LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- If Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones is not a lion in winter, he's at least in late autumn. He'll be 39 in April and his 17 years of major league service with one team is the most for any active player.
An Atlanta icon, he's the longest-serving uniformed Brave now that Bobby Cox is retired from managing. Jones ranks among the game’s greatest switch-hitters and leads the majors with 206 game-winning RBIs since 1995.
After season-ending knee surgery last year, he's set on defying skeptics who didn’t think he could come back strong. He ranked among National League leaders with a .407 average, eight doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs in 59 at-bats before Monday.
Braves beat writer David O'Brien sat down with Jones for a candid, wide-ranging Q&A as the prepared to leave spring training:
Q: Were you always the best player on your teams as a kid?
A: No. I played on a lot of teams where I played with older guys. When I was in Little League and 9 years old, I played with 11- and 12-year-olds. … When I got to the American Legion, I was 14 or 15 playing with 17- and 18-year-olds.
I think that was a big part of my development, the fact that all the way up through my adolescent years I was playing against older, better talent and having to up my game.
Q: What about as a pro?
A: Oh, no. I mean, on certain days back in the day, probably. But not on a consistent basis. Not on a day when we were playing the Giants or things like that. But I like to try and give off the impression that I was.
Q: I was just talking about on your own team.
A: Oh, on my team? You play with the [Greg] Madduxes and [Tom] Glavines, you play with the [Fred] McGriffs and Terry Pendletons, guys like that, [and] it would be awfully brash to say you were the best player on the field.
Q: How has the perception of you changed over the years?
A: I don't know, that would be hard to say. Certainly I would hope that people would say I've continued to be a leader and a winner. I think I've kind of transformed from a young kid that kind of kept his mouth shut and just followed the lead of the veterans, to being a good mentor for the young guys here later on in my career. But again, that's not for me to say.
Q: If you hadn’t become a baseball player, what would you be doing today?
A: I would probably have one or both of Chip [Caray] and Joe [Simpson]'s jobs. I wanted to be a broadcaster bad. I was going to major in communications. If I couldn't be in the game I wanted to be close to it. I felt like my knowledge of the game was upper echelon. As far as whether I could relay it to the people, I don't know. But it was something that I would have liked to have given a whirl.
Q: So are you more inclined to do that or to coach when you’re done playing? Or neither?
A: Just because it would probably be part-time, I would probably enjoy broadcasting more. Obviously coaching, that's a full-time thing, and it'd be like I was still playing to my family. If I could get a part-time gig doing some Braves home games, that would be very enticing to me.
Q: When did baseball become your favorite sport?
A: That's hard to say. I had a blast playing football, though I didn't necessarily enjoy working at the game of football. I loved going into the gym and shooting hoops, but basketball was kind of a pipe dream, because basketball season interrupted baseball season, and I just couldn't have that.
Q; Were you a good football player?
A: I was an all-state wide receiver in high school, and my senior year I led the state of Florida in catches.
Q: What’s the best advice you ever got from one or both of your parents?
A: My dad always told me never forget where you came from. Not just mentally, but monetarily; always help the people that helped you get to where you are, don't forget about them. That's something I've always tried to incorporate into some of my charities, where I give back to the place and the area and the people that gave me such great opportunities when I was a kid.
One thing my mom always said was have that necessary arrogance when you walk out there on the field. You might not be the best player on the field, but when you walk out there, at least you think you are.`
Q: Biggest regret that you care to share with us?
A: Probably early on in my career, not being more private. You know, I lived a lot of my personal life on the front page of the sports section early on in my career.
Q: Who’s the best position player you ever played with?
A: Wow, that's tough. I would say Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones and … probably Terry Pendleton.
Q: Best pitcher?
A: Doggie. Maddux.
Q: Best player you ever played against?
A: Barry Bonds.
Q: Best pitcher you’ve faced?
A: Probably Roger Clemens would be at the top. Pedro [Martinez] would be 1A. Not including Maddux; I never faced [Maddux] when he was with Chicago [before Maddux was with the Braves].
Q: What’s the transition been like from Bobby Cox to Fredi Gonzalez?
A: Simple. There have been some little differences down here. There's been a little more attention to detail, as far as situational play. But the fact of the matter is that we come in here for a few hours every morning, it's fast paced, you get your work in, you work your tail off for those three hours, and you're done.
Not a lot of rules. You can tell a lot about where and how Bobby has influenced Fredi. I think that would have been the only manager that could have come in here and made the transition as easy as it has been, for both players and coaches.
Q: How hard is it, as a ballplayer, to raise a family?
A: Probably the single most difficult thing to do as a professional ballplayer. Only baseball players, wives of baseball players and kids of baseball players can attest to how difficult it is day in and day out. I mean, you miss so many firsts. You miss so many opportunities to bond with your family. And at times, it puts a strain on your relationship.
It’s very difficult being away as much as we are. For example, we’ve been down at spring training for seven weeks, or I’ve been down here for seven weeks. All my kids are in school, and my wife came down for one week in February and just made it back down yesterday. … It’s very difficult. But you’ve got to trust each other, and you’ve got to have a strong woman. Because she’s basically a single parent for more than half the year.
Q: What does hunting do for you, and it is similar to what golf does for some others?
A: I think so. I think everybody has their refuge, their place of tranquility. And for me it's going out and climbing a tree, sitting there and experiencing nature. I mean, the actual harvesting of an animal is secondary, compared to what it does for me mentally. It allows me to recharge my batteries, make big decisions in my life, and the ability to be able to not be me for an extended period of time. I don't have to worry about getting recognized, I don't have to worry about cellphone reception, all that kind of stuff. It's just a place where I can go and get away from everything.
Q: Did you ever hit balls as hard as Jason Heyward does?
A: Is that possible? You're talking about a 6-5, 240-pound behemoth of a 21-year-old. That's part of his allure; he does things that most guys can't do.
Q: Did you ever tell him you did?
A: Oh, yeah. Most definitely. [Smiles.]
Q: What’s the secret to being able to flick the bat, not even have a great swing or a good pitch to hit, and still drive one 400-plus feet out of the ballpark, like you’ve done a few times in the past couple of years?
A: That's just understanding your swing and understanding the mechanic of timing. Of timing a pitcher and making sure that your hands and your hips explode at the same time, and the hand-eye coordination to be able to flush it. A lot of people have asked me that question. Obviously I swing a little bit bigger bat than most people. When you get that bigger bat into the right position and make solid contact, the ball's going to travel a little bit farther.
Q: How long does backspin take for a hitter to be able to develop? What’s the key to doing that? Is that a big thing for most home-run hitters?
A: Yes. I think backspin is the product of a sound swing. It comes from your mechanics being correct. When you get a level to downward plane going through the strike zone, you're going to get backspin. If you have a slight uppercut, or a drastic uppercut, you're going to promote topspin.
Q: What size bats are you using, and how has that changed in recent years?
A: I'm swinging 35-inch, 33-ounce. I've gone down an ounce from three or four years ago, just because I went through a phase in my career where I was having trouble squaring up the fastball. If I have to eat a little crow and make a little adjustment in to start centering fastballs again, then you've got to do it.
Q: Do you think you’ll be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and is it important to you?
A: All I can say is, I'm proud of my resume. I have no control over whether I make it or not. You throw the best resume up that you can. I know I've done a lot of things that a lot of other players haven't, players who are in the Hall of Fame. Would I be disappointed? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't.
Q: Should Maddux be the first unanimous Hall of Famer, and do you think he has a chance?
A: Oh, yeah, I think he's got a chance. You're talking about the best pitcher of the last, what, 50 years? I mean, I have no qualm with saying that. He's certainly the best I've ever seen. I had a front-row seat for a long time. Of all the pitchers that I faced over the course of my career, and you're talking about Clemens and Randy [Johnson] and Pedro and people like that, I would have no problem pitting the mid- to late-90s Maddux against any of those guys.
Q: What’s the hardest thing about getting older?
A: Something hurts every day. [Smiles.] But it's not my knee.
Q: How is the knee?
A: The knee is great. I've played pain-free for three weeks now. I reached a certain point of working it day in and day out, where it just stopped hurting. And I couldn't be happier. I'm so, so jacked up to get this season started.
Q: How many games do you hope to play?
A: [Smiles.] Every one of them.
Q: How much longer could you play, and how much longer will you play?
A: I'll play as long as I continue to have fun and as long as I continue to be productive and help this team win. I'm certain that, you know, contract status will have a little bit to do with that. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
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