When a star-struck Chipper Jones met Mickey Mantle, things didn't go as planned
ATLANTA -- Mickey Mantle loomed large in Chipper Jones' life. Growing up, his dad had a bat emblazoned with the Yankees legend's name on it in his closet, a bat that was off limits for the younger Jones.
It was because of The Mick -- the switch-hitting Hall of Famer -- that Larry Wayne Jones Sr. taught Chipper to hit from both sides from the start.
I grew up hearing about Mickey," Jones said.
So it was only fitting that when the former Brave was announced as the headliner of the 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame class Wednesday, that he discussed Mantle ... and their first meeting in 1992.
Playing in Double-A, Jones was attending a baseball card show in Gwinnett, Ga., that Mantle was signing autographs at, and the night before, Jones was a bundle of nerves.
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"It's one of the only times where I ever found myself the night before practicing how I was going to meet somebody in the mirror. Mickey? Mr. Mantle? Mickey Mantle?," Jones recalled. "I literally threw up on myself when I met him. I couldn't say a word. That's how high a pedestal this guy was on."
Wait ... the eight-time All-Star, who would hit 468 home runs -- the second most for a switch-hitter behind only Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) -- who hit .304/.391/.498 as a righty and .303/.405/.541 from the left side, threw up on himself?
When pressed -- he was asked whether he actually "spewed on himself" upon meeting Mantle -- Jones elaborated on the meeting, which took place at a baseball card show in Gwinnett, Ga., and then recounted a truly memorable exchange.
"He had been signing for like an hour when I got there and he stood up and he held his hand out and he said 'Son, it's nice to meet you" and I went (mimics throwing up)," Jones said. "Nothing came out. I wanted to say 'Hello, Mr. Mantle. Nice to meet you,' but nothing came out. It took me a little while to work up the nerve.
"I sat there and I watched grown men go through the line fawning over this man. Tears in their eyes. I finally got up the nerve to ask him 'Mickey,' I go. 'Does this ever get old? How do you deal with this?' How do you keep this in perspective.' He said 'Son, I have a recurring dream. I'm standing at the pearly gates and God walks up and apparently I've got this worried look on my face. (God) says 'Mickey, I'm going to let you in ... but came you sign these dozen baseballs."
I thought that was hilarious. I died laughing when he said that but that was his life."
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His books, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners.' are now available.
