Sports Radio Interviews

Chipper Jones: Done For Season, Not Career

We save the, “Now that his career is over, is Chipper Jones a first-ballot Hall of Famer?” debate for at least another seven months. Despite an ACL injury that forced him to have reconstructive surgery and miss the rest of the 2010 season, Jones will attempt to comeback for an 18th season by attending Spring Training next March. Many assumed that the 38-year-old’s MLB playing career would be bookended by left ACL injuries after he missed all of 1994 with a similar issue, but Chipper thinks that this will just motivate him more to play again and end his career on a positive note.

For now, Chipper will do his part from the bench instead of on the field, aiding Bobby Cox, his only manager to-date, lead a first-place team into the playoffs. Cox has already announced that this will be his last season – which added to the speculation that Chipper would call it quits too. The Atlanta Braves are currently two games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

Can a 39-year-old former MVP and Gold Glove third baseman whose bat has clearly cooled off in the last two seasons and has had multiple reconstructive knee surgeries still contribute to a team? Probably regularly or at that position, but it is hard to doubt a guy who has hit over .300 five times and finished with an OPS over one three times in his 30s alone. Let’s just hope that, if he can return, he does remains with the Braves and he plays well until he can go out on his terms.

Chipper Jones joined Buck and Kincade on WCNN in Atlanta to discuss his recent ACL injury and surgery that cost him the rest of the 2010 season, his chances of returning by Spring Training 2011 and the Atlanta Braves chances of succeeding this season without him in the lineup.

On how he feels after learning he’ll need knee surgery:

“I don’t know how much you can feel better. Obviously, I know my season is over with. It is what it is. You got to take these bumps in the road in stride and try to make it through as quickly as you can. I want to say that I appreciate all the well-wishers out there. It means a lot to me and I’m sure will motivate me through this rehab process to try and get it well as quickly as possible. Hopefully, come next spring, I’ll feel good enough about going out there and trying to put the uniform on and see if I can make it back.”

On what the doctors have told him about his recovery:

“Back in 1994, they kept you out a whole year. Now they are saying that I could be ready for Spring Training, so that’s a positive in and of itself.”

On the likelihood that he will retire:

“I certainly don’t want to end my career this way. I certainly had aspirations of helping this club get in the playoffs and then hopefully the World Series by the end of this year and then making my decision whether I would come back and play. This, if anything, has made it easier. Obviously, the last month and a half, two months, I’ve been swinging the bat extremely well and felt like I was contributing on a nightly basis. The numbers were coming up in every category. The confidence was up. As long as I feel like I am contributing, I am going to continue to play. Obviously not being able to go out on my own terms with this injury, that motivates me more. I’m want to at least to come into Spring Training this year and give it a try. The knee may not allow that to happen. I certainly hope it does. I kid around with some of the media members today. This injury in 1994 cost me a step. If I lose another step, I’ll be moving backwards.”

On how he injured his knee:

“It wasn’t on the landing. I can remember distinctly catching the ball and thinking, ‘How am I going to get the ball to first base before he gets there?’ When you have that much momentum going towards the foul line, you just got to plant, jump and throw all at the same time. I can remember just planting my foot and trying to twist to get something back to first base and hearing that distinct pop that I’ve heard before in 1994.”

And on if the team can without him:

“Heck yeah we can. These guys are ballplayers. I don’t use that term lightly. There are guys that play ball and then there are ballplayers. These guys are ballplayers. They are down and dirty. They’re gritty, hard-nosed. We’ve persevered through everything that everybody has thrown us and we’re still in first place. I see us staying there. We didn’t quit during the season, no matter what the situation and I don’t seeing them doing that now… I want to go through everything that they are going through the rest of the season. If I can’t be out there helping athletically, I can be out there helping mentally.”

Listen to Chipper Jones on WCNN in Atlanta with Buck and Kincade.

Tags: Atlanta Braves, Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, Chipper Jones retirement, MLB, NL East