Not the Best Thursday

Those who know me know that there are two days every year when sports make me especially crabby: the day the Marquette basketball team is knocked out of (or eliminated from making) the NCAA tournament, and the day the Atlanta Braves are eliminated from postseason contention. Thursday was as close as I've come to seeing both in the same day. As I've gotten older, I think I've gotten better at keeping sports in perspective. So, calling Thursday "the worst day ever" is pretty ridiculous. As far as being a sports fan goes, though, yesterday kind of stunk.

The greatest Brave since Hank Aaron? Maybe.

The day began with the news that Chipper Jones is retiring. The news was hardly a surprise. Chipper turns 40 this year, and he's been battling injuries for quite a while. He's been talking about retirement and the hell of getting old a lot lately, but it's still a bummer to know this will be his last season with the Braves.

I have heard the argument made that Chipper is the most valuable number one overall pick in MLB history. What that means is that he has done more for the team that drafted him than any other top overall pick. Sure, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey, Jr., had better careers, but they split their time with franchises other than Seattle. Chipper was drafted by Atlanta, and after 22 years, he'll retire in Atlanta.

In 1990, the Braves were the laughing stock of the National League when they drafted 18-year old Larry Wayne Jones. He debuted in 1993, became a full-time Major Leaguer in 1995, and he's been tormenting the National League (especially the Mets) ever since. After 21 years, all Chipper has done: 7 All-Star appearances, a battle title, an MVP, played a key role on 11 of the Braves' 14 straight division titles, won a World Series and put together the highest OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of any third baseman in MLB history.

Even the biggest Braves hater out there would admit Chipper is among the top five third basemen and top five switch-hitters of all-time. I would say he's top three in both categories (trailing only Mike Schmidt and George Brett in the former and Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray in the latter). There has been some debate on this, but as far as I'm concerned, there is none: Chipper Jones is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The only Braves that I've seen with my own eyes that are bigger locks for Cooperstown are Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine.

Crowder had an amazing run at Marquette,
but it came to a disappointing end Thursday.

So, the day started with the news that arguably the greatest Brave in my lifetime is hanging it up. The day ended with a disappointing loss by my beloved Marquette Golden Eagles. There are dozens of blogs and great perspectives on the season. I'll just sum it up by saying this: the loss was very disappointing because Marquette had a golden (no pun intended) opportunity to get back to the Final Four. The top seeds in Marquette's bracket (Michigan State and Missouri) were out, and the road to get to New Orleans was there.

Teams like Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas can always say "we'll have a good shot at the Final Four next year." Marquette can't. Seasons like this one are rare, and it will be tough to replace the production of Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom. That's 35 points per game graduating. I'm not sure where it's coming from next year, but we can break down the depth chart another day.

I think calling the season a disappointment (as some have) is a stretch. Sure, the team had some frustrating moments, but the body of work is pretty solid. Marquette finished second in the Big East (best in its seven years in the league), had the conference player of the year, beat Wisconsin in Madison and reached back-to-back Sweet 16's for the first time since Al McGuire was the coach. Marquette's run of seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances is the longest active streak in the Big East. That's a pretty good year. As my friends at Anonymous Eagle said, though, the loss Thursday definitely kept it at "good" and prevented it from being "great."

The ironic part about my Braves/Marquette loyalties: they help me get over each other. Now that Marquette is done, I watch spring training games, draft a fantasy baseball team and look forward to the summer. When the Braves are knocked out later this year, I'll be counting down the days to Marquette Madness and the beginning of another year of college hoops.