Braves 3B Chipper Jones, as quoted in an article by Murray Chass in the New York Times…

“They have a very good ball club.  They’re not just built to win the East; they’re built for the long haul.  They have all the attributes of a championship team – a great manager, a solid bullpen, good starting pitching, an everyday lineup that can throw up runs in a big way…

“The Mets are not going to fall through.  They have too many good players.  They’ve got great leadership.  Willie is not going to let them fall through…

“The way Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine are pitching, they’re not going to have extended losing streaks.  It just seems that nobody can score any runs off them, and with their lineup, they can throw the bats and balls out and, without even trying, score a couple runs a game.”…

…why is chipper always trying to do this…honestly, i’m starting to think he’s a mets fan…i mean, who has more love for the mets these days than this guy…he’s always complimenting them, and his kid is even named shea for pete’s sake…

…at any rate, this is a great column by chass, who provides a variety of quotes from chipper, including a rant about how the reason for atlanta’s struggles is because the team’s owners refuse to spend money, like a big market team, such as the mets…

For what it’s worth, the Braves have the fifth highest payroll in the National League, more than all teams in their division except the Mets, who they trail by roughly $10 million…