Mack and Company – and Chipper

Mack: Chipper Jones announced this morning that he is retiring at the end of the season. Thoughts? 


Jeremiah Alley - If you are a Mets fan you close your eyes and hope for the best whenever he comes up to the dish in NY. Yes, he is a Mets killer. It makes it easy to chant "LARRY!!!" and heckle him in NY. On the surface it would seem that the whole of the Mets universe, fans and franchise alike, would loathe the guy. It's so easy to hate someone that constantly dashes your favorite team’s dreams... But, I know I have a sort of quiet respect and even admire Chipper Jones. He is the type of player that we as Mets fans often clamor for. He was beyond clutch in his time. He was good with the fans. He was good for baseball. He kept things light, going about his business without scandal. He is one of the true superstars of our generation, and one that never got caught with his hand in the steroids jar. Not too many other superstars of his era can say the same. Now, there is of course the perception that Jones despises the NY media and the NY fans. However, I just do not see it that way. I think if you were to ask Jones about the fans in NY he would state his admiration for us as well. After all, who the hell cares about baseball in Atlanta? Braves fans, when they do show up to a game, haven't the same electricity as us fans in NY. To think that Jones didn't relish performing on the stage of NY would be foolish. There is something about NY that appeals to even those players that don't play there. Jones just so happened to answer the call more often than not, which makes his achievements all the more impressive. So, I can't dislike Chipper Jones. I might publicly state that I do to other Mets fans so as to not stir the pot. But, truth be told, I genuinely admire both the guy he was on and off the field. It is a shame he wasn't on the Mets. At this point he would already have a statue somewhere in Citifield... Good guy, great player. I wish him the best... 


 Jack Flynn - Chipper? I damn near killed her! *rim shot* Chipper. Is there any player in baseball whose first name so singularly resonates with the fan bases of multiple teams? I can't believe it's been almost 13 years since I sat in Madison Square Park holding my head in agony because of the havoc that Chipper Jones was wreaking on the Mets' playoff chances that season. Jones hit seven home runs in 40 official at-bats against Met pitching that season to go along with a .400 batting average. Did you forget about Atlanta's three-game sweep of the Mets in mid-September that left New York reeling and on the brink of missing the playoffs entirely? More likely you blocked it all out, including Chipper's four home runs in that series alone. I can't help but think that David Wright should be our Chipper Jones - the young third baseman that came up through the system to become a super star and a beloved figure in his adopted hometown. The Braves locked up Chipper early in his career, with a four-year deal and a club option that kept him in Atlanta through the 2000 season. Incredibly, Chipper has signed three more multi-year deals with his club and will retire with the increasingly rare distinction of playing for one team his entire career. It is to be admired, even if the player will always be reviled!


Michael Friere -  Well, I think he is probably a solid Hall of Fame candidate at third base and he was an integral part of the really good Braves teams in the recent past.   He was also a major pain in the ass for most Mets fans and Public Enemy #1 for most of the same career.    With the Mets/Braves rivalry dying down recently, it removes some of the emotion from the equation.   With that said, I have come to appreciate his career and his contribution(s) to the game.    As weird as this sounds, he will be missed.


Reese Kaplan - If he'd hung them at age 34 or so a'la Johnny Bench, he would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. He'll go in, but I think he will not go in his first year of eligibility as he hung around for several subpar years at the end of an otherwise distinguished career (and it pains me to pay him a compliment!) 


Stephen Guilbert - Reese: He's a first-ballot hall-of-famer regardless. One of the best switch hitters in the history of the game and from a premium position that he dominated for over a decade. As much as I cannot stand the Braves, I have to admit that Chipper is one of the best players of his generation and I will be happy not to have to see my Mets face him after this season. Best of luck, Larry. 


David Rubin - Chipper was/is one of those guys who you love to hate. He named his son "Shea" as a tribute to his favorite ballpark to hit in (outside of Atlanta), He's been a "Met-killer" from day one, in third place, I believe, in both homers and RBI's against us. He tries to play through injuries, is supposed to be an incredible teammate and changed positions a number of times for the betterment of his team. Once he retires, he's no longer just a lifetime Brave- he's a hall of fame baseball player whom we have to respect for his fantastic career and not for how he hurt the Mets with his greatness. He's the player we all hope(d) David Wright would become (and still might) and will go down as one of the 5 or 6 best third-sackers in history. Hey- I LOVED Michael Jack Schmidt even though he killed us, too...so let's give props where props are deserved and celebrate our fortune in having viewed one of the game's top players of all-time (maybe not top 50 or 75, but he WILL be a HOFer!!)