Braves miscues: Goatably bad or notably bad?

Atlanta Braves

Braves miscues: Goatably bad or notably bad?

Are these Atlanta Braves misplays so bad the players are goats or are they just pretty lame? Readers vote.

Goats. Beloved at petting zoos, they're loathed in baseball. So much that Chicago fans blame this goat's owner's uncle for the Cubs' inability to win (or even make) the World Series thanks to a curse the guy put on the team in 1945. Do the Braves have any "goats" by virtue of accursed misplays? Vote for what's Goatably Bad (awful) and just Notably Bad (bad but not awful). (And do you buy the Cubs' Goat Curse?)

2008: Second baseman Kelly Johnson tried to one-glove a fly ball with two out in the ninth inning June 6 vs. the Phillies and dropped it. Atlanta led 2-1 at the time of the error but Philadelphia scored the tying run, then later won in extra innings.

1991: Perhaps no Braves player had worse World Series luck than Lonnie Smith. Late in Game 7, Terry Pendleton lined a double to left and Smith, running from first, stopped at second base. Smith claimed he'd lost sight of the ball in the Metrodome (Minn.) roof but TV replays showed Twins 2B Chuck Knoblauch faking a catch from left, causing Smith to hold up. Smith ended up left at third and Atlanta lost 1-0 as the Twins took the WS.

1991: Braves pitcher Charlie Leibrandt surrendered the infamous walk-off homer to the Twins' Kirby Puckett in Game 6 of the World Series. Having used all their relievers in the extra-inning effort, Atlanta was forced to bring in Leibrandt, normally a starter. Atlanta lost that game, and the '91 World Series the next night in Game 7.

1992: Our only non-Braves boo-boo. What if Barry Bonds' throw made it in? Fate forever links the Pirates OF and the Braves' Sid Bream when Atlanta's Francisco Cabrera hit a single to left, scoring David Justice and Bream, who beat Bonds' offline throw home. Atlanta took the NL pennant, Pittsburgh hasn't seen postseason action to date and Bonds joined San Francisco in 1993.

1996: Braves reliever Mark Wohlers reacts to giving up a three-run HR to Yankees hitter Jim Leyritz in the top of the 8th inning to tie the score 6-6 in Game 4 of the World Series. New York went on to win the Series in six games.

1998: Andruw Jones hangs his head as he heads to the showers after getting pulled by Bobby Cox in the middle of the 8th inning vs. the Cubs at Turner Field. Jones failed to hustle on a fly ball and was immediately removed from the game.

1999: In Game 5 of the NLCS, young Braves reliever Kevin McGlinchy walked a Mets player to tie the game in the bottom of the 15th inning at Shea Stadium. The Mets' Robin Ventura then followed with a grand slam to seal the Atlanta loss. It sealed McGlinchy's career as well. After pitching in 64 games in 1999, his first MLB season, he appeared in only 10 games in 2000, his final MLB season.

2000: The Braves were one out away from possibly clinching the best record in the National League and home-field advantage in the playoffs. Leading the Colorado Rockies 5-3 with two outs in the last inning of the last game of the regular season, Chipper Jones' error opened the flood gates for a seven-run inning at Turner Field. The loss sent the Braves on the road to St. Louis for the NLDS, and the Cardinals swept Atlanta 3-0.

2001: In January 2000, Braves closer John Rocker gave an infamous interview to Sports Illustrated in which he made statements roundly criticized as sexist, racist and homophobic. The comments created a national furor, eventually leading to Rocker being traded to Cleveland.

2005: Atlanta Braves reliever Dan Kolb knocks over a water cooler in the dugout after he was pulled in the ninth inning of a 6-5 loss to Colorado. In one season as the closer with Atlanta, Kolb went 3-8, posting only 11 saves.

2006: The "Lazy Sunday" incident featured first baseman Adam LaRoche (center), who slowly jogged to first base after fielding a ball hit by the Nationals' Nick Johnson, who sprinted to the bag and got there first. That blunder cost the Braves the third out of the inning, and the Nationals went on to score four runs in the inning.

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Goats. Beloved at petting zoos, they're loathed in baseball. So much that Chicago fans blame this goat's owner's uncle for the Cubs' inability to win (or even make) the World Series thanks to a curse the guy put on the team in 1945. Do the Braves have any "goats" by virtue of accursed misplays? Vote for what's Goatably Bad (awful) and just Notably Bad (bad but not awful). (And do you buy the Cubs' Goat Curse?)

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