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#Mets villain Chipper Jones dishes on Pete Alonso, Jacob deGrom and fanless baseball

#Mets villain Chipper Jones dishes on Pete Alonso, Jacob deGrom and fanless baseball

Current ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who was a Mets villain for years, discusses with Post columnist Steve Serby how MLB will tackle the pandemic and gives his insights on the New York teams and stars ahead of the season starting Thursday.

Q: How would you have handled all the adjustments players are having to make this season?

A: You do what you gotta do. This is some circumstances none of us ever thought we would have to live through. If I were still playing, obviously there would be a decision to be made as to whether I would play or not. I’ve got seven children here at the house, I’ve got 70-year-old parents that live on property here. … Mom’s healthy as a horse, but Dad struggles every so often with his health, so we would have had a family huddle to see if it was worth it going out there. I have it in my mind that we would probably all decide that I should go play, but that’s neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that nobody knows what it’s like to walk in anyone else’s shoes, and that’s a decision they have to make. There’s an opt-out every so often, but not as many as I thought there would be. … Broadcasting a game for ESPN [Sunday night] in Chicago, at points it was eerie. There’s no fans, there’s no real energy per se, so it’s going to be a challenge for these players to get themselves in the same state of mind they would be if there were 40 or 50,000 people in the stands.

Q: Could you have survived without sunflower seeds?

A: No, I don’t think so. Unfortunately, I was a dipper. I can’t remember an at-bat in my career where I didn’t have a dip, sunflower seeds or chewing gum in my mouth. One of those three things was just like putting on your uniform, or taking your glove out in the field, you had to have it in order to feel good.

Q: What are your thoughts on Pete Alonso?

A: He had one of the greatest years I’ve ever seen. It seemed like he hit a home run every single game. The thing about him is that the bright lights and the pressure of playing in New York doesn’t seem to bother him. The kid’s always got a smile on his face, and always talking it up and yukking it up and just a pleasure to watch. … Watching him in the Home Run Derby last year — how many good things can happen (chuckle) to one person in one year? I know Braves people, Braves fans cringe every time he comes up. When it came to hitting the ball out of the ballpark, nobody was more efficient as doing it as good as he did.

Q: One game to win: Jacob deGrom or Gerrit Cole?

A: Yeah, that’s a good one. My dad and my godfather both coached at Stetson University, so I’m gonna go with the hometown kid, the Mad Hatter, Jacob deGrom. I gotta stay loyal to my roots.

Q: What makes Gerrit Cole, Gerrit Cole?

A: Absolutely filthy. Fearless. Last year he made some mistakes in the postseason, and they got hit, they got hit hard, and I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and that is kind of the sign of the great ones. The guys who feel unfulfilled by the previous season, they go home in the offseason and they work harder to get better and better, and they come back with a vengeance. … He looks like he’s got the eye of the tiger, he just looks like he is a man on a mission. If Gerrit Cole is not 1A in Major League Baseball, he’s 1B, and he’s very close to 1A, right there lumped with deGrom.

Jacob deGromAP

Q: What makes deGrom, deGrom?

A: I think his evolution. He’s got overpowering stuff and can certainly get away with just being a thrower out there on the mound, but he’s not a thrower — he ***** pitches ***** with dominant stuff. He very seldom throws a ball over the middle of the plate, he locates his fastball very well, and then he throws his secondary pitches off of that. He’s learned how to cut the ball, he’s learned how to sink the ball. … He’s learned how to curve the ball on both corners, meaning he can bring the two-seamer back over the inside corner to a lefty, he can cut it inside on a lefty, he can sink the ball off the outer corner of the plate against a lefty, and he can cut it around the outside corner. You add that with his ability to be able to throw that split changeup that he throws, and you’ve got a repertoire that’s 95-100 miles an hour that is overpowering, and when he locates the way we all know he can, he’s virtually unhittable.

Q: Does Aaron Judge rival any imposing hitters from your day?

A: He kind of reminds me a little bit of a Mark McGwire, just a behemoth. He actually (laugh) casts a shadow over the plate. He’s got a short swing, just like McGwire did. You see whenever the Yankees come to town, opposing teams will stay out and watch the Yankees, or at least Judge and [Giancarlo] Stanton take batting practice just to see how far the ball travels. That was kind of the way it was whenever McGwire or [Sammy] Sosa would come to town back in the day. I think he is another guy who is on a mission who is champing on the bit to get back. The Yankees are certainly set up for a dominant run here in this 60-game sprint.

Q: What are your thoughts on Jeff McNeil?

A: I think he’s a stud. I think he’s perfect for what the Mets need him to do. He is probably their toughest out at the plate, and he’s the guy kind of leading things off at the top. I’m a huge fan, I think he’s a really, really solid player, but a tough, tough out. … It just seems like he’s always on base and always running the bases well, solid defender and perfect table-setter for that Mets lineup.

Q: Do you think he or someone can hit .400 this season?

A: I certainly think it’s possible, and I think somebody … they might not hit .400, but I think we’ll be talking about it about the 40, 45, maybe even 50-game point during the course of the season. There’s just too many good hitters out there now, whether it’s somebody like a [Christian] Yelich, who’s coming off an injury and champing at the bit to get back, former MVP. Not only do I think he can hit close to .400, I think he can probably hit 20, 20-plus homers in 60 games as well, which would make anybody a shoo-in for an MVP trophy this year. [Cody] Bellinger, obviously McNeil, guys that are gonna go out and get a ton of at-bats in 60 games, hitting at the top of the lineup but are tough, tough outs,

Bryce HarperGetty Images

Q: How do you see the NL East?

A: Very competitive. Obviously I think the world champs [Nationals] should get their due respect. They of all people know that they can’t afford to go 19-31 out of the gate like they did last year. Obviously with [Max] Scherzer, [Stephen] Strasburg, [Patrick] Corbin at the top of that rotation, they’re gonna be in a lot of games here early on. The big question mark for them is they’ve lost two huge bats in the last two years in [Bryce] Harper and [Anthony] Rendon. They’ve struggled the last couple of years even though they solidified it coming down the stretch last year in the bullpen. I look for them to be strong if they can score some runs to get that pitching staff some help. Let’s not forget the Atlanta Braves are the two-time defending division champs. They have just a budding superstar in Ronald Ocuna, the cornerstone of their organization just came back [from COVID-19] the other day in Freddie Freeman. They got a couple of good, young pitchers that are gonna be at the top of that rotation for a long time in [Mike] Soroka and [Max] Fried, so I look for them to be very competitive. Obviously the Mets with Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso, very formidable lineup and rotation there. Not sold on the Phillies or the Marlins, even though whenever Aaron Nola or Zack Wheeler go out there, they’re certainly capable of shutting any lineup down. I think whoever comes out of the division and ultimately makes the playoffs, just like the Nats did last year, are gonna be very well prepared for postseason.

Q: Do you think the Astros dodged a bullet because of no fans in the stands in the wake of the sign- stealing scandal?

A: Oh, I don’t think there’s anybody more happy that there are no fans in the stands this year than the Houston Astros. (Laugh) I know if I was playing for ’em I’d be happy. That’s just one less distraction you have to worry about. I’m sure they got a little taste of it in spring training before the stoppage. It sounds to me just hearing through the grapevine that it was pretty bad. So imagine what it would be like with 40 or 50,000 people in the stands as opposed to 5 or 6,000 people in spring training. … But let’s get the facts straight: This is a very, very good ballclub. And whether they were beating on trash cans or not, there’s a lot of talent over there, and they will be heard from at some point this year right around playoff time.

Q: What do you think of Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez as potential Mets owners?

A: I wish ’em luck, to each his own. A-Rod has taken it upon himself to be an entrepreneur after his playing days, and more power to him. I know that he and J. Lo, Jennifer Lopez, they bring new meaning to the word power couple. When I was a senior, he was a freshman, and his team beat my team for the state championship, so we’ve known each other a long time. It’s been fun to watch his evolution, and I wish him nothing but the best.

Q: Did you get to know George Steinbrenner at all?

A: He actually came up to me in spring training [1997 or 1998] and introduced me to Reggie Jackson. Said he was a big fan watching from afar. Said if (laugh) I ever got to free agency to keep him in mind. Always had nice things to say, always very jovial and very nice to me whenever we’d cross paths in spring training.

Q: What do you think of a possible name change for the Braves?

A: We’re at a point in America where we need to sit down and listen to everything. I’m not affiliated with the Braves anymore, but I’m sure the Braves will discuss it and listen to what people have to say and make their decision accordingly. Whether you’re the Chiefs or the Seminoles or the Indians or the Braves, you’ve gotta sit down and address everybody’s concerns.

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.

A: My on-field mentality was that I was the best player on the field. I got that from my mom early on in life, when she says that I was going through some kind of confidence problem. It’s that kind of confidence, that kind of swag that let the other team know, or that other pitcher know, Hey, you’re in for a tough at-bat, and I’m gonna do what I can to do my part to win this game for my ballclub. It rubbed some people the wrong way, other people respected it, but that was what gave me my edge. I had to play with that kind of mentality, or else I wouldn’t have been successful.

Q: Why did Mets fans hate the young Chipper Jones?

A: Because I was brash and cocky and lippy, and wasn’t afraid to spout off. … The Mets were two games out of the wild card with two games left, and Cincinnati was ahead of them. We had just got done beating them in the last game of our series, and I was walking off the field, and I saw a guy over top of our dugout that had a New York jersey split down the middle — one side Mets, one side Yankees — he had a double-billed cap — one Mets, one Yankees. I had always heard that you had to pick one side or the other, it was faux pas to root for both teams. So confident that the Mets weren’t gonna make the playoffs at that point, a reporter asked me what I thought of the Mets’ chances, and I said, “Ah, I think all those Mets fans can go home and put their Yankee stuff on now.” Oh my goodness, did I take some slack for that! It was not received well. Lo and behold, the Cincinnati Reds lose two games, the Mets win two games, the Mets then go to Cincinnati for a one-game playoff and beat ’em, and now (laugh) the stage is set for that epic 1999 NLCS that ended with Kenny Rogers walking Andruw Jones to send us to the World Series. Yeah, I learned a valuable lesson right there, that’s where the “Larry” chants started, and from then on, whenever I touched down at LaGuardia Airport, I was on my best behavior (laugh).

Chipper Jones and Brian Jordan in Game 2 of the 1999 NLCS against the Mets.New York Post

Q: You would have been perfect for New York.

A: I would have loved to have played in New York. I don’t know how I would have handled the media scrutiny day after day after day — certainly watching a guy like Derek Jeter from afar or a David Wright from afar and how they handled it probably would have been good for me. But obviously playing in the biggest city with the brightest lights … one thing my dad always told me, he grew up a huge Mickey Mantle fan … if you can go to that city and perform on that stage and be successful, you can be successful anywhere. So every time I stepped off the plane at LaGuardia, it was Game 7 of the World Series for me — it didn’t matter if we were playing in the middle of May or the end of October.

Q: What did Braves manager Bobby Cox tell you about Mantle?

A: He played with Mickey. He just always told me that Mickey was probably one of the best two athletes that he’s ever seen play the game, he mentioned Willie Mays as well. He always said, “You shoulda seen Mickey run the bases before he hurt his knees.” He said that I reminded him of him early on in my career.

Q: Describe David Cone in Game 3 of the 1996 World Series.

A: He really turned the tide in that series. Obviously that … slider was something that you had to look out for, but he was kind of on the downside of his career and you were really starting to see him do things differently in order to be successful. A changeup was a big part of his repertoire. He would throw the off-speed to set up the fastball. After us going up there [Yankee Stadium] and pretty much manhandling them in the first two games, his performance in Game 3 got them back in the Series. … I didn’t think we were gonna lose again. The second you start thinking that, that’s when baseball reaches up and punches you in the gut and says, “Uh-uh.” There’s a lot of failure in this game, and it’s waiting around the corner. Unfortunately for us, that was David Cone and the New York Yankees.

Q: Did you think the Braves would be a championship dynasty?

A: Coming into spring training every year, if we didn’t win the World Series, the season was a disappointment. In my first five years in the league, I played in three World Series, so forgive me if I thought that was the norm, and that was the way it was gonna be. As long as we got [Greg] Maddux, [Tom] Glavine, [John] Smoltz and I’m hitting in the middle of the lineup? Yeah, we’re gonna be there. But it just goes to show you, it doesn’t work that way. … Yeah, I thought we would have that championship dynasty that the Yankees did, but it never came to fruition.

Q: Describe your premonition that Mike Piazza would hit that 9/11 home run.

A: Everybody was pulling for the Mets, everybody was pulling for the city of New York — hell, I was pulling for the city of New York, you know? While I was out there trying to beat the Mets, not trying to lose the game, I still felt like it would be apropos if the Mets won that particular game. And to have the matinee idol, Mike Piazza, be the one to deliver. … When he walked up to face Steve Karsay, I’m standing in left field, no disrespect to Steve Karsay, but I did not like the matchup (laugh). When he touched that thing off, that place exploded. I may on the outside have been showing disappointment, on the inside, I was like, “Good for you, Mike Piazza.” Of all the games that I played in New York, that loss and that game and the atmosphere around it was one of the things that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

Q: Describe Smoltz.

A: Good at everything. He qualified for the Senior Open in golf, he’s an unbelievable pingpong player, go out and bowl 200, he’s an unbelievable basketball player. Probably one of the top two or three most competitive people I’ve ever run across.

Q: Maddux.

A: The grossest human being on the planet. He sits there at his locker and he thinks about how to make people laugh by being gross. And oh, by the way, the best pitcher of our era.

Q: Glavine.

A:. Didn’t throw the ball 95 miles an hour … sometimes didn’t throw it 85 miles an hour. Still won 305 games. That takes grit, that takes determination, and that takes a willingness to master your craft and your repertoire, and I don’t think anybody did it better than Glav.

Q: Andruw Jones.

A: The best center fielder that I personally have ever seen. Made the game look easy. Ten straight Gold Gloves and 400-plus homers, too. Would love to see him get into the Hall of Fame. Go ask Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz (laugh) who saved the most runs for ’em over the course of their career, I guarantee you Andruw Jones is at the top of all three of their lists.

Q: Mariano Rivera being unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame?

A: Happily so. Quite simply the most dominant pitcher that I’ve ever seen, and he pitched in an era with Maddux, [Roger] Clemens, Pedro [Martinez], Randy Johnson. There was nobody more dependable than Mariano, he was the best to ever do it at his position. People ask me all the time, “What was it like to face Mariano Rivera?” And, the only thing I can think of to say is imagine somebody throwing 95 mile an hour chainsaws at you.

Q: Derek Jeter was one vote shy of unanimous for the Hall of Fame.

A: It’s a shame. But the bottom line is you’re a first-ballot Hall of Famer either way. He and I became really good friends over a couple of World Baseball Classics in ’06 and ’09. Just all the respect in the world for how he goes about his business, I think first and foremost. It’s easy to be jealous of the fact that he plays shortstop for the Yankees, and he’s captain of the Yankees, and he’s got five championships with the Yankees. But then you get to know him, and you get to see how he handles his business, how he handles himself, you can’t help but respect the career that he’s had.

Q: Jack Morris.

A: Big-game Jack. Back in the day, late ’80s, early ’90s, there was one guy you wanted on the mound in a must-win, and that was Jack Morris.

Q: Willie Stargell.

A: Pops was my first hitting instructor in minor league baseball. He was just a jovial teddy bear. I think the first thing he ever said to me, he picked up my bat, and he looked at the knob, and he said, “Son, I have picked my teeth with bigger pieces of wood than this.” It just kind of really hit home that I was gonna have to get bigger, faster and stronger in order to get where he wanted me to be. He said, “We will have you hitting 30 homers in no time,” and he was right.

Q: Don Baylor.

A: Don Baylor got in my rear end the only spring training that he came over in 1999. I was a guy who people feared left-handed, but turned around to the right side late in games. And he said, “People don’t fear you right-handed. They’re gonna fear you this year. I don’t care if you strike out 100 times, I want you to hit third and play third for the best team in the National League — people need to fear you.” Obviously going out and winning the MVP that year kind of solidified the fact that that conversation that I had with Baylor made a difference.

Q: John Rocker.

A: John was a good teammate. He wasn’t as loud and boisterous in the clubhouse as he was I guess to the media. Look, he came out of the bullpen ready to do his job each and every time he was called upon. He came out of there breathing fire, and that’s all you ask for as a position player, is that those guys want to win out there in the bullpen as much as we do. The one problem that I and my teammates had was once the Sports Illustrated article came out, John stopped talking. And that left us to field all the questions from the media that should have been pointed at John. We didn’t ask for that attention, we didn’t ask for those questions, and I think the guys kind of resented that a little bit. It was unfortunate, and John wasn’t in Atlanta much longer.

Q: Hank Aaron.

A: The King! He’s the home run king, especially here in Atlanta. To be able to endure what he endured in his time with everything that was going on here in America, he’s an exceptional, exceptional human being. He’s a helluva ballplayer, but he’s a better human being. I’m proud that he represents my organization the way he does, ’cause he is a god down here in the South.

Q: The young B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management.

A: (Laugh) B.B.’s one of the smartest human beings I’ve ever come across in my life. I’ve known him since I was 3 years old. He bullied me every single day of my childhood. But he made me tougher, and he made me stronger, and he made me a better player. He was two years older than me, he was better than me at everything, and he taught me how to play to a different level. I can’t think of anybody I would rather have watching over myself, my career, my family, my money other than that guy. He’s my right-hand man.

Q: What is it like raising seven sons?

A: I got seven kids, 22 all the way down to 2. … It’s pure chaos (laugh). No, it’s been awesome. … It’s fun to watch their personalities kind of develop in different directions.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Mickey Mantle, Magic Johnson, Peyton Manning.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Troy.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Tom Hanks.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Demi Moore.

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?

A: Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Anything Italian.

Q: What do you hope your legacy is?

A: That people say, “That guy was a ballplayer.” I think the title of my book [“Ballplayer”] says it all. I want to be known as a winner, a guy that went out and did his job, was one-ninth of the equation to help us win every single day. I want to be a good husband, a good father, a good son. Having made a ton of mistakes early on in my life, I hope people can look at me now and say that a guy really turned the corner and he made adjustments in life the same way he did on the baseball field and he’s a better man because of it.

Q: AL MVP pick?

A: I will go Aaron Judge.

Q: NL MVP?

A: Ronald Acuna.

Q: AL Cy Young?

A: I’m going to go off the wall, because I’m going to pick this team … they’re my dark horse to win it all this year … I’m gonna go Charlie Morton, and I think Tampa’s gonna win it all this year, I really do. If they can score some runs, I think they’re gonna win it all.

Q: NL Cy Young?

A: Jack Flaherty.

Q: AL Rookie of the Year?

A: Luis Robert.

Q: NL Rookie of the Year?

A: Gavin Lux.

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