Jacque Jones the Person and Player

thing that makes me mad is how over anxious he looks at the plate in BIG parts of the game. all he had to do was put the stick on the ball. chop over the pitcher again do whatever it takes but do swing at in lous words "30 AND 40 FT CURVEBALLS" he is is a vet and his plan at the plate should be alot better.

as unconditional love in professional sports. Players must expect and deal with fans booing.

On the other hand, under no circumstances should a fan personalize their dislike for a player's lack of achievement by screaming obscenities or even writing them. We can dislike a player but to call them names says more about the fan than the player.

Would these people enjoy their boss screaming obscenities about them in front of others? I often hear about venting but but if someone has to do that by swearing at someone else, they had better learn how to civilize their behavior. Men don't do that. Punks do.

As an aside, the issue of LH BP was an interesting developement with the Cubs. How is it that no one noticed the team didn't have one and not do something about it? It just seems like terrible planning.

he is the right fielder. he shouldn't be batting cleanup; soriano should be (while aram's out). i don't understand why the fans are so down on him. it's a shame. he just needs to concentrate on getting the ball back into the infield quickly, and he's been doing an alright job of it thus far. bad at bat, d-lee as well. that's a cub problem, not a jones problem.

approved booing of athletes. The name calling is never acceptable.

....I never understood the booing, either. What does it solve? Nothing. Makes a few drunk idiots (and if the Jones booers aren't drunk, they're beyond idiot, moving past moron, on their way to brain dead) feel better about themselves while trying to compensate for a small male appendage, apparently.

for this post, and the inside report.

Thanks for posting this bit of humanity.

Truly.

rock on,

I like how your name is all caps.   That way I'm SUPER EXCITED about it every time I address you. :)

Thanks for your perspective.  Regardless of whether you're believed, (which I do, btw) yours is a welcomed view into reminding us that there are people on the other sides of these jerseys.

I love those commercials with Peyton Manning where he is cheering on the cafe workers, insurance adjusters, mooooooovers etc., and I think we get the point.  

But on the flip side, I really hope that these same people who are lacing their trips to RF with obscenities and racial slurs are not doing the same to their waitresses, starbucks baristas, etc.  In fact, I highly doubt they are. I can't remember the last time I told my Starbucks barista that she was a fat worthless piece of trash when she gave me a half-caf soy caramel macchiato instead of a mocha.  And yes, that does happen on a regular basis.  

But you see, she's a warm-weather barista and she'll start getting those orders right about mid-May or so.

To just show a different side, maybe one from the players perspective.  No one player on this team has lost us a World Series, or actually gotten us to a World Series, or won us a World Series.  So how can anyone of us judge one player on his performance?  There are 9 players out there everyday and each one of them get at least 1 AB per game, so they all have a chance to make a play.  When you single one player out, where does that get you?  What are you going to do in the 7th game of the World Series and the player you booed and hated all year wins it for us?

I appreciate all the Thank Yous, any time.  It was my pleasure to give you a bit of insite on what i experienced last year!

(with all this being said, the LF fans yesterday were AWESOME towards JJ, nice to see)

...when it's warranted.  I wouldn't have booed JJ in the AB that was described in the original post, it's not a situation that warrants booing.  That being said, booing is not per se an uncivilized or unreasonable response in certain situations.  Derek Lee doesn't get booed because he is a far better player with a far better rapport with fans.  When you perform like Lee has for the Cubs and have the rapport with fans instead of confrontation you are rarely if ever going to be booed.  Jones does not have those credentials.  Booing is an accepted for of expressing displeasure in a civilized manner.  It isn't a cuss word and it isn't a racial slur.  It's politley telling someone that you are not happy with them at a sporting event--get over it!  If JJ cannot perform because of boos then that's HIS problem as a professional ballplayer because it is part of the game.  If JJ wants to associate fans who boo with racists he can do so--that's his choice.

There's nothing in JJ's performance worth booing so far, but the problem here is that he and his "supporters" are painting a very public picture of a professional player who can't take criticism on any level.  It is foolish to think that painting this public picture will result in the desired goal of no more booing--it's going to do just the opposite.

 

Thank you very much for sharing this with us.  As a long-time JJ supporter and sympathizer, I think it's about time that the rogue Cubs fans at Wrigley who boo JJ should be booed by the other fans.

We're on the same team as our team.  Sometimes fanaticism forgets that.  It baffles me why so many people think that it always helps to exaggerate and amplify the own self-doubt of players in situations where they cannot produce.  As your post states: hard-working, dedicated, and devoted baseball players want to succeed and win 10 times more than any drunk or self-hating fan.

There are times when booing is acceptable--however the epidemic "group-think" bashing that plagued JJ last year has been ridiculous.  I hope JJ knows that there are fans like me that appreciate his game, his professional attitude, hard-work and dedication to baseball.  
 

Great stories.  It's good to hear a perspective from someone who's actually been there.

There's been quite a bit of speculation and analysis that the Baker philosophy to hitting is to go up there and hack at anything you can see.  Is this something you saw coaches encouraging while hitters took bp against you?

for posting here, both your diary and your responses to everyone's questions.  I love hearing information like that you have shared, and not just because you agree with me that a player's performance is not necessarily reflective of his work ethic.

I hope the "skeptics" haven't scared you away and that you will continue to chat here from time to time.  You have a unique perspective to add and we appreciate your speaking up!

Thanks for the post. It echos much of what I've heard about Jones as a person. Its a shame that it really came to this and it makes me frustrated with some elements of Cub fandom, who really give players no chance. However I do believe the "racist" lable that has been poured on Cub fans from the likes of Dusty, Latroy and their supporters in the media is unfair.

My disagreement with your post is the feeling that Jones was a good acquisition. When Jacque was signed by the Cubs, one of the local radio stations, either WGN or WSCR, had Lavelle Neal, long time Star Tribune beat writer for the Twins on. His statement about Jones was that he is a #7 hitter, and if the Cubs were looking for him to be anything but that, they were going to be sorely disapointed.

As Al said, to paraphrase Dennis Green, Jacque is who we thought he was...or not. Jacque Jones is who he was with the Twins. If people wish to be pissed, be pissed at Hendry for signing him, but Jacque is the player with the Cubs that he was with the Twins. Jacque is a middle of the road outfielder who should be batting down in the order. The Cubs are misusing him.

DmL

...This is exactly why I am a member of this fine community and feel welcomed and blessed to have the Chicago Cubs as my favorite team.  It truly is more than just a team to root for, it is a lifelong passion and friendship.  

I want to personally thank you Higgy for your excellent stories and participation; you have the envy of me.  

Dan

I believe booing one of your players and blaming him everytime he does something wrong can be counterpoductive, not only to the player but to the entire team. Look what happened to Alex Rodríguez and the Yankees last season, as an example of this negativity. I think people got a bad first impression of Jones because he was put in an impossible situation: batting in the lineup higher than where he should have and sent into a cavernous right field (if you compare it to Minnesota's) where you have to throw against the wind currents a lot of times. He is not doing worse than the other outfielders right now. I say, let's view this player with a fresh attitude this season. However, having said that, I recognize that Jones has to improve if he wants to help the team. He is striking out less this year but is still hitting too many fly balls. He has to improve throwing to the bases and use his quickness while running the bases, maybe steal some more.

Like I said before I am more than happy to tell a few stories even answer a few questions that you might have always wondered.  (assuming i can answer them)

One thing I wont do is answer anything 'personal' that I know about a player or other information that is suppose to be kept in house, and I am sure most of you understand.

And even though this post was specifically written about JJ, that does not mean it does not apply to all the players.  (I was making a point with him, because he is under a fine microscope).  But i would say about 90% of the players all work their tails off and are really excited about playing and want to play.  It is their job and passion.