Chipper Jones

Pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow down in Orlando (or "Dark Star" as Dave O'Brien of the AJC has so cleverly coined it)  has a welcoming ring to it.

Every trade, every signing, every prospect, and every rumor has been dissected and bantered about throughout this hot stove season to the point where the only thing really left to do is the most important of all: play ball.

With the Hall of Fame election fast approaching, I’ve been meaning to write an article or two on the election, starting with my article before last. I’ve had plenty ideas of what to cover, but I finally decided to try and project the future of the Hall of Fame. I realize just how tricky this can get, with baseball’s unpredictability. 

With economics playing a larger role in how teams are constructed - here's my 25 players who are going to be on the Braves active roster leaving Spring Training and in the dugout on Opening Day 2010. There are a couple of additions, that, by the September, may bring the Braves back to the playoffs and possibly a World Series title in Bobby Cox's final season.

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One question, hundreds of answers. Which Brave had the greatest offensive season at his position?

Major League baseball has been asking fans this same question in an effort to choose each team's best ever collection of stars. They are calling it MLB 9s.

Here I have separated the contenders from the pretenders in an effort to pick my dream Atlanta Braves lineup. Have your say by commenting below or by voting on the MLB site here .

There are a number of trends in baseball that I'd love to see die; puka necklaces, the overuse of the phrase "going yard", and shaving cream pies come to mind. At the top of the list, however, is the goatee. Into the 1980s, the mustache dominated baseball facial hair. Amazing hair patterns graced the upper lips of players such as Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, and Goose Gossage, just to name a few. Popularized by the likes of actors Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, and Chuck Norris, the "stache made players look heroic, if not a bit villainous.

At the end of a season, it's easy to point fingers. Win or lose, there are always multiple factors that go into a team's success or failure. But some factors weigh more than others, and in 2009, Chipper Jones' dismal performance was the heaviest factor in Atlanta's failure to make the playoffs.

It's hard to blame Chipper Jones, of course. He's been the face of the Braves organization for years. But in 2009, Chipper had the worst season of his career. He batted .264, a full .100 points lower than in 2008. It was the worst batting average in his entire career.

I was going to wait until the season was over before writing this article, but considering that for all intents and purposes this season has been over in Atlanta for nearly two weeks now I figured it was okay to go ahead with it now.

To review, 2009 has been up and down all season long. One baseball person remarked during the season that this Braves team was "just good enough to break your heart." That turned out to be absolutely true.

I can't count the times this team has broken mine and many other Braves fans hearts this season.

One at-bat into his Braves career, long-time minor-leaguer Brooks Conrad made lots of fans in Atlanta, as his three-run, pinch-hit blast led the Braves to a 9-8 win over Washington on Friday night.

The Braves had been pitching very well lately, but Kenshin Kawakami's first start since taking a liner off his neck was rather forgettable.

He surrendered runs in each of the first three innings, including the first hit and RBI of Washington starter Ross Detwiler's career.

In an effort to improve both financial and on-the-field performance, the Atlanta Braves announced today that they have agreed to allow Dulcolax Stool Softener sponsor the team.

In a press conference, Bobby Cox was quoted "We feel that this move will allow for more regularity in run-production and revenue, plus, this product has a nifty logo that we can put on our uniforms."

Relief was prevalent in the Braves' clubhouse (wink wink nudge nudge).

Through the first three-plus innings Sunday, Tommy Hanson looked every bit the future ace that he is destined to become. After that first time through the order he quickly crashed down to earth.

After Hansen struck out the side in the second, a lot of the Braves faithful were beside themselves with excitement.

Then in the fourth the wheels started to slowly come off.

Ryan Braun took a misplaced fastball after a leadoff walk to J.J. Hardy and calmly deposited it into the stands to tie the game at two.