FanNation

Gruden crushes poker tables said 06/11, 12:55 PM
You wouldn't have to sit him sir, because Chipper Jones wouldn't allow it. .400 has been done before. But winning the division gives home field advantage in the playoffs. And Chipper Jones is a competitor who wants to win.

Besides, there have been 35 other times a player has hit .400 for a season. Maybe if Chipper was at .486, and on the verge of the all time highest average for a season. But for .401 and a tie for 32nd place...ehh, not Chipper.

Gruden crushes poker tables said 06/11, 01:37 PM
So if he gets .400, he's HOF, and if he hits .399, he's not. Is that seriously your argument? He'd be far more likely to make the Hall of Fame with another World Series ring. His only ring so far was in his first year in the league.

And one player can make ALL the difference between a win and a loss. So far this season, Chipper has been that main difference. To sit him on the last day, and risk home field advantage, simply to appease fickle HOF voters makes no sense at all.

As for the last line...if its just seeding, why do teams care about home field advantage? They care because its important.

Gruden crushes poker tables said 06/11, 01:46 PM
So teams exist to put their players in the Hall of Fame? Wow. I better rethink everything I thought I knew about professional sports.

Here's the deal: If Chipper is a Hall of Famer, and I certainly believe that he is, a single season record won't change things. If it does, then his NL record for a season for HRs by a switch hitter, and heck, his NL record for HRs by a switch hitter in is career, is good enough.

In the end, single season accomplishments don't get you in the Hall of Fame. Careers get you there. And another ring would be the icing on the cake. Not a single percentage point in the batting average.