Chipper Jones

Two rare baseball phenomena are on course to happen so far this season, but, like asteroids that come hurtling into Earth's part of the galaxy, they are unlikely to hit the mark. These two things intersect at 1060 West Addison in Chicago, where the Atlanta Braves are playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Chipper Jones, the Braves' superb third baseman, is hitting over .400 for the first third of the season, chasing an elusive mark last achieved by Ted Williams in 1941. And the Cubs, the most championship-famished franchise in the history of major American sports, have the best record in the major leagues, with hopes of capturing their first pennant since 1945 and even - maybe, perhaps - their first world championship since nineteen-aught-eight.

Regional hero: Freese Ron Fritz Baltimore Sun Why not an almost local hero? David Freese isn't from Kansas City, but he plays for the Cardinals and grew up outside of St. Louis, about a four-hour drive to Kansas City. He led the Cardinals to the title last year and he has more than helped fill in for the departure of Albert Pujols in the offseason. Freese's numbers are way better than Bryce Harper's and Chipper Jones'. They are slightly better than Michael Bourn's and Aaron Hill's.

HittingChipper Jones, Braves, 2-for-5, HR (8th), double, 2 RBIs.Walt Weiss, Braves, 3-for-4, 2 RBIs.Andy Sheets, Padres, 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs.PitchingManny Aybar, Cardinals, 6 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs.Denny Neagle, Braves, 9 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs.Pub Date: 4/19/98

ATLANTA -   Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz's outing on Friday night came down to one batter - and specifically one pitch - against a rookie shortstop playing in just his 12th game in the major leagues. Matusz spent most of the night dodging disasters against the Braves at Turner Field, making key pitches to get critical outs. With two outs in the sixth, he was one out away from getting a quality start - and inched closer to his fifth win in his last seven decisions. But that's when Matusz hung a two-seamer split - one that was supposed to be low and away - over the plate to 22-year old Andrelton Simmons, and the Braves shortstop of the future sent Matusz's mistake into the left-field stands for a two-run homer.

HittingWally Joyner, Padres: 2-for-4, double, HR, 4 RBIs.Chipper Jones, Braves: 2-for-4, double, HR, 2 RBIs.Glenallen Hill, Cubs: 3-for-5, 2 RBIs.PitchingDustin Hermanson, Expos: 8 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 0 walks.John Smoltz, Braves: 8 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts.Pub Date: 7/15/98

On deck Harry Bonds of the Giants visits Yankee Stadium, facing Mike Mussina as interleague play begins tonight. He said it "It doesn't really mean much, other than seeing their fans walk out of the stadium mad. That gives me great pleasure." Chipper Jones, Braves star, after sweeping a series from the rival Mets

Hitting Mark McGwire, Cardinals: 2 HRs.Neifi Perez, Rockies: 3-for-5, game-winning HR.Joe Carter, Giants: 3-for-4, HR.Chipper Jones, Braves: 3-for-5, double.Aaron Boone, Reds: 3-run HR.PitchingGreg Maddux, Braves: 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run.Brett Tomko, Reds: 9 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts.Pub Date: 9/28/98

Braves: With 103 runs scored, a major-league high, Chipper Jones is the first Brave since Hank Aaron to score 100 runs in three straight seasons. Aaron did it from 1955 to 1957.Rockies: Larry Walker missed his fourth straight game because of a sprained right middle finger. He had hit safely in 21 of his last 24 games. Curtis Goodwin is 0-for-16 as a pinch hitter and has struck out eight times in his past 12 pinch-hit at-bats. Vinny Castilla has the longest current games played streak in the NL at 215.Pub Date: 8/23/98

He said it "They've got good starting pitching, and we know that. ... They spent quite a bit of money on it, and it shows." Lou Piniella, Mariners manager, on the Yankees after New York's Game 1 victory yesterday. He said it "When you wait until the ninth inning to get any kind of scoring threat, that pretty much means you've been dominated." Chipper Jones, Braves, after Randy Johnson's three-hitter in Game 1 of the NLCS Tuesday night.

A simple comparison Steve Gould Baltimore Sun All you need to do to know that Chipper Jones is a first-ballot Hall of Famer is compare his career statistics to those of other third basemen enshrined in Cooperstown. Let's start with traditional stats. His .304 average? In line with George Brett (.305) and George Kell (.306). His .402 on-base percentage? Second to Wade Boggs (.415). His 454 home runs? Only Mike Schmidt (548) and Eddie Mathews (512)

The Orioles finally did tonight what recently looked like an impossibility for them when they took their first lead in 39 innings on Mark Reynolds' towering two-run homer over the center-field wall in the top of the fourth. A lead over the Atlanta Braves meant so much to these Orioles that in the bottom of the inning, they decided to give a tutorial on how to blow it as quickly as possible. All it took was a two-out, and two-strike hit batsman, a dropped line drive, a five-pitch walk, and one belt-high Jake Arrieta fastball that was driven into the left-field seats.

SAN FRANCISCO — Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter. Tim Lincecum might have done him one better. Not in the headlines, of course. In degree of difficulty, however, Lincecum might have aced his rival ace. Lincecum pitched a two-hit complete game and struck out 14 Thursday night to carry the Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Braves in Game 1 of their National League Division Series. The 14 strikeouts are a postseason mark for the Giants. Halladay got four runs of support in his no-hitter.

Gotta admit, it's been awfully easy to root for the Braves this season. That's at least in part why Chipper Jones' blown-out left knee stung so much for so many people, especially those who have been following Atlanta baseball the last two decades. The Bobby Cox Farewell Tour deserves to end in the playoffs, not at the end of his 29th regular season as a manager. That still might happen, but the Braves face a difficult task in holding off the Phillies without Jones, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament when he landed awkwardly after making a throw Tuesday.

Remember one thing about those of us on the other side of the keyboard. We are suckers for a good story. That doesn't mean "trying to sell newspapers" or "trying to make a name" for myself or any of the complaints that make the rounds about the decisions that go into what to put in a piece and what to leave out. It would be great to instinctively know about the staying power of a story. But the best we can do is to make an honest evaluation whenever we sit down at a keyboard. Still, caveat emptor is a wise policy in regards to the glowing reviews of the Braves and their unusually polished prospect, the powerful Jason Heyward.

Prosecutor suggests probation for Tejada baseball A federal prosecutor yesterday recommended that shortstop Miguel Tejada, a former Oriole, get probation and no prison time for misleading Congress about the use of performance-enhancing drugs. U.S. attorney Jeffrey Taylor said in a memo to Federal Magistrate Judge Alan Kay that Tejada deserves that reduced sentence because he has admitted wrongdoing, accepted responsibility and has no criminal record. Tejada is to be sentenced Thursday.

National League * Hanley Ramirez, Florida, ss * Chase Utley, Philadelphia, 2b * Lance Berkman, Houston, 1b * Albert Pujols (above), St. Louis, dh * Chipper Jones, Atlanta, 3b * Matt Holliday, Colorado, rf * Ryan Braun, Milwaukee, lf * Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago, cf * Geovany Soto, Chicago, c * Ben Sheets, Milwaukee, rhp American League * Ichiro Suzuki (above), Seattle, rf * Derek Jeter, New York, ss * Josh Hamilton, Texas, cf * Alex Rodriguez, New York, 3b * Manny Ramirez, Boston, lf * Milton Bradley, Texas, dh * Kevin Youkilis, Boston, 1b * Joe Mauer, Minnesota, c * Dustin Pedroia, Boston, 2b * Cliff Lee, Cleveland, lhp

Two rare baseball phenomena are on course to happen so far this season, but, like asteroids that come hurtling into Earth's part of the galaxy, they are unlikely to hit the mark. These two things intersect at 1060 West Addison in Chicago, where the Atlanta Braves are playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Chipper Jones, the Braves' superb third baseman, is hitting over .400 for the first third of the season, chasing an elusive mark last achieved by Ted Williams in 1941. And the Cubs, the most championship-famished franchise in the history of major American sports, have the best record in the major leagues, with hopes of capturing their first pennant since 1945 and even - maybe, perhaps - their first world championship since nineteen-aught-eight.