Thanks Chipper

Ya'll ever wanted to punch your radio in the mouth? Well, that's how I felt today, as 790 the Zone told me something I didn't wanna hear. Chris Dimino was the first to break the sobering news, that Chipper Jones has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the MLB season. Sadly, #10 is 38 years old and this injury could bring an unceremonious end to his Hall of Fame career. As a Braves fan, that profoundly sucks.

How can you write a tribute to someone, whose actions outshine the use of literature? You can't. But, I'll type a few thoughts, anyway. Whether or not we've seen the last of Chipper Jones in an Atlanta Braves uniform, you can't argue the fact that he's one of the greatest men to ever play the game.

Atlanta was blessed with legendary pitchers, during their 14 year reign as division champs. But, that feat would not have occurred without the heroics of Chipper Jones at the plate. In his prime, #10 had such a pension for destroying Braves' opposition, that he named his son Shea. As New Yorkers annoyingly chanted, "Larry, Larry," Chipper gave 'em even more reason to despise him. But, he did it the right way. He didn't defame them or their team with his words. Jones stood in there and used his bat to crush their dreams.

As a fan, what can you say to an athlete who left his heart and soul on the field? Maybe the words I'm searching for, are sentiments I should have expressed years ago. Thank you, Chipper Jones. There will never be another Atlanta Brave worthy of wearing #10.

Found a tribute to Chipper Jones on Youtube. You can click on the title of this post to view it.

Cubs Shut out Bravos

Braves fans can put their brooms away for a little while longer. Atlanta was looking to sweep the Cubs, but got blanked by Chicago instead. A frustrating night at Turner Field saw the Braves get shut out at home. But, it ain't all bad. Atlanta won the series and that's a good start to the 2010 season. The Braves have an early game in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon, after a late flight tonight. (That's what you call incompetent scheduling by MLB).

On a good note, a couple of Chicago Cubs with Georgia ties had a tremendous impact on the outcome of tonight's game. Left fielder, Tyler Colvin from Augusta, got Chicago on the board with a solo HR in the 2nd inning. In the 5th, Sprayberry's Marlon Byrd hit his second HR in 3 games versus Atlanta this season. The Cubs avoided a sweep by defeating the Braves 2-0, but it's always good to see some local guys have success at the major league level.

I should mention that Chipper Jones left the game with what could be a strained oblique. If so, it ain't the first time he's suffered such an injury. The guys on Braves radio expect him to miss a couple of games, but we're talking about an aging veteran, who seems to regularly wind up on the DL. There's no doubting the fact that Jones is one of the all time greatest Braves, but Larry can't seem to stay healthy.

Am I wrong to speculate that his age (37 years) is catching up to Jones? Last night, his bat was the deciding factor in the Braves 3-2 victory. But, tonight he leaves the game with an injury. The latter part is beginning to sound like a broken record.