Franchise bests/worsts: Atlanta Braves

Come on down Braves. It's story time!(USATSI)

Over the course of the next month, we'll venture through the history of each of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, discussing some of the best and worst moments, players, teams, etc. It's more of a fun snapshot for discussion purposes than a be-all, end-all declaration. We continue today with the Atlanta Braves.

They've played in Boston, Milwaukee in Atlanta. They've been called the Red Stockings, Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, Braves, Bees and Braves again. They're also the only franchise to have been a part of every season of professional baseball, from the "primordial soup" days of the National Association to the present. Needless to say, the history of the Braves is rich, so let's commence ...

Best team: 1875

Yes, we go back to the days of the Boston Red Stockings in order to name the greatest team in franchise history. Heck, the 1875 Red Stockings may be the best team in all of baseball history, as they barged to a record of 71-8 (good for a still-record winning percentage of .899) and claimed the championship in the final year of the National Association (the National League would be founded in time for the 1876 season).

Luminaries abounded! Managed by Harry Wright and led by lineup regulars Deacon White, Ross Barnes, George Wright, Harry Schafer and Jim O’Rourke, the Red Stockings paced the NA in runs scored by a wide margin and got off to a 26-0-1 start (ties weren’t counted in the final tally). Oh, ace Al Spalding went 54.5 with a 1.59 ERA (!). Of those names just mentioned, Harry Wright, George Wright, O’Roarke and Spalding all wound up in the Hall of Fame.

Also of note: Pity the 1875 Brooklyn Atlantics, who went 2-42 and finished 51.5 games behind Boston.

Also, also of note: Here’s a look at the 1873 squad, which also won the pennant …

(Image: Verdun2's blog)

Worst team: 1935

Between 1914 and 1948, the Braves endured a rather lengthy pennant drought, and over that span they also abided 23 losing seasons in 33 years. The nadir came in ’35, when the Braves finished a miserable 38-115, which came to a winning percentage of just .248. The pitching staff ran an ERA of 4.93, and in the rotation Ben Cantwell managed to go 4-25 on the year (another starter, Ed Brandt, logged 19 losses).

Miscellany … They went 13-65 on the road, 2-20 against the Pirates, 5-25 in September and 7-31 in one-run games. As well, they posted a losing record on the season against every opponent.

It so happens that a 40-year-old Babe Ruth was on the Braves’ roster that season, in what was his final campaign. On Opening Day, he even singled off Carl Hubbell and later homered ...

Still, save for a couple of bursts of his old self — including a May 25 clout against the Pirates that may have been the longest homer in the history of Forbes Field — Ruth was in an extreme state of decline. He announced his retirement on June 2 of that year.

Best trade: John Smoltz

On Aug. 12, 1987, the Braves sent veteran starter Doyle Alexander to the Tigers in exchange for a 20-year-old minor-league hurler with control problems, name of John Smoltz. Alexander would pitch exceptionally well for the playoff-bound Tigers down the stretch. However, Detroit would be bounced in the ALCS. The next two seasons, he’d be a below-average starter for the Tigers. Smoltz? He was just elected to the Hall of Fame after spending 20 of his 21 big-league seasons in a Braves uniform.

Worst trade: Adam Wainwright

The Braves on Dec. 13, 2003 packaged right-handed prospect Adam Wainwright, reliever Ray King and young starter Jason Marquis and sent them to the Cardinals in exchange for outfielder J.D. Drew and catcher Eli Marrero. Drew was indeed outstanding for the Braves in 2004, as he put up an OPS+ of 157 in 145 games and finished sixth in the NL MVP balloting. However, he departed via free agency the following winter (after the Braves fell to the Astros in the NLDS). Marrero, meanwhile, was effective in limited duty before being traded to the Royals.

On the other side of things, King would be a solid lefty relief option for the Cardinals over the next two seasons, and Marquis would pitch for another 10 seasons in the bigs. The real story, of course, is Wainwright. Ahead of him were 119 wins (and counting), a career ERA+ of 132, three All-Star appearances, and four top-three finishes in the NL Cy Young balloting. Needless to say, the Georgia native would've made a fine Brave. Alas and alack ...

Best regular season comeback: 1914

In one of the greatest pennant races in the annals of same, the Braves, who started the season 4-18, won the NL despite being in last place on July 18. They were 15 games out of first as late as July 3 and 10 games out as late as July 30. Dramatic finish? Not really. Despite those deficits, the Braves wound up winning the NL … by 10 1/2 games. Going 61-16 in the second half (!) will do that. The Braves wound up sweeping the 99-win Athletics in the World Series ...

(Image: Misc. Baseball)

Best postseason comeback: 1996 NLCS

It wasn't so much that the Braves in the 1996 NLCS came back from down 3-1 to beat the Cardinals in seven games. Rather, it was the dominating authority with which they came back. The combined score of Games 5, 6 and 7? Braves 32, Cardinals 1. Yes, the Braves out-scored them by 31 runs over the final three games of the series.

The killing blow in Game 7? A first-inning, bases-loaded triple by ... Tom Glavine.

Best home run: Hank Aaron, no. 715

One of the greatest hitters anyone ever witnessed also hit one of the greatest home runs anyone ever witnessed. It's April 8, 1974, and history is about to be made. Unleash the dulcet tones, Vin Scully ...

That's no. 715, that's a record.

Best walk-off single: Francisco Cabrera

Game 7, 1992 NLCS. Ninth inning, two outs, runners on second and third. Pirates 2, Braves 1. As cluch spots go, this one's from central casting. It's all you, little-regarded Francisco Cabrera ...

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When Cabrera stepped to the plate, the Braves had a 26 percent chance of winning the game and, by extension, the pennant. When Sid Bream (somehow) slid home safely, their chances were roughly ... 100 percent.

Best uniforms: 1934

As implied above, the Boston Braves of this particular vintage were not a good team, but they looked sharp while tending to their on-field miseries ...

Strong color scheme, nifty hats and some of the best stirrups you'll see.

(Image: Dressed to the Nines)

Worst uniforms: 1981

While the ensemble that follows is likely to evoke fond memories of the Superstation era and possibly even Rafael Ramirez, the ensemble that follows also skews a bit boring ...

(Image: Dressed to the Nines)

And the people say: we are not inspired.

Best streak: 1991-2005

Sure, the '82 team, which won 13 straight to begin the season, will have its advocates, but let's take the long view and give the nod to the unthinkable run under Bobby Cox. There's nothing more exacting than the 162-game crucible that is MLB's regular season. The Braves, though, managed to reel off 14 straight division titles. Sure, there's the truncated 1994 season, which ended in August with the Expos' holding a 6.0-game lead over Atlanta. But that doesn't greatlt diminish what the Braves achieved. Besides, the Braves starting in '95 won 11 straight NL East crowns. However you carve up their run, it's one of the most impressive feats in the annals of this, our baseball.

Best promotion: Wedlock and Headlock Night

Here's Dan Epstein with this bit of True Ted Turner Lore ...

Let us mourn the demise of the "sporting gentleman" owner who promoted his team as though it were an auto salvage yard.

Best/worst brawl: Aug. 12, 1984, versus Padres

Cast thine mortified civilian eyes upon the blood-soaked Battle of Turner's Ridge ...

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Somewhere, Ed Whitson is still shirtless and braying at all of Georgia.

Best/worst fan: The Man in the Yellow Pants

You saw him above, and now let's fathom this yellow-pantsed, into-the-breach volunteer ass-kicker once more. To the top turnbuckle ...

The Man in the Yellow Pants was arrested, yes, but he remains forever free in our hearts.

Assists: Beer-Thrower in Three Shades of Blue and Tanktop of Many Colors Rear-Chokehold Man or Possibly Woman.

Best player to play in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta: Eddie Mathews

Yes, the Hall of Famer was the only Brave to ply his trade in all three cities. Let's break down his home runs by municipality ...

Boston: 25
Milwaukee: 452
Atlanta: 16

Mathews would also add 10 in Houston and another nine in Detroit for a career tally of 512 dingers. As a 21-year-old in 1953, Mathews mashed 47 homers, which made him the rare player to more than double his age in home runs.

Heck of a player, that one.

Best song about Warren Spahn

The great Warren Edward Spahn authored 363 career wins (despite missing three seasons while serving in World War II) and spent 20 seasons in a Braves uniform. It follows, then, that a rather catchy post-punk anthem was penned in his honor. Please give a warm Eye On Baseball welcome to Mark Shurilla and the Blackholes ...