The Braves are lucky to have him…through the end of his current deal.  Craig, unless Chipper took a significant pay cut, this isn’t the deal a team like the Braves should endorse.  Unlike the Yankees, the Braves can’t afford albatross contracts, can they?  I would have figured Braves fans, heck any fans, would like to be competitive rather than nostalgic.

I’m all in.  Keep the man.  Still productive at the plate, and he’s given hometown discounts to the Braves before.  I’m under the impression that he’ll step aside when it’s good for the team.

The only 3-bagger I really remember for the Bravos, aside from the intrepid Bob Horner.  That may only be because of his curly locks of flaxen hair, shining in the Fulton County Stadium sun.  Memories…

There is some point at which I would rather root for players I like than to see the team win.  I realized that a few years back when Gary Sheffield was briefly in Atlanta and I actively rooted for him to fail even if it were to cost the team the game.  I’m old enough that I clearly remember the debate over the drafting of Chipper and the displeasure that Todd Van Poppel was rejecting the woebegotten Braves.  Having watched Jones grow from there to become one of the 5 best to ever play the position has been a treat.  Seeing a picture of Willie Mays, Warren Spahn or Eddie Mathews as members of the Mets or Babe Ruth a Brave or Ty Cobb an Athletic or ... is just esthetically displeasing.  For me, being a fan—a fanatic—is not something purely logical based solely on wins and losses.  Having Chipper Jones finish out his career in Atlanta is emotionally and esthetically pleasing to me even beyond the team’s performance.

Chipper is one of my favorite players ever; though for me, it ultimately comes down to the Braves winning.  Whatever it takes for the Braves to win is acceptable to me.  But I like this contract; I feel it’s favorable for the team, and it keeps their best hitter happy and here for the rest of his career.

All that being said, if the Braves stink a year or two down the road (and I really don’t think they will, this team should only improve for the next few seasons), but if we were in a situation where it were obvious that Chipper couldn’t win in Atlanta, but we could send him to an AL team to give him a chance at a ring; I’d be bitterly okay with that.  As long as we were properly compensated in prospects. 

It was important for this organization to get this deal done, now before the season started.  If not extension went through, and with Bobby likely retiring after this season; Chipper would be a damn fool not to consider the bigger contract he could get on the open market.