Latest news with #ChipperJones
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Some reminders of good times and good vibes for the Braves
Overreaction. Is it something you are prone to do? If a door slams unexpectedly do you jump out of your chair and let out a scream, or do you go about your business, unfazed? The 2025 Atlanta Braves season has been one long, ongoing, overreaction. No one could have predicted the roller-coaster path that started at the end of March and has continues on through mid-June. Advertisement With a day off before the Colorado Rockies come into town, we all wonder - and none of us know - how the season when end up when October rolls around. It truly feels like every option is on the table from the most disappointing season since the team moved to Atlanta to a comeback story of epic proportions. Maybe they just split the difference and end up a middle-of-the-road team, missing the playoffs, but with hopes of a better 2026. Is it too early to overreact? At 29-38, 14.5 games out of first place in the National League East and nine games out of the last Wild Card spot, it is hard to argue that it isn't. It is exhausting to think about and talk about and write about. Advertisement Let's not. Let's talk about other things, happier things. Things like regular season games that had a big moments. What we need are some good times Braves vibes. Moments that remind you why you are a fan, were a fan, wanted to be a fan. We need smiles and positivity. So that is what we all shall get! (Note: These videos from site and won't be available if you are reading this on Apple News. Open it in a browser for your viewing pleasure.) I had been thinking about this game a lot recently, and for good reason. If you missed it - like I did - it was 15 years ago last month with Brooks Conrad hit his legendary grand slam to cap a seven-run rally by the Braves against the Reds. Advertisement Or how about this one: It is hard to believe this was more than a decade ago - a legendary home run - a walk-off job from Chipper Jones to beat the Phillies. It was also the last home run of his Hall of Fame career. Another made-for-TV moment that still brings chills. More recently - four years ago to be exact - pitcher Huascar Ynoa hit a grand slam with an absolute blast to center field. It seems like forever ago that pitchers were hitting - and moments like this were fun to watch. Go back to June 12, 1988. Astros' pitcher Mike Scott - a dominant starting pitcher for several years in the 1980's had no hit the Braves through 8.2 innings when Ken Oberkfell hit a solid single to right field to break-up the no hitter. I was watching that game on grainy TV on a Sunday afternoon and I still remember the excitement. You can see the hit itself here. It wasn't a Braves win, but in 1988, you took anything you could get. Bouncing back to the '10's, Andrelton Simmons seemingly produced a highlight worthy defensive play every series, and this one from 2014 was no different. Admittedly, I lost about 10 minutes getting lost in videos of him making play after play that were absolutely amazing. Advertisement This one is a little random, but Deion Sanders hit a bomb in 1992 to give the Braves the lead against the Cubs. An impressive shot for NFL Hall of Famer and one of the more notorious Braves player from the early '90s. It was 25 years ago that Andres Gallaraga returned to the Braves after missing the prior season because of cancer. And on Opening Day 2000, the 'Big Cat' delivered an emotional blast in his return to Atlanta's lineup. In 1997, shortstop Rafael Belliard hit his second career home run - 10 years after his first. If you are too young to remember 'Raffy' he was basically Nick Allen with less pop. Let that sink in for a second. You can watch it here. We can't talk about good-time vibes without Jason Heyward's Opening Day home run in 2010 against the Cubs. Being in the stadium for that one, that might be the loudest I'd ever heard Turner Field during a regular season game. Advertisement Going back to 1993, Ron Gant hit a wall-bouncing walk-off home run off of Rob Dibble that was the first of three consecutive walk-off wins for Atlanta in mid-September. The fact that it came off Dibble - who was one of the more disliked relievers of the era - made it that much sweeter of a blast. In 2005, Julio Franco was 46 years old and a member of the 'Baby Braves' team when he set the MLB record for the oldest player to hit a grand slam, with a pinch-hit job against the Marlins. Talk about a true legend. (And yes, if you include his career in Japan and South Korea, he has a compelling case as a Hall of Famer. Search Battery Power for an article about that a few years ago.) While I could do this all night, here's just a couple more for your viewing pleasure. Back in 2018, Charlie Culberson was becoming a cult hero with his hometown Braves team, when he hit this walk-off job in a season where the Braves somewhat unexpectedly made the playoffs. Advertisement There is only one way we can end this - 40 years ago this July 4th - when the late Rick Camp hit one of the most unexpected home runs in Braves history. 'Holy cow! Oh my goodness! I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Rick Camp! Rick Camp!' John Sterling exclaimed with complete and utter shock. Always good to hear ol' Ernie Johnson, Sr., too. I hope watching these good vibes moments brought a smile to your face. Now maybe we can channel all that positivity toward the next four months of the 2025 season and hope that Braves end up bring more smiles to our faces that they have so far this year. Overreaction? Advertisement Nah, just shake it off stay positive, Braves fans. More from
Fox News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
MLB legend Chipper Jones unleashes on 'worst umpire' after controversial calls in Cubs-Tigers game
National Baseball Hall of Famer Chipper Jones has had it with one particular MLB umpire after a recent game between the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers. Jones, who has been quite active on X recently regarding baseball, took the time to eviscerate MLB umpire Doug Eddings during the Cubs' 6-1 victory on Saturday. During the game, several calls were missed by the umpiring crew, including Eddings behind the plate. Pitches that should've been called balls were instead strike-three calls by Eddings, and Jones believed the umpire's performance was one of the worst he's seen. In fact, Jones believes Eddings is among the worst in the game today. "Not only one of the worst umpires in the league for going on 2 decades… but consistently one of the most confrontational. Toxic combination!" Jones wrote on X. Other than the strike-three calls, Eddings also never asked for help when calling Kyle Tucker for a strike during his at-bat after what appeared to be a fully checked swing. Jones, though, knows about Eddings given his time with the Atlanta Braves from 1993-2012. Eddings began working in MLB in the late 1990s, and he worked 14 postseason series, including two World Series. Jones didn't specify his own experiences with Eddings, but they didn't sound too positive. The X account @UmpireScorecards posted Eddings' results from the Cubs-Tigers game, where his overall accuracy was 92%, and he had an 80% called strike accuracy with eight of his 40 called strikes ruled "true balls." Umpiring in MLB has been a long-debated topic, especially considering the technological advancements that have been made in sports elsewhere. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says the league will propose an automated ball-strike challenge system for use in 2026. It was tested during spring training, and it seems the feedback was positive. Pitchers and hitters were able to tap on their head to challenge the ball-strike call made by the home plate umpire. If the rule goes through, it's expected that each team gets afforded two challenges they can use during the game, making when to use it part of their strategy. While it's a massive change to the modern game, the human element of umpires will still apply, and Jones clearly wants to see better from Eddings moving forward. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Post
06-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Chipper Jones woke up from a nap to an utter meltdown by the Braves: ‘OMG'
Chipper Jones couldn't believe the Braves' ugly collapse against the Diamondbacks on Thursday. With Atlanta up by six runs after seven innings over Arizona, the baseball Hall of Famer was pretty confident his former team would eek out a win and avoid a three-game sweep. 'Today is a good day…..9-3 good guys!' Jones wrote on X. The Braves' lead looked so safe, Jones moseyed off for a midday siesta. A couple of hours later, Jones awoke to some terrible news. 'Omg……9-3……nap…….11-10!' Jones wrote on the platform. 3 Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones throws the ceremonial first pitch, April 22, 2025, in Atlanta. AP Despite leading 9-3 at the beginning of the eighth inning and 10-4 with one out in the ninth inning, the Braves took an 11-10 loss after a wild comeback by the Diamondbacks. Arizona tallied five hits, including two home runs, and two walks during the seven-run rally to shock the Braves on their home field. Entering the ninth inning, the Braves, leading 10-4, had a 99.9 percent chance of winning, per 3 Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) reacts after hitting a double to drive in two runs against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Truist Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Before Thursday, the Diamondbacks were 0-419 in games when they were down six or more runs after the eighth inning. It was the first time since July 17, 1973 — when Jones, who played his entire 19-year MLB career in Atlanta, was just a 1-year-old — that the Braves blew a ninth-inning lead of six runs or more and lost. The devastating loss adds to what has been a miserable season for the Braves. 3 Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker (43) walks to the mound to change pitchers against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at Truist Park. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect It was Atlanta's fourth straight defeat, dropping it to 27-34 on the season. The Braves are sitting in fourth place in the National League East with the fourth-worst record in the senior circuit after coming into the season with World Series aspirations.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Big fan': Braves legend Chipper Jones lauds Coastal Carolina baseball coach
The Coastal Carolina University baseball team, and its current run toward the College World Series, has caught the eye of an Atlanta Braves legend. Chipper Jones, the switch-hitting third baseman who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, praised the team and its coach Tuesday in a social media post that was critical of other teams vying for playoff spots. Advertisement 'Spent quite a bit of time watching college baseball this weekend,' Jones wrote on 'I will only watch a select few teams from here on out. Reason? They have coaches that respect the game and their opponents and demand the same of their players. Any team that doesn't wear the uni correctly, taunts the other team, and has a coach that condones this behavior, is a disgrace to the game. 'Big fan of coach Schnall at Coastal Carolina! Him and his team represent what college baseball should be like. Well done, sir! U stand for proper behavior.' Kevin Schnall, in his first year as CCU head coach, made headlines this week criticizing the actions of University of Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who was caught on video berating staff at the NCAA Regionals in Conway this past weekend. Advertisement 'I have to say this, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to or not, but I believe in standing up to for what's right, and what transpired this morning on our field, another coach disrespected our associate AD, who works as hard as anybody in our entire program, he disrespected our field crew, who are the salt of the earth, these guys would do anything for our program, it's not okay,' Schnall said. 'And this needs to be brought up. Absolutely disrespectful.' O'Sullivan has since issued a statement apologizing for his behavior. CCU advanced out of the region that included Florida, East Carolina University and Fairfield University. They will play Auburn University beginning Friday in a best-of-three series to determine which team advances to the College World Series.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Texeira selected to MLB All-Star Futures Game staff
After logging time in the major leagues as a pitcher, Maui native Kanekoa Texeira is once again climbing the professional baseball ladder, this time from the dugout. Texeira, a Kamehameha Schools graduate from Kula, Maui, is in his second season as the Triple-A manager for the Gwinnett Stripers, the Atlanta Braves' top affiliate in the International League. The former big-league reliever, who pitched 67 innings across two seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals from 2010 to 2012, has quickly gained respect as a rising managerial talent. That reputation has earned him a new honor, a spot on the coaching staff for the 2025 All-Star Futures Game, set for July 12 at Truist Park in Atlanta. 'Hey, you know, it's fun,' Texeira said. 'It's always been part of my dream to stick in this game as long as I can. Reach out to lots of kids or players that I can share in the knowledge I've learned. I still get shocked sometimes, managing a Triple-A team, one step away from the big leagues. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'm still proud of what I've done and what I'm doing right now.' Texeira's selection to the Futures Game staff came via a text from Braves legend Chipper Jones. 'Chipper texted me and said, 'Hey, you want to coach third base?'' Texeira recalled. 'I said, 'Of course.' Then he said, 'Good, because you're going to be with me in the Futures Game.' I told him, 'I'd be stupid to say no to Chipper Jones, man. I got you.'' Growing up in Hawai'i, Texeira remembers watching the Braves daily on TBS, the only major league team regularly televised in the Islands at that time. '100%, 100%,' he said. 'We only could watch the Braves. Just Chipper, you know… I even got to face him when I played, toward the end of his career. That was big for me. Now you got Tim Hudson and a bunch of studs on the Futures Game staff. It's going to be fun, man.' Texeira is in his seventh year as a professional coach. Just last week, the Stripers celebrated 'Tex Day,' donning Aloha Friday jerseys in his honor, a tribute to his Hawaiian roots, nearly 5,000 miles away from the islands. The All-Star Futures Game showcases the top minor league talent from across baseball and is widely considered a preview of the game's next generation of stars. Texeira is proving he might just be one of the next coaching stars as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
