So Long J-Hey Kid

Yesterday marked the end of the hometown kid's run in Atlanta. Jason Heyward was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Shelby Miller. While I understand the trade, it doesn't help remove some of the sting from the announcement. Heyward to me was one of those guys that epitomized what a major league player should be. Hustle. Hard work. Loyalty. I know Jason may not have lived up to some of the hype he had, especially after his rookie season, but he's a solid baseball player and I can't wait to see how he does in St. Louis under Mike Matheny and crew.

I still don't know who will fill his shoes out in right field, but I sure am glad I got to see him play one last time earlier this year. The Braves are a wreck and I sure don't envy new general manager John Hart and the position he is in. This move has proven (so far) to be pretty unpopular among us fans. Then again there is a reason we are fans and not general managers. This was a tough move to make, no doubt about it. Only time will tell if it was a good move.

The question I had to ask myself was what to do about collecting Heyward. I'm not a Cardinals fan. In fact I despise that ball club. However I think I've come to the conclusion that if I can collect Dave Justice cards wearing the Yankees pinstripes then I can collect Jason Heyward wearing the two little redbirds. Seriously though, for several reasons Heyward will remain a large part of my card collection. I respect his athletic ability, his work ethic, his love of the game, being a former Brave, but for most importantly he still falls under one of my collecting goals and that is we share the same faith in Jesus Christ.

So I end this post with a few random scans I had handy of the J-Hey kid. You'll be missed out in right field son. I wish you all the best...of course except when you come home and play the Braves!