Appreciate Chipper Jones while you still can — Aaron does
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Henry Aaron said he knew the Braves had made the right choice with Chipper Jones. (AJC photo)
(Updated: 2 p.m.)
Enjoy this season because it will be your last look.
Enjoy watching Chipper Jones because the chance to watch a first-ballot Hall of Famer – and if he’s not enshrined in his first year of eligibility, I’m surrendering my vote – just doesn’t come around very often.
Jones isn’t the best position player in Braves’ history. That’s only because there’s a guy named Henry Aaron ahead of him. Sometimes, being in second place is an honor — especially when the guy who is in first place is bowing in your direction.
“I remember when we took Chipper in the draft,” Aaron recalled Thursday. “There were a lot of people in the organization who thought we should take that pitcher [Todd Van Poppel]. But I saw star written all over Chipper, and I put my vote in. There were quite a few people involved in that decision. I can tell you this: Some are going to say now that they voted for Chipper, but I know they didn’t.”
These are how the fortunes of franchises can change.
In 1990, the Braves passed on Van Poppel, in part because he told the organization he wouldn’t sign with them. So they drafted Chipper Jones, who would go on to bat third for a World Series team as a rookie, win an MVP award and a batting title and amass seven All-Star selections. And counting. Van Poppel had an unspectacular, injury-plagued career that spanned six organizations (two of them twice) and ended eight years ago with a career ERA of 5.58 and less than four wins per season.
Jones got emotional, particularly when addressing teammates. (AP)
Jones’ career will start and end with the Braves. Enjoy him one final year. The Braves’ third baseman announced Thursday he will retire after this season. The decision was less a surprise than the timing, two weeks before the season opener. But Jones wanted to end speculation that might serve as a distraction for his team this season, particularly after some remarks he made last week to out-of-town reporters regarding his health were misinterpreted.
“There’s no set of circumstances that can persuade me to come back — no hedging,” Jones said, adding that he wanted to spend time with his family.
Believe it. He has been on the relative year-to-year plan for a while. But he was always prompted to come back because he believed he could still perform at a high level, he enjoyed playing with this current group of teammates and his desire to get back to another World Series still burned.
It wasn’t for the money, and here’s where we will address the loud and misguided ones.
Some fans have believed Jones should’ve retired long ago, suggesting his career extension was all about dollar signs. I believe Jones put it best last year when he said, “I still feel like I have something to offer, and the cynical fan can really kiss my ass. 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.”
Jones long has been under-appreciated. He deserves a statue outside of Turner Field — two if you want him batting both left- and right-handed.
Beyond the blur of statistical evidence, what he has brought to the team in leadership and help to young players can’t be measured. He has been an icon for the franchise and the city of Atlanta. We’ve had too few of those.
“I think many great players in Chipper’s era are under-appreciated, and the reason for that is the way the system is,” Aaron said. “Baseball is a lot different than it was 10, 15 years ago. People look at players, I guess, by the money they make. Chipper falls into that category of players who have not only meant a lot to the Braves but to the city. When you see a ballplayer like this come along and you watch him for 19 or 20 years, sometimes you don’t fully appreciate him until after he’s gone.”
Jones choked up at several times during Thursday’s news conference, particularly when he addressed his teammates.
“You kept me young, or at least as young as a 40-year-old man can be,” he said.
Jones knows the body is wearing down. Aaron, when asked to named Jones’ greatest attribute, said, “His determination. He has played through so many injuries.”
This will be your final chance to watch him and appreciate him. One player, one franchise, 23 years, 19 seasons. When it’s over, he deserves a bow.
By Jeff Schultz
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305 comments Add your comment
Bravesincebirth
March 22nd, 2012
12:03 pm
JSS and HT you are 2 of the biggest douche bags I have ever seen and not very well informed either you said it has been sad to watch Chipper over the last 9 years, in which his stats are .331 batting avg, 23 hr avg, and 81 rbi avg. Use those computers in your parents basements to do some research jerkoffs.
Braves Fan
March 22nd, 2012
12:04 pm
One thing that will never be associated with Chipper is steroids. All those other guys like Arod etc are tainted.
Thanks for all the great memories, Chipper. My favorite is 99 when he was the great MET killer.
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:04 pm
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
11:37 am
It’s been all about him for the last couple of years. He’s an old prima donna, reminds me of Madonna fighting for relativity as her arse continues to sag.
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This wan’t me.
Braves Fan
March 22nd, 2012
12:05 pm
Greatest Braves hitters of all time.
1: Hank Aaron
2: Chipper Jones
3: Dale Murphy
4: Eddie Matthews
5: Fred McGriff
Billy
March 22nd, 2012
12:12 pm
JSS, it obvious you have never been are worked around Chipper, Dale are Hank. I have and all three are 1st class–” Mr. Braves”.
Keep your PBR, I don’t drink.
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
12:13 pm
@ Sid…
And you never fail to remind us why “Fearless Leader” could tell everyone to kiss his behind while failing to back his big talk! Reggie Jackson might have been “Mr. October” but Chipper never failed to show us after his MVP season that he was a hell of “Mr. August (because in September and October, he’d be watching the celebration)!” What was that little call out he made to Phillies down the stretch last year? Come on, remind us what all of the great leadership of Mr. Jones?
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:14 pm
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
11:26 am
Eddie Matthews was the best 3rd baseman ever to put on the Tomahawk!
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The stats don’t agree with you.
Bravesincebirth
March 22nd, 2012
12:16 pm
That should say 301 batting avg.
Techman
March 22nd, 2012
12:19 pm
The negativity towards Chipper kills me. He is still arguably the most productive offensive player on the team. Yes, he is getting old and the body is breaking down. Having said that, he still plays in roughly the same # of games McCann does, our best player and puts up very similar #’s. He has changed positions for this team and taken less $$ to play here. What else do you want from the guy?
I’ll definitely miss seeing him after this year.
mike
March 22nd, 2012
12:21 pm
Schultz, do you consider cheating on your wife honest? Just askin’
ajc sports fan
March 22nd, 2012
12:21 pm
Fix the wheeling on your network. My computer is going crazy wheeling only on ajc.com.
Say What Again
March 22nd, 2012
12:25 pm
Will miss #10. Just an incredible eye at the plate. Glad he was able to finish with the Braves. Just hope his help holds up so he can go out like (I’m sure) he wants too.
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:26 pm
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
12:13 pm
@ Sid…
And you never fail to remind us why “Fearless Leader” could tell everyone to kiss his behind while failing to back his big talk! Reggie Jackson might have been “Mr. October” but Chipper never failed to show us after his MVP season that he was a hell of “Mr. August (because in September and October, he’d be watching the celebration)!” What was that little call out he made to Phillies down the stretch last year? Come on, remind us what all of the great leadership of Mr. Jones?
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I’m not your puppet nor do you have an audience.
Larvell Blanks
March 22nd, 2012
12:27 pm
I suspect that the desire to keep his career average respectably over .300 played some role in his decision. A full season of .220 or so would drop it right to .300. Mantle’s last couple of seasons dropped his average down to .298.
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:29 pm
“But he has played for the right reasons and the Braves owe much of their success to him.”
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Couldn’t agree more Jeff.
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:30 pm
“The first time Braves manager Bobby Cox saw (Chipper) Jones, he knew he was going to be a star. ‘That face,’ Cox said. ‘He has that face.’ It is the face of a baseball lifer, a guy who was born to play the game. A baseball lifer doesn’t necessarily mean playing until you’re 45, then managing or coaching the rest of your life. It also means playing the game properly, doing what you’re told, doing what’s best for the team, adjusting constantly and, of course, winning.” – ESPN Columnist Tim Kurkjian in ESPN The Magazine (August 3, 2005)
mike
March 22nd, 2012
12:30 pm
He made this announcement now because he wants a big deal made about him every time he steps onto the field. He wants to wallow in all the celebratory screams and you folks will afford him just that. What an ego. How come giant egos are acceptable when you’re an athlete, music star, actor, etc.? Like John Kruk would say, “He’s just a ballplayer”. He is not a hero just because he can hit a baseball. Celebrity worship at its finest.
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
12:30 pm
Sorry Billy, been around all of them (not brag, just fact) and Chipper has never been in their league in the community or in the field (but he one hell of a five year run)… Chipper was a hell of a Mall troll when he was in Macon trying to get some tail! It would be different if I said the man “never had any talent.” He did, but he is (and has been) done! He has no one to blame for the wreck that his body became but Chipper Jones… He never took conditioning seriously (and it did not require performance enhancers), he thought he could just call Daddy and roll into the cage and hit his way out of anything… I got to see Carl Yastzemski and play they last two season, those men were way older than Chipper but they gave more and tried more than Mr. Jones has in the last nine… Like I said, that is the sad part… He never took a step towards playing first base when it could have helped the team. People keep bringing up when he gave up money (just deferred) when Castilla and Sheffield came to town, well he sure made up for it when he was MIA during those lost years between 2004-2007! He cleaned the house out!
Belcher
March 22nd, 2012
12:33 pm
Get out NOW Chipper. Don’t be a Mickey Mantle!!!!
Fred
March 22nd, 2012
12:34 pm
After reading some of these comments it is clear that those that can – play, and those that can’t – criticize!
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
12:37 pm
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:26 pm
JSS
“I’m not your puppet nor do you have an audience.”
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Then stop running your chops like Chipper did through his proxies in the media! He (and you) are big *** talkers when he was telling his detractors how was going to prove father time wrong! Guess what? He sure showed the universe his big stones. Well, when he wasn’t on the shelf putting a dip in his mouth!
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
12:41 pm
Carl Yastzemski and “Al Kaline”
Sid
March 22nd, 2012
12:42 pm
mike
March 22nd, 2012
12:30 pm
He made this announcement now because he wants a big deal made about him every time he steps onto the field. He wants to wallow in all the celebratory screams and you folks will afford him just that. What an ego. How come giant egos are acceptable when you’re an athlete, music star, actor, etc.? Like John Kruk would say, “He’s just a ballplayer”. He is not a hero just because he can hit a baseball. Celebrity worship at its finest.
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Wow, Mike…………….you think all that up by yourself? Oh yeah, John Kruk helped you.
Three Jack
March 22nd, 2012
12:46 pm
Thank you Todd Van Poppel! If not for your puerile, misguided arrogance, Chipper would never have played for the Braves.
Three Jack
March 22nd, 2012
12:46 pm
Thank you Todd Van Poppel! If not for your puerile, misguided arrogance, Chipper would never have played for the Braves.
Techman
March 22nd, 2012
12:50 pm
It’s unfortunate that I have to go to the ESPN comments to read positive comments regarding one of the greatest braves of all time. Fans like most of you on here are the reason this city doesn’t deserve a successful team.
rugburn
March 22nd, 2012
12:50 pm
chipper hasn’t hustled on a regular basis since his rookie year. he drops his head and trots to first on his many rollers to 2nd base. many times he has been thrown out even when the play was botched.worse thing is that he taught many others to be lollygaggers. andruw, javy, marcus, etc. why hustle when your leader doesn’t? i’m not saying he hasn’t been a good player, he’s just not the role model that he’s portrayed to be.
bob bobble ball
March 22nd, 2012
12:50 pm
No one can argue with his stats or his abilities, but I find fault with his commitment, specifically his failure to adopt the regimen required to stay in playing shape as he aged. Sports, despite the obsession over career stats, will always be about “what have you done for me lately?” and lately Chipper hasn’t done much, and this relates to his failure to train in the off season and refrain from the second helping of steak and potatoes. In the past I have cheered for him as loudly as anyone here, but over the last few years I have lost a little respect for him as I watch his waist line increase in inverse proportion to his performance, which makes me question, is his dedication to the game/team or to a fat payday?
Bill Arnold
March 22nd, 2012
12:50 pm
I tell you what told me a lot about Chipper Jones. He lost a wife because of a terrible mistake but he was man enough to make a proper home for that illegible child.
Techman
March 22nd, 2012
12:56 pm
:Sigh:
As I said before, his stats are on par with the best hitters on the team, and that includes McCann & Uggla. He plays in as many games as McCann but no one seems to notice that.
The guy is 40 years old!! How many people in baseball are playing at age 40??? Also, for you mentioning his body breaking down, I can only assume you’re still in your twenties because that’s what your body does when you hit your mid-30’s. I’m impressed that he has maintained the level of success he has had for this long.
Good Grief
March 22nd, 2012
1:00 pm
Not Soon Enough!!!! @ 11:41 -
If you have such a low opinion of the team and the player then why are you even bothering to comment? Maybe Chipper stayed around too long…but it was his decision to make, not yours. It’s sad (to me, at least) to see so many people willing to just toss others aside when they outlive their perceived usefulness to that person’s desires.
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
1:02 pm
Chipper broke down at 32! He’s played more than 128 games twice since he hit that age… it just doesn’t hold water (the he’s mid 30s-forty)! Bob BB hit the ball on the trademark…
Tomahawkin
March 22nd, 2012
1:03 pm
They Should Just Go Ahead and retire his number 10 this year…during the Last home series, And have a Huge Pre-Game Party Celebrating the career of the legendary #10
Son of the South
March 22nd, 2012
1:04 pm
Thank You Todd Van Poppel! Without you, we wouldn’t have had Chipper for all of these years.
EDIMGIAFAD
March 22nd, 2012
1:04 pm
Yes Chipper is all class and he better be a 1st ballot shoo-in or else something is terribly wrong. I just hope he has a solid season and prevents the “$14 million/ego/can’t let go” talk from surfacing. Say what you will, he could have easily moved on to other teams for more money but Chipper is loyal and that’s something you cannot say about many pro athletes today
Mark's for the Braves
March 22nd, 2012
1:08 pm
It is so sad to hear this. I knew it was coming. Make Chipper a coach in 2013 and sign David Wright to a long term deal at 3B!
Shaun
March 22nd, 2012
1:13 pm
Chipper had the 14th most Wins Above Replacement (according to FanGraphs) from 2008-2011. Sure he wasn’t a star any longer but he still provided plenty of value in recent years.
I’m glad those who think he’s basically been worthless in recent years are not in the Braves’ front office, not that people like that would ever have a shot of making it there.
Techman
March 22nd, 2012
1:13 pm
He’s basically played the equivalent of a catcher over the last few years, save his season ending injuries. The more I dig into his career stats, the dumber you naysayers look. He had an OPS over 1.000 from 2006-2008, averaging 124 games/year. He’s been on par with the best hitters on the team the last few years.
After reading these comments, I think his biggest mistake was not signing with a team where he’s more appreciated.
Tami
March 22nd, 2012
1:24 pm
It’ll be tough on Opening Day 2012 when the starting lineup for the Braves is announced, and “playing 3rd Base, #10 Chipper Jones!” is NOT said. The Game, not just Braves’ fans, will truly miss Chipper. Thanks for your dedication and selflessness, Chipper. Enjoy your final season, and may it truly be a happy and memorable one for you as it will be for me.
Tami
March 22nd, 2012
1:24 pm
It’ll be tough on Opening Day 2013 when the starting lineup for the Braves is announced, and “playing 3rd Base, #10 Chipper Jones!” is NOT said. The Game, not just Braves’ fans, will truly miss Chipper. Thanks for your dedication and selflessness, Chipper. Enjoy your final season, and may it truly be a happy and memorable one for you as it will be for me.
Tami
March 22nd, 2012
1:26 pm
Sorry, folks. I edited my comment, but my original AND my edited comment somehow showed up. The 1:24 P.M. comment is the one intended for display.
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
1:26 pm
His biggest mistake was not signing with an AL team and becoming a switch hitting Edgar Martinez… Ro-oh, the Sabermetrics are here! Still trying figure out Wade Boggs got to 3,000 hits and Chipper Jones didn’t? It ain’t that hard and Boggs got a later start!
JSS
March 22nd, 2012
1:29 pm
It ain’t that hard, he’s been out of the line-up enough for most of us to be too use to him not being around!
steve whitmire
March 22nd, 2012
1:32 pm
HE’LL BE MISSED, by this lifelong Braves fan at least, I’m looking forward to watching him play this last season
Mike
March 22nd, 2012
1:34 pm
Will seeing him play, for sure! I still have Chipper’s and Ryan Klesko’s rookie baseball cards. Can we, at minimum, pencil him in only when we play the Mets?
STRETCH
March 22nd, 2012
1:38 pm
Angels Looking For Starting Pitching Depth
By Mike Axisa [March 22 at 11:46am CST]
Despite having a strong front four of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, and Ervin Santana, the Angels are looking for starting pitching depth according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They are focusing on out of options or non-roster players in camp with other clubs, not bigger names like John Lannan.
Garrett Richards, Brad Mills, and Jerome Williams are currently competing for the fifth starter’s job, though Williams is battling a hamstring problem. As our out of options list shows, there aren’t many teams out there with extra starters who could match up for a trade.
NEWSFLASH: Ok Wren, go ahead and dabble and see what you can get. Theyve got Izturis, Trumbo at 3rd now and some depth in the OF.
This would be the best time to get a look at LF if Prado is going to slide into 3rd next season.
Jeff Schultz
March 22nd, 2012
1:38 pm
FOLKS — Just completely rewrote column with comments from Henry Aaron. So hook back to the top and tell me what you think.
Will get to any questions, shortly.
Thanks
J
Dale Murphy
March 22nd, 2012
1:40 pm
When Chip had the kid a few years back, did he use protection and then it just broke? Or did he just have a fun roll-in-the-hay without ye ole’ raincoat?
JB
March 22nd, 2012
1:42 pm
The people bashing Chipper on here today I assume have never accomplished anything. Just blowhards saying look at me. Just his mere talent to earn say 120 million dollars is enough for those losers on here to sit on the back of the bus. How much have they made by 40?…. Thought so…..Good job Chipper.
5150 UOAD
March 22nd, 2012
1:42 pm
The Hooters closest to his HOMES are hiring for the day Chipper plays his last game. With ALL the Free Time what hill Chipper HUNT when Deer Season is over? LOL
He was a Fun Player to watch. He will be missed in the ATL. I am sure the Farewell tour Will be Nice, but the Other teams Pitchers will go after him hoping not to be a Record in the Books against CHIPPER.