A Tribute to Chipper

[Tiger Wench]

Dating myself, but I remember him coming in as a rookie.  He was so smoking hot.  My sister planned to drive to Atlanta every home game and hang out by the dugout, hoping he would notice her, because she wanted to have his children.  Then he won a World Series with ATL and *I* wanted to have his children.  My sister and I have different view on what makes a guy smoking hot.

Spencer Hall at EDSBS wrote this about Chipper, and I am just glad my sister did not get a part time job at Hooter's.

You knew Chipper would work in Atlanta simply based on his face. He could have been the mascot for the Atlanta Crackers, the minor league team that played at Spiller Field in Ponce de Leon Park before Fulton County Stadium floated in from orbit and landed just south of the state Capitol. Chipper looked like a walking definition of cracker: slitty eyes, swaggery, slow steps to the plate even as a rookie, and a fondness for Oakleys and sleeveless shirts.

You knew he would work for so many reasons. He came to the plate to "Crazy Train," the precursor to totalling a Camaro, or chugging a 12 pack of Natty Lite before a Jackyl concert, or hitting a baseball with the name "Chipper." His real name was Larry Wayne Jones, the name of a serial killer, state agricultural commissioner, or budding candidate for the position of cracker baseball pope. He switch-hit, validating the backyard frustrations of a thousand fathers in Gwinnett County who told you, son, that it not only could be done, but would turn you into something no coach could leave off the all-county team.

He won like a white trash millionaire, too, winning a World Series after his first full season, and then never again. Like new money does, he got a flossy new house just across the street from the old one, and closed the place himself. He got rich, and got divorced, and when his wife shook out the rug in public, a Hooters waitress and a child born out of wedlock fell out and into the papers. In the years his personal life imploded, Larry Wayne drove in over 100 runs.

He did all of this in the best possible place for it, a city filled with Chipper's aspirational peers. Getting divorced? Hell, I been there, said the dude with a pickup truck dropping ladders on I-75 en route to building another cluster of McMansions no one would buy. Lost in the playoffs? He's just one man, man, thought a boom-era bro listening to Skip Caray on the way to the golf course. Maybe he's just not good at articulating his feelings, thought every woman who unabashedly listed Chipper's ass as the second best on the mid-90s Braves *, and who nodded sympathetically when Chipper was his usual honest self talking about it all.

(*Via an influential and unscientific survey conducted by a co-worker at a Rio Bravo Cantina in Kennesaw I worked at in the summer of 1995. The winner: catcher Javy Lopez.)  NOTE:  Totally agree.

The Braves would continue to fall just shy of Chipper's rookie lottery prize of a World Series, consistently rolling out of their beds, winning their division, and then returning to The Ted each spring just in time to occupy the space between the Masters and college football. Chipper saved his best moments for the Mets, whose fans called him by his real name, drawing out the name like one long indictment of everything the Braves represented.

The Mets' fans misfired, of course. The one they wanted was John Rocker, another cracker from along the I-75 corridor who packed a single fictional subway car with everything he hated about the world: AIDS, foreigners, homosexuals, and kids who dyed their hair. That was John Rocker's response to New York. Chipper responded by hitting .329 lifetime against them and performing the permatroll of naming a child after a place where he had such great success: "Shea," his son born in 2004. In his last game in the city, Mets fans applauded him on their home field. I have no idea where John Rocker is right now, and neither do you, and that's just fine with all of us.

The Mets rivalry was not a World Series, but it was the kind of cheeky melodrama you can only build around a veteran character actor capable only of playing himself. Like anyone significant enough to become one team's villain, he acquired institutional status in a city with very few institutions to call its own. He got his own charity wine. He created a deer hunting show, because of course he did, and slowly aged into one of the few points on a map of Atlanta immune to bulldozers, foreclosure, or the elements.

A banner hanging on the side of Turner Field this past weekend read: "THANK YOU CHIPPER." Chipper Jones helped open that park back in 1997, the year after the Olympics when Atlanta rushed headlong into an overfinanced and unplanned future, building, expanding, and leaving ample space in the trophy case for the implicit and obvious riches to come.

The metaphorical trophy case for Chipper and the city he never left proved to be just a bit ambitious. I don't know what exactly reminds me of that. It could be the hollow apartment complexes on Memorial Drive as you drive to Turner Field, recession ghost ships left floating in the market for anyone to claim. It may be the two feral dogs I saw fighting giddily over trash in an empty lot across from a half-demolished house further down the road. It could be the inconsistent patches of the city itself, a mangy outlay of parking lots, beautiful neighborhoods, and utter squalor randomly sandwiched inside a heart-shaped array of clogged interstates.

It may have been the MARTA train rising up and out of Georgia State, just shy of Five Points where the Braves shuttle bus takes antsy suburbanites off the train and into Chipper Jones' office. Once, on that east-west line running across Atlanta's equator, a homeless man grabbed me and slammed me into a seat on the train.

"You sit here," he said.

"Fuck off--"

"NO. You don't understand." He was a middle-aged black guy, and speaking from somewhere behind a veil of legitimate insanity and a recently consumed handle of Glenmore Gin. He smelled awful. He could have been one of the scrap-metal harvesting drunks released each morning from the old drunk tank from City Hall East. I can't prove The Walking Dead wasn't conceived watching this happen, but it was.

His eyes swam in his head. "Lemme tell you. He white. I know he white. But Chipper Jones is a bad motherfucker."

He turned to the car full of staring, horrified strangers. "Oh, he white." Dramatic pause. "BUT HE IS A BAD MOTHERFUCKER, Y'ALL."

The man got up, nodded confidently, and stumbled into the next train. I remember slowly realizing the man had slammed me into a seat full of piss, and that I was going to have to take the longest shower of my life when I got home. I remember how his pupils floated in his eye sockets like fish suffocating in dirty water. I remember having no reply. Even the insane homeless of the perpetually indeterminate city knew one definite thing a total stranger would agree with them on: that Chipper Jones, while white, was a bad motherfucker.

[jmar]

Great read. I never really heard much about Chipper's personal life but I see he managed to grow into a full-fledged major leaguer. Lived and worked in Lithonia, GA and went to many games well before Jones was drafted. Later took my children over to catch the Dodgers at the new stadium. I must of heard them repeat the name Chippa Jones...in the back seat fifty times before we got there. Think it was bases loaded and 3-3 in the ninth when one of theirs one-hopped a sharp liner off Chipper's chest and the Braves lost. He was however a rock at third until my youngest graduated high school. And I tried my best to coax the kid into developing a LH swing as he was already pretty fair from the right...Chipper being the inspiration for that genius idea. Actually Chipper's field demeanor sort of reminds me of 1B Eddie Murray of the Orioles,  the best switch hitter that I have ever seen, post Mantle.  Steady Eddie never wasted any effort, always appeared to be loafing. All the way to the HOF.       





     

[AUJarhead]

This was written by the Cardinals beat writer from back in the summer when the Braves had their only trip of the season to Busch:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/braves-jones-deserves-farewell-fanfare/article_18df8712-5a96-5c1f-b074-3509b51cfc5b.html

Chipper Jones is unlikely to start at third base on Sunday afternoon when his Atlanta Braves play the Cardinals in the series finale at Busch Stadium. Given that he's 40 years old and trying to keep up with the kids on a youthful Braves roster, Chipper needs his rest.

Not that Larry Wayne Jones, proud son of Jacksonville, Fla., and the South, is ready for a life swinging in a hammock, sipping ice-cold lemonade. Chipper came into Saturday's game with a .305 batting average, five homers and 22 RBIs. And he can still pick it at third base.

Jones will retire at the end of the season, bringing an end to a brilliant 19-year career that easily rates a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Even if Chipper tries to change his mind, his body will scream in protest and win the argument. Through Friday, Jones had played 16,384 regular-season innings in the field, and taken nearly 9,000 at-bats. That partially explains why Jones walked slowly to the ATL dugout late Friday night, after the Braves outlasted the Cardinals in a 12-inning victory.

"I think my body is probably on the cusp of 50, more than 40," Jones said Saturday. "I feel like the brain is still fairly fresh. But the leg injuries I've had through the years, and just the natural breaking down of a body that's played 2,500 regular-season baseball games, it's going to take its toll."

Cardinals fans gave Chipper an energy boost Friday with a sustained ovation before his first at-bat. The Jones farewell tour of the National League was rather low-key until he came to Busch Stadium, and he was genuinely touched by the reception.

"That was very classy by the St. Louis fans," Jones said. "They're widely regarded as the best fans in baseball, and they showed it (Friday) night. It certainly was not expected, a little bit of a shock to me. I'm not used to getting that kind of reaction on the road. It just goes to show you they know their baseball, and their ovation was much appreciated.

"I've always enjoyed coming here and the fan base in St. Louis is a big part of that. You can have an opposing player hit three home runs against the Cardinals, and the Cardinals fans will give him an ovation for a job well done. You get an opposing pitcher come out and throw a shutout against their Cardinals and walking off the field, they'll (applaud.) It's nice to play in a city where good baseball is appreciated. And it rubs off on the Cardinals team.

"And other teams enjoy coming here to play, because No. 1 they know they're going to play a very good ballclub in the Cardinals. And No. 2 they get to entertain some really intelligent fans."

Cardinals fans don't need a tour guide to tell 'em about one of the all-time greats. They know it. And Chipper qualifies.

Jones took shifts at other positions but was stationed primarily at third base. Counting only the at-bats taken as a third baseman, Jones ranks second to Mike Schmidt, all-time, in homers and RBIs. Jones' combined onbase-slugging percentage (.942) as a third baseman ranks No. 1 from that spot in MLB history.

Overall Chipper has swatted 459 homers, knocked in 1,583 runs and smoked 529 doubles. He has a .402 onbase percentage and a .533 slugging percentage. He won the league MVP award in 1999, and was named to seven All-Star teams.

Among switch-hitters in MLB history, only Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray have more homers, and only Murray has more RBIs. He's third all-time among switch-hitters in slugging, and fifth in onbase percentage.

Too many knuckleheads have Baseball Hall of Fame ballots, but Chipper's resume is knucklehead-proof.

"I can go home at night and look in the mirror and feel proud of what I've accomplished," said Jones, who hopes to have a final shot at postseason baseball. "There's not much left to do other than show up and play for my team, my organization and my teammates. I can still play at a relatively high level. I can still contribute to this ballclub winning ballgames. But make no mistake about it, this is it. And I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my final season."

St. Louis fans should have a special appreciation of Chipper's loyalty to the Braves and Atlanta.

The realities of modern baseball have damaged the sensitive bond between a player, a franchise, and the city. We certainly know what's that like in St. Louis after seeing Albert Pujols reject $220 million from the Cardinals in pursuit of a bigger deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Well, Chipper never really wanted to leave the Braves or Atlanta. The most he's made in a single season is $16 million. That's a lot of money, sure. But there was more money out there for a charismatic, power-hitting, switch-hitting future Hall of Famer who carries old-school appeal.

Jones could have waited for his turn at free agency and gone for the maximum cash-in, but he never saw the point. Jones had everything he needed and wanted with in the Braves and the city of Atlanta, so why mess with perfection?

By playing his entire career with the Braves, Jones will enter an increasingly unique fraternity of single-franchise icons. In Cooperstown, Jones will eventually stand in a group that includes Derek Jeter, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr., Barry Larkin and Mariano Rivera. One-team superstars.

"At certain points during the relationship I've given a little, and certain points during the relationship the Braves have obviously given a little," Jones said. "I think it takes that, especially in this day and age, where maybe you could go out in your prime and go get $15 million, $18 million, $20 million dollars (per season.) But sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

Unless Jones pinch-hits or otherwise appears in Sunday's game, we've seen the last of The Chipper in St. Louis. Oh, maybe the Cardinals and Braves will meet in the 2012 playoffs. That's possible, and it would be fun. But this is probably it.

So when Chipper Jones emerges from the dugout before Sunday's game to be honored by the Cardinals organization in a brief ceremony, please let him hear it, St. Louis style.

[jmar]

This was written by the Cardinals beat writer from back in the summer when the Braves had their only trip of the season to Busch:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/braves-jones-deserves-farewell-fanfare/article_18df8712-5a96-5c1f-b074-3509b51cfc5b.html

Thanks for posting this article. Perfect compliment to TW's above.

[GH2001]

This was written by the Cardinals beat writer from back in the summer when the Braves had their only trip of the season to Busch:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/braves-jones-deserves-farewell-fanfare/article_18df8712-5a96-5c1f-b074-3509b51cfc5b.html

Classy move by the cards and their fans.

[War Eagle!!!]

Classy move by the cards and their fans.

It's easy to be in a good mood coming off a wildcard birth into the playoffs which lead to home field advantage in the world series which lead to a game 6 and 7 win to win it all......

But no...I am not bitter...

[GH2001]

It's easy to be in a good mood coming off a wildcard birth into the playoffs which lead to home field advantage in the world series which lead to a game 6 and 7 win to win it all......

But no...I am not bitter...

Unless I am misremembering the cards looked pretty mediocre most of the summer. Either way it's a good move by their fans to honor a player of another team. In the world of sec football we live where people practically wish death upon their opponents, this was nice to see. Chipper deserves it.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the cards got hot again this year. Are the rangers THE team to beat in the AL? Would be some shit of the O's made it all the way. Aut1 would drink massive amounts of bourbon.

[War Eagle!!!]

And I wouldn't be surprised if the cards got hot again this year. Are the rangers THE team to beat in the AL? Would be some shit of the O's made it all the way. Aut1 would drink massive amounts of bourbon.

The Rangers won't make it past Friday. They will lose 2 more and the year will have been a complete fucking waste.

[GH2001]

The Rangers won't make it past Friday. They will lose 2 more and the year will have been a complete fucking waste.

I see you are trying that reverse jinx/karma gods stuff. Let's see if it works.

[AUJarhead]

I'm not that impressed with the Nats or the Reds.  I've not paid attention to the West Coast teams, so I have no idea how good SF is.

I think Atlanta has a chance to go deep into October, if they can win Friday.

[Snaggletiger]

I'm not that impressed with the Nats or the Reds.  I've not paid attention to the West Coast teams, so I have no idea how good SF is.

I think Atlanta has a chance to go deep into October, if they can win Friday.

To me, the Nats are fo realz.  They may not do squat in the playoffs simply because of having a roster full of guys who have never been exposed to a playoff atmosphere.  That's a whole different animal.  But all year long, their pitching has been solid as hell and every at bat seems to be a tough out.  I thought for sure they'd fade but they've pretty much been wire to wire.  The Reds...I honestly haven't seen enough of them to know what they have other than a bunch of guys who throw the ball 110 m.p.h.

I'm not poor mouthing on the Braves but the fact is, they just don't hit the ball enough to go very far if they do get past the Cards.

[AUJarhead]

I'm not poor mouthing on the Braves but the fact is, they just don't hit the ball enough to go very far if they do get past the Cards.

Their pitching might be the best in baseball.

Medlen will pitch twice in the Divisional Round, Hudson once.  That's awfully hard to beat.

And to close you get Kimbrel?  He's fucking automatic.

[Snaggletiger]

Their pitching might be the best in baseball.

Medlen will pitch twice in the Divisional Round, Hudson once.  That's awfully hard to beat.

And to close you get Kimbrel?  He's fucking automatic.

Yeah, the pitching has surprisingly been the one constant throughout the year.  Medlen was a bit of an experiment in giving him some starts.  No one could have predicted what he's done.  He's fun to watch because like Greg Maddox, all he does is throw strikes, change speeds and locate the ball well.  Rarely a pitch over 90-91.  You watch him pitch and go, "Why aren't they killing this guy?"  That's what I said about Maddox every time out.

The Braves have one guy, Martin Prado, (The most underrated player in all of baseball IMO) who has consistently produced in all phases of the game.  He's the lone guy in the line up over .300 (.302)  After that, you drop off to part time Chipper at .285....Michael "I'm yet to hit a lefty" Bourn at .274...and it's a slow, steady drop off all the way to McCann and Cho...err, Uggla at .219.  The Braves never knock the cover off the ball but have these tendencies to go 4-5 game stretches where they don't score more tha a run or two. 

[War Eagle!!!]

Yeah, the pitching has surprisingly been the one constant throughout the year.  Medlen was a bit of an experiment in giving him some starts.  No one could have predicted what he's done.  He's fun to watch because like Greg Maddox, all he does is throw strikes, change speeds and locate the ball well.  Rarely a pitch over 90-91.  You watch him pitch and go, "Why aren't they killing this guy?"  That's what I said about Maddox every time out.

The Braves have one guy, Martin Prado, (The most underrated player in all of baseball IMO) who has consistently produced in all phases of the game.  He's the lone guy in the line up over .300 (.302)  After that, you drop off to part time Chipper at .285....Michael "I'm yet to hit a lefty" Bourn at .274...and it's a slow, steady drop off all the way to McCann and Cho...err, Uggla at .219.  The Braves never knock the cover off the ball but have these tendencies to go 4-5 game stretches where they don't score more tha a run or two.

You can't possibly win a world series when 2 dominant pitchers is all you have.

Signed,

Randy Johnson and Kurt Schilling

[dallaswareagle]

The Rangers won't make it past Friday. They will lose 2 more and the year will have been a complete fucking waste.

I see you are trying that reverse jinx/karma gods stuff. Let's see if it works.

No, he means the Rangers are the USA ryder cup team of Baseball. With a goofy skipper.

[Tiger Wench]

I think Atlanta has a chance to go deep into October, if they can win Friday.

Of course they will win Friday - they have to win one for the Chipper.**

** Cannot believe NO ONE has posted that stupid pun yet.  Snaggie, I am lookin' at you...

[Snaggletiger]

Of course they will win Friday - they have to win one for the Chipper.**

** Cannot believe NO ONE has posted that stupid pun yet.  Snaggie, I am lookin' at you...

It crossed my mind and then I thought, you'd have to be an incredible putz to go through with it. 

MWAH

[Tiger Wench]

It crossed my mind and then I thought, you'd have to be an incredible putz to go through with it. 

MWAH

It had to be said.

MWAH.

[Buzz Killington]

Get a room