Alright so today I’m gonna walk you through my whole process putting together that Braves 2014 deep dive. Started when I dug my old scorecards outta storage last week – spilled coffee stains and all.
Gathering the Mess
First thing was dumping all my 2014 notebooks on the dining table. Took hours sorting through:
- Ticket stubs from opening day when Ervin Santana shut out the Brewers
- A printout of BJ Upton’s <.220 avg circled like fifty times
- My handwritten note screaming “KIMBREL’S SLIDER BROKE AGAIN?!”
Found my phone photos too – totally forgot I snapped Freddie Freeman’s walk-off against Cincy in extra innings. His jersey was soaked in Gatorade, man. Good times.
The Digital Struggle
Tried organizing stats in Excel but gave up after 10 minutes. Just scribbled arrows everywhere instead:
- Justin Upton’s April tear → red pen → 8 homers that month!
- Craig Kimbrel’s ERA → calculator smudges → legit 1.61
- Medlen/Walden injuries → big angry circles
Kept muttering “why’d we trade Heyward?!” while checking old roster moves. Still bugs me.
Writing Nightmare
Started drafting at 1 AM fueled by cold pizza. Typed too fast:
- Mixed up the Uptons twice before coffee
- Wrote “Harangutan” instead of Aaron Harang (his nickname was gold though)
- Ranted about Fredi Gonzalez pulling starters too early – page got real messy
Had to rewatch condensed games to remember specific plays. That Kimbrel save against Philly? His fastball hit 100mph while I spilled chips everywhere.
Final Stretch Pain
Proofreading sucked. My notes said “Harang CGSO vs Miami” but forgot it got rained out in the 6th! Almost screwed that up. Then spent 20 minutes debating whether to include Santana’s PED suspension drama. Left it out – too depressing for a highlight reel.
Posted it feeling like we lost that wild card game all over again. Still bitter about that ump call.
