Did two former Atlanta Braves players get snubbed by Stephen A. Smith?
One was one of the best defensive wizards in baseball and a feared slugger during his prime, the other is one of the best at his position and is one of the faces of the franchise but both were easily two of the most entertaining players in Atlanta Braves history.
The city of Atlanta was at the center stage when it hosted Super Bowl LIII on Sunday and with it came all the festivities and celebration. To contribute, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith dropped a list of the “Top 5 All-Time Atlanta Athletes” and it’s tough to argue against the names he chose: all good, valid choices. In it includes someone who most would agree is the GREATEST Atlanta athlete of all time, Atlanta Braves hall-of-famer Hank Aaron.
The “Hammer” (Happy 85th Birthday!) is a living legend and rightfully sits atop the list. He is followed by the 2-sport man Deion Sanders who at one point appeared in uniform for both the Atlanta Falcons AND the Atlanta Braves in the same day!
To finish off the list, Smith listed boxing legend Evander Holyfield, former Hawks and dunking G.O.A.T. Dominique Wilkins, with former Falcons and game changing QB Michael Vick at #5.
Hank Aaron tops my list of BEST Atlanta athletes of all-time. pic.twitter.com/xP1vc6xvPP
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 30, 2019
While there is a good pool of players for him to pull from, the 5 names mentioned would be a solid 5 for anyone and would look perfect on a poster of Atlanta sports legends. However, there’s just a feeling two certain person got overlooked (for a couple reasons): Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones.
Can’t Keep Up with these Joneses
Each of the players Smith lists are some of the best in their respective sports but Jones’es were absolute superstars. Andruw is even considered one of the top sluggers in MLB to many like Ken Harrelson when he hit his 400th career home run.
Chipper also reached the 400 Club and then did so much more. Being a switch-hitter, he is the only one to have a career batting average of at least .300 and 400 or more home runs and only switch-hitter to have a slash line of at least .300/.400/.500 with 5,000 at-bats.
Chipper and Andruw were something special during their prime and luckily it was with the Braves. But why aren’t they getting acknowledged?
In the comments for Smith’s tweets, Chipper had a lot of petitioning for him but after a fair length of scrolling, I saw Andruw mentioned ONCE. Maybe he’s mentioned more but I’m not scrolling the whole thing.
A Question of Criteria
However, cases could even be made for other names like Julio Jones…(wait a minute), Tony Gonzalez, and even Matt Ryan or the late Tommy “Mr. Falcon” Nobis. Heck, even anyone of the trio of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux could take Vick’s spot.
And that brings up the question: what defines an all-time Atlanta athlete? Is it the player’s pure athleticism? Is it the player’s contribution to the city? Is it the accomplishments in their career? Or is it a combo of all 3?
No doubt, Vick is more athletic than Matt Ryan, but at the end of the day when you list off accomplishments, Matty Ice has done more for the city and franchise than Vick did.
Then if it comes to athleticism, how does the 5-tool powerhouse that was Andruw compare to the athleticism of Sanders or Vick?
So let’s take a look at the definition of an athlete and the cases for Chipper and Andruw Jones to be in Top 5 Atlanta Athlete.
Atlanta Not In Shortage of Athletes
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, an ‘athlete’ is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.”
So to put it simple words, the person is physically gifted in their respective “field.” So THAT alone disregards accomplishments that person may have gotten in their career.
In Atlanta’s history, there are players like that who were good at their game but didn’t get the “big award” like a championship win: Dale Murphy and Tony Gonzalez are among those names.
Aaron, Sanders, Holyfield, Wilkins and Vick would all qualify under that definition. Each considered some of the top in their sport, holding records and being awarded for their skills. With the exception of Vick, they are also all hall of famers.
- Hank Aaron won 3 Gold Gloves with the Braves and is a 25 time All-Star; baseball HOF
- Deion Sanders was a Defensive Player of the Year (1994), 8 time pro-bowler (3 times with Falcons) in football and a 40-yard dash time of 4.27 seconds; football HOF
- Evander Holyfied is tricky because boxing isn’t a team sport but he remains the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two different weight classes; international boxing HOF
- Dominique Wilkins is a 9 time All-Star and a scoring champion and dunking contest champion; basketball HOF
- Michael Vick is a 4 time pro bowler, holds 3 individual records and has 40-yard dash time of 4.33 but supposedly was been clocked at 4.25
*The players also won other individual awards.
Run-down of the 5
Okay, but how did these 5 get selected as the best of the best Atlanta athletes? You would have to then factor in championship wins/titles. That probably wouldn’t be enough so you’ll have to take account of their influence to the city and the sport.
Though Aaron did not win a world series title with the Atlanta Braves, he did set the home run record in Atlanta and to this day is still argued if his record is rightfully broken by Barry Bonds or not.
He’s also one of the top baseball players of all time period. Easily a top 5 when it comes to baseball, up there with names like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ted Williams.
Holyfield’s sport doesn’t feature teams but as a boxer he fought out of Atlanta. He joins a strong list of greatest athletes from the state of Georgia but definitely the greatest export out of Atlanta. The boxer is the only 4 time world heavyweight champ in history with 1 more than Muhammad Ali.
Considered the “Human Highlight Film,” Dominique Wilkins is one of the the greatest dunkers in NBA history and was the face of the Atlanta Hawks during the 80s and early 90s. He holds 2 records of making the most consecutive free throws in a game at 23 and then doing it without missing.
Not The Only Man To Play 2 Sports
Deion Sanders is a 2 time Super Bowl champ but with other teams. His case comes in the form of historic accomplishment. Sanders is the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
He’s also the only one to hit an MLB home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week, while at one point putting on a uniform for both the Falcons and Braves in the same day. Though he didn’t play for the Braves that day, it’s still a major feat. But is it enough to give him a spot?
Though Sanders played for the Falcons and Braves at the same time, he wasn’t the only one to put on uniforms for both teams.
Brian Jordan played for the Falcons 1989 to 1991 before switching over to MLB. Jordan didn’t have a long career in the NFL as a defensive back but was much more successful as a baseball outfielder; almost a perfect opposite to Deion Sanders.
Jordan played for multiple teams in the MLB but did spend 5 seasons with the Braves while hitting .275 and garnering an All-Star appearance in 1999.
Also, even though Sanders was one of the strongest pass defenders ever in football, he was not that good as a tackler.
So how much of an impact Sanders was for Atlanta is up for discussion.
Set Records But Never Took Falcons To Super Bowl
Like Wilkins, Michael Vick never won a championship – in his case, a Super Bowl. In fact, he never took the Atlanta Falcons to the big game when he was their star quarterback. He also had to leave the team for the wrong reason.
However like Sanders, he makes his case around records and accomplishments. Vick is often credited as the pioneer of mobile quarterbacks. He thinks so as well. As a 3 time Pro Bowler, he also holds the records for the most career rushing yards by a QB and the most rushing yards by a QB in a season.
His rushing skills and success with Falcons made him a fan favorite and to this day is often compared to current Falcons QB, Matt Ryan.
Now Ryan isn’t really as physically gifted as Vick, but when it comes to accomplishment and reputation, Ryan has shown time and time why he’s better.
Ryan is known for his competitive nature while also being a humble athlete. He also took the team to a SB (which we won’t discuss) and has set the records for:
- Most regular season wins by a QB in his first 5 seasons: 56 (tied with Russell Wilson)
- Fastest player to pass for 40,000 yards
- Most passing yards in first 10 years in NFL history
- Most consecutive NFL games with 200 plus passing yards
So if it comes to accomplishments and being one of the faces of Atlanta sports, Matt Ryan truly belongs there… at least over Vick.
Now to bring it back to the Atlanta Braves…
Making Catches That Others Couldn’t
Even though his career really started to decline once he hit age 30, there was no doubt that Andruw Jones was one of the best defensive center fielder in the game and for the Atlanta Braves.
I was born the year he debuted and thus didn’t really get to watch his time with the club nor the dynasty that was the 14-division title Braves. However, I eventually got to see him later on and it was something fantastic.
Atlanta Braves
I remember watching the famous Spider-Man catch and all the long distance diving catches he made for the first time and being absolutely amazed.
The Spider-Man catch was started from a fly ball off John Smoltz and Andruw was chasing it down. When he started reaching the warning track you can here Skip Caray’s voice build as Andruw wasn’t slowing down.
Then, with rocket thrusts, he launched onto the wall AND made the catch.
The crowd popped as Andruw transitioned to making the throw back to first. “HE MADE THE CATCH,” yelled Caray, “WHAT A PLAY!”
Defensively, Andruw Jones was a wizard but he held up with his offensive too. Well more than held up.
1996 World Series. Game 1. You remember that? The game where Andruw hit 2 FREAKING HOME RUNS IN A ROW! Doing it in his first at-bat and then followed up in his second and becoming the youngest player to ever homer in the postseason.
A 5 time All Star and 10 time consecutive Gold Glove winner plus multiple batting awards in 2005.
So why didn’t he get a spot on the Top 5 but names like Sanders and Vick did?
For Andruw I have a few ideas: he started to decline in his final season with the Braves and continued to decline in his career, he played a sport that’s being overshadowed by football in Atlanta, and there’s already technically 2 baseball players on the list.
When asked to name Atlanta athletes, most today probably wouldn’t name him as their first 10 but during the 90s and 2000s, this man’s star grew so fast.
But what about Chipper? He played his entire career with the Atlanta Braves while becoming one of the all-time greats and became a first ballot hall-of-famer in 2018.
The Atlanta Braves Rockstar
Walking out to “Crazy Train” and always holding up the rock on hand sign, there really was no one like Chipper Jones.
A big part of the Atlanta Braves winning the NL East 11 years in a row, Jones eventually became the leader and face of the team while establishing himself as one of the great third basemen of all time. Being a switch-hitter only makes him even more special of a player.
He holds the records I mentioned before but is also a 8 time All Star and the NL MVP in 1999.
Growing up I got to watch Chipper more than I did Andruw and my favorite thing about Chipper was how relaxed and “cool” he always was. Even when I watch older stuff, he would just casually walk up to the box or across the field, sometimes smiling while other times has this outlaw look to him, like he belonged next to “The Outsiders” group.
The big memory of course is the walk-off homer against the Phillies in 2012. The swing was SO smooth while Chip Caray delivered the same energy as his father. Being behind 2 with 2 outs, you still believe there was a chance with your fingers cross especially with 2 on.
“SWING HIGH, FLY BALL. BELTED TO RIGHT CENTER!” The fans also cheering. “AND THE BRAVES HAVE WON IT!”
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It still sounds so good like Jim Ross calling a Stone Cold stunner and the crowd popping. Just boom…as the ball shot high and the crowd jumping up almost as fast.
With that, I also remember tearing up during the press conference before the season where he officially announced his final season and retirement. I know I wasn’t the only ones and that’s why Chipper Jones and Atlanta (Braves) are so intertwined. It’s him and the 3 aces.
If Andruw can’t make the list, then Chipper definitely should have. Stephen A. Smith hasn’t replied to the fans calling out for Chipper or any other names and I really want to hear his reasoning.
But that’s the problem with doing a Top 5 Athlete, 5 is never enough and you’ll miss out on adding someone(or -thing) that’s just as deserving, if not more. It’s also an opinion factor.
One name I also thought about was Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez but his career in Atlanta is still too early. Maybe down the line as he’s already won a championship and become a fan favorite.
Next. The Patriots' Dynasty Compared To The Braves' in the 90s. dark
What do you think? Did you even think you’d read about Evander Holyfield or Michael Vick on Tomahawk Take? Add any other names you think should be on here.