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Chipper Jones' farewell tour hits Manhattan, Mets
By Paul White, USA TODAY
There's a good chance New York Mets fans will see long-time nemesis Chipper Jones walking the streets of Manhattan this weekend. It wasn't always that way.
"For the first 10 years I was in the league, I never left the hotel room in New York," says Jones, long vilified at Shea Stadium and now – to a lesser extent – at Citi Field mostly because he's a career .314 hitter with 49 homers against the Mets.
"I went straight from the room to the bus to the park," Jones said this week on the eve of his final visit before his retirement.
The Mets, like most other opponents, have something special planned. Unlike other teams, they've been reluctant to reveal specifics – or even which day during the weekend series their sendoff will occur. There's still the fear animosity could take over.
"I thoroughly expect to feel less appreciation than in any other city," Jones says. "Trust me, if I was a New York Mets fan, I don't know how I would feel. There would be part of me that would appreciate the career but, man, that's a lot of heartache."
Jones admits times have changed. Maybe because he's only hit .208 at Citi Field since it opened in 2009. Maybe it's because the Braves and Mets haven't battled for a division title in a long time.
"Now, I walk down the street and those who recognize me are great," Jones says." I get messages on Twitter from Mets fans all over saying, 'Admire what you've done. You've been great player for a long time. You killed our Mets and I hate you for it. But I respect the player and person you've become.' "
OK, that's 17 characters too many, but you get the point.
Jones admits New York scared him before the fans even knew who he was.
"Intimidated as hell," is how he describes his first visit to New York City in 1995.
"I'm from a one caution-light town," he says of growing up in Pierson, Fla. "Now you're going to throw me in the middle of Manhattan? Goodness, I was scared to death for the first five years I went there."
It didn't show on the field.
"There's something about playing on that stage that appeals to me," Jones says of being a top banana in the Big Apple. "I always held New York to a higher standard than other places, so I was usually jacked up to play when I got there."
He hit his first major league homer there – "One of the biggest moments of my life," he says.
But ask him his top New York memory and he immediately responds with a Braves loss.
"The first game after 9/11, (Mike) Piazza hitting the (game-winning) home run," Jones says.
He played left field that night and scooped up shell casings from the pre-game 21-gun salute. He still carries them and even was nearly arrested when he forgot one was in luggage he took on a flight.
"I had to tell them, 'Look, I'm Chipper Jones. This is where it came from. I forgot to take it out.' "
Now that his torment of the Mets is nearly over, Jones is removing one more sore spot – naming one of his sons Shea.
"A lot of people think I was doing it to get under the skin of the fans," he says. "That was not the case at all. Now, to have Shea be so significant in my career, it was fitting. But I loved the name. I played against guys in the big leagues named Shea and thought it's a unique, cool name.
"My dad named me Larry, for goodness sake," he says. "I mean, give me something I can work with."
Larry Jones Sr. certainly gave Mets fans something to work with. There's little doubt their sendoff will include a healthy dose of their traditional "Lar-ry, Lar-ry" chant. |
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