Whew!

Oh, Chipper! You answered Sooze's plea!

This evening, Chipper Jones held an impromptu press conference by his locker by saying: Somehow the cork got taken out. Well, I'm putting it back in right now.

Tee hee.

Just when we all thought he was going to pull a Griffey and retire after falling asleep in the clubhouse so he wouldn't be a distraction to the team, he surprised us all and said he's not going to make any decisions until the end of the season.

Despite winning the batting title just two seasons ago, Chipper's been battling injuries and his numbers aren't exactly impressive. As of this evening, he's hitting .234, with 4 bombs and 23 RBIs. But with the Braves in first place, a shot at the post season, and skipper Bobby Cox on his way out at the end of this year, Chipper's decided to hold off on announcing his retirement until at least October.

He also said:

Let's let Bobby have his just due. Let him get the attention he deserves. I'm on a first-place ballclub. Playing third and hitting third for a first-place ballclub, which is exactly where I like to be. I'm going to spend the rest of the summer concentrating on that and trying to send Bobby off in the best way possible.

Now.. let's see just how many games he actually plays in from here until the post season.