LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- After coming to Braves spring training for 22 years as a super prospect or major league star, Chipper Jones came as a retiree Saturday. And insisted he was comfortable in that new role.
"It's a little different, but it feels right," said the 40-year-old former third baseman, who retired last year after his 19th season in the majors. "I have no ambition to get down in the weight room, take an hour-and-a-half, two hours out of every day to get myself ready. And that's what it takes to come into spring training ready."
That’s what it takes to come to spring training ready to play, but not to serve as a guest instructor, the role Jones will have for the next four or five days. Dale Murphy, Tom Glavine, Phil Niekro and others have done the same in recent years at Braves spring training, and Fred McGriff is back for his second consecutive spring as guest instructor.
But none have returned quite so close to the end of their playing careers as Jones, a future Hall of Famer and Braves icon who played his entire major league career with Atlanta.
Four months after Jones and the Braves lost to St. Louis in the first-ever NL Wild Card game, and less than a full week into the team’s first spring training without him in nearly two decades, Jones will be back in uniform, bat in hand. Only it’ll be a fungo bat. There was one waiting with his familiar No. 10 on it when he arrived Saturday.
Seeing the bat and his locker in the coaches’ office was odd, as was seeing Dan Uggla’s name and equipment in the locker that Jones occupied for many years in the Braves’ spring-training home at Champion Stadium.
“It’s weird,” Jones said. “But life goes on. Baseball is going to go on. It doesn’t stop just because you retire. People are going to be in your locker and people are going to be playing your position. It’s going to be weird to get used to, but you better start.”
He already has. Despite inevitable speculation that Jones will consider a comeback once he gets the itch, the switch-hitting slugger indicated that was about the last thing on his mind.
“I just haven’t had the urge,” he said. “I’m here, and I thought today would be difficult not to get the itch to put the uniform on. I don’t even want to put that uniform on, to be honest with you. I’d much rather just kind of walk around in anonymity and just hang out with the guys, and just kind of ween myself off this clubhouse.”
He showed up too late to suit up for Saturday’s workout, after driving in from Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., where he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a 2 p.m. ballgame. But Jones will don the Braves uniform for Sunday’s 1 p.m. workout (the weekend workouts are three hours later than usual because of team physicals in the morning).
Jones was asked about using the fungo bat to hit grounders.
“I would probably throw out a back muscle if I tried to swing a bat,” he said, laughing. “I threw out the first pitch at Stetson University today and I almost threw my arm out of socket. I think the last ball I threw sailed into right field last year in the playoff game. That’s the last time I picked up a baseball.
"I foresee me sitting down on the benches in the batting cage and talking a little hitting with the guys. That’s what spring training is all about anyway. It’s real laid-back. Guys are getting acclimated and getting themselves back into baseball shape before they start playing games. We just want to try and get their fundamentals and their actions all in sync.
