Asmussen | Meet me in St. Louis ... to watch the Braves and Dodd

Apr. 4—So, how does someone from the Midwest grow up an Atlanta Braves fan? Credit my brothers Steve and Jim, who root for the Cubs and Cardinals, respectively.

Back in the early 1970s, when there was one MLB game televised each week, we would watch the games together. One time, it was the Braves against a long-forgotten opponent. My brothers, who influence my musical tastes, too, started singing the praises of Hank Aaron.

"Aha" I said to myself, "Atlanta is my team."

From that point on, I was hooked. Studying every box score, rejoicing when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record and treating every televised Atlanta game (there weren't many) like a national holiday.

I've seen the team in its three home parks and at about 20 others in the subsequent years.

I will be there Tuesday night and Wednesday in Busch Stadium for the Braves-Cardinals. My favorite team is about .500 with me in the stands in St. Louis, including a couple of big blown leads. Tuesday is a special treat because I will get to see the debut of Bismarck-Henning graduate Dylan Dodd. I won't be the only one from the area in the building. Not by a long shot.

As folks from east central Illinois head to Busch Stadium, here's a bit of Braves knowledge they can chat about between innings.

Hank is king

The stat books might say different, but the major league home run record belongs to Mr. Aaron, who hit 755 ... without taking steroids.

Aaron is beloved in Atlanta, not only for his great play but the work he did with the team and in the community after his retirement.

His chase of Ruth's record turned ugly, with Aaron receiving death threats and needing police protection.

When he finally hit No. 715 off of Al Downing, it seemed to take a huge load off his shoulders. His run around the bases is one of the best moments in baseball history.

Made for TV

Former Braves owner Ted Turner turned the team into a national franchise by airing games on his cable station TBS. It is a big reason the Braves have large followings in most major league cities. Pockets of Braves fans live in Denver and Seattle and Cleveland and everywhere else.

Down times

You think the Cubs had a long history of losing? Try rooting for the Braves in 1970s and 1980s. One division title in 20 years. The 1982 team, which started the season 13-0, lost the NLCS 3-0 to the Cardinals. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Braves lost as many as 90 games nine times and 100 twice, with a low point of 106 in 1988.

Worst to first

The first 30 years of my life, the Braves were usually awful. Or you could see it from there.

Until 1991. Coming off a 97-loss season, Bobby Cox, Terry Pendleton, Sid Bream and friends pulled off a miracle. They won 94 games to take the NL West (why were the Braves in the West? Ask the geniuses at MLB). Atlanta knocked out Pittsburgh in the NLCS. I was at the first two games in Three Rivers Stadium, sitting next to steel workers who wondered why a reporter from Champaign was wearing a Braves jacket in their park. They didn't pound me, instead inviting me to a postgame party despite Steve Avery's 1-0 win to even the series.

They don't like Herbie

As in former Minnesota Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek. In Game 1 of the 1991 World Series, Hrbek blatantly pushed Ron Gant off first base and tagged him out. The umpire was either sleeping or too intimidated by the towel-waving knuckleheads in the Metrodome. That dump could not be torn down fast enough in my opinion.

Run, Lonnie, Run

One of the greatest Game 7s in World Series history came in 1991. Braves starter John Smoltz and Twins ace Jack Morris (not a fan of him either), pitched a scoreless duel. In the top of the eighth, Lonnie Smith led off with a single. When Pendleton hit a ball in the gap, Smith should have scored. But he hesitated at second base and only made it to third. Morris ended the threat without the Braves scoring. Had Smith kept running, all Braves fans are sure Smoltz would have picked up the 1-0 win. Sigh.

You can't win unless you enter

From 1991 to 2005, the Braves won every division title. They had to move from the NL West to the NL East during the run and kept on winning. Unfortunately, the team won only one World Series title during that time in 1995. Cox's teams managed to drop playoff series to a wide array of opponents. Almost every team in the NL.

The bulk of the division title run included three future Hall of Fame pitchers: Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. They were dominant throwers who piled up wins and strikeouts and spend their days off playing golf. They each had their own style, with Smoltz relying on power and Maddux and Glavine dominating with their control.

Worst trade ever

That would be the December 2003 deal between the Braves and the Cardinals that brought J.D. Drew to Atlanta (for a year) and sent rookie pitching prospect Adam Wainwright to St. Louis. Wainwright has won almost 200 games for the Cardinals and is likely on his way to the Hall of Fame.

Rougher patch

After Hall of Famer Cox retired, the wins seemed to go with him. From 2006 to 2017, the Braves won one division title. And let's not mention the wild-card game against St. Louis where a bad call on a pop fly cost Atlanta.

All good

It's a long way to 14 division titles in a row, but Atlanta is currently on a five-year streak and looking to hit double figures.

The 2021 team beat Houston in the World Series for the second title in my life. Still waiting on my ring.

Dodd joins a loaded team with solid pitching, power and defense. He isn't going to be asked to be the stopper just yet. That job belongs to Max Fried.