DYNASTY IS POSSIBLE FOR BRAVES : NLCS.

Byline: Mike Kiley Chicago Tribune 

If baseball needs nothing more than stability - to know who is in charge and authoritative at some level - the Atlanta Braves could be the answer.

For the best interests of the game, they are ready to emerge in the next two to three weeks as the first dynasty baseball has had since the Oakland A's of the early 1970s.

If they repeat as World Series champions, they will be only the third team to do so since Oakland in 1972-73-74. The New York Yankees won two straight in 1977-78 and Toronto in 1992-93.

If they don't win, however, the Braves can be labeled as one of the game's most underachieving franchises. Without eight more victories, their place in history might be gone with the wind.

What's hard to believe is Atlanta has no more than one title to its name after so many chances. Its mantle of dominance appears more substantial than the results support.

Based on divisional success, no one has been more consistent in the past decade. The Braves have won four of the past five league championships.

Here's the rub, though. In 1991, Minnesota beat them in the World Series. In 1992, Toronto prevailed. In 1993, Philadelphia bumped them off for the league championship. In 1994, baseball self-destructed in a labor dispute.

All this explains why Bobby Cox, who has overseen the Braves since 1990, isn't better known and more publicly lauded as one of baseball's most astute managers.

``He's real quiet off the field,'' said Pat Corrales, his first-base coach and the former manager of Texas, Philadelphia and Cleveland. ``He likes to walk to relax. Just a nice guy, period.''

Hard to remember the last time anybody said that of St. Louis manager Tony La Russa, who isn't a Cardinal as much as a rooster and will strut again tonight when the Braves play host to the Cardinals in the opener of the National League Championship Series. While La Russa was the cover picture of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's special section for the playoffs, Cox settles for a more low-key role with the Braves.

``Jimy Williams (third-base coach) and I have both managed (in the majors) and we are always amazed at how Bobby is a step ahead of the other guy,'' Corrales said. ``He's better prepared than nine of 10 managers.''

For public acknowledgment, however, Cox must be content with a televised Pizza Hut commercial in Atlanta in which his advice to John Smoltz is a plain-spoken ``keep digging.'' Smoltz, of course, is one-third of a holy trinity that includes Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Smoltz, however, is here to tell you that nothing comes easy, whether the Braves look like world-beaters or not.

``I get so sick and tired of hearing people talk like teams just give us the championship,'' said Smoltz.

Today-St. Louis (An.Benes 18-10) at Atlanta (Smoltz 24-8), 5:07 p.m.

Thursday-St. Louis (Stottlemyre 14-11) at Atlanta (Maddux 15-11), 5:11 p.m.

Saturday-Atlanta (Glavine 15-10) at St. Louis (Osborne 13-9), 1:15 p.m.

Sunday-Atlanta at St. Louis, 4:30 p.m.

Mondayx-Atlanta at St. Louis, 4:09 p.m.

Oct. 16x-St. Louis at Atlanta, 1:15 p.m.

Oct. 17x-St. Louis at Atlanta, 5:11 p.m.

x - if necessary.

(All games on FOX)

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1) Atlanta ace John Smoltz watches batting practice as the Braves prepare for their NLCS opener against St. Louis tonight at home.

(2) St. Louis shortstop Ozzie Smith loosens up during a workout at Fulton County Stadium.

Associated Press

Box: NLCS (see text)