There are many reasons why the Atlanta Braves hang by an ever-fraying thread in the National League playoff chase.Top of the list: Chipper Jones, who suggested Thursday that he would retire before his contract expires in 2011 if his hitting funk spills over into next year.
This is not to blame Jones for Atlanta needing a telescope to find the Rockies, ahead of them by 8 1/2 games in the wild-card division. But here's a guy whom the Braves penciled in during the spring for a ,300 batting average and 100 RBIs, minimum. They've gotten 68 ribbies and a .268 average, 96 whopping points under last year's.
In a year when Jones likely will exceed his games total for the previous four, when he was limited by a medical guide full of injuries to 122 per, they would almost be doing just as well with him on the bench. He's missed 26 this season.
The lineup's only other feared hitter, Brian McCann, is at .277, subpar for him, too. And, because Bobby Cox sits the catcher periodically, McCann has skipped 33 games.
So, you've got a Chipper imposter and an occasional absentee catcher, which means other hitters must fill the void. Some do on occasional, Yunel Escobar or Matt Diaz of Garrett Anderson, but not enough to support the Braves' remarkable pitching.
Chipper is getting old fast, and he sees it. If he has enough pride to walk away from a contract that averages $14 mil per year, that's deserving of one last standing O. He's not getting any others nowadays.
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