I swore I wouldn't let myself get wrapped up in all of this reverence and awe for a man, Chipper Jones, who is my sworn enemy. But now here we are.
I realized that when I began sharing cards from my childhood stockpile that I said I would feature cards relevant to Mets fans. That means not just cards of current and former Mets players, but also those of tangentially related or even hated players, too. So far I haven't really strayed from Mets cards, though.
Now I have, and here's public enemy no. 1: 1993 Upper Deck Star Rookie Chipper Jones
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However, back in 1993 this card was still rather innocuous. As a seven-year-old I had yet to develop my hatred for Chipper; there was still plenty of time for that. Nineteen years to be exact.
It's actually pretty crazy how long ago this card joined my collection and this man my baseball life. I mean, I was in second grade. And now? Now I have a freakin' Masters. I'm married and have keys and bills and a dog. And yet, Chipper was in the lineup last night, batting .300 on the nose no less. Crazy.
I'll leave you with the lineups from that day, nearly two decades ago at Shea Stadium, when Chipper made his debut against the Mets back on May 9, 1995:
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And the pitchers:
If you're wondering, the Braves won that game 3-2. And not that it should surprise a single Mets fan, Chipper hit the deciding home run in the top of the ninth. So will this guy just retire already?