“It’s not every day a little kid compliments my style.
I see you brought some paper with you.
Would you like an autograph? Who should I make it out to?”
“To be honest sir, your signature would be neat,
But this paper is going to help me accomplish a feat.
See, we have a poem due next week in school,
And I thought I would ask for some help. Is that cool?”
“Sure thing, boy,” he said with conviction,
“Is the poem going to be one of fact or fiction?”
“Fiction sir, and to earn a gold star,
I was thinking of making it about a fast car.”
“Great idea son, a speedy car is unique,
Have you written anything down? May I take a quick peek?”
“Well, I decided that he will be driving in the rain,
But other than that, my ideas have been pretty plain.”
“Adding in the weather was a smart move.
Here, let me offer some advice to help you get in a groove.
Let’s step away from the car and the rainy day.
What overarching message are you trying to portray?
Every poem should be used as a learning tool.
Here is how we can make this poem rule:
I got to where I’m at in my career by setting goals
So let’s talk about how important they are to educate young souls.
A life without goals is like a car without wipers on a rainy day—
Moving forward in life with no clear vision, and constant disarray.
However, when we write down our goals and say them out loud,
We stay focused and make our families real proud.
When the car in our story states his future desires,
He will add on his wipers and get some fresh new tires.
So even on days when nothing is going right,
The car’s wipers will make sure he keeps a clean sight.
Now along with writing down my thoughts,
Write down a goal! Heck, write lots and lots!
Setting goals allows us to move forward with ease,
And constantly reviewing them is one of the keys.
So good luck with your poem and your cool made-up car.
Take this advice with you, and you’ll go real far.”
“The goal that kept me motivated throughout my baseball career was getting to the big leagues and playing with the best players in the world.”
As a kid, Chipper Jones certainly set small goals like making the high school team as an eighth grader, but reaching the MLB was always his main focus.
Growing up in Pierson, Florida, the renowned Fern Capital of the World, Jones knew at a very young age that growing and selling fancy greenery was not as fun as hitting fastballs. His father, Larry Jones, was the head coach of the baseball team at Pierson Taylor High School, which allowed Chipper to be introduced to the game before he could even swing a bat. No, seriously. As a young boy, Chipper would stand in front of the family’s wooden garage, holding a thirty-three-inch piece of PVC pipe about two inches thick and would hack away at the tennis balls his dad would pitch to him.
Although Larry grew up in Virginia, his favorite player was New York Yankees superstar Mickey Mantle. Mantle, a National Baseball Hall of Famer who won three MVP Awards and was named to the American League All-Star team twenty times, is arguably the greatest switch-hitter in MLB history. Once Chipper started crushing the ball onto the saran covering the ferns on the family farm, his father had him start practicing from the other side of the plate in hopes of developing the next Mickey Mantle.
Even when his dad wasn’t around, Chipper was focused on his lofty goal of playing in the Show. Those who lived within the neighborhood would often see Chipper throwing tennis balls against a wall by himself, eager to perfect his fielding skills. Overly invested and on a mission, baseball was always on Chipper’s mind. “When you grow up in a baseball family,” Chipper said in a 1997 interview with The Atlanta Constitution, “It’s all you’re talking about at the dinner table, on the ride to school. It was always baseball.”
As Chipper grew older, Larry and Lynne Jones, Larry’s wife and Chipper’s mother, saw something special brewing with their only child. In a Little League district playoff game, squaring off against one of the top teams in the nation, Altamont Springs, Chipper hit three home runs.
When he was in eighth grade, Chipper participated in a baseball clinic at Valencia Community College, an event where young players had the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of MLB scouts. After the clinic, George Zuraw, who at the time was a scout for the Cincinnati Reds, informed Chipper’s dad that “Your son has a baseball future—a real future.”
Larry worked closely with Chipper on the physical part of the game, while Lynne put an emphasis on the psychology aspect of being a competitor. In the same 1997 interview with The Atlanta Constitution, Chipper said, “She was always like, ‘Don’t you ever let any pitcher know that he’s got you. Even if he strikes you out, you walk back to the dugout, and if you’ve got to talk a little smack to him, talk a little smack.’ My mom’s a tough little lady.”
After his freshman year at Pierson Taylor, Chipper’s parents decided to send their son off to The Bolles School, an esteemed private school that was two hours away from home. Not only would Bolles provide him with a better education, but the athletics were far superior to those of a public school. While, at the time, sending their son to a boarding school that was two hours away from home was a tough transition for the family, it was exactly what the young headliner needed. In our interview, Chipper said, “Sending me to Bolles in tenth grade was something that was critical in my development because I got to step on the bigger stage and they knew I needed that challenge.”
As an upperclassman, Chipper’s play on the diamond had MLB scouts and college recruiters in awe.
During his senior year, Chipper led the baseball team to the state championship game. That season, the Bolles star batted .488 with 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 25 RBI (or Runs Batted In), and 14 steals.
In the summer of 1990, Chipper put on more than just a graduation cap. In June, he became one step closer to reaching his childhood goal of playing with the best baseball players in the world. With the first pick in the 1990 MLB Draft, the Atlanta Braves selected Chipper Jones, making him the first Floridian to be chosen as the number one overall selection. He also became the thirteenth high school player to go first overall in the history of the MLB Draft. Following his selection, Atlanta Braves assistant vice president Paul Snyder, said, “Chipper is a blue-chip high school talent. The fact that he can switch-hit is a definite bonus, as is his tremendous speed.” The term “blue-chip” is often used when referring to the stock market, or, when one alludes to someone, particularly an athlete, who has been touted as an elite prospect. The switch-hitting infielder quickly proved to the Braves franchise that they invested in the right player.
In 1991, Chipper, as a nineteen-year-old playing Class-A ball for the Macon Braves, hit .326 with 15 home runs and 40 steals in just 136 games. For those unfamiliar with how Minor League