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Yesterday news broke that Atlanta Braves third baseman Larry “Chipper” Jones had torn his ACL and would require season-ending surgery. Recovery time for the surgery is about six months, so if all goes well, Jones would be ready in time for the start of the 2011 season.
However, even before this injury Jones was contemplating retirement at the end of the season. This injury may change things around in many ways.
His agent BB Abbott said, “It’s not something he’ll decide immediately. He’s going to need to hear everything about the injury and rehabilitative process. He’ll probably make his decision from there. I can assure you it’s not something that’s going to be a knee-jerk decision.”
Jones could look at this injury and think that he’s had a great career, and coming back for an injury like this at age 38 will just be too much. The fact that Bobby Cox won’t be returning to the Braves next season might make the decision to retire easier.
On the other hand, Jones might not want to go out like this. An injury ending his season, without having being able to fight for the playoffs or say goodbye to the fans might just be too hard for him to walk away from.
For what I know of Jones, I think the latter case is more likely. He is such a fighter and a great ball player that I don’t think he’d want to go out like this.
Jones had always dealt with injury problems throughout his career, so I was figuring he was going to get hurt at some point down the stretch. But to see an injury to him like this, even for a Mets fan, I feel bad for him.
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