Chipper carves path from small town to Hall

 

COOPERSTOWN, NY -- Along with being somewhat of a baseball savant, Chipper Jones is a romantic who wants to believe the old wives tale that the plaques speak to each other whenever they turn off the lights at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Now that he's officially a Hall of Famer, the immortalized version of Jones may soon have some of those "lights out" conversations with many former Braves teammates, one of his child favorites Eddie Murray and his father's idol Mickey Mantle, whose spirit was felt as Cooperstown celebrated the arrival of yet another legendary switch-hitter.

"I know if my plaque is going to speak he shouldn't," Jones said. "We're the rookie in the locker room now. It's time to be quiet and speak when spoken to. If Mickey and Eddie get into it, I'll throw my two cents in there."

Speaking as cool and smooth as he had throughout his storied playing career, Jones entertained the Braves-heavy crowd that assembled as he was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon. His speech was filled with heartfelt emotion and gratitude aimed toward the countless individuals who paved the way for him to share a stage with baseball's elite.

"It's a big relief now," Jones said. "It was pretty awe-inspiring to look out and see 40 or 50 thousand people. I've spoken in front of that many people before. But I was more nervous about who was behind me [fellow Hall of Famers] critiquing the speech."

Attempting to fend off any tears, Jones resolutely avoided making eye contact with his mother Lynn and father Larry Wayne Jones Sr. His nerves were enhanced that the crowd included his pregnant wife, Taylor, who is less than 24 hours from being due to deliver their latest son -- Cooper, who will be appropriately named in relation to this Hall of Fame celebration.

"[Taylor] changed my life forever," Jones said. "It took 40 years and some major imperfections in me to find my true perfection. We've taken our two families, blended them together, and it's given me what I've been searching for my entire life. The last six years have been the best of my entire life. Tay, you made me believe in love again and changed me forever."

Since the time he was an 18-year-old shortstop taken with the first overall selection in the 1990 Draft, Jones has stood as one of the most revered and beloved figures in the Braves organization. Atlanta fans flocked to Cooperstown to see John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz get inducted to the Hall of Fame within the past four years. But this seemed to be Braves Country's top showing in Cooperstown.

"You're why I loved coming to the plate with the game on the line, Crazy Train blaring in the background," Jones said to Braves fans. "I wanted to so badly to come through for you. You believed in me since I was an 18-year-old kid, and you were still there for me during my swan song in 2012. You cheered me through the career highs and stuck by me through life's lows. I'll never forget that. You're the reason I never wanted to play anywhere else. I couldn't be prouder to go into the Hall of Fame today with an Atlanta A on my cap."

Jones thanked his parents by describing him as the greatest support team he could have ever wanted. They created the young man who Cox helped further mold as he drafted, managed and mentored this legendary figure over two decades.

While Cox might have been the most influential force throughout Jones' career, the former third baseman did not forget to mention the impact made by late Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, who demanded the use of a heavier bat after Jones struggled during his first professional season.

"[Stargell] said, 'Son, I've picked my teeth with bigger pieces of wood than this.'" Jones said. "He also suggested I swing the biggest bat I could get around against 90-mph pitches and start letting the pitcher supply the power. He looked me dead in the eye and said: 'We'll have you hitting 30 homers in no time.' I thought he was crazy, but I'll be damned if he wasn't right.'"

Jones' first 30-homer season occurred in 1996, a year after he became a mainstay in Atlanta's lineup. But his power truly blossomed after he was introduced to the late Don Baylor, who served as the Braves hitting coach during the switch-hitter's 1999 MVP season. Baylor's mission before that season was to convince Jones he needed to be more aggressive with his attempt to produce more power from the right side. The result, a career-high 45 homers by the end of that year.

"I miss you buddy," Jones said of Baylor. "Not a day goes by that I don't miss our rigorous cage sessions."

Jones shared the stage with former teammates Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. Each of these players have expressed hope they will one day be joined by Fred McGriff and Andruw Jones, who along with Jeff Francoeur were among those who traveled to Cooperstown to enjoy this weekend and celebrate what was the greatest era in Braves history.

"For me, it all started in a little town of Pierson, Fla.," Jones said. "I was just a country kid from a town with two caution lights. The self-proclaimed, fern capital of the world. How do I, of all people, end up on a stage with my childhood heroes, the greatest players in baseball history? For me, it came down to being focused on a goal, never losing sight of that goal, and being surrounded by people who believed in me. That belief started at home."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

Chipper a wise choice for Braves in 1990 Draft

 

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Many baseball fans may know Chipper Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. are the only Hall of Famers who were taken with the first pick in the MLB Draft. But few may realize the Braves didn't even have a scouting report on Jones a few months before taking a chance on the man who now stands as one of the most influential and revered players in franchise history.

"I think we did the right thing," Braves scouting legend Paul Snyder said. "It's certainly easy to say that as we sit here right now at the Hall of Fame."

When Jones is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame during this afternoon's ceremonies (coverage begins on MLB.com and MLB Network starting at 11 a.m. ET), he'll take time to thank his parents, Snyder, Bobby Cox and the many others who guided him toward immortality in the game.

But serving as further proof of the anonymity of the scouting world, he will not mention Hep Cronin, the longtime scout who might be best recognized as the father of University of Cincinnati's men's basketball coach Mick Cronin.

As the Braves prepared for the 1990 Draft, with Cox serving as the general manager and Snyder as the scouting director, Todd Van Poppel appeared to be the best available prospect. Jones was not even on Atlanta's radar until February, when Cronin opted to drive to Jacksonville, Fla., simply because a fellow scout he regarded as wise said he planned to spend the next day watching a young shortstop from The Bolles School.

Cronin's initial report led to a visit from Snyder, who then prompted Cox and many of the organization's top evaluators to come see this switch-hitting shortstop who had previously eluded their attention.

"The Braves were close to the vest," Jones said. "I never had a meeting with the Atlanta Braves. I heard rumblings they were at some games, but I never met Paul Snyder. I never met Bobby Cox. I never saw Jimy Williams. I know he came and saw me play. They even said Hank Aaron came to watch me play. It wasn't until two nights before the Draft that I got the famous phone call."

Long before the famous call was the savvy scouting evaluation Snyder made while sitting in a car parked near a field at the Tigers' Spring Training complex in Lakeland, Fla.

The Braves heard the Tigers had invited Jones for a workout and wanted to take advantage of the chance to see or, in this case, hear, what he could do with a wood bat. So, an undetected Snyder put himself within ear shot and was introduced to the melodious sounds produced by the swing of the kid who would become one of the best switch-hitters in baseball history.

"They say if you can't see, you can scout if you can hear," Snyder said. "We sat in the car and listened for the wood bat to ring. There were a lot of things that had to happen quickly that year -- because we didn't have a lot of advanced scouting reports on him from his early years."

After Jones impressed enough to quickly establish himself as a potential top overall pick, he enhanced the difficulty of the Braves' decision when he broke his right hand after he punched a teammate who was jealous of the extra attention Jones was receiving.

But thoughts of selecting Van Poppel continued to evaporate, when he and his parents made it clear they didn't want to talk to the Braves. They stood Snyder up twice and did not show up for a scheduled meeting with Cox two days before the Draft.

When Cox reacted by immediately telling Snyder to focus on Jones, a call was placed to Larry Wayne Jones Sr., who had to make approximately five different calls before reaching his son to tell him he needed to immediately leave his senior prom to return home for a conversation with the Braves.

"There was one [furious] lady," Jones said. "But I dropped everything and left. Up until that point, that was going to be the most important thing that happened to me."

Jones made his Major League debut in 1993, returned from the first of two torn left anterior cruciate ligaments to begin his reign as Atlanta's third baseman in '95 and then proudly retired as a Brave at the conclusion of the 2012 season. His final two seasons were the only ones he spent without his big league manager being Cox, a fellow Hall of Famer who will be seated behind Jones during Sunday's induction speech.

"I hope I don't see him shed a tear, because I will lose it if Bobby does," Jones said. "He's the man. He's the guy who drafted me. I spent 23 years in this organization trying to make him proud and trying to make him look good. He went out on a limb and drafted me with the first pick over Todd Van Poppel. It might not have been the popular pick at the time. But I spent the past two decades trying to make him look good."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

One Question

What would you ask if you had a seat at this table?

Maddux, former Braves thrilled for Chipper

 

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Chipper hit like Mickey, played a few rounds with Tiger and proved wise enough to gain intellectual praise from Mad Dog, the legendary pitcher who understood the art of pitching much like Einstein understood physics.

"When we would play cards before games, we would always talk baseball," Greg Maddux, aka Mad Dog. said.

"I wish I remembered the name of this pitcher, but anyhow, Chipper said, 'If this guy throws me a 1-0 changeup tonight, I'm going to take him deep.' A couple hours later, he drilled a 1-0 changeup over the left-center-field wall. Not many hitters can do that. I think I waited five more years before I saw it again, when I was playing for the Dodgers with Manny Ramirez."

Many former teammates and now fellow Hall of Famers have stories to tell about Chipper Jones, who will realize his sport's greatest honor on Sunday afternoon, when he becomes the latest product of the greatest era in the Braves' storied history to be inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. Live coverage begins at 11 a.m. ET on MLB Network, and the program will be simulcast on MLB.com.

With Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz and Jones, the Braves stand as the only team in MLB history to have four teammates who were elected to the Hall of Fame after playing at least 10 years together for the same club. This will be the foursome that everyone will remember when reminiscing about Atlanta's record-setting 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants and World Series championship between 1991-2005.

"We appreciated what we accomplished during that time, but in a strange way, [these inductions] have served as validation," Glavine said. "When you think about what we did together, it puts a smile on my face and gives you a sense of pride."

This weekend will provide time to celebrate the accomplishments of Jones, who stands with Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the only players in MLB history to hit .300, compile a .400 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage, 2,700 hits, 500 doubles, 450 home runs and 1,600 RBIs.

Hall of Famer George Brett marveled at Jones' career from afar, and he wondered what might have happened had he taken his father's advice to become a switch-hitter at a young age. Jones heeded the urging of his father, Larry Wayne Jones Sr., who idolized Mantle and then watched his son earn his place with Mickey as one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history.

"It didn't matter who was pitching. He looked very, very comfortable in the batter's box," Brett said. "[Highly regarded former hitting coach] Charley Lau and I used to have a word -- even when I made an out or even if I struck out, he'd say, 'George, you looked hitterish, it looked like you were going to hit the dog snot out of the baseball.' Chipper Jones in my mind always looked hitterish."

Jones' ability to crush a ball extended beyond those made of rawhide and stitches. His power caught the attention of Annika Sorenstam, back when she and Tiger Woods easily stood as the world's top golfers.

Smoltz's friendship with Woods created opportunities for him and some of his teammates to play with the golfing legend during Spring Training. One afternoon, the foresome consisted of Smoltz, Jones, Woods and Sorenstam.

"I remember Annika saying she had never seen somebody hit a ball that far, but she also had never seen someone hit it to so many places," Smoltz said. "We used to marvel at how he could hit so many balls [out of bounds] and never run out of balls. It was like he had an endless supply in his bag."

This weekend will provide more opportunities to reminisce about off-the-field exploits and nearly disastrous moments like the one Jones experienced as he made his first career start at third base for the Braves on Opening Day in 1995.

Maddux was making the first start of what would become his fourth consecutive NL Cy Young Award-winning season. He ended the first inning by getting Barry Bonds to hit a popup that would have seemed quite routine had an eager Jones not collided with the veteran pitcher as first baseman Fred McGriff was securing the catch on the right side of the mound.

"I think I called him a piece of [expletive] rookie and said something like, 'You know, we have 161 more of these to play, so relax,'" Maddux said.

Fortunately, the two celebrated a World Series title at the end of that season, and they had the honor of calling each other teammates through the end of the 2003 season, when Maddux last wore an Atlanta uniform.

Now, the two can call each other fellow Hall of Famers.

"It's just cool to have another teammate go in," Maddux said. "Just to have had a chance to watch him be that steady hitter every day during the first decade of his career was pretty special."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

Thrill setting in as '18 Hall class nears induction

 

The Hall of Fame Class of 2018 is comprised of a tremendous collection of players who were among the greatest of their generation, and they will each be officially inducted in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday, July 29, at 1:30 p.m. ET. The induction ceremony is the main event of a four-day celebration in Cooperstown from July 27-30, and it will take place at the Clark Sports Center, with live coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET on MLB Network, hosted by Brian Kenny.

Each of the six players to be inducted -- Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell -- spoke to reporters on Friday. Here are some of their most memorable quotes about their careers and the honor soon to be bestowed upon them:

Vladimir Guerrero
Q: It's been six months since you were elected. What have been the most meaningful moments of those last six months?

"I've been very happy. A lot of us here have celebrated, and something that's been really special was the Futures Game. I was part of it as a coach, and it was a very memorable moment for me. Beyond that, having gone to Montreal on a visit to make an appearance and spend time with the fans and learn a little bit more about some of the places I didn't visit before that I never had a chance to see and learning more about the city -- it was pretty special."

Q: What are your best memories from playing with the Expos?

"I will remember a couple of things that I'll never forget. The first one is the first time I got called up to the Expos, the dream of being a big leaguer, I will never forget the way the fans received me. The other great memory, my last season, I was saluting the fans and they were giving me an ovation. Before you know it, the ovation got bigger, and I didn't realize it because my son was next to me. Little Vladdy was next to me and he was getting the attention of all the people. I thought they were clapping for me, but they were actually clapping for him. I'll never forget that I was so happy about that and the people of Montreal kind of saying goodbye to me. That will never leave my mind."

Q: How have you prepared for your induction speech, and will you recognize any Dominican players in it?

"I want it to come out as naturally as possible. I don't know exactly that I have anything planned out in terms of recognizing anybody within the speech, but there are many things that will come out and I want it to come out naturally. My family, the fans, the many years my mom spent cooking for me, those are always going to be very special to me and I want to mention. Beyond that, also, Felipe Alou's name will probably come up with what he's meant to me and my career and still means to me in my life. Certainly, I'm going to keep it as simple as possible, but knowing there are a lot of people who have had influence in this career of mine. But I don't want to script it too much and just want it to come out naturally on the 29th."

Trevor Hoffman
Q: In the transition from shortstop to pitcher, did it help having the "play every game" mindset with being a reliever?

"Yeah, I think it really did. And obviously, not having success that I would've liked as an infielder on a daily basis, understanding how the professional game can kind of bring you down in that regard. But when I did go to the mound and I started to kind of figure out what going on, I really didn't have a whole lot of background. I pitched in Little League.

"Starting out as a reliever was great, but then getting a chance to start, I got a chance to realize how different each role really is -- and equally important, even though they're different kind of workloads. And so I just felt like I gravitated more toward being able to be ready on a daily basis and that type of preparation.

"It was fun to start; having those four days off was a little bit of a luxury, and it allowed me to work on pitches. But I just felt like the bullpen was kind of my space. I enjoyed the team within the team down there -- the banter that we'd have, the camaraderie that we'd have. I didn't feel the stress of the game as much by being in the dugout. And that was a good spot for me."

Q: Coming into a close a game in San Diego with the place rocking, did that help?

"I think I fed off of that energy. "Hell's Bells" was a great entrance song. It's didn't come alive until '98 -- we had a great season as a team. I think that coincided with the excitement. But I could always rely, no matter how draggy I was when I was coming back from a road trip or in the middle of a long homestand or what have you, I could always rely on that energy that I would get when the bullpen door would open up.

"So the fans were always consistent with their energy, and no matter how big or small the crowd was, they were loud. I felt like it gave me a little bit of an advantage when I went into ballgames."

Q: How special and emotional will it be to have your brother, Glenn, there?

"It's going to be great. I love the Padres for letting him off for a few days. It's not paternity leave, but it'll be some Hall of Fame leave. But he's gonna put on some miles. I mean, he flew out yesterday to Philly, then he got an East Coast swing there, then he's flying back and coming charter with his family, and coming out with the contingency of Padre fans and stuff -- and back on Monday. So he's gonna log some miles in the next week and a half, but I'll be thrilled that he's there. He was a big part of why I had the success that I did and got there. I always look up to my big brother, so it'll be great having him there."

Chipper Jones
Q: Was it about time a Braves hitter got elected?

"Well, it's an honor to be the first position player to go, and hopefully I'm not the last. Hopefully Andruw Jones is in this conversation over the years. I feel like he certainly deserves it.

"Yeah, somebody had focus on the pitching staff, and a lot of times, the onus of offense fell on the shoulders of the gentleman who was hitting in the middle of the lineup there, so it's a tremendous honor. I'm honored to be here, but I've heard a lot about it quite often -- pitchers going in, no position players yet. But it's nice that day has finally come, and I'm certainly proud of the things they accomplished for Atlanta and obviously going in alongside Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz as well. So the Atlanta Braves of the '90s and early 2000's are well-represented and well-rounded in the Hall of Fame."

Q: When you were reaching milestones (like batting titles, consecutive hits, etc.), did that change your perspective or approach to the game?

"That's a good question. No, quite honestly. Obviously I was aware where I was, where I stood. But my approach to the game never really changed. I think when you immerse yourself in the game itself, everything else kind of takes a back seat. When you step up in the box, you're focused on the chess match between you and the pitcher. And that's an approach that worked for me many, many years.

"Obviously if I went three or four at-bats into the game [without a hit], it's going to weigh on you a little more. But most of the time we were in some pretty tough matchups there, where it's a key difference in the game. And my approach was always to just try to be in a place that helps us win ballgames. But the numbers and stats kind of take care of themselves."

Q: What's your mindset for a week from now, and what is the due date for your child?

"I can do it, and I'm trying to get this speech just right. You know, I have a recurring nightmare that I'm gonna leave somebody very, very important out. But I'm excited, I think once I get up there and see how the town of Cooperstown transforms from where there's snow on the ground and people walking around in the streets to 350,000 people in town watching me be inducted, it's gonna be a pretty nervous time for me personally.

"The fact that my wife is due the day after on July 30 with our second boy, it's a pretty nervous time. We're making sure she's giving me the thumbs up and making sure she's not going into labor while I'm on stage, but we're taking the necessary precautions and making sure she's taken care of up there in Cooperstown. If it does happen, we might name our son Cooper in commemoration of the summer and this honor, so it's gonna be an exciting time."

Jack Morris
Q: What was it about the 1984 Tigers team? Did you know at the start of season that this team would be really special? What made it so dominant? Are you surprised there have been no Hall of Famers from it?

"The final answer is yes, I was very surprised. We kind of went into the '84 season with an attitude because in '83, we thought we were very competitive. And we actually did well against Baltimore, who eventually won the World Series in '83, and we thought to ourselves, 'You know, if these guys can win the Series, we'd have to prove to the rest of the baseball world that we can beat them, and we can beat anybody.'

"And I think going into Spring Training in '84 was a special kind of motivation for all of us. We wanted it. And you certainly have to go earn it -- it doesn't come easy, but seven teams in a row, to start the season on the road, and a 35-5 overall start, those are legendary-type starts. And when they look back, I realize we had probably the best infield-keystone combination in the game: Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell. Those guys were dominant for years. You get a ground ball, you get an out. You get a guy on first, you get a ground ball, you get two outs. So those guys were extra special.

"Kirk Gibson brought a very unique style, determination, a lot of power -- raw power -- a lot of raw energy. Lance Parrish was a guy that was getting better every year. Larry Herndon, the outfield, Chet Lemon, we had guys that could play the game. And I just think it was combination of the time we had already put in and the time we looked forward to ahead of us, and we just wanted to make sure we didn't want to pass this by."

Q: You played for three other World Series champion teams; could the '84 Tigers have beaten those others?

"You know, it's really hard for me to compare them. I think the most talented team was when we were in Toronto, as far as raw talent. I mean, we had All-Star teams in Toronto. But the '84 Tigers team was special because we had a lot of no-names, and by that I mean none of us were stars at the time. I mean, we were all young.

"And we had the Rusty Kuntzes of the world and the Barbaro Garbeys and Marty Castillos that were just doing little things here and there to help us win games, and it was kind of a joke among us in the clubhouse, but we would tease each other before a game -- 'Who wants to be on the front page of the sports today?' And that personally meant, either knock in the game-winning run or make a great play defensively or throw a good game. Everybody contributed."

Q: You won a World Series in your hometown (St. Paul, Minn.). How much did that one stand out compared to the other two?

"It was, I don't know, I mean, how do you write a storybook that's any better than that? It was a dream come true, really. I knew, although I think the whole process for me worked out, and I was very aware of how it worked out. ... I knew the Twins were a team that was on the move, and they were tougher for me to beat. And I just figured the one ingredient they needed was a pitcher that could help them and a couple of the younger guys, and just go out and do what he's supposed to do, and that's compete and show them how to compete.

"When I got over here, the first month was not all that good for any of us. We were all pressing, it was tough. Then things started rolling. And I guess for me personally, I quit thinking about being at home. I just thought about, this is a baseball team. You've got to go out and play. And when I started doing that, it seemed like everybody else started playing well again, both offense and defense. We went on a roll that was impressive."

Q: How difficult is the speech? More than any particular game?

"I'll tell you, I've had a long time to think about writing one, I'll tell you that. And I never actually put any words to it, but I have thoughts. And I always thought, you know, I wanted this to be an impactful speech. I wanted this to be something that had meaning. And you're absolutely right. When I started putting it to words, it was not as easy as I thought it was gonna be. And I have come to the conclusion that it's not that unique. It's the story of Jack Morris's time in baseball as quickly as I can say it without getting into any stories that I meant to tell.

"I mean, yeah, if I was gonna do it justice, I'd probably have to write a 1,500-page book. But we don't have time for all that. And there's guys behind me that's gonna go, 'Hurry up, let's move it along.' Right. But to answer your question, it's not easy."

Jim Thome
Q: Although you never won a World Series, you made it to a lot of postseasons. I was wondering if that compensated for it at all, and is there a game that stood out in your mind, in the postseason, that you're really proud of?

"For me personally, all of our appearances in the 1990s with Cleveland were special. I would say clinching the division in '95, which sent us into our first postseason in quite some time, and the World Series in '95, the first time in a long time obviously it was done in Cleveland. And that opportunity to do it in '97 and come so close was a little heartbreaking, but getting the opportunity to be in that moment -- we called it in the arena -- was so special just to get that opportunity. But any one particular moment, there were so many special ones, that not one sticks out. Just having the opportunity to feel what it was like in October and have our great fans in Cleveland get to share that with us."

Q: What is your impression of Cooperstown?

"Magical, and it is every time I go there. I remember going there in the '90s when we would play teams there and not really get a chance to go through the museum, when we played those exhibition games, but when I delivered the 500th [home run] ball with my dad and the 600th was for the classic game and my son Landon got to deliver the ball. It's magical.

"Truly, everybody who loves baseball should go to Cooperstown. Give yourself two days and cherish it. You're driving through the country on rolling hills, and you think, 'OK, where is Cooperstown?' And then you arrive and it's a feeling like no other as a baseball fan. You see these little baseball stores and the Cooperstown Diner -- it's just so special. To go there and now call that home is just incredible."

Q: Is there anyone in town next week that you're looking forward to meeting?

"All of them, and getting to know them. To me, Hank Aaron -- I really look forward [to meeting him]. I had an opportunity to have a phone call with him when I was elected and I didn't get an opportunity to sit down with him one-on-one, and I'm really looking forward to talking with Hank. I've had the opportunity to meet him, but to have and share this moment -- and all the others. Hank Aaron sticks out for me being a home run hitter. He's the guy. He's the figure of all home run hitters of the game and what he did for the game. And more importantly, the human being he is. His nature and how humble he is and how everybody just adores him."

Alan Trammell
Q: You hit .300 a number of times in your career. What does it take to have a season like that?

"I've kinda talked about my era and how I was brought up, and being kind of a smaller, undersized guy, that was my style and that's what I was going to have to do to be successful. Putting the ball in play, in my childhood days, was something that was part of my game. There were two things I wanted to accomplish when I became a professional: Score runs and hit .300. That was a goal I set before the season started. Scoring runs was number one, though. That meant I was getting on base and doing my job."

Q: What is the most remarkable thing for you about the 1984 Tigers?

"I think the 35-5 start, when you sit back now and analyze that year, I think the 35-5 start, what that did, that just gave us the confidence. That start, it led us to believe that we were going to win no matter who we were playing. As an athlete, you need to believe in yourself, and that's what it did.

"Whoever we played that year, that was our year, and we weren't going to be denied. On the other side, I've been retired for many years and have been a coach, manager, all that stuff, and I remember Sparky [Anderson] telling us it was a difficult year for him because of that -- we were expected to do it. But from a player side, we just thought we were going to beat anybody that year. That's what we did."

Q: What was the process like writing your speech, and are you relieved you're done with the process if you are done with it?

"I don't think any of us will be relieved until next Sunday when it's done. This is how it started: When it was fresh on my mind -- when I got the call going to the Winter Meetings, and on the flight home going from Orlando to San Diego -- I had hours to kill and I was ready. I had my legal pad and started writing things down, and that's how it started. So that was only a couple of days after I got the word. From there, I tweaked it, made some adjustments, had some help with the grammar and fine-tuning it.

"But it started a long time ago as far as getting the gist of it. And hopefully I'll be able to hold it down and be able to present. Some way, somehow I'll figure out how to get it done."

Chipper plans to rib Smoltz in HOF speech

ATLANTA -- Nearly 15 years after last playing for Atlanta, Greg Maddux is still that fun-loving prankster who takes great joy in stirring the pot, often at the playful expense of some of his former Braves teammates.

When Maddux and Tom Glavine were inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2014, they aimed some bald jokes in the direction of John Smoltz, who responded the following year by wearing a wig during his induction speech, which poked fun at Chipper Jones' Twitter usage.

Now it's Jones' turn to retaliate. As the former Braves third baseman has prepared to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 29, he has shared a few conversations with Maddux, who predictably wants a portion of Jones' speech to create a laugh at the expense of Smoltz.

"I would say [Smoltz] deserves a lot more than I am going to give him," Jones said. "He makes himself such an easy target. Doggie and I have talked, and trust me, Doggie wants me to bury him. But I think there's some good to taking the high road every once in a while. But I'm going to get him."

Less than three weeks away from traveling to Cooperstown to receive baseball's greatest honor, Jones is looking forward to the chance to reunite with Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, who will once again take delight in hazing the rookie that they welcomed to Atlanta's everyday lineup at the start of the Braves' 1995 World Series season.

Having seen these former teammates, his former manager Bobby Cox and his former general manager John Schuerholz all inducted into the Hall of Fame within the past four years, Jones has had a chance to at least get a feel for what he might like to say when he delivers his speech. But he says his speech will be modeled more to the one delivered in 2010 by Andre Dawson, who essentially said if you love the game of baseball, it will love you back.

"I'm really not that nervous right now," Jones said. "I think when I sit down and start messing with my speech, the butterflies hit a little bit. It's not going to hit me until I get up there. Last time I was up there in April [for a private tour], there was snow on the ground and nobody walking around. The next time I go up there, there's going to be 40,000 people there to watch us get inducted. Yeah, it's going to hit me. It's going to be crazy."

Jones will forever stand as an iconic figure within a fan base that continues to appreciate all that he provided during what was the greatest era in franchise history. The Braves made 14 trips to the postseason, won 13 division titles, captured three National League pennants and won a World Series while he was a member of the roster from 1993-2012.

"I get a lot of attention here around Atlanta," Jones said. "People just coming up and saying thanks for the memories and all of that. Now people come up, they shake my hand, put their hand on my shoulder and say, 'Congrats dude. Way to go. You deserve it.' That always makes you feel better. People are more touchy feely than they should be."

How else has Jones' life changed since he received the call in January, informing him he would be a Hall of Famer?

"That's easy," Jones said. "The signature takes longer. [Adding] 'HOF '18' takes a little longer, but it's a hell of a lot of fun to write."

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.