Atlanta Braves’ Phil Gosselin, right, flips his bat as he strikes out while New York Mets catcher Anthony Recker, left, throws the ball to the infield in their game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014, in Atlanta.That 10-2, stink bomb of a loss the Atlanta Braves suffered against the New York Mets on Sunday? Call it a favor. A big favor.
That loss allowed sports fans throughout the Southeast to officially close the books on one of the most disappointing Braves seasons ever, given preseason expectations. If it also closes the careers on general manager Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez, all the better.
Besides, what Southern sports fan wanted the extra stress of sweating out a possible Braves wildcard spot, constantly glancing down at his iPhone 19 during the fourth quarter of the Tennessee-Georgia game on Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium — or breaking away from our UT-Chattanooga Mocs’ huge Southern Conference showdown against Samford at Finley Stadium — to check on the Bravos at Philadelphia.
Now you don’t have that one … more … thing to worry about.
The only possible suspense remaining where the Braves are concerned — other than those possible personnel changes — is whether or not they can collect the five wins in their final seven games that will be needed to avoid their first losing season since 2008.