On baby watch, Jones enters Cooperstown
Braves star highlights class of six new members of baseball’s Hall of Fame
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Chipper Jones kept glancing at his wife, looking for signs, the slightest of hints whether he needed to abruptly walk off the stage Sunday.
The timing was so beautiful, poetic for baseball, but the reality of life kind of got in the way of sentiment.
Here was Jones, representing perhaps the final Hall of Fame class in the Braves dynasty, and his wife, Taylor, was due to give birth to their son at any moment.
It was nerve-racking enough for these six members of the Hall of Fame class to give a speech in front of their peers and 53,000 fans, the second largest in induction history, but quite another knowing the speech could be interrupted at any moment.
Jones was as prepared as he possibly could be for the birth of his seventh son, prerecording his speech just in case the birth came early, checking out the contingency plans of the local hospital and bringing along a go-bag with his speech to the ceremony, just in case a quick exit was needed.
Jones, who got the go-ahead from his Hall of Fame class to be the leadoff man at the ceremony, got through the 20minute speech, stayed throughout the rest of the ceremony, with his only scare being when Taylor left her seat, only to be seated in the shade.
“I was more nervous about the baby and more nervous about Taylor,” Jones said, “than my speech. I’d rather face Randy Johnson in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series.”
And just in case anyone forgets this day, their son will be named “Cooper” — yes for Cooperstown.
“In honor of this occasion,” Jones said.
Jones, the brightest of the stars of this class that included sluggers Jim Thome and Vladimir Guerrero, closer Trevor Hoffman, and shortstop Alan Trammell and starter Jack Morris from the great 1984 Tigers team, was eloquent in his speech, thanking everyone from his neighbors in Pierson, Florida, to Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, to his hitting coaches, Willie Stargell and Don Baylor.
The only regret, he said, was that Mickey Mantle, his dad’s hero, wasn’t alive for them to share the day together. Jones was able to meet Mantle at a cardsigning show, but his dad, Larry, never met him.
Jones realized how emotional it would be for his dad when they walked through the Hall of Fame together on Thursday, saw Mantle’s plaque and stopped.
“My dad walked up to Mickey’s plaque, put his hand on it and had to turn away,” Jones said, “because he was going to start crying. And I had to turn away because I was going to start crying.”
Jones told the story of the first time he met Mantle in 1992, three years before he died, so nervous that he practiced in front of a mirror on how he’d introduce himself.
“I was still so tongue tied,” Jones said, “and eventually I got the courage to carry on a conversation. I asked him, ‘Mick, you ever get tired of this (fame)?’ He said, ‘Chipper, I have a recurring dream. I’m standing at the pearly gates, and I must have had a worried look on my face, when God looked at me and said, ‘Don’t worry Mick. You’ll get in. But, hey, before that, can you please sign these dozen baseballs.’ ”
The crowd adored Jones’ humor, humility and, in particular, sentimentality, talking about those who had such an impact in his life.
Jones’ crowning achievement might not be known for being one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history but for not breaking down in his speech when touching on so many emotional moments.
“I didn’t look at my family,” Jones said, after walking to the podium. “I saw where they were sitting, and my top lip started quivering. I know for me to hold it together, I was going to have to pick a spot in center field somewhere. It was hard.
“A couple of times I glanced down. But I remember what my dad said, ‘Once you hold it together, I’ll hold it together.’ If he had seen my lip quivering, he would have lost it, and then it would have been a domino effect.”
Certainly, there would have been a rolling sea of emotions, if not panic, if Taylor had gone into labor on the spot, but Cooper wasn’t quite ready to enter the world.
There were no dramatic or even subtle messages delivered in any of the Hall of Fame speeches, with most simply thanking those who helped them along the way.
Hoffman made sure he acknowledged everyone from the clubhouse attendants to the trainers to his teammates to late Padres GM Kevin Towers, quoting legendary basketball coach John Wooden several times from “The Pyramid of Success.” Trammell lobbied for Lou Whitaker, his double-play partner for 19 years, to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
Morris, the most emotional of the speakers, talked about the impact the late Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson had on his career. Guerrero talked about his pure love for baseball. And Thome, considered perhaps the nicest human being ever inducted into the Hall, left a message to young players that talent is no substitute for being a good teammate and hard worker.
“If you try to conduct yourself with honesty and authenticity,” Thome said, “the result is the most natural high a human being can have.
“Everyone’s performance speaks for itself who are up here today, but the people are what stands out for me.”
It was a day that will be remembered for everyone expressing their gratitude, and perhaps none more than Jones, for having his future son delay his entrance into this world, letting his dad stand atop of it.