Atlanta Braves

Whatifsports.com presents Bobby Cox and the Braves. From a World Series title to holding the record for most ejections, Atlanta Braves skipper Bobby Cox has blessed Braves nation with memories to last a lifetime. To celebrate his impending retirement, we have created this 16-team tournament of Bobby's best Braves ballclubs.

The Philadelphia Phillies are associated with the month October.  For the past two seasons they have been the Kings of this month without much adieu.  They now boast the top pitching rotation in the field and already owned one of the game's best line-ups.  A line-up that still hasn't hit its stride yet this season. This post-season has a different feel, as they now look to achieve success through their arms rather than their bats.

The 2010 Phillies beat out the 2010 Atlanta Braves for the NL East title. But in the postseason, Philly will have to beat the ghosts of the 1991-2005 Atlanta Braves. What? Well, hopefully it’ll make more sense by the end of this slideshow.

Right now, the Phillies have their own “Big Three,” and with it, a great chance to win their second World Series in three years.

The 2010 Atlanta Braves ended their season with a line-up that had seven different starters from the one that ended the 2009 season.

Brain McCann was the only stable.

Through off-season trades, signings and in-season trades, Braves General Manager Frank Wren, significantly redesigned the team's roster.

It has been five years since the Atlanta Braves took a champagne shower in celebration of making it to postseason play. With an 8-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and a little help from the San Francisco Giants, the Braves wrapped up the wild card on Sunday.

As a diehard Atlanta Braves fan, I can honestly say that five years doesn't seem like all that long to wait, but it felt like eternity to me.  In five years, I have gotten married, had three kids, had three jobs, joined the Army, and have seen several family members go to be with the Lord.  Well, Braves fans, the wait is over.  The Atlanta Braves have clinched the Wild Card and are set to face the San Francisco Giants in the National League Divisional Series, starting October 7, 2010 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.&nbs

From the beginning of the season this year felt different for the Atlanta Braves. Walk-off wins were the norm and despite the Braves nine game losing streak in May the team came together to take the lead in the NL East while the Phillies were dealing with injuries.

Even as the Braves lost key players (Chipper Jones, Kris Medlen) they kept winning close ballgames. Late in the season, the Braves were overtaken by the Phillies, but the Braves seemed like a lock for the playoffs as recently as this past Friday morning.

What an unbelievable Saturday it was in the National League. The Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants are proving that the last win is the hardest to get.

For a guy that was signed as a Minor League Free Agent prior to the 2009 season, Brooks Conrad sure has accomplished a lot for the Braves in 130 games.

In addition to accumulating a ton of nicknames ("Raw Dog" and "Dirt" being the most notable), the Magic Man from Monte Vista (that one is mine) has been involved in some of the more memorable moments in recent Braves history.

With only four games remaining in the 2010 campaign, venerable manager Bobby Cox is making his last push for the postseason.

We all know that...and knew (or hoped) that this would be the case from the first side-sessions down at the Disney Wild World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

But, the fact that Cox is in his final stretch brandishing a cap with a fancy "A" is starting to feel "real," if you will.

After all, if the Braves manage to lose grasp of their current Wild Card advantage in the season's final series, No. 6 is gone for good.