Release Date:- 2017-04-04
Reviews Counts:- 142
User Average Rating:- 4.5
Availability:- In Stock
Kind:- ebook
Atlanta Braves third baseman and National Hall of Famer Chipper Jonesāone of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball historyāshares his remarkable story, while capturing the magic nostalgia that sets baseball apart from every other sport.
Before Chipper Jones became an eight-time All-Star who amassed Hall of Fameāworthy statistics during a nineteen-year career with the Atlanta Braves, he was just a country kid from small town Pierson, Florida. A kid who grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his dad dreaming that one day heād be a major league ballplayer.
With his trademark candor and astonishing recall, Chipper Jones tells the story of his rise to the MLB ranks and what it took to stay with one organization his entire career in an era of booming free agency. His journey begins with learning the art of switch-hitting and takes off after the Braves make him the number one overall pick in the 1990 draft, setting him on course to become the linchpin of their lineup at the height of their fourteen-straight division-title run.
Ballplayer takes readers into the clubhouse of the Bravesā extraordinary dynasty, from the climax of the World Series championship in 1995 to the last-gasp division win by the 2005 āBaby Bravesā; all the while sharing pitch-by-pitch dissections of clashes at the plate with some of the all-time great starters, such as Clemens and Johnson, as well as closers such as Wagner and Papelbon. He delves into his relationships with Bobby Cox and his famous Braves brothersāMaddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, among themāand opponents from Cal Ripken Jr. to Barry Bonds. The National League MVP also opens up about his overnight rise to superstardom and the personal pitfalls that came with fame; his spirited rivalry with the New York Mets; his reflections on baseball in the modern eraāoutrageous money, steroids, and allāand his special last season in 2012.
Ballplayer immerses us in the best of baseball, as if weāre sitting next to Chipper in the dugout on an endless spring day.