Discussions of the Braves' excellence in the '90s and early 2000s inevitably end with a lament about the team only winning one World Series title in 14 tries, its unprecedented run of division titles usually taking a back seat to the perplexing thought that a team stacked with Hall of Famers could so consistently fall short in the postseason.
In a modern sports landscape that tends to define excellence solely based on championships, those 14 straight division titles the Braves won from 1991 to 2005 might seem more like a half-accomplishment. But the producers of MLB Network's latest documentary hopes Braves fans — and baseball fans in general — will judge those Braves teams on the journey rather than the destination.
MORE: Analyzing the Braves' '90s postseason losses
"Atlanta Rules: The Story of the '90s Braves" airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday and offers a solid retrospective of how a team from Losersville, USA, established itself as a model franchise and dominated its division and its league in a way not seen before or since — and probably never again. The Hall of Fame pitching trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz offers its insights into the historic run, as do new Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, former Braves All-Stars David Justice and Terry Pendleton, World Series hero Mark Lemke and others.
But why the '90s Braves and why now? With the team having seen a slew of Hall of Fame inductions in recent years, and with Jones's recent election likely representing the last from those teams to receive the Cooperstown honor, the network thought the timing was right to celebrate this dynasty, which, for anyone born after, say, 2000, might seem like ancient history.
"What they did was incredible," producer Jed Tuminaro told Sporting News. "... If you didn't live to see something, or you don't really remember it first-hand, some of those things may go a little underappreciated."
Among "those things" in the '90s that fans might have forgotten or never knew:
— Five NL pennants in nine years
— Four seasons of 100-plus wins, including three straight, beginning in 1997
— Seven Cy Young awards in the decade
— 18 players selected to All-Star teams, and 36 total All-Stars from 1991 to 1999
In fact, when looking back at all the team accomplished during its run, Tuminaro said, it's "really kind of crazy."
It's even crazier when considering how much had to go right at the same time: a great farm system, great acquisitions, staying healthy, a core that remained mostly intact for a decade.
"When you put them all together, to have that amount of years with such consistent winning ... you just won't see it again," Tuminaro said.
MORE: The human moments that help make 1991 World Series great
For Braves fans, the documentary is a fun look back, but doesn't offer anything new. The usual sentiments about camaraderie, the importance of consistency and learning to just enjoy the ride are all presented again here, as is some rehashing of familiar high points and low points. But baseball fans who aren't as familiar with the '90s Braves story are the ones who should benefit most from watching.
If there's a flaw with the program, it's that it doesn't address the why behind the Braves only winning one World Series. With so much talent, peaking at the same time, all under the guidance of a Hall of Fame manager and general manager, those teams continue to boggle the minds of many as to why Atlanta underachieved so often. It would've been interesting to hear the players' theories behind the shortcomings, though Tuminaro said they offered no big revelations during interviews.
"There wasn't like an underlying consistent theme that everybody talked about for the reason they didn't win more," he said. "I think it was just overall, it's so hard to get there, and once you're there it's a small sample size, you're playing the best teams, and they just fell short a few times."
Though the players don't offer any significant theories, one broad theme does present itself when reviewing the various '90s postseason exits: an inability to put teams away.
For example:
— In the 1991 World Series, the Braves had a 3-2 lead in the series, only to fall to the Twins in seven games. (Not to mention Lonnie Smith's famous base running gaffe in Game 7 and that the team still failed to score off Jack Morris despite having runners on second and third with nobody out in the eighth.)
— In the 1992 World Series, the Braves were two outs away from taking a 2-0 series lead against the Blue Jays, only to have Ed Sprague ruin everything with a two-run homer.
— In the 1993 NLCS, the Braves had a 2-1 series lead against the Phillies, led Game 4 before losing, and squandered a chance to win Game 5 in the ninth inning. They lost in six.
— And in the 1996 World Series, the most painful loss of all, the Braves had a 2-0 series lead on the Yankees, had a 6-0 lead in Game 4 and seemed to be cruising toward a 3-1 lead in the series (with Smoltz ready in Game 5), only to see the Yankees claw back and have Jim Leyritz steal the show.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
Alas, dissecting postseason losses isn't the point behind "Atlanta Rules." Rather, it's to appreciate what it took to get there in the first place, to celebrate 14 magical seasons, regardless of how those seasons ended.
