Chipper Jones

While nothing is written is stone just yet, there is a pretty good chance that the Atlanta Braves will find themselves sans-Chipper Jones when the team reports to Spring Training in 2011.

(Oh, and yeah, I know that the Braves are a first place team with a lot going right for them right now.)

Oh man, it's been so many months since I've done an MLB Rumor Mill at BleacherReport.com. It's been ages, literally!

So here I am, back with the MLB Rumors. And that brings me to another thing: I haven't written an MLB article for a long time, too. Jeez.

I'm a Braves fan.  I've been one since the early 90s.  In my lifetime of enjoying Braves baseball, you can't say much about the team's success without mentioning Chipper Jones in the same sentence.

At 38 years old, we all know the decline is rapidly picking up speed.  It shows on the injury sheet.  It shows in the stat line.

Chipper is batting .240 this season with 1 HR and 21 RBI.  He's slugging almost 200 points less than his career average and his OBP is drops year after year.

With the draft on the horizon it is the perfect time to take a look back at some of baseball's all time best #1 picks. Just because someone is drafted #1 overall doesn't mean they are going to be the next best thing just look at Brien Taylor. Sometimes, however, teams who did their scouting wind up with future hall of famers.

Begin Slideshow

At the end of last season, Atlanta Braves 3B Chipper Jones said he would retire from baseball if his play did not improve this season.

If Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox does not start Brooks Conrad at third base for tomorrow's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he may have lost his mind.

Admittedly, I am still heavily under the influence of the euphoria that ensued after Conrad hit an opposite-field, game-winning grand slam in a 10-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds today, which capped an eight-run Atlanta rally Thursday.

However, it's not crazy to at least entertain the idea of putting today's ninth-inning hero in the starting lineup at the hot corner.

Talk about a turnaround.

Just six games ago, the Braves were shut-out by the No. 2 man on the all-time homers allowed list.

Now, they find themselves dumping a high-powered Brewers attack out of a dust pan and into the trash after outscoring the Brew Crew by an unbelievable (keep in mind we're talking about the team ranked next-to-last in runs in the NL coming into this series) 21-run margin over three games. 

We see it in every sport, a once great player hangs on too long, refusing to accept that his time has passed. It's hard to watch our heroes become mere mortals right before our eyes, and many fans seem to take it personally.

It's no great mystery why it happens. All these athletes know is the game they have dedicated their lives to, given their blood, sweat, and tears for.

I feel like the baseball season is halfway over already.

I know, the Braves are only 14 games into the year, but doesn’t it seem like so much has happened?

First there was Opening Day—Derek Lowe being Derek Lowe, a packed crowd at Turner Field, and of course, the monster homerun hit on the first swing of Jason Heyward’s career.

It is always hard to watch a player that was once at the top of his game not know when to call it a career.

I understand, and fully respect, the fact that these guys love the game of baseball and want to play as long as they can.