O Captain my Captain!

Oh Captain my Captain our season's not yet done

The Mets have choked, the Phillies croaked, our prize is almost won

October's near, our goal is clear, I hear the crowd proclaiming,

with half hoarse voices, each fan rejoices, our players all still gamming

But O Shit! Shit! Shit!

he tumbles to the dirt

where on the ground our captain lies

fallen grim and hurt.

If you've ever read Walt Whitman's famous poem, then you know it was written when Abe Lincoln was assassinated. That's almost how we Braves fans feel right now. After hurting himself on what appeared to be a simple knee sprain, Chipper Jones underwent an MRI this morning with horrible results. A torn ACL. Meaning that Chipper is out for the season. This sucks on so many levels I'm not sure where to start. First of all, it puts a strain on the Braves, as they now have to try and win a pennant race without one of their best players. With the Phillies just 2.5 games back, this means serious trouble. Even worse, it raises even more questions about if Chipper will retire at season's end. He indicated earlier in the year that he may retire after the 2010 season, but has not made any comments since. I really hope Chipper can come back in 2011 and finish his career on his own terms. Meanwhile the Braves have to find a way to win without him, because the Phillies sure as hell wont take pity on them.

-SB