University of Tennessee Athletics
Baseball Leadoff Banquet Draws Sellout Crowd
February 01, 2005 | Baseball
Feb. 1, 2005
Baseball, and Tennessee baseball in particular, is alive and well in the Knoxville area, if the annual Tennessee Baseball Leadoff Banquet, held last night at the Marriott, is any indication.
A capacity crowd of 912 heard Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and honored former Vol pitcher Greg McMichael on his induction to the Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame, the 14th former Vol so honored.
Jones, The Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 1995, a five-time All-Star and National League MVP in 1999, was the first active major leaguer to speak at the annual kickoff to the Tennessee baseball season. His wide-ranging comments focused on the season to come and the state of baseball in 2005.
With a number of younger fans showing up in replica Atlanta jersey No. 10, his number with the Braves, Jones, a Brave since his rookie season of 1995, said "I see all these jerseys and I know have come a long way. It's very flattering.
"I can remember wearing a Baltimore Oriole jersey No. 8 and that tells what I think of Cal Ripken. I enjoy doing events like this one and it shows I must have done something right along the way."
The loss to the Astros in the playoffs last season didn't diminish his enthusiasm for the upcoming season in the least.
"I'm excited about this year," he said. "We have some good guys in the starting rotation. A lot of teams in our division have bolstered themselves, so it will be tough. I like what John Schuerholz has done, helping build our team the way it was done in the 1990s around solid starting pitching.
"Bobby Cox is great and I have the utmost respect for him. He doesn't throw, catch or hit. He's a true player's manager, working to mold us into a cohesive unit. Nobody who knows anything about baseball will criticize him."
It's a long schedule, he says of the 162-game major league gauntlet, which has its pros and cons as far as he's concerned.
"Every year, somebody different challenges us," he said, "whether it's the Phils, Mets or Marlins. The bottom line is that very few teams don't know they can beat us over 162 game."
The other side, he noted, was that whoever gets hot in October will win it. "Unfortunately," he said, "it hasn't been us."
The 2004 season was very un-Jones-like, what with a .248 batting average on his resume. "That hurt," he said. "It was frustrating. There were a lot of things people didn't see, some nagging injuries. Once I got back to third base, life was comfortable again."
Jones expressed some considerable amazement at the way players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson and Julio Franco "defy all logic and are still at their peak.
"They're unbelievable," he said. "They're still doing what they're doing and are at the top of their game."
National League Rookie of the Year in 1995, Jones played for the Greenville Braves and made more than one appearance in Knoxville at Bill Meyer Stadium. As he enters his 11th season in the big leagues and approaches his 33rd birthday April 24, he looked to his future.
"I can see myself playing until I'm 40," said Jones. "I have three children and one on the way. I've missed a lot of `firsts' and I want to share what I know with them on a daily basis."
