Epic, perhaps, but Braves' collapse isn't Atlanta's first

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves fans have been here before.

After 32 innings of the 1996 World Series the Braves had outscored the New York Yankees 24-6. The defending world champions held a 6-0 lead heading into the 6th inning of Game 4, 12 outs away from a commanding 3 games to 1 lead.

Then, in the eighth inning, Jim [expletive deleted] Leyritz smashed a hanging slider from closer Mark Wohlers to tie the game. The Yankees went on to win 8-6 in 10 innings and would never trail again, defeating John Smoltz and Greg Maddux en route to their first World Series victory in 18 years.

This year's collapse, which saw the Braves lose an 8-1/2 game lead in little more than three weeks, is historic. No National League team had ever blown a lead that big so late in the season and failed to make the playoffs.

But what's worse, the nagging cold that won't go away or the punch in the gut of a game-changing moment like Leyritz's home run?

"The prolonged agony of a month of seeing a sure thing evaporate, and the inevitable mocking that will occur for months and years after this should the Braves complete the collapse, will be exponentially more damaging to Atlanta fans than one swing of the bat," said Martin Gandy, who blogs about the Braves on Talking Chop.

But those singularly disappointing moments are typically hardest to forget, such as Dallas wide receiver Drew Pearson's 23-yard touchdown catch with 47 seconds left in the 1980 NFC Divisional Playoff game. Pearson's grab capped a furious comeback by the Cowboys, who trailed the Falcons 24-10 entering the 4th quarter but won 30-27.

Sometimes, the punch in the gut comes amid the nagging cold. Take the 2008 Georgia Bulldogs, who entered the season ranked #1 in both the preseason coaches poll and AP poll. They'd lose three games that year, including a blowout vs. Florida and a 45-42 heart-breaker at home to Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs led 28-12 at the half.

The next year, Tech, ranked 7th, was a heavy favorite against Georgia, fresh off its fifth loss, at home, to perennial SEC whipping boy Kentucky. By now you've figured out how this story goes: UGA 30, Tech 24.

A Braves win Wednesday night and a Cardinals loss and the Braves would have reached the postseason. If both teams had won, or lost, they would have faced each other Thursday in St. Louis, with the victor advancing to the National League Divisional Series. But it was not to be. The Cardinals whipped the Astros 8-0, while the Braves fell to the Phillies 4-3 in 13 innings.

Oh well. The 1982 Braves lost 19 of 21 games in July and August and still made the playoffs ... where they were swept by the Cards in the National League Championship Series.