Light the Hot Stove fires

I think Chipper is a legit candidate.

He wouldn't be in if he retired right now, but I think you're right about three more decent years. And never underestimate the importance of playing your career in one place nor how his selflessness will appeal to the voters. And it's a legit selflessness/leadership, unlike another nameless person--let's call him Derek J.--who just lost the AL MVP vote by 14 points.

 

"Selflessness" is a little misleading, Beej. Chipper's more of a loner than anything else, but he will stick up verbally for the John Rockers of his team, and guys who are struggling, etc., when he's put on the spot.

But John Smoltz is the unquestioned leader on that team. David Justice was much more of a leader when he was there. Brian Jordan was always a leader (which is how he's stayed on in Atlanta for so long). Even Gary Sheffield was more of a leader than Chipper for that one year (too bad he completely disappeared in the NLDS.)

Chipper's not the heart of the team. But he's a huge part of the soul.

And yes, he's a definite Hall of Famer. (... To add to novelist_wannabe's point about his New York dominance -- Chipper named his son Shea, because he has so much fun hitting there. )

 

BDub, I was referring more to the moving around the diamond and re-doing his contract a couple times when I referenced his selflessness/leadership.

That said, it seems to me that Chipper has always been among the inner core of that team. Maybe he's not as mouthy as Sheffield or as tenured as Smoltz, but I always got the idea he's been a tone-setter there since his early 20s. He certainly is now that the core is down to him, Smoltz and Andruw (and, in a few weeks, Tom Glavine again MUAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!).

And while naming his kid Shea forever endears the guy to me (that and the fact he's as respectful a star as there is in the game), Mike Piazza's line always cracks me up: "I'm not going to call a grown man Chipper."

 

David Justice was married to Halle Berry and he blew it. For that - I cannot forgive.

 

David Justice once hit a sixth-inning solo home run off Jim Poole. He's got a long, long, long grace period from me.

 

He only hit that HR because he wanted to get back to the clubhouse to watch porn.

 

In that case, it would have been quicker to strike out.

 

He also once hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning in 2000 that bought him a long grace period from me.

 

You say that like it's a bad thing.

I don't know how this factors, or even if it does, in the HOF voting, but until this year, Chipper has never -- all the way down to little league -- finished lower than first place. Dude's a winner.

 

Well, I'm sure the Hall of Fame voters will take his little league career into account.

 

300 wins for Mussina? He needs 61 more. He's 37 years old. Average 15 a year for five more years and he's right there. Possible?

Moyer has 85 wins from age 38-43. Maddux 44 from age 38-40. Randy Johnson 80 wins from age 38-42. Even Kenny Rogers has 62 wins from age 38-41.

I think it's well within Mussina's reach.

And Randy Johnson needs just 20 more, can he get there?

 

Off Arthur Rhodes, right?

Perhaps the most predictable HR in history.

That was a helluva moment though, knowing the Subway Series was now going to happen.