Atlanta Braves

ATLANTA -- The final month of the season has always been quite easy for the Braves to tackle, but during the last two seasons, September has finally decided to fight back. During their record string of 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, Atlanta found itself not in first place at the start of September just twice, in 1993 and 2000, when they trailed by just half a game. In 1993, the Braves won 22 of their 30 games in September and October to catch the Giants in the National League West and finish 104-58. In fact, 2000, 1993 and 1991 were the only three years during their run of dominance...

ATLANTA -- As Tim Hudson was making his way toward the Majors, he and his wife, Kim, envisioned becoming involved in many charitable endeavors. A little more than a month into his big league career, a young girl named Miranda, who was suffering from a brain tumor, provided them the realization that they wanted to make a difference with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sitting in an Oakland-area Applebee's that 1999 evening, the Hudsons heard Miranda talk about her dream of seeing Disney World and discuss the financial realities that would likely limit her to instead attend a Sacramento Kings game. "It...

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Braves will have a hard time making the playoffs, despite their most remarkable comeback of the season. So they went ahead and celebrated as though this one was for a championship. Matt Diaz capped an improbable rally with a two-out, three-run double in the ninth inning, giving Atlanta a 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. The Phillies squandered leads of 5-0 and 8-2, giving up four runs in the eighth and watching in disbelief as Diaz's liner skidded off the tip of "I'm not believing that," said Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, whose team remained...

It might be the frustration of the Braves' dwindling playoff hopes or just a plain bone to pick, but Chipper Jones fired off at major-league umpires following the Braves 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, saying they "ought to be ashamed" and calling Friday night's home-plate umpire Rick Reed's strike zone "a joke." He argued on behalf of Braves hitters %u2014 whose frustration culminated with a third-strike call on Yunel Escobar in the ninth inning that sent towels flying in the Braves dugout and got bench player Brayan Pena ejected. He argued on behalf of pitcher Buddy Carlyle,...