NEW YORK (AP) -Nursing a stiff back, Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones sat out the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets and expected to miss both games.
Jones hopes to return to the lineup Sunday for his final chance to play at Shea Stadium, one of his favorite ballparks. But even if he can’t go, the trip won’t be a total loss.
A Mets nemesis for years, Jones named one of his sons Shea. The second-youngest of the slugger’s four boys, Shea and his family came out to the stadium Saturday morning to take pictures on the field and let the little guy run around the bases.
“The funny thing is, I don’t really think he knows how famous he is in this town,” said Jones, who hit his first major league home run at Shea Stadium. “Because from the second we got out of the car, walking through the people and here at the stadium, all the people who work here at the stadium, they want to know, `Which one is Shea?”’
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“He’s die-hard baseball. He falls asleep watching our games every night,” Jones said. “He knows what it’s all about.”
The Mets plan to move next year into a new ballpark, Citi Field. Jones wanted some keepsakes from the old place to put in his house, so he paid full price – $869 – to secure a pair of orange, field-level seats.
“I bought ’em. They’re not giving anything away here,” he said. “I’m sure that a bunch of people who sat in those seats have called me a bunch of names, but they’re going to be residing in my house here before too long. So, just a little memento for my little dungeon down in my basement, my little memorabilia area.
“But I’d still like to find some way to get some sign with Shea’s name on it so I can put it up in his room somewhere,” Jones added. “I’ve already got a real small replica of Shea Stadium that I’ve already given him. I’d like to give him something a little more personal.”
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