A Lifelong Atlanta Sports Fan Wonders: Is This What Joy Feels Like?

www.allproreels@gmail.com — from the Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, April 7th, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography)

I’ve always been a pessimist. It’s just my nature. I once advised my mother to purchase the every day china for our friend’s wedding gift because he’d probably get to keep it in the divorce. It’s hard for me to plan a vacation because experience tells me SOMETHING is going to come up and ruin it. I’ve been in customer service for 30 years so I’ve heard every excuse in the book as to WHY something didn’t deliver as promised. Basically, I’ve lived by the Benjamin Franklin adage that I’d rather be occasionally surprised rather than constantly disappointed.

Also, I’m a lifelong Atlanta sports fan.

So, I’m USED to losing. Really, I’ve come to just expect it now. Makes it hurt less. I’ll be honest, I wrote the Braves off months ago after they lost Ronald Acuna. Before 1991, their perpetual slogan was “Just wait until NEXT year.” And we waited. And waited. And WAITED. Lightning struck once in 1995, but it’s been nothing but heartbreak ever since. I still remember that night so many years ago, watching the game while helping sit for a friends new baby. That baby is now a lovely young woman who will graduate next month with her Masters in Biology and is currently applying to med school.

I was pleasantly surprised when the Braves won the NL East (for the 4th time in a row.) I looked forward to watching them in the playoffs, but I didn’t get my hopes up. The MLB sports experts had already handed the championship trophy to the evil Los Angeles Dodgers (who broke our hearts LAST YEAR) and seemed impatient to just get the coronation over with already. But the Braves blew past the Brewers, then the Dodgers, and finally faced off against the team America now loves to hate: The Houston Astros (queue scary music here.) They did it not with a huge free agent payroll, but with scraps they picked up around the All Star break from other teams that threw in the towel. Now Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler are toting MVP hardware.

And I’m just — STUNNED! They didn’t blow it. The built a 7 run lead and shut out the Astros. There was no epic meltdown, no ball rolling through the first baseman’s legs, no fan interference calls. Just winning. Totally epic winning. The look of unadulterated joy on Freddy Freeman’s face as he recorded the final act will play on the infinity loop of my memory. I feel this unfamiliar, warm fuzzy feeling welling up within me. Is this joy? Is this – HOPE?

Hey, the Georgia Bulldogs are having an epic season also! Can they make it through 4 more regular season games without losing to an inferior opponent? Can they finally beat Bama this year?

The Hawks lost in game 7 of the conference finals this year. Can they reach the finals next year?

Maybe Atlanta United can win another championship in whatever that sport it is that they play.

Maybe we can get another hockey team in here. Third time’s the charm!

And maybe — just MAYBE — the Falcons can finish above 500 this season! Sorry, this hope thing is new to me. Got carried away with that last one. I’ll just try to enjoy this win while we have it. Congratulations to the Braves, the city of Atlanta, and all of their long suffering fans who are partying in the streets tonight.