Braves’ New World

It was kind of cute when the Braves went all-in to bring hard-swinging righty Mark Teixeira to Atlanta before the trading deadline, only to go 6-5 over their next 11 games with their new first baseman. At the end of that stretch, though, to be fair, the Braves were in a virtual dead heat with Philadelphia and San Diego for the National League’s Wild Card playoff spot. Time was, the Braves winning the division was as assured as their obnoxious fans not showing up to watch the first round. Now the team that made a patently politically-incorrect cheer called “the tomahawk chop” is scrapping for position against the rest of the mediocre teams. Count the Marlins among that bunch, unfortunately. Florida’s roster has suffered more injuries than the extras on Scrubs -- it would be nice to see what the team could do at full strength -- and is about as much a threat to push to the postseason as Canada is a threat to invade Mexico. Still -- and it’s hard to overstate this -- it is nice to watch a mortal Atlanta team have to earn its way to anything. Chop 'til you drop on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Dolphin Stadium (2269 NW 199th St., Miami). Tickets start at $9. Buy them at the gate, at florida.marlins.mlb.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 954-523-3309.
Wed., Aug. 29, 7 p.m.