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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
250 comments Add your comment
UGASlobberknocker
June 8th, 2011
5:27 pm
Good to see Chipper taking a leadership role and saying what has needed to be said. Its time for J Hey to man up.
JoeMac
June 8th, 2011
5:30 pm
Chipper Jones saying anything about playing through pain is like the pot calling the kettle black. If he gets a hangnail, Chipper has to sit out a game or two. How do you think he held off Albert Pujols to win his only batting title?? He sat while Albert was beating the cover off the ball while playing with numbness in his hands that required off season surgery. Chipper giving advice…..WHAT A FREAKIN’ JOKE!!
Bob
June 8th, 2011
5:37 pm
As a Braves fan, and a Chipper fan, I agree with what he is saying, but I wish he had not made it public. As DC Brave stated “this story divides the fans… and could even be detrimental to the team”. Right now, the only thing that is keeping this team in the race is good pitching and pretty good defence. Since I don’t know the whole story, I can’t say that it will cause problems in the clubhouse. They seem like a close knit team, I hope it stay’s that way.
BravesLover
June 8th, 2011
5:57 pm
I seems to remember Mr. Smoltz calling out Mr. Jones for counting splinters on the bench for various nefarious pseudo injuries. Chipper is Jason’s daddy and he’s just like papa.
Optimism in November Doesn't Win Championships
June 8th, 2011
5:58 pm
Chipper is a fraud. Read this…http://es.pn/inVQ11
Optimism in November Doesn't Win Championships
June 8th, 2011
6:07 pm
Chipper is still a fraud. Why do it in public? Sorry about the link. Here is correct one….http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2914283
Bert
June 8th, 2011
6:08 pm
Chipper you need to practice what you preach. Chipper has been out more in the last 4 years than anybody on the team. Maybe he needs to look at the man in the mirror and MAN UP.
CONservative Johnson
June 8th, 2011
6:22 pm
Heyward should probably punch Chipper in his fast . . .
CONservative Johnson
June 8th, 2011
6:28 pm
In his face too! lol
CONservative Johnson
June 8th, 2011
6:30 pm
Optimism in November Doesn’t Win Championships…
Wow… What a friggin hypocrite Chipper is! Heyward should definitely bitch slap him a few times . . .
ted
June 8th, 2011
6:35 pm
I think that Heyward’s main problem is between his ears
Powder Blue
June 8th, 2011
6:56 pm
I miss Dale Murphy. David Justice, too.
Ivan....
June 8th, 2011
6:58 pm
.
Ivan....
June 8th, 2011
7:02 pm
IMO , Crapper needs to play ball and let Fredi decide if enough is enough…..
My thoughts are too bad EVERY player doesn’t have the passion Martin Prado has when he gets to the park………….
Time will tell if this helps or hurts……………..
GO BRAVES……………………….Enter your comments here
Ivan....
June 8th, 2011
7:04 pm
A. GON., B-Mac, included with Marteeeeeen!
Lori Levy
June 8th, 2011
7:06 pm
What is 80 percent of last? As in Chippers thoughts…”Jason at 80 percent is better than a lot of people in this league”….and the other fact… “Braves right fielders are last in the NL” …
jed
June 8th, 2011
7:13 pm
nothing chipper said bothers me. i dont think there was ill intent behind it. but i cant say i agree with him. i think we’re better off letting heyward heal up entirely before he comes back. we’re in decent position in the East, and we’re only in june. it’s a long season and a healthy heyward helps us in the long run.
Bobby Bobby
June 8th, 2011
7:17 pm
The problem with Larry is 3 fold. 1: he is under educated like a lot of baseball players. 2: he likes himself to much. He forgets all his time on DL, all his time sitting out. He is playing hurt this year and thus thinks he is special. #3 Chipper is not smart enough to understand what JHey is going through is partly about $$$$. Chipper made his money. If JHey does further damage it could cost him tons of money.
Optimism in November Doesn't Win Championships
June 8th, 2011
7:51 pm
Chipper reminds me of when Brett Farve tried to tell Javon Walker in the press, he should come back play and he did and got hurt, then lost his bargaining power. Tell Chipper to talk to Uggla, Gonzales, Schaefer and the others that are playing.
TheAntiMe
June 8th, 2011
8:16 pm
Like Fredi said, at this point Heyward has already missed so much time that it would not make sense to bring him back until he is given every chance to rehab.
I have been very frustrated with Jason being so very injury prone over the past two seasons but I disagree somewhat with Chipper. I believe that Jason Heyward at 100% over the last 3 months of the season will help the Braves much more than Jason Heyward at 80% over the last 4 months of the season.
william in pasadena
June 8th, 2011
8:29 pm
Rupert and all you other dipsticks, what school did you guys get your medical degrees? And Chipper should have retired years ago so his money could have been used to get a good hitter. How many times has he been out of the lineup with injuries? How many years has he been in the league and showed no fire? How upset was he when Smoltz called him out publicly? How many HR’s and RBI’s does he have? Why won’t he let someone else bat 3rd? Is he the manager, or the GM? Why isn’t he calling out Uggla? (Uggla’s hitting, or lack thereof, is hurting worse than Jason’s absence) Why didn’t he call himself out with his stupid baserunning blunders and bad defense? If Chipper was a good leader, he would have kept this out of the papers. You guys on this blog slay me. Take a tip from the Phillies last year. They had injuries but they kept their players out til they were healed for the 2nd half. What happened?…they got healthy in Aug and Sept, went on a roll, and shot past the Braves. What happened to Chipper? He went on the DL and missed the playoffs. Real smart. Conclusion: Chipper needs to zip his lips and retire. He’s the poster child for missed games.
Old Dawg Fan
June 8th, 2011
8:48 pm
Heyward is acting like a “new version” of Bob Horner except Horner had a “great swing” and could hit a ball farther than Heyward.
If he is not going to play then trade him while they can get something for him. Why not trade him and Uggla for a couple of good “triple a” players that want to play the game-it might cost Wren a little money to get good “triple a” players but so be it.
Chipper: Heyward needs to play with pain
June 8th, 2011
9:11 pm
[...] Heyward has said he did not want to return until he’s completely healthy. Jones, 39, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the second-year slugger needs to realize how important he is to the Braves, even if he [...]
John Mayberry
June 8th, 2011
10:49 pm
This reminds me of the time Whitey benched Hal McRae and Cookie Rojas got all over him in the press and everything.
Next year, both Cookie and Patek were on the next bus outta KC.
David Snyder
June 8th, 2011
11:03 pm
I can understandHeywood desire to being able and I agree with chipper you have play sometime in pain,sometime just being ther help the lineup.I admire concern with Ugga.You could afford to get a least a couple people who wants to play with his salary.Give a youngster a chance until Ugga gets back in the groove.You need to think of speed and not everyone trying to hit a home run
flbravesfan
June 8th, 2011
11:29 pm
Let’s give the kid a break on this one. If situation continues then it’s time to call him out. Seems Braves have a history of drafting talented but selfish players. See Francouer & Escobar. Let’s hope Heyward does not follow in their footsteps. Enough of Heyward. Everyone is right . The time has come to pick up an outfielder that can hit & hit with some pop in their bat. Yeah the pitching is great but this team needs to score more than 2 runs a game. If nothing else it gets damn boring watching 3 hop ground balls. At this point it is hard to believe the Braves are where they are . Don’t think it will last without some hitting.
rugburn
June 8th, 2011
11:49 pm
chipper should hush..he is on borrowed time…this may be his longest stretch on the field in years. when he gets embarassed at the plate and does his “i pulled something dance” he will deserve to be called out..think how many injuries chipper would have had if he played as hard as j-hey. you really shouldn’t hurt anything trotting to first on grounders.
Paul
June 9th, 2011
12:33 am
I think that most of us would prefer that Jason be in the lineup simply because his talent provides opportunities to change the results of a game, however, if that comes at the risk of permanent injury then nobody gains. If Dan Uggla were hitting we wouldnt be pressing to have Jason in the lineup. He’s still a young player and the Braves need him for the next 10 years not just for the next 3 months. The big question for Jason is going to be whether or not he feels that the game can only be played when he is feeling 100%. He may not be playing many games if that is where his head is at.
Freddie G
June 9th, 2011
1:11 am
Chipper may not have meant any harm by his comments, but he should know by now that several folks on here were going to take it and start bashing Jason and likewise bashing him. However his comments about Wren getting someone is distasteful and lacks class. It would have been better to keep his mouth shut, but then again we should remember he is not the sharpest knife in the Drawer. It is always bad for a player to question another who is on the DL, because what that player is feeling when he swings is known only to him. It is very, very, distasteful to many sports fans, not just Braves Fans that Chipper is the one commenting on Jason’s time on the DL, considering that Chipper has spent more time on the DL more than any other player in MLB over the last six (6) years. I would like someone in MLB to provide that Statistics and before we get an answer I bet Chipper is number 1 by a huge margin. I think it is in the Best interest of the team to have Jason back healthy and it can only hurt the team and Jason if he is rushed back before he is ready. The Phillies gave Utley two months to heal before coming back, and they should benefit greatly if he is now properly healed.
Freddie G
June 9th, 2011
1:50 am
It is sad that we are spending so much time debating a stupid comment by stupid ball player albeit a good player. Chipper is not the team doctor neither does he work in the front office. Jordan Schafer is a prime example of why you should not play in pain if you have to over compensate because of that pain. When Jordan first came up, two years ago, he tried to play hurt, instead of telling the team the pain he was in, and that has set him back for two years. Although there is no structural damage to Jason’s shoulder, the MRI did reveal that there is inflamation, which can cause quite a bit of discomfort and affects even a player of Jason’s strength and ability to maintain his swing. It is time Chipper start hit at a level to match his salary. Is he not the highest paid player on the team? then he should start playing at the level of other high paying stars like Pujols, Howard, Tulo, Beltran, to name a few.
Peer pressure: Chipper Jones advises Jason Heyward on injury | Popular Events
June 9th, 2011
2:37 am
[...] that’s not good enough for Jones, whose comments as reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution go to show that you don’t have to be in high school in order to get pressure from your peers: [...]
Boatdoc
June 9th, 2011
3:18 am
DOB: Congrats on your story that is now splashed all over the national coverage. VERY curious as to the nature of the response from Mr. Heyward, both in the short run, AND the long run. So much in the coverage of his huge rookie splash was made of what a “great kid” he is, from the Atlanta reporters all the way up to Hall of Famer Peter Gammons. We know some guys would pout – ESPN Headlines read “Chipper Jones calls out Jason Heyward”. But all the coverage seems to agree with Chipper: no big-leaguer can expect to play only when “100%”. If Jason steps up and gets back in the line-up (and especially if he can hit at least .280, with an OBP close to last year) it will only add to his growing legend.
I am cringing – hoping that the NEXT story is NOT “Jason Heyward says Chipper should shut his mouth!”
Pinball34
June 9th, 2011
5:33 am
Heyward=SOFT
Beer Me
June 9th, 2011
5:46 am
Chipper Jones has a right to talk about someone NOT playing? How many times has he played 100 games in a season?
TP
June 9th, 2011
7:27 am
Chipper of all the shouldn’t be the one talking about who should be on the field. His whole time with the Braves where have he been. Jason take your time coming back when you are good and heathy. That what happen to Andruw Jones trying to play hurt and look what happen.
TP
June 9th, 2011
7:31 am
This is the very reason Y. Escobar is not here MVP ONE year and gone the next
Jonny V. for Closer!
June 9th, 2011
7:57 am
Fredi G., how long before you wake up and make Jonny V. the closer? “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” (Emerson)
John
June 9th, 2011
8:11 am
Dave O’Brien.
Re: Comment awaiting moderation
For what it’s worth, if I had it to do over again, I would not send my first comment (posted@ June 8 at 8:04 PM).
Feel free to moderate it out of existence. Your blog. Just saying.
Thanks.
John30456
June 9th, 2011
9:29 am
It would appear to be a reading comprehension thing here. Heyward is not injured just normal wear and tear that hurts. Two MRIs and no damage. To all of you Chipper bashers, you know nothing about baseball and what he has meant to the club for 19 years.
Learning to play with pain no easy lesson for Heyward | Jeff Schultz
June 9th, 2011
9:46 am
[...] Jones did not necessarily call out his Braves teammate the other day when he said that Heyward “needs to realize [that] at 80 percent [he’s] a force,” and that, “There are a [...]
Blackberry Cobbler
June 9th, 2011
9:55 am
Lest we all forget……………
A few years ago, it was John Smoltz that basically told Chipper to man up. Remember?
Now Chipper think he can tell Jason to man up.
Last time I saw, I think Chipper’s BA is now down to something like .248?
Hey Chipper, here’s a idea…… why don’t you volunteer to sit the bench, let’s bring Prado to 3rd, and play Hinske in LF. THAT would be what’s best for the team!
WPB Brave
June 9th, 2011
10:31 am
People get upset when players speak the truth and I just don’t get it…I guess the fans want nothing but atheletes speaking in cliches and repeating the same old boring lines to read over and over and over…I guess the fans who say ‘keep it out of the papers’ would rather hear Chipper say “we need to give it 100%” or “play smart baseball” or “have better at bats” blah blah blah…bottom line is what Chipper said was TRUE and this team is hanging on by a thread and J-Hey being out there makes the Braves better – not worse. Listen – if it’s not a serious injury then he can’t do more harm…Would you rather have an 80% J-Hey 4 times a week or an 80% J-Hey on the DL?? THINK about it. Our pitching staff is incredible right now – we win games 1-0, 3-2, all the time – just imagine our record if we were to score just 1 more run a game…If J-Hey’s in too much pain to swing as he normally does than he needs to do something different (ie get on base with a BB, move a runner over, make the pitcher throw 8 – 12 pitches, take an extra base on a throw) all those things impact the game and J-Hey as he is now can do ALL of those things…
WPB Brave
June 9th, 2011
10:41 am
And one last thing – make no mistake about it – Chipper is the leader on this team. Do you really think he is saying that because only HE thinks it? Or is the CLUBHOUSE saying these things on the bus, at the hotel – as they fight, scratch and claw for every run they can get…Prado isn’t the leader but do you really think Prado would not be taking swings right now????? Prado wouldn’t even be on the DL! Chipper is taking shots in his knee and grinding. Bottom line – Chipper is the leader and that means he commands respect – and I promise you a lot of other players feel the EXACT same way as Chipper – but you won’t hear them say anything because they aren’t the leader.
Playing Through Pain | Brotherly Glove
June 9th, 2011
10:57 am
[...] David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution has these quotes: I think where Jason might have erred was the comment that he made, ‘I’m not coming back until it doesn’t hurt anymore.’ That has a tendency to rub people the wrong way,” Jones said. “And we understand where he’s coming from – he wants to be healthy when he plays, so he can go out and give himself the best opportunity to be successful. I get that. [...]
Dale Murphy
June 9th, 2011
11:18 am
Heyward isn’t the Braves problem. And no, he should not come back until he is 100% ready to go. Chipper is wrong – why go back in before he’s ready and then lose him again, maybe for 2-3 months next time, maybe for the season?
Obviously, the biggest most glaring problem on the Braves is Dan Uggla. Send him down to the minor leagues so he can take in-game batting practice in meaningless games. Here, he is a worse hitter than most pitchers. If he refuses to be sent down for whatever reason, cut your losses and release him. He sucks.
Basic Math
June 9th, 2011
11:20 am
Chipper Jones is an idiot. He needs to go back to the education he skipped and take remedial math. Jason Heyward’s batting average is a pathetic .214. 80% of .214 is .172. Tell me how having basically another Uggla on the team hitting .172 is better than “most players in this league” or how that would help the team? Another .172 hitter wouldn’t help; it would hurt.
Heyward’s brain at 1% is better than Chipper’s brain at 100%.
Billy
June 9th, 2011
11:43 am
Chipper is right!!! It will be interesting to see if Fredi puts Mccloud back in Center Field. Jordan is doing a good job!!
Baseball news - Chipper: Heyward needs to play with pain | Central Sports News
June 9th, 2011
6:38 pm
[...] Heyward has said he did not want to return until he’s completely healthy. Jones, 39, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the second-year slugger needs to realize how important he is to the Braves, even if he [...]
Peer pressure: Chipper Jones advises Jason Heyward on injury | MLB Blitz
June 14th, 2011
9:00 am
[...] that’s not good enough for Jones, whose comments as reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution go to show that you don’t have to be in high school in order to get pressure from your peers: [...]
Chipper: Heyward needs to play with pain | DJ VENOM - THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE
June 15th, 2011
5:26 pm
[...] Heyward has said he did not want to return until he’s completely healthy. Jones, 39, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the second-year slugger needs to realize how important he is to the Braves, even if he [...]