The Phillies presented Chipper with a Dick Perez painting. (Photo by Kevin McAlpin of the Braves Radio Network)
As Chipper Jones makes his final jaunt into Philly this weekend, it brings back awful memories of him tearing the Phillies a new one through all the years. The headline is written with a degree of sarcasm, it also rings true.
Hearing “Larry” come from the stands as he played left field at the Vet (remember those days) is a lasting memory I’ll have of Jones and the Braves/Phillies rivalry. Just kidding, there was no rivalry until Chipper was on the back nine of his career. The late 90’s-early 00’s were dominated by the Chipper-led Braves squad, making it hell on a kid like me. I just wanted them to win a damn series against them.
Anyway, Jones will leave Philadelphia after Sunday’s game, never to return in a Braves uniform. With him go the memories of the 1993 Phillies pennant winning team, the 14 division titles, and some really good baseball from Jones. Going into the series, Chipper killed the Phillies to the tune of .332 with 49 career home runs and an OPS of 1.041 in 243 games. He just owned the Phillies for such a long period of time that we should be glad to see him go. Ride off into the sunset, Chipper – please!
On the flip side, it is sad to see a part of my youth fade away. As much as I “hated” Chipper growing up, it impossible not to respect the hell out of his body of work. Him getting old is making me feel old, too, and that sucks.
So, while we’ll finally get rid of Chipper Jones, we’ll also miss the Larry screams and seeing one of the best switch-hitters ever to play the game.
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