Chipper Jones

Brian McCann and Kelly Johnson combined for six hits, three home runs, and seven RBI to lead the Braves past the Toronto Blue Jays 10-2 on Sunday afternoon.

The Braves looked to make the game a blowout early, as Kelly Johnson led off the game with an opposite field home run and McCann followed three batters later with a blast off of Toronto starter Scott Richmond.

I was six years old at the time and an avid Atlanta Braves fan. Our family always focused on living the 10 Commandments, but Granny had an 11th commandment:

"Thou shalt not root against the Braves."

You never rooted against Granny's Braves, especially in her presence. If you did, you suffered the consequences.

I can remember one day sitting on my grandfather's knee watching a game and he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Futility against the Phils appears to be in the rear-view mirror.

In only about five weeks, the Atlanta Braves have matched their 2008 win total against the Phillies with their 4-2 win on Sunday.

Despite two debacles, one from Jo-Joke Reyes and another from the (at the time) "suckpen", the Braves have performed admirably against the World Champions.

Perhaps the key to these performances has been the presence of the true four and five hitters on the Braves, McCann and Anderson.

Who, among us die-hard Braves fans, was not excited when it was announced that Chipper Jones’ contract had been extended another three years?

Who, among us, was not thrilled with the fact that Chipper would be a lifetime Brave? Especially considering the circumstances in which John Smoltz left Atlanta for the hated Red Sox three months ago.

Following their worst season since Bobby Cox became the manager in 1990, all signs point to the Atlanta Braves returning to their typical spot near the top of the National League East in 2009.

Chipper Jones is one of the most cherished players to ever don the Braves uniform, but is he the greatest pure hitter to ever play the game? If you take a look at his career stats and compare them to other third basemen and switch hitters who have played, there might be an argument to suggest that he is at the top of the list.

Chipper Jones was drafted No. 1 in the 1990 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves. He was a member of the 1995 World Series champions and finished second to Hideo Nomo in the rookie of the year balloting.

Consider the Braves lineup that was posted for tonight's opening night game:

1. 2B Kelly Johnson
2. SS Yunel Escobar
3. 3B Chipper Jones
4. C  Brian McCann
5. LF Garret Anderson
6. RF Jeff Francoeur
7. 1B Casey Kotchman
8. CF Jordan Schafer
9. SP Derek Lowe

Chipper Jones has reached agreement on a contract extension with the Atlanta Braves. The extension is said to be worth $42 million over three seasons, with an option for a fourth year at an additional $19 million.

In many cases, it is difficult to truly appreciate greatness until long after a player has left the game he loves. As a result, many stars end up epitomizing the “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone” philosophy.