IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

When I look at the Braves, I see a team with an identity crisis. They have just enough talent to not be in rebuilding mode, yet they aren’t talented enough to make the playoffs this year. Even if by some miracle they manage to make the playoffs, they certainly won’t last very long. This is a franchise that is located in a large media market, but has the mentality of a small market franchise. Since 1991 the Braves were the Gold Standard for consistency in sports. They made the playoffs every season from 1991 to 2005 (excluding1994, due to the Major League Baseball strike). What do they have to show for these 14 playoff berths you ask? ONE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! in five appearances. During the 1990’s the Braves set out each season with the goal of winning the World Series. To accomplish this goal they put the best team possible on the field each season. I know that you can’t win a championship every year, but I was proud of the Braves for putting together a team that would be in contention. In recent years it has been clear that the Braves are not working toward winning a World Series, but simply putting a slightly better than average product on the field to sale tickets. They care more about the bottom line on the balance sheet than winning. This is clearly a team that is stuck in no man’s land. They don’t want to compete, yet they also don’t want to totally start over. This approach has sucked the excitement out of Braves fans.

There are two ways to win in Major League Baseball. You either buy the best talent available or you scout your butt off and find the best young, inexpensive players possible. The Major League Baseball trade deadline is fast approaching. The July 31st deadline will set the tone for the future of the Atlanta Braves. It’s now time to decide if they want to start competing for championships again, or remain a middle of the road franchise. I would hope they decide to actually start competing again. I know that they are not going to start spending money like the Yankees or Red Sox, but there is one way that they can acquire a boat-load of young inexpensive talent, and excite the fans of Atlanta once again. They must TRADE CHIPPER JONES.

I know that most Braves fans are going to hate this idea, but if you remove the emotions and evaluate the idea, it makes a lot of sense. First of all, we know that there is NO CHANCE that the Braves will win another World Series with Chipper Jones on the roster. Honestly, Mike Hampton has a better chance of making 5 consecutive starts. This is the time in his career that the Braves can get maximum value for Chipper. He is a switch hitter currently batting .394 with 16 HR’s and 46 RBI’s, so there is definitely a market for him. It’s time for the Atlanta Braves to do what the Dallas Cowboys did with Hershel Walker in 1989. They traded him and set the foundation of the franchise for years to come.

A team that’s in playoff contention and feel as though they are one bat away from winning the World Series would definitely give up a good number of talented prospects for the player that could put them over the top. Chipper Jones is now 36 years old, so his career is definitely winding down (that is unless he moves in with Julio Franco who played until his 138th birthday). Also, THERE IS A ZERO PERCENT CHANCE THAT HE HAS THIS GOOD OF A SEASON EVER AGAIN. The Braves can either trade him now or resign themselves to being mediocre for the foreseeable future. It’s nice to have a marquee player start and finish their career in the same city, but do you keep a player for sentimental reasons or do you use your assets to build for the future.

Looking at the Braves run of success (or high-level mediocrity depending on who you ask), I always asked myself one question. Is it better to be a fan of a team that is consistently above average year in and year out (no peaks or valleys)? or Is it better to be a fan of a team that is really bad for a couple of years followed by some really good years (lots of peaks and valleys)? Personally, I prefer the team that rebuilds, wins, and then does it all over again. Apparently the fans of Atlanta agree with me. If you don’t believe me, simply turn on a Braves game and see how many empty seats there are. The fans are tired of slightly above average and are ready for a winner. If it takes a while to build a winner, I am sure that they will understand as long as it is clear that the team is rebuilding and not simply re-tooling for more mediocrity. Trading Chipper would start the rebuilding process and if the front-office and scouting department are any good, it should be a successful one.


***FYI***
For those of you who enjoyed the Warren Sapp dance included in the entry titled “WHAT A CLASS”. There is good news. You will be able to see more of Mr. Sapp dancing on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. I usually don’t watch that show, but I will definitely be tuning in to see this.