Braves/Cardinals Wild Card Game Most Nerve Racking I've Ever Seen

I have never been more nervous about a baseball game than I am about today’s National League Wild Card playoff game between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, which begins at 4 p.m. on TBS.  

There are many things leading to the nervousness, the first of which is that it’s a win or go home game. The Braves were clearly a better team than the Cardinals this season finishing a whopping six games ahead of them in the wild card standings. The Cardinals, by the way, are tied with the American League Central Division champion Detroit Tigers for the worst record this season of the 10 MLB playoff teams. The Braves 94-68 record would have been good enough to win half of the divisions in baseball. So, the Braves are the better team, but in a one game win or go home playoff anything can happen, which means I will be on the edge of my seat for the entire game. I, also, have a very bad hunch about this game, but maybe that’s because I’m a pessimist. The Cardinals do have a knack for winning it all when they’re the worst of the playoff teams and have done so twice in the last six seasons.

In my opinion, the second wild card was a bad move on the part of Major League Baseball. I’m not just saying this now that it could potentially screw over the Braves; I’ve said it from the very day it was instituted before this season. I know it will lead to more excitement for most fans, but if you’re a fan of one of the four teams playing in the two games it must be a horrible experience. It’s not actually really the second wild card that bothers me so much, but the fact that it’s only one game. If it was a best of three series it wouldn’t be some bothersome, because it would be fair. A one game playoff in this situation doesn’t seem fair; especially to a team like the Braves that was six games ahead of the Cardinals.

The second reason I’m very nervous is that if the Braves lose to the Cardinals today it will be the last time I will ever see Chipper Jones play the game of baseball and it’s frankly not something I’m ready to happen under this circumstance. I know that Chipper’s career will come to an end sometime this month, but I would rather it be under more fair circumstances than a one game playoff against a frankly lesser team.

The third and final reason why today’s game is making me so nervous is that this is the best team the Braves have had in over five years. This team is frankly capable of going the distance, in my opinion, but their biggest threat may actually be today’s game because of the unusual and new circumstances. Not only is it the last opportunity that the Braves will have to win a World Series with Chipper in the lineup, but who knows what will happen to the team next season. The Braves look like they should be contenders for years to come, but I think a big key for the team in free agent center fielder Michael Bourn could be leaving for a bigger contract in the offseason. Chipper Jones has definitely been the heart and soul of this Braves team this season and honestly should garner at least slight NL MVP consideration, but Michael Bourn has been the best and most important piece on this team, at least as far as the offense goes.

Luckily it appears I will be getting off of work a few hours early today to see the game at 4 p.m., but it’s going to be the most nerve-racking baseball game I’ve ever seen. Hopefully the Braves can bust things open early so I can relax and actually enjoy the game.

Chipper Named to All Star team, has 'Dream Game' on Same Day

On the same day that Atlanta Braves slugger Chipper Jones was named to his eighth career All Star team he also had a game for the ages that he himself referred to as a “dream game.”

Earlier in the day Jones had been named to the National League All Star squad as an injury replacement for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, who was voted into the NL’s starting lineup by the fans.

Jones had initially been left off of the National League’s All Star roster, but was included by National League manager Tony La Russa in the Final Five voting with fellow teammate Michael Bourn, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese, Washington Nationals young phenol outfielder Bryce Harper and Arizona Diamondbacks hot second baseman Aaron Hill.

Jones’ selection to the NL squad as an injury replacement, means that neither he nor his fans will have to wait until Thursday to see whether or not he’s an All Star and means that Bourn, Freese, Harper and Hill has less competition to make the squad. Freese is the current Final Five vote leader with a little less than two days remaining to vote.

Jones told the press that he always looks forward to the All Star experience and especially looks forward to sharing the moment with his children in his final year in baseball. Hopefully Chipper will see some game action, at least as a pinch hitter. It might be hard for him to get much playing time with three third basemen on the team (four if Freese wins the Final Vote) with San Francisco Giants Pablo Sandoval and New York Mets third baseman David Wright also being on the squad. It’d be a nice honor if NL manager Tony La Russa named Jones as the team’s starting designated hitter, but I realize that is probably not going to happen.

In Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs Chipper has what he called a “dream game” recording his third career five-hit game, with three singles and two doubles while driving in five runs. Jones’ five-for-five night at the plate upped his batting average to .313 on the season. Chris Volstad was the starting pitcher for the Cubs and is now 0-7 on the season after getting roughed up by Jones and the Braves in a 10-3 game.

Chipper’s last five-hit game came off of the Houston Astros and starting pitcher Dave Milicki in 2002. His first career five-hit game was in 2001 off of the Arizona Diamondbacks and starting pitcher Armando Reynoso.  

Click HERE to see the standing ovation that Chipper received on his career day.

Click HERE to check out the box score from his five-for-five outing.

Chipper Needs Your Final Vote

Well, Chipper Jones unfortunately wasn’t voted in as the starting third baseman of the National League All Star team by the fans … and neither were deserving third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets and David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In a disgusting surprise, fans of the San Francisco Giants stuffed the ballot boxes in the final days of All Star voting to vote their fan-favorite Pablo Sandoval into the starting position. Sandoval’s inclusion into the game by the fans likely makes him this year’s worst All Star choice for the National League. He’s nowhere near as deserving as Jones, for lifetime achievement reasons, or Wright and Freese, for on-field reasons. This is why fan voting for the Major League Baseball All Star game is asinine. It’s just a popularity contest.

Sandoval’s inclusion in the All Star game meant that at least one truly deserving third bagger would have to miss out on the game. Unfortunately, Chipper didn’t make the NL all star squad as a reserve either. Wright was given the reserve spot by the player’s vote.

However, National League manager Tony La Russa has given fans one more opportunity to place Chipper Jones into the All Star game by including him among the five nominees for the Final Vote. Jones will be joined in the Final Vote by four other truly deserving candidates: Freese, Chipper’s Braves teammate outfielder Michael Bourn, Washington Nationals rookie phenom outfielder Bryce Harper and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill.

As a future hall of famer and likely one of the five greatest third baseman to ever play the game of baseball, Chipper greatly deserves the honor of being named to the All Star game and this will likely be his last opportunity for him to make it (it’s highly unlikely that he would be added as an injury replacement).

Fellow Final Vote nominee Bryce Harper said himself that Chipper deserved the All Star nod to MLB.com: “He should have already been in the All-Star Game, no matter what. He's an All-Star, and he's been an All-Star for 20 years. I think Chip should have been there and, like I said, if I had a vote, Chip's going.”

Click HERE to see what Chipper had to say about being included in the Final Vote.

Voting for the Final Vote is open now and will continue through 3 p.m. on Thursday. You can vote for Chipper by clicking HERE.