Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Remember when the Marlins were supposed to wrest control of the National League East away from the Braves? Remember when the Braves were supposed to be too old or too young or too whatever? Well, on a night when the Nationals and Marlins played a laugher in Miami, the Braves clinched the National League East for the 14th straight year. THE 14TH STRAIGHT YEAR!!

The Braves are an amazing organization. They rebuild on the fly, drawing on the prodigious talent their farm system churns out year after year. Sure, they have the Jones boys, but last night's lineup also featured Adam LaRoche, Jeff Francouer, Ryan Langerhans, and Brian McCann. Jeff Francoeur? Who is this guy? We follow baseball pretty closely, but we don't even know how to spell the guy's name. No matter, he just steps into the lineup and puts up a .908 OPS. In July, when the Braves pulled away from the Nationals like Lance Armstrong in the mountains, Franceour's OPS was 1.326.

Why are the Braves so good? It's not because they spend a lot of money. Nine teams spend more money than the Braves, including two in their division. It's not because they have the best in-game manager, either. Bobby Cox is capable of making some of the strangest moves around. It's also not because the Braves have ridden on the back of one of the greatest players in the game. Don't get me wrong--the Braves have had some great players, but they are willing to part company with great players so they can manage their payroll and make room for younger players who, while they may not put up the numbers of the departing players, can help the team win.

I think the Braves win because they have very smart management, both in the dugout and in the back office, who are better than almost anyone at allocating capital and drawing the best out of their players.

The GM--John Schuerholz--is perhaps the most underappreciated person in baseball. He spends money more wisely than almost any GM in baseball, and is every bit the GM that Billy Beane is in Oakland. Remember when Schuerholz unloaded Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine? Everyone questioned Schuerholz' sanity because he was throwing away the one strength that had characterized the Braves' amazing run to that point--starting pitching. But no one saw how Schuerholz was repositioning his team to win in a new era. And with perhaps the best pitching coach in the history of the game--Leo Mazzone--Schuerholz knew that he could find pitchers who could win.

The Braves' manager--Bobby Cox--is as good as anyone at what is a manager's primary role--getting the best out of his players. When was the last time you heard about a problem in the Braves' clubhouse? And it's not like Cox doesn't come down hard on his players when necessary. Remember in 1998 when Cox pulled Andruw Jones in the middle of an inning because Jones didn't go all out for a fly ball? Whatever Cox said worked, because Jones didn't whine or ask to be traded--he just kept getting better. Why can Bobby Cox do that and not upset the clubhouse? Who knows, but the salient point is that at a time when two division rivals--the Marlins and Nationals--have significant problems in their clubhouses, Cox has built an environment in which his players can thrive.

I hope that the Nationals' new owners study the Braves as they try to build a winner in Washington. There's a lot for the Nationals to learn as they look south.