The B.S. Report: Braves get their man

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – I know I’ve talked a lot of baseball this year on the BS Report. It is football season, but the Braves have given us a lot to talk about. I can’t contain my enthusiasm for what is going on with the Braves right now.

Tuesday’s decision to hire Brian Snitker as the permanent manager was the icing on the cake to a tremendous finish to the 2016 season.

Twenty years ago when I was in my second year as a sports anchor here in Macon, Brian Snitker was in his first season as the manager of the Macon Braves. I interviewed him many times that season, including regular live shots from Luther Williams Field. So I’ve known the man for 20 years. He’s been with the Braves for 40 years, going back to 1977 when he signed as an undrafted free agent. Then four years later Hank Aaron talked Snitker into becoming a coach. For 20 seasons, Snitker managed over 26-hundred minor league games in Atlanta’s farm system.

Now I didn’t watch Snitker’s teams on a regular basis in the minors. But I did talk with his players. And over the years I gathered that his players loved him. They would talk about how he communicated with them, and believe it or not, not all managers are good communicators. They would talk about how honest he was with them, and how they would know their roles with the team. They would talk about the extra time he would put in to help make them better.

Hearing all that, and getting to know the man over the years made me pretty confident if given the chance, Brian Snitker would be a great major league manager. When he got his chance on May 17th, he proved me right. Snit took over a dumpster fire. The Braves were on pace for 120 losses. But he brought stability to the clubhouse and immediately gained the respect of his players – some of whom had never been around him. It was the players who made Snitker’s best case to the Braves front office that he needed to be kept as manager, and that’s what the Braves have done.

The Braves had a remarkable second part of the season. From an awful beginning, they had a winning record after the All-Star Break. There is so much optimism around this team. They are going into a new stadium. They have a lot of financial flexibility to bring in more talent. They have a great core of talent already with the starting lineup, including the new face of the franchise Dansby Swanson. They have the best group of pitching prospects in the game of baseball. And now – they have the perfect fit with Brian Snitker as the manager.

So get ready Braves fans, this team is on its way back.