AP 1/15/15
'President of baseball operations John Hart acknowledged that the Braves made all the trades with an eye toward their long-term future. Yet, in a city that has endured only three losing seasons in the last 24 years, the deals have caused major consternation among the fan base, with many complaining that the team has given up on the next two seasons and is more concerned about being competitive when it moves into a new suburban stadium in 2017.
Not so, Hart told The Associated Press.
"We may not be the prettiest girl at the dance," he said in a telephone interview, "but we're going to be a lot of fun to dance with."'
Seems to me that he was singing a different tune in the winter than in the piece you quoted. In fact, that interview he seemed to be pooh-poohing the very idea that anyone had suggested the team would be competitive… and it's true, he didn't promise a winner. He did, however, suggest that the team would be competitive. I understand that keeping the fans interested, particularly during off-season like the last one, is a difficult and thankless job. I don't have an ax to grind with Hart about this one, I just agree with the Gov and dispute the notion that no one ever said the team was going to be competitive.
