Chipper Jones: Treasure on field, wealth of material off of it
When Chipper Jones retires, the Braves will lose a legend and we'll lose the rarely scene honest and open athlete. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
(This is just one of several articles that will run in Sunday’s AJC special section on Chipper Jones. The section will be a collectors’ item so be sure to pick one up.)
Economics preclude me from following Chipper Jones into retirement. But there’s a side of me that wonders, “Now what?”
This column isn’t about Chipper Jones’ greatness as a baseball player (obvious). Or that he will end his Hall of Fame career with the same franchise that drafted him (reducing Todd Van Poppel to an amusing trivia question). Or that what we are witnessing in his final season seems pure fantasy: A 40-year-old athlete with creaky limbs manufacturing enough highlights to push his team into the playoffs.
Rather, this is about what really has set Chipper Jones apart: genuine, unfiltered, cold-slap honesty.
In the media, we tend to be drawn to the talkers. It’s simple: Our job is to tell stories, and it’s easier to paint pictures when locker-room voices are disseminating something more insightful than, “I hit a fastball.”
“Talkers” shouldn’t have a negative connotation. This isn’t about the turbo-lipped wonders who rarely stray far from a mirror or an agent. It’s not about the pre-packaged star who cares only about image and marketing. They sanitize every remark, orchestrate every public appearance. They’re like pretty yachts sitting in still waters.
Jones has had priorities beyond self-preservation. He says what he actually thinks, and what he thinks most often is correct. He arrived like a lot of young players, “thinking he had hung the moon,” Tom Glavine joked. He won a World Series as a rookie in 1995.
When the Braves didn’t win another title right away, it was Jones who said during the 1998 postseason what many others were thinking: “I think this business-type attitude hasn’t gotten the job done.”
And John Schuerholz probably spit up his coffee.
How many other athletes would have the courage to criticize the organization for not re-signing pitcher John Smoltz? “With all of the gambles that the Braves have taken on players, for a couple of million more dollars, you don’t gamble on John Smoltz …?” Jones said.
This time, it was Frank Wren’s turn to spit up his coffee.
Who else in spring training last year would call out critics for suggesting that Jones was playing only for the money? Quoting: “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.” (I resisted the temptation to drop my recorder and hug him.)
How many athletes, understanding the potential for misinterpretation, would declare that Jason Heyward needed to learn how to play with pain? The words: “[He] needs to realize [that] at 80 percent [he’s] a force. There are a bunch of his teammates that are out there playing with discomfort and not healthy.” (And soon, there was a brush fire.)
What player goes into his final spring training and makes waves? Jones criticizing performance-enhancing drug users, but admitted he thought about taking steroids earlier in his career. He shared a conversation with his father: “He said, ‘I can’t think of anything that would disappoint me more than finding out that you did something like that.’ I said, ‘Well, you don’t have to worry about that.’”
The Braves are losing a legend. The fans are losing a hero. I’m losing a reason to open my laptop.
Glavine said Jones matured after the early years. He developed into a leader.
“He probably rubbed some veteran guys the wrong way at the beginning, but I think we were all that way,” Glavine said. “Some veterans want to wring your neck, but the good players recognize that and [change]. I think it’s a natural progression. Also, mostly everything he said was true.”
Jones’ openness and honesty, he said said, “certainly puts him in a small group. Some guys say they’re accountable, but when they have a bad game suddenly they’re not around [for the media]. For a superstar to be accountable through good or bad is a rarity. It has served him well. You wish more guys would be like that.”
Henry Aaron said recently that Jones “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.”
That’s not the case here. I’m just hoping to have him for a few more stories.
By Jeff Schultz
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188 comments Add your comment
Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
12:45 pm
The article mentions Chipper being a hero to his fans in the sports’ sense, not in the saving lives and fighting for our country sense (which certainly deserves the highest praise). Chipper is far from perfect. No doubt, the posters critical of Chipper and this article are far from perfect. Can we just celebrate the great baseball career of Chipper Jones? He has acknowledged his failings, and he has done so before the public. Have all of us done the same in our private worlds?
wake up HaHa
September 28th, 2012
12:46 pm
The present Pres has a 19 year old son and he wasn’t a GOP’er haha. Thats a fact.
jeffrey d
September 28th, 2012
12:47 pm
What Jeff said:
“Chipper Jones has been great for the Braves and the city of Atlanta.”
What the hairsplitters read:
“Chipper Jones is a god and I hate every single person in the military.”
jeffrey d
September 28th, 2012
12:49 pm
What some idiots read:
“An article about Chipper Jones?? This is a great opportunity to talk about bipartison politics!”
JSS
September 28th, 2012
12:50 pm
dean
September 28th, 2012
12:33 pm
“Nice. The 3 initial barbiturate is in the room.”
Ha ha, are you under the influence of “Chippers?”
Marie
September 28th, 2012
12:51 pm
YOUDONTGETIT – Amen!
Who’d a thunk it – Chipper is one of the great bb players ever-stats back that up.
What’s wrong with forgiveness, especially the way he handled his issues (as opposed to
Tiger)? And really, it’s not up to us to forgive or not forgive. Like the ballplayer or
don’t like him. No need for all the prefect people to spout their holiness.
GO BRAVES!
Oats Willey
September 28th, 2012
12:52 pm
Yeah before you all bust a nut in your pants, just remember some of his off field actions were questionable. It doesn’t take away from his on field greatness. Just know he is a baseball player, not a hero.
Marie
September 28th, 2012
12:52 pm
Jeffery d – Seriously!
Oats Willey
September 28th, 2012
12:53 pm
And vote for me for president….I’ll give you free pizza.
Braves Boi
September 28th, 2012
12:54 pm
BS. He’s no hero, he’s a baseball player. And, he’s a baseball player who has children with who knows how many women who are not his wife. Good at playing baseball? Sure. Good at being a man? Hell no!
Steve
September 28th, 2012
12:55 pm
He’s a great athlete, but I wouldn’t call anyone who plays a game a hero.
David
September 28th, 2012
12:56 pm
What Jeff wrote:
Jones criticizing performance-enhancing drug users, but admitted he thought about taking steroids earlier in his career. He shared a conversation with his father: “He said, ‘I can’t think of anything that would disappoint me more than finding out that you did something like that.’ I said, ‘Well, you don’t have to worry about that.’”
The Braves are losing a legend. The fans are losing a hero. I’m losing a reason to open my laptop.
He is not a hero he swings a wooden bat for a living, which he did very well. I still believed he used PEDs in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I’m sure he was not the only Brave who did. Still he only won 1 title. It would have been interesting if Cox got fired in ‘96, how many more titles they would have won with a better manager.
He second wife is also divorcing him, the AJC has not said anything since it was reported that divorce papers were filed.
Shelfish Chipper need 2 retrie now!
September 28th, 2012
12:58 pm
Mann some of U are dellusinal over Chiper. He was not that realy N E good. He should of retried a cuple of years a go.
Stinger2
September 28th, 2012
12:59 pm
Chipper Jones record speaks for itself. All have a right to express their ranking of
him in the Braves hierarchy. I prefer to say he was one of the best who gave it all in spite of many injuries. I appreciate Sonny Clusters post on this blog earlier today.
Bill
September 28th, 2012
1:00 pm
David they are trying to work things out..is that a crime?
Steve
September 28th, 2012
1:00 pm
I have been a die-hard Braves fan forever. The one constant these past 20 years has been Chipper Jones and he will be missed. My kids grew up in this era and he has been their hero. Until this past week, it had not set in that after they win the World Series, Chipper will no longer be putting on that Braves uniform. No matter what happens in the playoffs, I will never forget the celebration on Tuesday night after the walk-off home run. That home run was for Chipper. Good Luck Chipper! You will be missed. Go Braves!
Tucker
September 28th, 2012
1:01 pm
Chipper is the greatest ballplayer to practice his craft for an entire career in the City of Atlanta. Whatever persons may think about what he did outside baseball, they can never accuse him of being a pretender. He has always been as real as it gets. Enjoy the moment.
OHYEASH
September 28th, 2012
1:06 pm
please what makes him a legend? what makes him honest open athlete? PLEASE because he’s white?
Rollin on 23\"
September 28th, 2012
1:11 pm
If Chipper were black, would he receive this much love after fathering an illegitimate child?
Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
1:13 pm
Here is a suggestion to all those people who are against celebrating Chipper’s career: Do something else. Turn your attention to something you feel is more important. Go out and support the local fire and police station. Spend time with your kids. Don’t waste precious time blasting away on a blog at people who might like to celebrate his baseball career.
Rollin on 23\\\"
September 28th, 2012
1:15 pm
We\’re not against celebrating his career…We are just pointing out he is not a super hero.
Reading comprehension must be a struggle for you.
Richard Gray
September 28th, 2012
1:16 pm
Chipper Jones was on the of finest ball player to ever wear ab Atlanta Braves jersey.He played through a lot of pain. He respected his game and teammates enough to put himself on the bench when he knew he wouldn’t perform at the level he knew he could. He was the hero of more games than can be counted from memory. Chip is my favorite ballplayer to ever suit up. I for one will miss seeing him in the batters’ box. He was magic. If Chipper reads through this blog, I hope he notes that at least one fan was so grateful to watch him play. Thank you Mr. Jones. Maybe we’ll share a deer camp one day! All the best to your and you’re future, -Richard Gray Holt, Jr.
BB
September 28th, 2012
1:17 pm
For all of those “haters”….maybe you’ll realize what the ATL had when he’s hung up the cleats.
Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
1:17 pm
Thanks for your insult. Bless you, Rollin!
Bat Masterson
September 28th, 2012
1:18 pm
Nice column, Shultz. I really enjoyed reading it.
And the commentary, well it’s first drawer
Good grief
jeffrey d
September 28th, 2012
1:18 pm
We\’re not against celebrating his career…We are just pointing out he is not a super hero.
Reading comprehension must be a struggle for you
Nobody said “super hero”
blazerdawg
September 28th, 2012
1:18 pm
My young son’s favorite ballplayer – thanks for the effort and success Chipper.
Get that ring this last month!
Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
1:19 pm
If Chipper were black, would he receive this much love after fathering an illegitimate child?
Is this really a comment I can construe as someone who wants to celebrate anything about Chipper?
Really?
September 28th, 2012
1:21 pm
Nice article schultzie. For a moment there I thought it was going to be about Hooter’s waitresses.
Brock
September 28th, 2012
1:22 pm
Here is a list of Sports Heroes. I would guess there are some that disagree with these since the list includes drunks, womanizers, HIV positive, lesbians, blacks and what have you. But if you can differentiate Sport Heros with heroes from the military,police, firefighters etc then you might understand what Jeff was writing about.
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/heroes.html
Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
1:27 pm
Brock – Being partial to tennis, I would have included Arthur Ashe on that list. While not a perfect human (nobody is), he was a hero in a sports sense as well as much more.
konervatude
September 28th, 2012
1:29 pm
I is fur republikins evens tho I ams on every type of welfare offered. i likes to helps ric foks cuz i will be welfy whens i decid whut i want to do to mak munee. rollllllll tiiiiiiide
dean
September 28th, 2012
1:30 pm
Dang it, JSS. And didn’t I just say last week that I don’t get into the name-calling game? You flushed me out. For certain, though, your deductive skills are working fine!
I understand why you adhere to the Frank Zappa school of cynicism. I did too. I just got tired of being a downer. I hope for the best while hoping the worst (versus expecting the worst) doesn’t happen. Yes, I know that’s tough for ATL sports fans to do. The alternative is perpetual skepticism.
Bootleg
September 28th, 2012
1:30 pm
Look, we all agree that calling a man playing a boys game a hero is nuts; however, for the many young baseball fans that grew up watching him, they did/dont distinguish. He has been a great player and sure fire hall of famer, so lets leave it at that. If I was running a Major League Baseball franchise I would be recruiting him to be my hitting coach. Bad legs but that swing is dtill as sweet as it gets !!
HUH?????
September 28th, 2012
1:37 pm
“Keep it up. Give me a reason to ban you. … Already deleted a few comments.”
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
HaHa
September 28th, 2012
1:42 pm
I am a baseball fan, not a Braves fan. Lawrence has been a better than average player. He is no where near the best the Braves have ever had.
As a man, he is a cheating redneck and nothing to be proud of.
BabsinAtl
September 28th, 2012
1:42 pm
People, this is a sports blog. If you want to discuss politics or race bait, please find another forum to do so. This article does not equate Chipper to a “hero” in the real sense of the word. He is simply a baseball player that spent an entire career in Atlanta with the Braves. His stats and records as a baseball player will certainly put him in the HOF. His shortcomings as a man, husband or father are just that … his and whatever happened is between his family and his God. True fans will recognize his contributions to the city of Atlanta, to baseball, his teammates and to the fans. The rest of you …. please find something constructive to do with your time.
HUH?????
September 28th, 2012
1:47 pm
“If you want to discuss politics or race bait, please find another forum to do so.”
No one is race baiting.
BabsinAtl
September 28th, 2012
1:55 pm
Really? Did you miss this? Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
1:19 pm
If Chipper were black, would he receive this much love after fathering an illegitimate child?
Ken Stallings
September 28th, 2012
1:55 pm
For me, the fact he’s done it (produced a Hall of Fame career) without PED’s while in the middle of the PED era, is the single most impressive thing, and why I respect him so much. If medical science could give the man a new set of knees, I am convinced he could play at a highly productive level for another five years and blow up the record book.
BabsinAtl
September 28th, 2012
1:56 pm
Or these? OHYEASH
September 28th, 2012
1:06 pm
please what makes him a legend? what makes him honest open athlete? PLEASE because he’s white?
LinkReport this comment.Rollin on 23\”
September 28th, 2012
1:11 pm
If Chipper were black, would he receive this much love after fathering an illegitimate child?
Ken Stallings
September 28th, 2012
2:00 pm
A few others have offered the same comment, but I want to add my own since I have also served several tours of duty in combat. A hero can earn the title in different ways. Chipper Jones is certainly not a battlefield hero. But, in terms of a baseball career, he certainly is one.
I am more than confident that Chipper Jones very much understands the difference. One only wishes a few dense-headed bloggers here could!
GOTT GAMBINO
September 28th, 2012
2:01 pm
Old Chippy is was over-rated… It never ceases to amaze me when he would at times stub his toe and then cry the blues so he could play left bench.. Good Riddance!!! Bring back Dale Murphy and Chuck Tanner.. Wake the dead lol
Sonny Clusters
September 28th, 2012
2:02 pm
Well, many posts later our little buddy shows up. We can’t make a post without some comment from him. We guess his approval is supposed to be better than the dismissive comments we’re accustomed to. In any case, stalking is stalking and like our ol’ buddy William F. Buckley, Jr. used to say, “We would like to take you seriously, but to do so would affront your intelligence.” Well, that’s almost what WFBJ said. Now, as for Chipper being a hero . . . it’s okay with us if he’s your hero. He’s not ours and won’t be but we still think he can hit better than most anybody else who’s been through here. We did like to see Julio Franco with a bat, though, when they needed a runner moved over or brought in . . . but Julio is no Chipper and Chipper is no Neil Armstrong. We was wondering why none of the astronauts called themselves, “Chipper”?
BabsinAtl
September 28th, 2012
2:02 pm
Well said, Ken.
GOTTI GAMBINO
September 28th, 2012
2:03 pm
Old Chippy was soooo over-rated… It never ceases to amaze me when, on numberous occasions, stub his queen toe and then go wah-wah and not get out on the field. Thought he was built Ford tough. Good Riddance!! Bring back Dale Murphy, Otis Cokehead Nixon, and Sid Bream (just for the sake of doing that slide into home) That would right this ship
Tumbledown
September 28th, 2012
2:10 pm
BabsinAtl – Really? Did you miss this? Tumbledown
I think I pointed out the same posting as you. See my comment at 1:19. I think we are in agreement.
samuel
September 28th, 2012
2:15 pm
Chipper admitted his affair and illegitimate kid after it was posted all over the front pages. He did not voluntarily come forth after the deed and say to his worshipping followers “I cheated on my wife last night and I feel bad and I want to come clean before it hits the fan”.
BabsinAtl
September 28th, 2012
2:18 pm
@Samuel. Do you advertise your sins publicly?
Sonny Clusters
September 28th, 2012
2:19 pm
If we was to get tattooed (and we’re not going to) we would have to consider the Buck Commander tattoo that Chipper and LaRoach and a few others are sporting. Now, since we are not a Buck Commander and never will be invited to be one, we know we could not have the actual patented Buck Commander tattoo on our Popeye biceps but we think a good tattoo artist could come up with something similar for us without too much trouble. Then, we might get us some little bratwurst sausages and some seeds and some Double Bubble bubble gum and we might write our memoirs of all the places we’ve been where we enjoyed a good pizza and a good remote control tv. Clusters don’t get out all that much but we know a good Dairy Queen when we see it and we know the difference in a sports hero and a heroic individual. If Chipper does come back as a sports announcer like he once suggested we hope they pair him with Chip Caray because they have somewhat contrasting styles and would complement each other in the booth and permit the Braves to have the first Chip and Chipper broadcast team. That would be so confusing as to render the game meaningless. If a deer could talk . . .