Friday was one of the best days I’ve had in awhile.  I know that doesn’t make much sense, but humor me for a few minutes.  From a sports standpoint, my first love in life was baseball and the Atlanta Braves.  When you’re a kid and a baseball fan, baseball players take on a sort of mythical status in your eyes.  They aren’t people.  They are baseball players.  If you’re a baseball fan and a kid, there’s a difference.

Of course, the kids are wrong.  They are simply people when it comes down to it, and I got a chance to meet one of my favorites on Friday.  Former Braves centerfielder Andruw Jones was in town with former Tech and Braves pitcher Brad Clontz, and I got invited to go over and meet Jones, and I wasn’t about to pass that up.  I figured I’d get a picture with him and a friendly hello, but instead I got a 15-20 minute conversation about baseball, which was even better.

434 career homers, 1289 RBIs, 10 Gold Gloves, five All-Star game appearances, a Silver Slugger, and a Braves Hall of Famer.  For his time, he was the best defensive centerfielder in baseball.  He was elite.  And I got to sit around and talk baseball with him.  And guess what?  He’s a regular guy. 

Jones now works in the front office for Atlanta, so he’s around the team a lot.  We agreed that Braves manager Brian Snitker is terrific for clubhouse chemistry.  I’ve been watching the Braves since the late 80s, and I think this is the best clubhouse chemistry I’ve ever seen in Atlanta.  They aren’t 10 or 15 games better than the Nationals and Phillies in terms of talent, but that clubhouse chemistry is a big reason for that gap.  They have chemistry, passion, they all enjoy being around each other, etc.  Over the course of 162 games, that’s very important.

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