Writers Bloc: Braves stand test of time

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Updated: May 29, 2003, 7:53 AM ET

Dave Sheinin looks at the phenomenon that is the Atlanta Braves in today's Washington Post. He focuses on their continued success in spite of (or because of) the constant turnover a baseball team must endure. The Braves were the topic for my own Baker's Dozen this week in which I included some of the key acquisitions and departures in every year of their 13-year run to glory. Seeing the turnover laid out like that, you realize what a juggling act it is to keep a team succeeding on that level for that long.

Can a blown call made in the second inning cost a team the game? The Pittsburgh Pirates think so. They lost to the Cubs Wednesday 5-4 and point to a missed out call at first base in the second frame as the pivotal moment in the game, writes Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Hideki Matsui's slow start has made him the target of George Steinbrenner's wrath. However, writes Lawrence Rocca of the Newark Star-Ledger, whatever The Boss says is nothing compared to what he was once put through by a coach in his native Japan.

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