Thank You Chipper

Today, pitchers and catchers report to spring training along with some position players that are eager to get a jump on the season and put them in a position to come out of the gate as strong as possible. For the first time since the mid 90's there will be no Chipper Jones in the dugout. It is clearly the end of an era. The Braves have done a good job at re-tooling the roster in the absence of their recently departed future Hall of Fame third baseman. In honor of Spring Training opening it seems appropriate to thank Chipper for what he has done for the Braves and all the fans of the Braves over his career. Three Cheers! 

In five years time there will be a ceremony held for Major League Baseball and that of course is the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. At that time, baring something outlandish and crazy, will be when the great Chipper Jones' road to greatness should be complete. Chipper should be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee and there should be no question about that. At least there will not be any controversy on what hat he is going to be wearing when he is enshrined in Cooperstown  As a player who was drafted by Atlanta, moved up through the organization, World Series Champion in 1995, won an MVP in 1999, 8 times All-Star, 2008 batting champion and stayed there right to the end- 19 consecutive seasons, 14 of which resulted in consecutive division titles.

The Braves have seemingly known when to cut bait with players just as they have peaked and then parted ways to get younger or restructure...that didn't happen with Chipper. The Braves knew he was the face of the franchise and his production never warranted them to think otherwise. The only reason for any decline in production was from injury and no one could disagree that when Chipper was on the field that he was going to make the team better, more feared and had a leader out there with them.

Maybe at some point Chipper will make his way back into the game. Maybe in the Braves front office or maybe in some sort of player development role like a hitting coach (sorry Greg Walker). Imagine having Chipper Jones as a batting coach, it would be like talking hitting with Ted Williams. How could a player not get better?

The stats clearly support that honour. A .303 batting average, 468 Home Runs, 1623 RBI, and 2726 hits...as a switch hitter. If that isn't impressive enough he did it all with one team. It pains one to think what kind of numbers he would have had he been able to stay healthy towards the end of his career. Had he been able to play in 1994 as well would have added to his overall stats. The Braves were the team that drafted him, the team he played his entire career with, he is and was the face of the franchise. Jones was an unselfish player in a time that was and is know for players being selfish. He never came that close to becoming a free agent and test the market, remarkable in this day and age. After being an All-Star 3rd baseman whom had already won a World Series a batting title and an MVP made the move to left field so the Braves could add Vinny Castilla. He also unselfishly re-did his contract so that the Braves could free up some $15 million to be able to go after and sign other players that would be able to help the Braves win. Again, not something that you will see from very many athletes is just about any sport.

Many people will compare him to other great switch hitters throughout history, Eddie Murray and Micky Mantle. That is a little unfair as he truly is his own man. He holds his own and can stand alone. He has earned that.

On June 13, 2008 Chipper was hitting .419 

and there was talk that maybe he could be 

the first player since Ted Williams to 

end the season over .400

From 1995 on there was a consistency Braves fans from the US and Canada could expect and enjoy. The Braves continuing to tack on division titles, Chipper Jones evolving to become the face of "America's Team" everyday, and on TBS (except during rain delays when we could be re-acquainted with The Andy Griffith Show). In addition, to get the feeling of a family and friendly atmosphere with the announcing team, led by Skip Carry, with Pete Van Wiren, Joe Simpson and Don Sutton. That was the perfect storm and a great time to be not only a Braves fan but also a baseball fan.

Not since Cal Ripken Jr. has a player announced his final year of play and enjoyed a farewell tour to the extent that Chipper enjoyed. Just about every team he visited, his last time into town, honored him and his career and more often then not passed along a nice thoughtful gift on behalf of the opposing franchise. Teams would not do that for a ballplayer that was just a good player, or a great player...but they sure would, and did, for a Hall of Fame player.

There will be a lot missed by Braves fans with a loss of the magnitude that is the loss of the face of your franchise both on the field and off. From a strictly on field view, the loss of a corner infielder. One who, for the majority of his 19 year MLB career, put up good solid defense and contributed offensively as not only the 3rd bat in the lineup but the backbone to the lineup but also the spark plug. Off the field, I am sure that he will still be the community minded guy who is involved in various charities. From a more indirect view, not getting to see Chipper and follow him and being inspired by him and his play will be a loss for the young kids. The average fan can see what impact Chipper has had on the growth of baseball in Georgia and the players that are being produced from those youth systems. Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann are just 2 examples already.
Fans will remember seeing that switch hitter with his Blond Bat from the left side and the Black Bat from the right side, that smooth swing that reminds you of Ted Williams and the bull dog look on the field and in the dugout.

It is an old joke but as many Braves fans have said and will continue to say: Thank You Todd Van Poppel! Van Poppel appeared as a tough player to sign and made it a no brainer for the Braves to take Chipper as the first overall pick in the Free Agent Draft. The rest is history!

There are probably rules that need to be adhered to, but would it not be fitting after whom-ever is selected to provide the introduction speach at the Hall of Fame (maybe his father, maybe Bobby Cox) in 5 years time to announce: "Please welcome this years inductee, Larry Wayne 'Chipper' Jones" and then hear it---

`All aboard! Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaa! ( dum-dum...dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum)

Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay` -  Crazy Train by Ozzie Osbourn

Would that not just be amazing? Just imagine the goose bumps and chills!!

Thank you Chipper for all that you have meant to The Braves, The Fans, and to Baseball. 
All the best in retirement and a hope to see you back in the game in one way or another.

More Madness May Be A Good Thing - NCAA Tourny To Expand

I don’t know where the games are going to be played. I don’t know what teams are going to be involved but what I do know is that the NCAA March Madness Tournament is set to hold the First and Second Rounds on March 17-20, 2011. In addition the field has been extended to 68 from the current 65 where the "opening round" is essentially a play in game between 64 and 65. How this new change will affect the dates and times is yet to be determined. This change comes on the heals of a brand new TV deal that the NCAA is entering into with partners CBS and Turner (TBS and TNT) worth a reported $10.8 billion.

What this means for fans is The NCAA’s agreement with CBS and Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System Inc, which runs from 2011 through 2024 is that every game next March will be shown live on CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV this will mark the first time this will happen in the tournament’s 73-year history.

It looks like the partnership will morph over time to a similar set up to what NASCAR has with Fox and now ESPN/ABC (formerly dealing with NBC and TNT). Beginning in 2016, coverage of the regional finals will be split by CBS and Turner; the Final Four and the championship game will alternate every year between CBS and TBS. Under the agreement, the NCAA and CBSSports.com will again provide live streaming video of games, though Turner secured rights for any player it develops.

There was very heavy talks to expand to a 96-team field but that would have likely enveloped the 32-team NIT, the NCAA’s other, independently run season-ending tournament. and all but eliminated it. Sure it is less followed and less known, especially here in Canada. Sure it is the equivalent to a B Pool final but it is a little extra revenue for the NCAA, this may be the best of both worlds...at least for the time being.

Time to start planning vacation time around the tournament. Maybe not the play-in game but the first round I try to make my "Masters" a tradition Unlike Any Other!

The loss of a legend

Forgive me if I sound like an old man here for a second but here it is.We all have that voice that we associate with our favorite team or sport. In Canada it would likely include Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth, Danny Gallivan or Dick Irvin. In the US there would be many like Howard Cosell or Ernie Harwell among others depending on your sport of choice. I remember as a youngster watching my beloved Braves play ball on TBS throughout their 14 consecutive division titles and the voices of those that came into my home each telecast. Joe Simpson, Don Sutton, Pete Van Wieren and the man that was the backbone of the broadcasts, Skip Carey. Skip passed away Sunday at the age of 68 after a series of health issues, though he didn’t let that stop him from continuing to do Braves home games on the radio.Skip was the son of legendary broadcaster Harry Carey who was famous for doing Cub games and the father of Chip Carey who also worked on Braves games. Skip had done games for the team since 1976. Skip had a style all his own, many people didn’t care for it as much as he rarely got overly excited but did openly root for the Braves on air in what some would consider a “homer” broadcast style, but that was part of his charm. With TBS the Braves were America’s team because they were one of the first teams shown nationwide on the Superstation and people were more exposed to them then any other team and Skip was the voice. I will remember him not only as the voice of the Braves for my entire time as a Braves fan but also for his announcing of what was going to be on TBS after the game or during a rain delay. I think that I will probably think of Skip every time I see a Matlock or an episode of the Andy Griffith Show.

He was a legend and one of my favorites and he will be missed.