The Real Adam Jones

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In recent years when you hear the name Adam Jones thrown around in the sports world, it’s typically for all of the wrong reasons. Jones is a talented defensive back in the National Football League who has played for multiple teams with his current team being the Cincinnati Bengals. However Jones has been unable to stay out of trouble with the law which is why he has played for several teams. But on the other side of this equation is Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones who has kept his nose clean, while also becoming the face of a franchise.

Jones was a first-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2003, and by 2006 he was ready to show his stuff with the big club. As a rookie Jones appeared in 32 games for the Mariners where he batted .216 with a homer and 8 runs batted in. Jones would appear in 41 games for the M’s in 2007 and he once again had pedestrian like numbers as he batted .246 with a pair of home runs and 4 runs batted in. Seattle was coming off of an 88-win season that saw them miss a postseason berth by six games. And as the Mariners were in win-now mode, the young Jones became expendable.

Adam Jones

That off-season Jones would be traded to the Orioles in a deal that centered around starting pitcher Erik Bedard who had recorded 221 strikeouts in 2007 heading to Seattle. But in Baltimore, Jones would have a new life.

The O’s were a rebuilding team which meant that the young Jones was going to have the opportunity to play every day. In Jones’ first year with the Orioles, he batted .270 with 9 homers and 57 runs batted in. Jones’ numbers would continue to improve and by 2012, he was recognized as one of Major League Baseball’s best players. That year Jones batted .287 with 32 homers and 82 runs batted in. Jones would finish sixth in the American League MVP voting, while it would also mark his second All-Star Game nod. And along with the emergence of Jones, the Orioles have been one of the better teams in MLB as they have not recorded a losing season in the last five years, while making three trips to the playoffs. In Jones’ decade in Baltimore, he has batted .277, while belting 233 home runs and driving in 763 runs. Jones is a six-time All-Star, while also winning four Gold Glove Awards, and taking home a Silver Slugger Award as well. However aside from what Jones has been able to do on the baseball diamond, it is his lasting impression off of the field which is providing the biggest impact.

Jones has been a staunch supporter of the Boys and Girls Club of America in both Baltimore and the City of San Diego. Jones is also involved in Major League Baseball’s RBI program which is focused on reviving youth baseball in the inner cities of the United States as well as the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Jones also recently donated $20k to the Negro League Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. Jones isn’t just a celebrity who donates money, as it is also about him donating his time to be active with youngsters, while providing them with a positive role model as he has always been a person who has taken the high road.

On a recent trip to Fenway Park to face the Boston Red Sox, Jones complained of racial slurs that were hurled at him by fans as well as a bag of peanuts. Jones didn’t take the incident sitting down and proceeded to speak out against it. Jones’ stance caught the attention of the likes of Red Sox principal owner John Henry who personally met with Orioles outfielder to apologize for the incident and assure him that his organization was taking measures to eliminate such behavior from fans at Fenway. The following night would see Jones receive a standing ovation from the fans at Fenway which is typically only reserved for former Red Sox players who are making the return to Boston. But it just shows you how people can respect courage regardless of what uniform that a player wears.

Jones isn’t the first professional athlete who has had to be on the receiving end of ignorant behavior from unruly fans as trail blazer Jackie Robinson had to look into the face of racism and segregation each time that he put his Brooklyn Dodgers uniform on. We see what black soccer players have to deal with sometimes on the pitch in Europe where fans have been known to produce disgusting acts which includes spitting on them and throwing bananas. But at the end of the day enough is enough.

Ignorance is always going to be a part of our society, but people cannot always simply turn a blind eye to it. Athletes are taught to channel out the white noise, but there is a fine line where you have to take a stand which is what Jones did.

Jones who is currently dealing with a sore ankle that has prevented him from playing in Baltimore’s past few games might not have the stats to one day be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, but he is a hall of fame person with the right attitude. Jones has used his platform as a professional athlete to enrich the lives of others while being a leader for his Orioles team along with being a role model and an inspiration to young people. And the world would be a player place if there were more people like the man who has held down center field for the O’s for the past decade.

Source: Baseball-reference.com

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By | 2017-05-29T22:30:07+00:00 May 30th, 2017|Categories: Major League Baseball|Tags: , |0 Comments

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