Funny Story #2: The Last World Series
Wednesday, 10.13.04

Quote of the Day:
�I want to see how the Braves are doing after all this time. Prob�ly still finding ways to lose.�
Star Trek: The Next Generation

When I was growing up in Tallahassee there weren�t any professional baseball teams in Florida. Most people in town were Florida State Seminoles fans due to the university�s proximity, but when it came to professional baseball the Atlanta Braves were our closest option. This means that I have been a Braves fan my whole life. My loyalty has not wavered through good seasons and bad seasons, no matter bad their record was or how close they got to a World Series championship and choked. While webpage posts from the past five years seem to indicate otherwise, I am sure that I will always be a Braves devotee. But this story does not concern my loyalty to the Braves now, but eight years ago when I was still living in Tallahassee.

Most of my friends in high school were members of Mu Alpha Theta, a math honors society that held competitions throughout the year, so our idea of fun was a little different than the stereotypical high school student. Our parties usually consisted of getting together at someone�s house to listen to music, eat M&M�s (all kinds), and drink as much soda as we could. It may sound dull, but we loved those parties. Knowing that there are lots of other people who fall into the �nerd� category (and I mean this as a compliment) with you is comforting and we tended to stick together.

On October 28, 1995 I had one of those parties at my house and it happened to coincide with Game Six of the World Series that pitted the Atlanta Braves against the Cleveland Indians. This wasn�t intentional, it was just the Saturday that I chose for my party. The Braves had a chance to win the World Series that night and I was very excited. The only other person who showed up that cared about the fate of the Braves was my friend Danny and he wanted to watch the game as much as I did. Unfortunately everyone else at the party was generally congregated in the living room where the CD player was located, but where there wasn�t a television to watch. So Danny and I joined the mix. However, as the game progressed we spent more and more time in the family room, where there was a TV, in the hopes that we could witness the Braves win the World Series. By the time the ninth inning rolled around we had detached ourselves from the rest of the guests and were glued to the TV instead. You could cut the anticipation in the room with a knife. Danny and I were livelong Braves� fans and this was the moment we had been waiting for. At long last the Braves were going to win the World Series and there was no way we were going to miss it. And we didn�t.

I remember jumping off the couch and yelling when it happened. The Braves had won the World Series! It was too bad so few people present cared about the outcome of the game because it was really a very thrilling moment. At least my dad, Danny, and I were there to enjoy it. At that moment we looked forward to watching the Braves in subsequent World Series, but we never got the chance to witness another victory. Since 1995 my faith in the Atlanta Braves has been failing. Although I don�t anticipate ever giving up on them completely, watching their consistent post-season losses each year has a way of disheartening even the most diehard fan. I just need to look back on that 1995 World Series victory and believe that the Brave�s time will come again.

-Lauren Gleason