Atlanta Braves fans respect the name on the #FrontOfTheJersey
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With our recent loss of Craig Kimbrel and another player too painful to mention (#22) I am reminded that there is a bigger pitcher to look at.
Yes we all get emotionally attached to players and we sometimes need counseling but the world isn’t ending. Yes, it is the actions and efforts of these individual players that draw us in to make some sort of ‘commitment’ to. These commitments may go as far as being a member of their official fan club, obtaining autographs, collecting memorabilia and even going to see them in person at games or other venues.
Once you make that attachment to a player it is hard to detach.
Realistically though (the hard truth) there MUST be a time of emotional detaching yourself from that player since we are in a different era were players like Cal Ripken, Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones are no longer present. Players seldom spend their entire career with one team. They are rare in both the AL and the NL.
Jun 28, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves former third baseman Chipper Jones (left) poses with general manager Frank Wren during a jersey retirement ceremony before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
But I think we are losing focus, we should stop, take a step back and look at US.
My Facebook group (ChopOnDamnIt) member Christie (yes, chicks still dig the long ball) told me that “it’s not the name on the back that counts, it’s the name on the front”. Since I was punched in the gut with the Jason Heyward trade (there I said it) I was reluctant to be positive. Multiple trades later and the loss of The Kimbrel has forced me to adopt this philosophy.
#FrontOfTheJersey
I love my team. It’s not about discounting the player and their individual contributions. This is about embracing the love and spirit of what it is to be a fan of the Bravos from MY perspective. I am pampered. I didn’t become a Braves fan until ’91 so I have seen many many years of greatness. Call me shallow but after coming into the sport with those type of standard, I still expect ‘greatness’. Is that too much to ask?
Ironically, my favorite player since the mid-90s was Chipper Jones. How could you not love and respect those swings (right & left) and he didn’t have to talk, he did all of his talking from the batters box….and he did it with a Tomahawk on the #FrontOfTheJersey. I didn’t have to figure out who would be next because he exemplified exactly what it was to be a Brave.
Once Kimbrel was traded, it hurt. Tommy La Stella, Heyward, Justin Upton, Kimbrel… all losses within a few months and now I have a whole crop of new names and faces to learn and like. But am I wrong for not wanting to let go?
No, that is the normal human reaction. Once we make an emotional attachment, the de-taching becomes something that we have to either adjust to through adaptation or ignore it entire. I choose not to ignore it.
Within moments after the Kimbrel trade there was a multitude of negative comments.
“Well I didn’t like him anyway” “He wasn’t THAT good”
Aug 17, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves fans Matt Cook (right) and Michelle Cook, of Conyers, Ga., brought their dog Sammy, a nine-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, to the Atlanta Braves bark in the park event during the game against the Oakland Athletics at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Or the ones that deflected and belittled other’s emotional state “Why are you upset? We are better for this” or “This is a good trade for the Braves, bye Kimbrel”.
As fans, we have to realize that our personal attachment may not be the same level as the next fan. It doesn’t mean that his/her feelings or your feelings are wrong. It just means that their emotional investment is different than yours, neither is wrong because whatever the case, whoever the player, they are all wearing the same logo on the #FrontOfTheJersey.
We don’t have to like everything that our ballclub does.
We don’t have to agree with all of the steps and efforts that the Front Office put together.
We DO have to agree that the logo on the #FrontOfTheJersey stands for pride, character, good business, expectations of winning, and most important it unifies us all as we chop through Braves Nation.
“The name on the back gives us reason to love the name on the front” that is a quote from another ChopOnDamnIt friend Clay. I thought it was sort of superficial at first but after experiencing the loss of 2 of my favorites in one off season, it hasn’t made me like the Braves any less. It hasn’t taken away my fire or made me bitter towards the organization. In fact it has sent me on another quest to find another favorite and still cheer for the player lucky enough to display the same name on the #FrontOfTheJersey.
It could be worse guys… we are NOT the Cubs.
Chop on Braves Nation!