Atlanta Braves

In 2002, 2003, and 2004 the Braves won their division again, but lost in the NLDS in all three years 3 games to 2, to the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros respectively. In 2001 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 2001, Atlanta won the National League East division, swept the NLDS against the Houston Astros, then lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. The shark was also anointed #18 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Heroes and Villains, opposite Robin Hood. With their strong pitching being a constant, the Braves would also appear in the 1996 and 1999 World Series, and have not failed to win a division title since 1990 as of this writing. Pitching is not the only constant in the Braves organization; as of the end of the 2004 season, Cox is still the Braves' manager and Schuerholz remains the team's GM. The film is consistently on the Internet Movie Database's list of top 250 films and was #48 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies and #2 on its 100 Years, 100 Thrills. With this World Series victory, the Braves became the first team in Major League Baseball to win world championships in three different cities. It was also nominated for Best Picture.

The Braves would win a World Series in 1995, defeating the Cleveland Indians in six games. It won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score) and Best Sound. In 1993, the Braves signed Cy Young Award winning pitcher Greg Maddux, leading many baseball insiders to declare the pitching staff the best of all-time. A one hour version of this documentary had been included on an earlier DVD release. In the 1992 season, the Braves would reach the NLCS again and defeat, once again, in seven games, the Pirates, only to lose in the World Series to a dominating Toronto Blue Jays team. The film will also be released on DVD, featuring the full two hour documentary originally featured on the LaserDisc release. Despite the loss, the Braves' success would continue. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the film's release, JawsFest, a festival held in Martha's Vineyard, took place in June 2005.

They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in a tightly contested seven-game NLCS only to lose the World Series, also in seven games, to the Minnesota Twins. Jaws was followed by three sequels, generally regarded as increasingly poor in quality as compared to the original: Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). Meanwhile, behind position players Dave Justice, Ron Gant and unexpected league Most Valuable Player and batting-average leader Terry Pendleton, the Braves overcame a slow start to go 47-22 over the last three months of the season and win 8 of their last 9, edging the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game in one of baseball history's more memorable playoff races. Benchley is quoted as saying that he never would have written the original novel had he known what sharks are really like in the wild. The following season, Glavine, Avery, and Smoltz would be recognized as the best young pitchers in the league, winning 52 games between them. Though a horror classic (voted to have the scariest scenes ever by a Bravo Halloween TV special), the film is widely recognized to be responsible for many fearsome and inaccurate stereotypes about sharks and their behavior. Immediately after the season, John Schuerholz was hired as general manager. The runaway success of these films led to an increased shift in production towards such genres by studios in the following decades.

Perhaps the Braves' most important move, however, was not on the field, but in the front office. Along with The Exorcist and Star Wars, it is an example of a high-budget movie in what had previously been considered a disreputable or low-budget genre (in this case, suspense / horror). However, pitching coach Leo Mazzone began training young pitchers Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, and John Smoltz. Jaws is also often cited as indicating a shift in the type of movies made by Hollywood studios. Not only was this season a losing effort, the Braves traded Dale Murphy to the Philadelphia Phillies after it was clear he was becoming a less dominant player. The wide national release pattern would become standard practice for high profile movies in the late 1970s and after. Bobby Cox was rehired as manager in 1990. Upon its release, the film was the first to reach more than $100 million in box-office receipts, a feat not matched until Star Wars, two years later in 1977. It was a key film in establishing the benefits of a wide national release backed by heavy media advertising, rather than a progressive release that let a film slowly enter new markets and build support over a period of time.

Murphy, excelling in defense, hitting, and running, was consistently recognized as one of the league's best players, but the Braves averaged only 65 wins per season between 1985-1990. The main theme became a classic piece of suspense music, synonymous with approaching danger. Murphy also won a Most Valuable Player award the following season, but the Braves began a period of decline that defined the team throughout the 1980s. John Williams' contributed the acclaimed film score. Strong performances from Bob Horner, Chris Chambliss, pitcher Phil Niekro, and short relief pitcher Gene Garber helped the Braves, but no Brave was more acclaimed than Murphy, who won both a Most Valuable Player and a Gold Glove award. Footage of real sharks was shot by Ron and Valerie Taylor in waters off South Australia, although only a handful of these shots were used in the finished film. Cox was fired after the 1981 season and replaced with Joe Torre, under whose leadership the Braves attained their first divisional title since 1969. This enforced restraint is widely thought to have increased the suspense of many scenes, giving it a Hitchcockian tone.

However, in 1980, Murphy was moved to center field and demonstrated excellent range and throwing ability, while the Braves earned their first winning season since 1974. For example, for much of the shark hunt its location is represented by floating yellow barrels that have been tied to it during the hunt. Murphy hit 77 home runs over the next three seasons, but struggled on defense, positioned at either catcher or first base while being unable to adeptly play either. The script was refined during production, and the unreliable mechanical sharks forced Spielberg to shoot many of the scenes with the shark only hinted at. Cox promoted a 22-year-old slugger named Dale Murphy into the starting lineup. To some degree, the delays in the production proved serendipitous. After three straight losing seasons, Bobby Cox was hired as manager of the franchise for the 1978 season. Spielberg referred to the mechanical shark as "the turd" on a British programme about famous horror scenes and confessed that they had even less flattering names for it throughout filming.

In 1977, Turner appointed himself manager, but was ordered to relinquish that position after one game (the Braves lost). The three mechanical sharks were collectively nicknamed "Bruce" by the production team after Spielberg's lawyer, a piece of trivia that has been cited in a number of shark-related stories (such as the appearance of the shark in 2003's Finding Nemo). Turner quickly gained a reputation as a quirky, hands-on baseball owner. The film had a troubled shoot and went considerably over budget. The logistical problems of shooting at sea led to many delays, and the mechanical shark frequently malfunctioned. In 1976 the team was purchased by media magnate Ted Turner, owner of superstation WTBS. Location shooting occurred at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. On April 4 he hit #714 in Cincinnati, and on April 8, in front of his home fans, he finally beat Ruth's mark. Gottlieb gives primary credit to Shaw, downplaying Milius' contribution.

The next season, it was only a matter of time before he set a new record. Spielberg tactfully describes it as a collaboration between John Milius, Howard Sackler and Robert Shaw. Throughout the winter he received racially motivated death threats, but stood up well under the pressure. The authorship of Quint's monologue about the fate of the cruiser USS Indianapolis has caused substantial controversy, with dispute as to who deserves the most credit for the speech. In the relatively hitter friendly confines of Fulton County Stadium ("The Launching Pad"), he actually increased his offensive production, and by the end of the 1973 season had hit 713 home runs, one short of Babe Ruth's record. Spielberg has claimed that he prepared his own draft, although it is unclear if any of the other screenwriters drew on his material. In the mean time, fans had to be satisfied with the achievements of Aaron. Gottlieb rewrote many scenes during principal photography, and John Milius contributed some dialogue polishes.

They would not win it again until 1982, under Joe Torre. Carl Gottlieb (who also appears in a supporting acting role in the film) was brought in to add humour and more depth to the characters. A .500 baseball team in the first few years (85-77, 77-85 and 81-81) respectively, they won the 1969 NL West pennant, before being swept by the "Miracle Mets" in the NLCS. Peter Benchley wrote the first draft of the screenplay, with a subsequent draft prepared by Howard Sackler. The next year, the Braves were its new residents. Despite his lack of feature film experience, Spielberg had proved adept at suspense material with the 1971 telemovie Duel. Keen to attract them, the City of Atlanta constructed a new ballpark, Fulton County Stadium, officially opened in 1965. They signed Spielberg to direct in the same year, prior to release of his first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express (also a Zanuck / Brown production).

By the early 1960s attendance in Milwaukee had dwindled as well, and a new group of owners once again sought relocation. His novel was loosely based on a real-life event in the summer of 1916 when a series of shark attacks killed four people along the New Jersey coast and triggered a media frenzy. Burdette, the Series MVP, threw three complete game victories, giving up only two earned runs. The film was produced by Richard Zanuck and David Brown, who had purchased the film rights to Peter Benchley's novel in 1973. In 1957, it culminated in their first World Series win for over 40 years, defeating the New York Yankees of Berra, Mantle and Ford. After another victim is devoured and Brody's son is nearly killed on the Fourth of July, Brody, Hooper, and shark hunter Quint (Shaw) set out in Quint's boat, the Orca, to face and hopefully destroy the man-eater. Sluggers Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron drove the offense (they would hit a combined 863 home runs as Braves), whilst Spahn, Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl anchored the rotation. A large tiger shark is caught, but upon examining it, Hooper declares that the attacks were the work of a much larger fish. Brody wants the beaches closed, but Mayor Vaughn, again refusing to accept the possibility of danger, refuses.

As the 1950s the reinvigorated Braves were increasingly competitive. When marine biologist Matt Hooper examines the remains of the first victim, he becomes convinced that a very large and dangerous shark was responsible, more specifically, a Great White Shark which is a large and extremely voracious predator, known to be dangerous to humans. Attendances steadily dwindled until, on March 13, 1953, then-owner Lou Perini announced he was moving the team to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A few days later, a boy is killed by the shark while swimming on a crowded beach and his mother places a substantial bounty on the animal. Their two pennants not withstanding, the Braves term in Boston was not a successful time. However, the town mayor ignores the protests about the danger of more shark attacks and orders the beaches kept opened, as Amity is dependent on the money it makes from its summertime and, especially, Fourth of July business, and tells Brody to say the girl was killed by a boat propeller. Ironically, in the 1948 season, the Braves actually had a better record in games that Spahn and Sain did not start than in games they did. He then orders the beaches to be closed.

The poem received such a wide audience that the sentiment, usually now paraphrased as "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain", entered the baseball vocabulary. The next morning, Martin Brody (Scheider), the sheriff of Amity Island, finds some of her remains and concludes that she was killed in a shark attack. The remainder of the rotation was so thin that in September the Boston Post journalist Gerald Hern characterised them by the poem. Suddenly, she begins to get jerked around and is pulled under. In 1948 the team won the pennant, behind the pitching of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain who won 39 games between them. The film opens with a young girl swimming a little far from Amity Island, a New England island that is a summer resort. A miraculous season of these proportions has never again been seen in professional sports. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Lorraine Gary.

The team was at the top of the league in both pitching, and hitting, and its leader, Evers, won the Chalmers Award, which is equivalent to today's MVP. Jaws (1975) is an American film, based upon a bestselling novel by Peter Benchley, which tells the story of a resort town's sheriff who tries to protect beachgoers from the predations of a huge great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council. The turnaround was complete. They were now World Champions. Nevertheless, the Braves dominated the series in every phase, and swept away the favored Athletics.

The team entered the World Series as a heavy underdog to Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's. Not only did they finish first, but they ended up 10.5 games up on the second place Giants. The Braves went 51-16 in the second half of the season, winning 34 of their last 44 games. From there came a romp unmatched in baseball history.

When the team rallied to sweep the Reds in a doubleheader on July 19th, Stallings declared that the team was playing ball better than any other in the league, and was ready to catch New York. At midseason, on July 15th, the team was still in last place, 11.5 games out of first. It had solidified around the phenomenal double-play tandem of Rabbit Maranville and Johnny Evers (of Evers to Tinker to Chance fame), and a strong starting rotation led by Lefty Tyler, Dick Rudolph, and Bill James. Slowly, the team began to turn itself around.

The only man left believing was the team's manager, "Miracle Man" George Stallings. Everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. After a dismal 4-18 start to the season, the fanbase was turned off, as it looked like the Braves were headed for another bottom-feeder season. None were more remarkable than the mid-season last-to-first transformation of the 1914 "Miracle" Braves.

The Boston franchise that became known as the Braves took part in some of baseball's most memorable moments, achievements, and penant races. They are most recently known for their ongoing record of 13 consecutive division championships (1991-2004, except for the strike-shortened 1994 season), the most in any professional North American sport, while collecting one World Series championship in that time (in 1995, also a strike-shortened season). They are in the Eastern Division of the National League. The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Danville Braves
Orlando Braves. Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Rome Braves. Mississippi Braves. Richmond Braves.

National League
. Pitching saves: John Smoltz, 55 (2002). Pitching ERA: Greg Maddux, 1.56 (1994). Pitching strikeouts: Charlie Buffinton, 417 (1884).

Pitching wins: John Clarkson, 49 (1889). Strikeouts: Andruw Jones, 147 (1948). Walks: Bob Elliott, 131 (1948). Hitting streak: Tommy Holmes, 37 games (1945).

Stolen bases: King Kelly, 84 (1887). Triples: Dick Johnston and Harry Stovey, 20 (1897 and 1891). Doubles: Hugh Duffy, 51 (1894). Runs: Hugh Duffy, 160 (1894).

Hits: Hugh Duffy, 237 (1894). Runs batted in: Hugh Duffy, 145 (1894). Home runs: Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews, 47 (1971 and 1953). Batting average: Hugh Duffy, .440 (1894).

44 Hank Aaron. 42 Jackie Robinson (this number is retired throughout baseball). 41 Eddie Mathews. 35 Phil Niekro.

21 Warren Spahn.   3 Dale Murphy. Johnny Estrada (2004). Mike Hampton (2003).

Javy Lopez (2003). Gary Sheffield (2003). Chipper Jones (1999, 2000). Jeff Blauser (1997).

John Smoltz (1997). David Justice (1993). Fred McGriff (1993). Ron Gant (1991).

Tom Glavine (1991, 1995, 1996, 1998). Dale Murphy (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985). Silver Slugger