobby Cox: thanks for the memories, and I hope you enjoy your retirement. To the rest of the team, wait'll next year!