Life Lessons from…. Chipper Jones and… my Dad!

Last night, in the bottom of the 11^th inning, Chipper Jones hit a walk off home run off of Brian Sanches, leading the Braves to a 15-13 win against the Phillies.  Just another day at the office for Chipper!

I remember the first and only time I saw Chipper Jones play in person.  I knew a guy who knew a guy who had VIP seats right on the third base line in the old Fulton County Stadium.  I could have had a conversation with Chipper while he played his usual third base position.  (Of course, that would have been extremely distracting.  It may have bothered Chipper too.)

That night I sat beside my dad and watched the Braves beat the Marlins with the help of a grand slam off the bat of… you guessed it… Chipper Jones.  It was a truly great experience. 

This morning at 6:30, my father called me to ask if I saw Chipper hit the walk off homer last night.  I had not, so he gave me all the details as best he could remember them.  He’s 82 now and sometimes the score gets changed or the player’s names get mixed up.  Sometimes he can’t remember who hit the winning run or who pitched the last inning.  Yea, sometimes he gets the players and the plays mixed up some… except when the player is Chipper.  He always knows when it was Chipper who made the play – whether it was at the plate or in the field. 

Now, you may be wondering why I’m going on about Chipper Jones and my dad.  Well for one thing, I definitely didn’t want to write about Amendment One again this week. 

But the biggest reason is because, sitting on my exercise bike this morning at 6:30, I started thinking about some things.  I started thinking about some ways my father and Chipper are a lot alike (besides the fact that they are both really old).  And here’s a couple observations.

Chipper Jones has been playing for the Braves for nearly 20 years.  In 1999 he won the Most Valuable Player Award.  He is the only switch hitter in MLB history with a .300 plus career batting average. 

Here’s another observation.  The Atlanta Braves have never been known as the highest salaried team in the league.  (The Yankees hold that dubious distinction.)  The point I’m making is that years ago Chipper could have made a move that would have made him more money.  I haven’t spoken with him about it, but the only reason I can come up with is that, for Chipper, there are some things more important than money.

For my dad and Chipper there are some things more important than money – like family, friends, faithfulness to a team. 

I’m a pastor, so I get paid to think about things like this.  Plus I get to talk to people who are nearing the end of their journeys in this world.  And what I’ve discovered is that the happiest people are the people who learn that there is more, so much more, to life than career and bank accounts and toys and stuff.  I know, I know, you’re probably thinking that Chipper Jones is definitely not hurting for money and you are, I’m sure, right.

Yet, I know that my dad has enjoyed many baseball games a whole lot more because Chipper Jones knows how to stick with his team. 

Oh, and by the way, now as a mid-life male, I know that my life has been made much richer, much fuller, much more blessed because my father knew how to stick with his team. 

That’s the legacy I want to pass on to my children and grand children.