The Sweep

Three loses.

Three demoralizing days.

Three cheers for the end of the season...

There's hope and there's the real facts. I never got into religion much because of the idea that you ignore the more sensible in your face evidence for the figure in space you can't touch, nor feel in any tangible way.

Well, my hope is completely gone for similar reasons. The truth is that starting pitching is the name of the game and that won't change. Sure, you can get unreasonably hot at any particular time of the year and maybe you can even sustain it ala Cardinals of last year. However, the more likely outcome will be that the team with the most pitching will be playing in October while the other teams pack up their locker room belongings.

The Braves put up little fight as the Mets trampled them at the Ted. The score of the last game was close, a one-run affair, but anyone who watched the game knows that the Braves never seemed like they even had a shot.

Somewhere among the nagging Chipper Jones injuries, Andruw Jones going through the worst year of his career, and Schuerholz seemingly throwing away any young pitcher in the system, the truth about the Braves became abundantly clear. They are not good enough. Not this year, not with this pitching staff, not in a division that includes teams willing to get better.

So mark it down as two straight playoffless years after 14 straight division titles. Say goodbye to Andruw Jones, which I know will be easy for many of you. Adios to Octavio Dotel. We hardly knew you. And bon voyage to Roger McDowell. Someone will have to be the scapegoat and while I think Leo gets overrated and you haven't been given near the talent Leo was, someone's gotta get canned after this year, right?

Oh wells, hopefully my Cowboys will succeed where my Irish and Dukes failed Saturday. God knows I can't look at the baseball diamond with much fondness anymore.