Transcripts

SPEAKER: There were about 5,000 people waiting for him at the airport. And they didn't get back till sometime after 4 in the morning, so I think that's a pretty accurate indication of the way the city feels.

As disappointing as the loss was, it probably would have been easier to lose in 4 and be swept than it would have been to lose in 7, especially to go extra innings again. That was so special to the city, in that this is a town that's never had a professional world champion, be it baseball, football, basketball, or even with the Flames of the NHL back in the late '70s.

I mean, they just took this city on a storybook ride this year, really, with all the comeback wins and the great pennant race with the Dodgers, being 9 and 1/2 back at the break. And all the young kids on the team, I think, gave the team a different personality that made it even more fun to identify with.

And even though they lost, they gave this city a new pulse. And, as I said, 5,000 people at the airport at 4 in the morning, I think, says it all.

CHRIS: Right. Well, does the fact that the Braves ultimately came up one run short, does that diminish the whole accomplishment?

SPEAKER: Well, I think the manner in which the Game 7 was decided leaves a lot of fans second-guessing this morning. And that's going to happen anytime you have a close ball game or a close series. And that's exactly what this was. Whether the Twins had ended up being the winners or the Braves, there were going to be questions asked.

And Lonnie Smith's baserunning in the eighth inning has been the topic of much conversation here in the office this morning. And I just got back from lunch, and some folks were talking about it at the cafe.

And I think if they'd lost 10 to 0 last night, everybody would have been proud of the team. And they'd be going about their business this morning. But having lost 1-0 in 10 when-- the common sentiment is that had Lonnie run the bases correctly in the eighth, it would have ended in nine, with the Braves being winners. I think a lot more people are having a hard time getting the game off their minds today, to be real honest.

CHRIS: Right. What was the sense in Atlanta before last night's game?

SPEAKER: I tell you, I've been out and about during all the road games. I was in the stadium for the home games here. And the city ran out of gas Saturday night. I was out and about in Buckhead, which is the city's primary social district, similar to what you would call Rush Street, I guess, in Chicago, when they beat the Pirates in Game 7 to send the team to the World Series. And the place went absolutely bananas.

I've never seen anything like it on a college campus or anywhere. You had literally 12,000 to 15,000 people running around the streets and people carrying 10-foot tomahawks over their heads, right down the middle of Peachtree, which is the most famous avenue in town.

People slapping high fives. People hanging out of cars, shaking hands with people they didn't know. People throwing beer up in the air and splashing among it as though they had just won the pennant. And that was a Thursday night. And the celebration went on into the wee hours of the morning, 2 o'clock or so.

And I think people learned from their misery at work the next day that they had to pick and choose their moments. So the town was poised to win Saturday night. And there were 15 to 20,000 people in the Buckhead portion of town. And a full 45 minutes before game time, you couldn't walk hardly in some places. And traffic was absolutely at a standstill everywhere. And there was honking. And people were waving banners and everything.

And that being a weekend day and most people not having to worry about work the next day, everybody was ready to win it on Saturday night. And I know several people who were in the bar and grill business, and they expected bigger crowds last night than they got because I think everybody was just flat out aghast after Saturday night.

CHRIS: There's a sense up here anyway that clearly this was one of the greatest World Series that we could remember anywhere. Same sense in Atlanta that what we saw, win or lose, was a real classic between two evenly matched teams, as evenly matched as you could hope to find?

SPEAKER: Absolutely. I even saw a quote from Fay Vincent somewhere, either in our paper or on the wire, a little while ago. I can't remember, because I've read so many stories. But he said something to the same effect.

I mean, you look at it, it went seven games. You had five games decided by one run, three games in extra innings, if I got my numbers correct, and some just incredible pitching, some timely double plays by both squads.

Yeah, I think that's a very common sentiment here. And I think the fact that the Braves were involved in a World Series of that nature ultimately will make it a little easier to live with. Chris, still a great deal of disappointment down here.