After 19 years in Major League Baseball, much to the delight of Mets fans everywhere, Larry “Chipper” Jones announced he will be retiring after the 2012 season. Now, here at Mets 360, we pride ourselves on talking about the history of this team. It is impossible to talk about it without mentioning the future Hall of Famer. He played an enormous role in the intense of rivalry between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets during the late 1990’s.
While Mets fans have come to hate him, at the same time, you have to respect him. Jones accomplished a lot throughout his career, especially against the Mets. Shea Stadium was definitely his personal playground. I can sit here and write his career numbers against the Mets, but I do not want to be held responsible for a mass suicide by the fans. In 84 games at Shea Stadium, Jones had a .310 average, 19 home runs, and 53 RBI. You can figure out why he named his first born, Shea. I’m surprised he didn’t buy a brick for the fan walk at Citi Field.
The biggest blow to Mets fans was in 1999. The New York Mets were in a fierce battle against the Atlanta Braves for the division. The Atlanta series was the start of a seven game losing streak. It cost the Mets the division. Jones played a vital role in that series. He hit four home runs and drove in seven runs in that series. The Mets made it to the playoffs with the wildcard. When the Mets lost the NLCS to the Braves, Jones had this message to the fans: “Now Mets fans can go home and put their Yankee stuff on”.
So this will be the last year Mets fans will have to endure the presence of one of the men responsible for many painful memories. Who knows what life would have been like for the Mets in the late 90’s had Jones never played for the Atlanta Braves organization? It depresses me just thinking about it. After Chipper Jones retires and the Braves come to town next year, Citi Field will not be the same without the cry of “LAAAAAAARYYYY!” by Mets fans in the stands.