Chipper Jones gets hit in return and takes a swing at critics
Chipper Jones had a single in first spring game since his knee injury last August. (AP photo)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Seventeen years ago this spring, Chipper Jones turned to avoid a tag at first base in an otherwise meaningless exhibition and his knee buckled. He heard a pop. Then he heard a doctor say, “torn ACL.” At 21 years old, he wondered if his career was toast.
“Honestly, I was a lot more scared the first time this happened,” he said Sunday. “I didn’t know anything about the injury. I didn’t know if I could be the same player that I was before.”
Jones’ second attempt to come back from a reconstructed knee began in earnest Sunday. He played in a game for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last August. In an exhibition against the New York Mets, he went one for three (strikeout, single, flyout) as a designated hitter and even broke up a would-be double play at second base — with a cautious and “measured” slide.
“Once the season starts it will be, ‘Go after him.’ Right there, it was, ‘Don’t blow out [the knee in] the first game,’” he said, smiling.
Baby steps. Unlike when Jones was injured as a rookie, he is confident he can pull this off. It’s others who wonder.
When an athlete pushing 39 has reconstructive knee surgery, the tendency is to speak about them in past tense. Or worse. Some cynics not only question Jones physically, they wonder if money is his primary motivation. This accusation generally comes from the short-sighted, ignorant and disturbed segment of the populace that vents on sports talk radio and posts comments on blogs, all behind the comfort of anonymity.
When I asked Jones about the accusation, he laughed.
Then he swung away.
“If they think I’m doing this for the money, they obviously haven’t seen my bank account,” he said. “I’ve never played this game for money. Nor will I. My mind doesn’t work that way. I play this game because I love my teammates and they wanted me to come back.
“I still feel like I have something to offer, and the cynical fan can really kiss my ass. I really don’t care. There’s a bunch of true fans and the people who actually want to take the time to get to know me know who I am. The guy who sits in his mom’s basement and types on his mom’s computer, I couldn’t really care less about.”
Everybody else gets a big hug.
Jones has made over $141 million in his career, including $127 million in the last 10 years alone. To blow through that much cash would require dropping paychecks into a food processor or possibly just being your average former heavyweight champion.
Doing it for the money?
There are a lot of reasons to be cynical about pro sports today. Chipper Jones isn’t one of them.
In mid-June last year, when he was still hitting .230, retirement was imminent. His mother even cracked that he should sacrifice a chicken. But over the next several weeks, his timing returned, his legs felt stronger. In his last 19 games before suffering the injury, he hit .349 (22 for 63) with three homers, five doubles, nine walks and 12 RBIs.
“I just felt locked in,” he said. “Unfortunately it took a few months for that to happen, but better late than never. Then the injury hits and I’m in a new frame of mind. If the injury would’ve happened a month and a half earlier, I probably would’ve retired. Timing is everything.”
The closeness of last year’s Braves team also played a role in his decision to return. “If this was a team like we had four or five years ago, things might be different,” he said. “We all like hanging out together. That’s unusual in this day and age.”
The knee has flared up periodically in the spring. But so far there has been nothing that ice and a day off couldn’t cure.
“I just have to get to the point where I’m not Andre Dawson and have to drain it every day when I get to the park,” he said.
If the knee holds up, he believes playing 140 games is realistic. The real test comes when he plays in the field and is required to plant and pivot for a throw.
“It just feels good to be playing again,” he said.
And that’s not about money.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Previous posts from Braves’ camp
– Braves camp: Chipper’s return, Uggla’s debut, Cox’s spring ejection
– Braves hoping to recreate chemistry from 2010 season
– So what does Freddie Freeman (3 doubles) do for an encore?
– Digi-Blog goes to Braves’ spring training at Disney (they charge, I don’t)
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304 comments Add your comment
Bubba
February 28th, 2011
10:46 am
Just shut up and play Chipper. Let your play on the field do the talking.
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
10:49 am
Leon Daniels, I don’t think it’s idolizing to point out that Chipper was the 5th-most valuable Brave in 2010, behind McCann, Heyward, Hudson and Prado, according to FanGraphs.com. This according to Wins Above Replacement, which is objective and not subject to idolizing, etc.
Yes, Chipper’s production has dropped but that’s not the issue. Is he still one of the more valuable and productive members of the Braves? If you are objective and cut through all the fandom and the BS, the answer is clearly yes.
As far as keeping your job if your production dropped, if you were the 5th most productive member of your company instead of the most productive, my guess is that you would keep your job, if there were something like 25-40 members of the company.
Reasonable people who think Chipper is still one of the more valuable members of the Braves aren’t idolizing him. They are simply stating a fact. Chipper should not be concerned about fans who don’t care about facts. The intellectually curious fans who think more like front office personnel understand Chipper’s value. Those who are merely fans who want to sit around and watch the game without being intellectually curious and objective about it, shouldn’t be taken too seriously as far as criticism goes.
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
10:50 am
Fans criticizing Chipper are the same ones who turned on Francoeur when he remained the sub par hitter he always was but suddenly stopped driving in 100 runs. Basically these are the same folks who don’t know the difference between RBI total and actually performing well at the plate.
Tiny Tom
February 28th, 2011
10:51 am
“Just shut up and play Chipper. Let your play on the field do the talking”
This is exactly right.
He won’t, though. The guy feeds of these hordes of fans who give him the ol’ “that’s tellin’ like it is, shucks by golly!” every time he takes the trouble to admit he’s got the bruised ego of a junior high schooler.
How about if you say something, it’s like this, Chipper:
“I can see where the fans might feel that way, but all I can do is go out and earn my money and prove them wrong.”
But no, you feel all insulted and say something crude to the folks that put money in that bank account you feel you should mention during a recession. I’ve always tolerated Chipper’s big mouth cuz the man can hit like a machine, but I would be looking forward to this year more if it were minus one Larry.
yeahright
February 28th, 2011
10:51 am
i like chip…but for anyone who thinks it is not at least a little bit about the money – please stop being so naive. after all, he’s not offering to take a pay cut to help the team sign another player. all pro athletes are about the money…we see it every day in holdouts, negotiations, etc…so stop thinking otherwise.
cricket
February 28th, 2011
10:52 am
the cynical fan can really kiss my ass.
Love it. The great bizzaro-Jeter’s interview delivers again.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
11:00 am
“Shaun
February 28th, 2011
10:21 am
“JSS, so you recommend batting someone who makes outs more often batting higher in the order and costing the Braves outs more frequently? You want your best on-base guys coming up most often.”
Where did I say that? Go get someone other than Jones who could have strengthened the core of the line-up even more… You are counting on a diminishing product… It is simple as that…
Now you are stuck with Jones (only if he stays healthy) who has not played more than 143 games at any time since 2003! You expose him to even more chances of injury because he’ll be on base in front of your RBI hitters Uggla and the slower McCann… I have already made the case against his defense at 3rd base… A team as you describe better score runs in bunches… Defensively, they are going to kill a pitching staff… Your first baseman needs protection in the batting order more than Chipper…
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
11:01 am
No matter what you think of Chipper’s comments or his past or his swagger or all that other stuff, the bottom line is he’s posted an on-base in the .380’s over the last two seasons, which is among the best on the team. That means he’s costing the team outs at a lower rate than most of the other players, therefore he still has tremendous value. True, he’s not the same player but who is arguing that? You can make all kinds of statements about the state of sports and society, etc. But if the issue is whether Chipper still has value, the answer is pretty obvious, unless you simply ignore objectivity.
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
11:04 am
JSS, isn’t that the point? To score runs in bunches. Essentially offense equals scoring runs in bunches. The best offenses are the ones who get on base most often and slug best. Find a good offense who doesn’t do that throughout the history of the game.
Jack in Macon
February 28th, 2011
11:08 am
I hope Chipper has a monster year. I will miss what he brings to the team when he decides to retire.
Escaped from Email Purgatory
February 28th, 2011
11:17 am
With the exception of this guy Shaun, seems most pro-Chipper posts resort to ad hominem attacks against those of us less than enamored of the oft-injured face of the franchise.
Why do legit criticisms of a guy we’ve observed for 15 years make us deficient in intellect and personal values? Heck – some of you Chippermaniacs even take shots at the quality of our lives in general. Not surprising, I guess. The great man himself responded the same way.
Are you Chipperphiles so impressed with your own opinions that divergent ones relegate the holder to second-class citizen status?
David Granger
February 28th, 2011
11:29 am
Chipper’s a good player when healthy. He’ll hit and will hustle, but…more than likely…will get hurt either running the bases or in the field. Sure wish we could DH him.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
11:29 am
Your “intellectualy curious” jibe was ridiculous… They (and I) know the difference and even more the presence that “true leaders” can bring to a clubhouse… But, the thing you miss is the “fact” that there is a flexibility which you need… Aaron realized, Boggs realized it, Mathews realized it, Berra realized it, Ripken realized it, and even that ego maniac Rodriguez realized it…
There is a poem by Lord Byron: “On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year,” Chipper needs to read it and take it to heart… He needs to make a grown man’s choice…
Matt
February 28th, 2011
11:35 am
Yes he took hometown discounts but considering how many times he played less than 140 or 130 or even less than 120 games I’d say it’s evened out. He’s a HOF no doubt but is he still a 3 hole hitter for team contending for a playoff spot???
papadawg
February 28th, 2011
11:48 am
Some folks on this blog has never played ball or mthey would know after a certain age your reflexes slow down and your legs get weak and the last time I checked Chipper doesn’t have a S on his chest. Of course it don’t matter in Church Softball how out of shape you are and I think a lot of you are comparing pro ball to that
mcdaviddawg
February 28th, 2011
11:50 am
he can’t play in the out field and can’t play third base, just what are they going to do with him. He needed to retire several years ago or go to the American league as a DH.
papadawg
February 28th, 2011
11:50 am
By the way Shaun what position do you play on your church team
JSS
February 28th, 2011
11:59 am
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
11:04 am
“JSS, isn’t that the point? To score runs in bunches.”
No, the goal is outscore and prevent your opponent from scoring… I love a great offensive explosion… Still, the Braves are living on trade-offs between aiding the defense for the “hope” of an explosive offense (Uggla and Jones)… You are in the division with the Phillies, you are not going to win the explosive offense battle. Then what else can you do? Be defensively sound, pitch well, and score when the opportunity avails… Hey that sounds pretty familiar! See 1997 NY Yankees and 2010 SF Giants… The bottom of their lineups were the ones that won those series…
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
papadawg, who is arguing that Chipper is the same player he once was. Everyone understands Chipper has aged and has declined. But he’s been in the top two on the team in on-base percentage among rate-stat qualifiers the past two seasons. He’s on base enough to be valuable and to hit in one of the top three slots in the order.
JSS, right, the idea is for your run differential to be as large as possible. Ask the 2010 Mariners what happens when you ignore offense to a large degree and focus too much on defense and pitching. You need some degree of offense in order to win around 90 games or more required to contend for a playoff spot. Of course the Braves aren’t the Phillies. But they can’t get by by just ignoring offense.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
12:12 pm
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
And you just keep ignoring the Giants… They were what offensively? Seriously, stop “picking and choosing” and address it… Doesn’t matter if it is 10-0 or 3-2 as long as your side has more runs and doesn’t give away runs in playoff games. Isn’t that Chipper Jones, Andres Galarraga, and Brooks Conrad?
Matt
February 28th, 2011
12:25 pm
papadawg- I think that is the point. He is old and his skills have diminished yet we’re supposed to be excited about his return as if he will make that big a difference in the lineup. A 3 hole hitter is there to drive in runs not walk. Put him in the 2 hole or drop him down if you want to fall in love with his OBP.
Alan
February 28th, 2011
12:27 pm
If you don’t care about money chipper, i;ll take some.
Judd
February 28th, 2011
12:34 pm
Alan = Matt = JSS= Shaun =_____Dawg
All same person, blogging to himself
JSS
February 28th, 2011
12:37 pm
@ Judd…
Good thing they don’t use you to investigate anything I hope…
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
12:39 pm
JSS, the Giants didn’t have a bad offense. They had the fifth-best OPS+ (on-base plus slugging adjusted for league and park) in the NL.
Matt, If a great player’s skills diminish, chances are he’s still a pretty good player. No one is arguing that his skills haven’t diminished.
Also, all hitters are to do all they can to create runs. Hitters do this by getting on base as often as possible and slugging as high as possible. There is a strong correlation between on-base and slugging and scoring runs. Therefore you want the best on-base and best sluggers you can find. So it would be ludicrous to put your best on-base guys lower in the order where they make a lesser impact.
On-base percentage has a stronger correlation with winning than any other percentage or rate stat throughout the history of the game. This is not something that is arguable. This is a fact. So unless you can convince me that 100-plus years of baseball history is meaningless, you can’t convince me that Chipper doesn’t have tremendous value.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
12:46 pm
@ Matt…
Since OBP and walks are so important, let him bat lead-off like the Red Sox did Boggs… You’ll never steal a base or really play sound baseball when you need it the most; but it might get Chipper closer to his magical 3,000 hits… Well that is if he doesn’t pull something in the on-deck circle!
deb
February 28th, 2011
12:47 pm
You tell ‘em Chipper! If desire has anything to do with it, you will come back this year. I honestly think Chipper will be one of the ones who knows when it’s time to hang ‘em up and it’s not time yet.
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
12:52 pm
JSS, what is “sound baseball”? Do you think having a leadoff hitter that can steal a base every now and then is more important than one who gets on base more often than all but maybe one other player on the team?
I could care less about walks, per se. On-base is very important. Unless you deny history, you can’t argue that point. It’s an objective fact that good offenses are good on-base offenses. And it’s not just about getting on base. It’s also about avoiding outs. You go up to the plate making outs, you are costing your team. It’s really simple. But many have been brainwashed by tradition into thinking batting average is king. Batting average just takes into account hits in non-walk, non-sac plate appearances. On-base takes into account pretty much any way a player avoids and out and gets on base.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
12:54 pm
@ Shaun…
I know what OPS and OPS+ are… I also know about Baseball-Reference. That is why I know how overpaid he is when compared to return… Chipper should have been told, play first…
The Giants offense was MIA almost 7 weeks… Their pitching saved them until offense finally showed some life…
CHIPPAS DADDY
February 28th, 2011
12:54 pm
WHATS WRONG HOSS, YO DADDY BOOBI AINT THERE TO WIPE YO A** ANY MORE? BOO HOO HOO! A MANAGER THAT IS PROBABLY GONA HOLD YOUR FEET TO THE FIRE IS NOW IN HIS PLACE?
CHIPPAS DADDY
February 28th, 2011
1:07 pm
CHIPPER FANS ARE LIKE MIKE VICK FANS, BUT WHITE AND REDNECKS.
Richard Dawson
February 28th, 2011
1:16 pm
A pitiful article.
“This accusation generally comes from the short-sighted, ignorant and disturbed segment of the populace that vents on sports talk radio and posts comments on blogs, all behind the comfort of anonymity.”
Love the simple-minded aggregation of critics into one category. Short-sighted, ignorant and disturbed? Wow, JS, you must be Chipper’s daddy. You don’t think that intelligent, far-sighted, “normal” people can have the same viewpoint? How did you determine those critics were short-sighted, ignorant, and disturbed? Oh, just because their opinion is different than yours. You, the fanboy.
Maybe you should step back and analyze your own motives.
Richard Dawson
February 28th, 2011
1:21 pm
“I still feel like I have something to offer, and the cynical fan can really kiss my ass. I really don’t care. There’s a bunch of true fans and the people who actually want to take the time to get to know me know who I am. The guy who sits in his mom’s basement and types on his mom’s computer, I couldn’t really care less about”
The cynical fan can kiss your buttybutt? Really? I would be interested in how to “take the time to get to know [who you really are].” How do I do that, exactly? Are you having a tour around the state where you spend time with each fan individually?
Does everyone who criticize you live with their mom? Wow, that’s really interesting to know.
You are the definition of a-hole. Thanks for confirming what I always suspected.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
1:22 pm
“Sound baseball” is not beating ones self at the plate, on the mound, on the base paths, and in dug out. Being athletic enough and fundamentally sound enough to keep runners from advancing. Being able to hold runners so your catcher and infielders aren’t on always having to cover for the fact that you can’t keep teams honest… There’s more, but I don’t have the time…
Judd
February 28th, 2011
1:29 pm
Jeff-
Is JSS/CHIPPAS DADDY/Shaun all same person?
Shaun
February 28th, 2011
1:29 pm
JSS, okay, so the Giants’ pitching held them afloat until the offense came to life. But wasn’t it both the offense and the pitching that allowed them to win 92 games instead of something like 85? If there offense hadn’t come around, it’s hard to imagine that they’d have made the playoffs.
GIVE ME A BREAK
February 28th, 2011
1:50 pm
Braves will soon be playing without Chippy. He won’t last long. Can’t retire soon enough.
steve brown
February 28th, 2011
2:37 pm
The more I think about this the more pissed off I become. Really was feeling good about spring training and the season until these classless remarks by Mr. Jones. He needs to shut his mouth and just play ball.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
3:05 pm
@ Jeff Schultz…
You need to clue poor ‘Judd’ in….
Judd…
I’ve never played that multiple user name game that so many of you bloggers play here on … An immature user or two may try to steal my ID from time-to-time; but it (the truth) always comes out in the end…
Stinky
February 28th, 2011
3:24 pm
what’s the over/under on games played b4 chipper goes on the disabled list? or lost for the season?
Phillisux
February 28th, 2011
4:23 pm
You cannot be a Braves fan and not want Chipper to have a big year. I would love to see Chipper hit .300, belt 30+ homers, and drive in 100+ runs. If he does this in 2011, it will be great. I’d be happy with .275, 15-20 homers, and 80-90 RBI’s. Chipper is a competitor, but he is also 39 and prone to injury. Chipper’s drive to play the game hard is what makes him more susceptible to injury.
Jeff Schultz
February 28th, 2011
5:04 pm
Judd — Haha. There is only one JSS and he’s so proud of being the only JSS and his opinions that he would NEVER hide behind another screen name.
JSS
February 28th, 2011
5:14 pm
As they say in advertising: “Gotta protect the brand!!!” You might find me distasteful; but you’ll never see me hiding in a deer stand!
guy
February 28th, 2011
6:35 pm
Very crude to insinuate that people who doubt his motives can kiss his butt.That’s red! Great natural ballplayer,he is!
JSS
February 28th, 2011
6:54 pm
Just in case you forgot what the statue might look like…
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__-tY4nx2_N4/S9O_ZdX5BXI/AAAAAAAAFBU/O0-hJ1cDfGA/s1600/080420-jones-vlg-4p.widec.jpg
C from Marietta
February 28th, 2011
11:12 pm
Blogs really do bring out the jerks don’t they? Go Chipper!
C from Marietta
February 28th, 2011
11:14 pm
Richard Dawson. I suspect you are the a-hole! HA HA!
John
February 28th, 2011
11:30 pm
this guy needs to hang it up, it’s 2011, not 1999. just like sports talk in atlanta and braves broadcasts always talking about maddux, smoltz, and glavine. atlanta braves fans never let go of the past, and never will.
admiral
March 1st, 2011
12:21 pm
“I still feel like I have something to offer, and the cynical fan can really kiss my ass. I really don’t care.”
LOVE it. Go get ‘em, Chip.
George
March 1st, 2011
1:55 pm
Chipper you are a great player i wish you well at your level you do play for the love of the game.