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 Talent vs. emotion Braves' business-like approach has failed in postseason
Posted: Tuesday October 06, 1998 09:05 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- The cackles come from all parts of the park because these San Diego Padres clearly are having a ball. Andy Ashby hoots after outjumping Wally Joyner for a fly. Jim Leyritz shouts when he launches a drive to left. Carlos Hernandez dances and does his best "Rocky" imitation. An hour earlier Tuesday, it was the Atlanta Braves' turn to prepare for the National League championship series. Greg Maddux neatly dropped a bunt down the third-base line. Keith Lockhart worked on his double-play pivot. Walt Weiss practiced his hit-and-run swing. Mostly in silence, by the way. Which once again begs the question, going into Game 1 Wednesday night at Turner Field: Are these Atlanta Braves too even-tempered for their own good in October? Built for success over the long haul of the regular season -- seven straight trips to the NLCS prove that -- many have wondered whether the Braves are lacking the emotional element that some say is necessary to win it all. "I think this business-type attitude hasn't gotten the job done the last couple of years," Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones admitted. Pitching and hitting and fielding are no problem, as 106 victories this year attest. But, as only one World Series championship may indicate to their fans and opponents, perhaps these Braves teams are minus one key ingredient. "You have to have that extra emotion at this time of year," said Leyritz, a postseason hero with six home runs in 36 at-bats. "Maybe that extra edge is what's missing sometimes," he said. "They have been here before, but they haven't won the World Series that many times." Of course, it takes more than a lot of rah-rah attitude to win games. Yet listen to Tony Gwynn talk about the Padres' mental state right now: "We're coming in euphoric, man." Certainly no one would think of "euphoric" when describing the Braves. "Efficient" and "effective," for sure, but not "euphoric." Ashby is actually worried about getting too enthused for his start in the opener. "The main thing for me is just control my emotions and my excitement to a point where I can go out and do my job," said Ashby, 2-0 against Atlanta this year. "But it's a great feeling, and there's nothing like it." The Padres partied for 90 minutes after beating Houston in the first round of the NL playoffs, parading around the field at San Diego while pitcher Kevin Brown and others spoke to the fans on the public-address system. The Braves also celebrated with champagne after their first-round win over Chicago, showing more spirit than in recent years. John Smoltz, 2-0 against the Padres this year going into his start in Game 1, said there was a reason. "We changed our roster pretty dramatically in the off-season. We have a lot of guys that have not been through this," he said. "It's going to create more excitement for them, for us. "Some guys have played their whole lives and have not gotten here," he said. "I think nine or 10 guys are new to this, and that brings new life and blood to what you're going through." Braves manager Bobby Cox contends there's plenty of emotion on his team, even if it doesn't always show. Asked whether Atlanta has anyone who gets as fired up as Leyritz, he answered: "Twenty-five guys on our side." Then again, remember that Cox made the extraordinary move of pulling Andruw Jones in the middle of an inning this season when he felt the talented center fielder lolly-gagged for a fly ball. No matter, Chipper Jones hopes to see a different Atlanta club in the dugout, anyway this October. "I fully expect every time we do something good for guys to get off the bench," he said. "I think the team needs to thrive upon those situations and let off a little steam."
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