The blogosphere has been buzzing over the past 24-36 hours over some comments that Atlanta Braves’ Third Baseman, Chipper Jones, made about right fielder, Jason Heyward. Much has been made about these comments. I think people are reading into the comments way too much. In no way, do I feel that Chipper was “calling out” Heyward. Chipper was being truthful and was speaking his mind out of frustration and the reality that the Braves sorely need Heyward in their lineup. Though, I do believe that Chipper needs to be careful what he says about other players, considering his past. Here is what Chipper said (taken from the Atlanta Journal Constitution):
Heyward recently said that he wouldn’t return before his shoulder was completely recovered, that he learned his lesson from trying to play through injury as a rookie in 2010. The quote got a lot of attention, not just from fans and media but other players.
“I think where Jason might have erred was the comment that he made, ‘I’m not coming back until it doesn’t hurt anymore.’ That has a tendency to rub people the wrong way,” Jones said. “And we understand where he’s coming from – he wants to be healthy when he plays, so he can go out and give himself the best opportunity to be successful. I get that.
“What Jason needs to realize is that Jason at 80 percent is a force, and Jason at 80 percent is better than a lot of people in this league. And that there are a bunch of his teammates that are out there playing with discomfort and not healthy, and still going at it.”
“It’s just a situation where, I don’t think he really realizes how much of an impact he has on the game just by his presence,” Jones said. “And that’s something I had to learn, too. When I started going through my injuries early on, obviously I wanted to get healthy and whatnot. But I realize that, even now, my presence in the lineup means something. Whether I’m healthy or not. And he’s more of a benefit to us standing out there in right field than he is down here in Florida [at extended spring training].”
Chipper is being candid and truthful about the state of the team. Frustrations with the lack of offense is probably the reason why he addressed this issue to begin with. If the Braves were scoring 6-7 runs a game without him, Chipper would not have made the comments. However, with the offense is scoring just barely 3 runs a game over the last 3 + weeks, Chipper is speaking out of frustrations. No one can fault him for this.
Frankly, he is right! The Braves’ lineup is better with Heyward in it. If he isn’t 100%, then the lineup is still going to be better, depending on the severity of the injury. Chipper is right in saying that 80% of Jason Heyward is better than not having him. That is Chipper giving Heyward the respect that he deserves and that he has earned in his short MLB career. It speaks to the type of player that Heyward has become in a short time.
Now, all of this is not to say that I don’t disagree with Chipper on certain parts.
First of all, Heyward’s injuries in his first two seasons have been injuries that are difficult to play through. Last year with his finger injury and his shoulder injury this year, both injuries greatly affected his hitting. To the point where, he was not adding productivity to the Braves’ lineup. The injuries directly affected his hitting. His hands and his shoulders are essential to him being the type of hitter he is capable of being. So, in this regard, Chipper shouldn’t be questioning his manhood…not that he is.
Furthermore, it would be stupid to try and play through an injury and potentially hurt himself more and jeopardize the bright future that Heyward has before him. Although the MRIs have found no damage, playing with an inflamed shoulder could potentially lead to more serious injuries down the line. If someone is injured, they change the way they play to compensate for the injury. That makes other parts of the body susceptible to injury. The last thing that the Braves need is to have their young superstar hurt himself worse than he is by rushing to get back before he is ready.
The last part of my critique of Chipper’s comments is due to who he is. Chipper has not been a testament of healthy or playing through injuries over the past seven seasons. He has played more than 140 games only one time over the past seven years.
He also has been on the other side of things as well in the media. John Smoltz received some heat for calling out Chipper in 2007:
Smoltz said: “You can’t worry about who’s in the lineup and who isn’t. You can’t worry about that stuff anymore. I certainly appreciate the effort of the guys who are on the field busting it.”
“”I have no comment. I’m not even going to address that.”(when talking about if he was talking about Chipper)
“We all could wish we were feeling better, but that’s the way it goes.”(when asked about his sore shoulder).
Chipper responded: “Probably. Let’s just say there are people who don’t believe me, “Let’s just say that and leave it at that.”(when asked about if he had rushed himself back in the lineup) I’d be stupid if I didn’t take it the same way, I will play the rest of the games this year and do whatever I can. Somebody I know better not miss a start.”
“I got nothing to say, he made his point through the media. Now I’m going to make my point through the media. If he doesn’t want to do it man to man, then fine.”(when talking about if he had talked to John yet).”
All I am saying is that Chipper Jones has been where Jason Heyward is right now. He has been in his shoes when a teammate “called him out”, whether that was the case or not.
For Chipper to criticize Heyward for not playing through an injury seems like he makes the old cliche ring true: “The Pot is calling the Kettle Black.”
Original Story:
http://www.tomahawktalk.com/2011/06/t...
