Reasons why Chipper Jones should not retire after 2012 regular season - Part 2
Jim Thome who played for the Philadelphia Phillies before coming to the Baltimore Orioles has adopted the role of designated hitting after knowing that on the field he cannot be effective. The fact he is hitting home-runs and producing desired hits for the
team has left little reasons for the critics to question his presence in the baseball even at the age of 41.
Far from higher slugging percentages and massive hits, these players set standards for the youth.
The players with potential to become legend may give up early in their career, thinking erroneously that they have achieved the best they could and therefore they should move on to something else. However, when someone like Jones or Thome sets the precedent
of 400 to 600 home-runs in their career, they cannot resist the temptation of going big and cementing their place among the most celebrated players of the game. Their passion enlivens and the hunger for glory increases exponentially.
There is no denying in the fact that Jones is almost certain for a Hall of Fame spot, but baseball demands him to explore new dimensions and surpass the limit of the game’s mastery which has been set before.
The past legends cannot be handed the monopoly of enjoying distinctions with regard to best possible record in terms of home-runs and the RBIs or in any other category for such a long time. There must be someone from the modern lot of players to stand up
and take the game to new heights.
Without wishing to take anything away from the primitive masters of baseball, one does need to emphasise that the past players that we glorify thanks to their splendid record should not just become a source of impossibilities and something unachievable.
If a modern player steps out and manages to attain something enviable, he can be a rather handy inspiration for the rookies as opposed to looking upon someone who they have listened about from their parents and coaches and not watched for themselves.
Even the fans crave for keep watching players that have to one day become the beauty of the museums and the part of pastime gossip of the baseball guild. Undoubtedly, what Jones has attained up until now is worth all that has been discussed above and therefore
matches the contributions of the big-wigs of the game.
However, if he entertains the energy to shine further, why not he should give it a go and discover new horizons that a player can go up to. If nothing stops him from unleashing his slugging prowess, why contend with the success carried thus far and why not
transform it into something that can open an altogether new chapter in the history of the baseball.
Many great hitters err by retiring earlier than they have shown the pinnacle of their potential, only to realise later in the years that they could have travelled further. When someone not with the half of the talent that they had reaches past them with
regard to any parameter of judging the legendary flair of a player, they repent and feel like returning back and reasserting themselves. However by then, more often than not it has become too late.
One can hope that Jones will bear this in mind and will not deprive the fans the ultimate spark of the endowment that he is gifted with. If he does not retire, he is certainly heading toward it.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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