What are your favorite Jacque Jones memories?

[David Woodley]

I am working on a short little blog article in regards to Jacque Jones since he is on the Hall of Fame ballot this year. A lot of it will be how he was one of the key "links" from the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Twins Years to the rejuvenated teams that won three straight division titles.

 

I was hoping to include a couple short thoughts/quips from posters on Twinsdaily (and will credit them as such) in regards to Jacque Jones. So, what were your favorite Jones memories?

 

My favorite memory is 2002 where he was arguably the Twins second best player and a big reason why they made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, that season always reminded me of Shane Mack's "under the radar" 1991 season.

[gunnarthor]

Probably his post season homers off of Brown and Mussina.

[D. Hocking]

I know my least favorite is his careless, post-game celebration stomping. Watch where you step Jacque!

[MacTheKnife]

Back when the Twins were just starting to turn it around with Hunter, Dougie Baseball, Koskie, Jones, etc. I went to a game with some friends. We sat in the outfield and at some point Jones & Hunter are out there playing catch. So I start yelling at Jones to throw me a ball for the kids sitting near us. He acknowledges and throws one me one. Spot on throw and I stone hand it. Some large guy three rows down grabs it. So I yell at him again and he throws another one. Another spot on throw, and I stone hand it again. Ball goes down three rows to another large man. At this point Jones looks at me and shakes his head. He then proceeds to tell Hunter what has transpired while pointing at me. Hunter then yells "Nice Hands!" as the whole section laughs. Hunter & Jones then proceed to call the kids I was trying to catch the ball for down to the railing so they can hand them each one. Those guys were class acts.

[UCLA_YANKEE_COLA]

I took the day off of work on opening day 2002 and watched him hit a leadoff HR. That was such a fun time to be a Twins fan, they came from such a dark stretch that having good baseball to watch was incredibly exciting. And that Jones HR really kicked off what might've been my favorite Twins season (non-87 & 91 category).

[notoriousgod71]

The home run off Mussina in Yankee Stadium after his father had passed away and his home run in 2005 off Garcia when he had a no hitter going and we won 1-0 on one hit.

 

Least favorite moments- his "throw" in that same game which was a lob to LeCroy when he may have had a chance to get Jeter out at home and any at bat against Buehrle.

[notoriousgod71]

I took the day off of work on opening day 2002 and watched him hit a leadoff HR. That was such a fun time to be a Twins fan, they came from such a dark stretch that having good baseball to watch was incredibly exciting. And that Jones HR really kicked off what might've been my favorite Twins season (non-87 & 91 category).

 

This is a very good one too. That really set the tone for that season. Also my most enjoyable season of the past 20 years.

[Marta Shearing]

His throw to the plate in the 12th inning of 2004 game 2 ALDS. He caught the ball a few steps from the infield and Lecroy still had to cut it off! Oh the memories!

 

On a serious note. His 2005 8th inning HR against the Whitesox to break up the no-hitter and give them a 1-0 win.

 

I also enjoyed his 18-hop throws to the plate, and his occasional air mail throw 50 feet above the catchers head into or over the netting.

 

I once read a story of Jacque getting a fan ejected because the fan angrily yelled at jacque to hustle off the field when the inning was over.

[Hawkeye12]

Definitely the home run off Freddy Garcia to break up the no-no, and eventually win 1-0.

 

And the standing ovation at the Target Field exhibition opener for his at-bat. Pretty classy moment!

[Joe A. Preusser]

No disrespect intended, I loved this guy, but my most vivid memory is of Jones striking out with the bases loaded by swinging through a pitch at his eyes. Can't remember the game or year, but that AB will stay with me forever

[70charger]

And the standing ovation at the Target Field exhibition opener for his at-bat. Pretty classy moment!

 

This is the one for me.

[Guest USAFChief]

Jacque and Torii Hunter were both part of a group of major leaguers that came through Yokota Air Base near Tokyo while my family and I were stationed there. They put on a clinic, did a meet and greet, and passed out goodies. My 2 boys were still pretty young then, but I had already brainwashed them into being big time Twins fans. Both were decked out in Twins gear for the clinic. Jacque Jones couldn't have been nicer, spending extra time with them, joking around, and making them feel special. I'll always be grateful for that.

[twinsfaninsaudi]

Definitely the home run off Freddy Garcia to break up the no-no, and eventually win 1-0.

 

And the standing ovation at the Target Field exhibition opener for his at-bat. Pretty classy moment!

 

I was at that Garcia game. It was beauty amidst a lost season (2005). On an 0-2 count also.

 

He had that two homer game off Bartolo Colon to cap a sweep of the White Sox in Sept. 2003

 

Jacque is my favorite Twin ever. He was clutch and he proved doubters wrong.

[deanlambrecht]

And the standing ovation at the Target Field exhibition opener for his at-bat. Pretty classy moment!

 

Ditto.

[Halsey Hall]

I had 2 of his bobbleheads, from the Miracle. He was going to be at the State Capital one day and I lived very close, so went over to see him. Chatted a bit, and told him I'd just gotten these. He hadn't even seen one and said his son would love one. So I took him a bobblehead, at a game. I went down to the dugout, and Ulger said he was still inside, so asked Scott to give it to JJ. Well, I'm sitting where I can see into the dugout, and couldn't really tell what they'd done, but the bunch sure had fun with JJ, razzing and all. Jim Kohman, the trainer was the instigator. I got a kick out of it.

[David Woodley]

Any thing else? Need these by EOD

[big dog]

JJ was a guy who gave us hope, a guy who got better in the uniform (as compared to all those guys back then we were told had potential, but never showed it), and a guy who was trying hard all the time. A leadoff HR is a great way to start a game, too.

[Marta Shearing]

He was a sulker who couldnt handle criticism, even if it was constructive.

 

Overall I guess I liked Jacque. Best memory? Probably opening day 2002.

[BigTrane]

Agree with the '02 Opening Day HR, Garcia blown no-no, the Moose, and the ovation.

What I loved about him has his Eddie-Murphy-doing-Stevie-Wonder smile and the sense of fun he brought to the team, and to the game. Seeing him out there with Hunter, and later Stewart, you could feel how much they fed off each other, made each other better, and made the whole team better.

 

JJ has no shot for HOF, but hey- he got on the ballot. I'm happy for him and would love to see him coaching 'round these parts some day.

[David Woodley]

These all look great!

 

One more question: I was able to get Jacque to be kind enough to answer several questions for me earlier today, do any of you (Seth, Pig, Nick, John etc looking in your direction) Have any way to get in touch with Ryan or Gardy to ask them the same question? For a quick memory, story, quip about Jones?

[Trevor0333]

These all look great!

 

One more question: I was able to get Jacque to be kind enough to answer several questions for me earlier today, do any of you (Seth, Pig, Nick, John etc looking in your direction) Have any way to get in touch with Ryan or Gardy to ask them the same question? For a quick memory, story, quip about Jones?

 

 

Dave St Peter on Twitter...

 

Also I loved JJ as a Twin, very under rated player. Terrible strike zone eye but he could hit bad balls pretty well. Soul patrol!

 

Im hopeful of Rosario having a very similar career.

[John Bonnes]

These all look great!

 

One more question: I was able to get Jacque to be kind enough to answer several questions for me earlier today, do any of you (Seth, Pig, Nick, John etc looking in your direction) Have any way to get in touch with Ryan or Gardy to ask them the same question? For a quick memory, story, quip about Jones?

 

Sorry Dave, I just saw this.

 

Reach out to Dustin Morse and tell him I suggested it.

 

One other tidbit about Jones was that he was a prime character in the novel Fantasyland by Sam Walker, who was a newspaper reporter that started playing roto in the TOUT leagues and ended up having Jacque on his team. Jacque was his usual hot-cold self that year and went through, as I recall, the death of his father that caused him to miss several games. He talked about how much more personal it was because he had followed Jones so closely.

[John Bonnes]

I found the story I wrote on Fantasyland. Here it is. Jones was featured quite a bit, though not too much in this story except at the end....

 

The usual disclaimers apply: I'm not really much of a book guy. I'd almost always rather be out drinking. That's why you get a "preview" instead of a "review" - because there's about a 50% chance I'll never make it to the end of any given book. You've been warned.

One of the joys of March is getting jazzed up about the upcoming baseball season, and I've found this year's book for doing so. Fantasyland bills itself as "A Season on Baseball's Lunatic Fringe", which sounds about as interesting as...well, as listening to someone talk about their fantasy baseball league. Which is what this book is. Which would be torture. Why do I think I'm going to like book again?

Well, for starters, Twins Geek is mentioned. Or rather "TwinsGeek chatroom" is mentioned. They're referring to the old comments section that existed on the StarTribune.com web site and they're specifically referring to the debate that went on when Doug Mientkiewicz was traded in 2004. And that's why most Twins fan will love this book - it is packed with inside information about the 2004 Twins team.

That's the case for a lot of teams, because Sam Walker was a sportswriter for the Wall Street Journal who had never played fantasy baseball in his life, but was invited to play in Tout Wars, the premier fantasy baseball league in the world. And he is determined to win the damn thing, in part because he wants to see if his inside access to the world of baseball trumps the nerdy stat guys.

So he goes a little overboard. Like hiring a NASA scientist to crunch numbers. And an assistant to organize research. And renting an office as the "war room". And taking a hiatus from his job. And using his press access to interview GMs and scouts at the Winter Meetings. And players at spring training. And I'm only on page 49.

But the best part, as far as I can tell, is that he's determined to manage his team. And I don't mean deciding who is "starting" on his team. I mean sitting down with the players he drafted and trying to improve their approach at the plate. Or trying to talk their coach into getting them more playing time. Or trying to convince a GM to trade for one of his players because he'll be a starter on the new team. This guy had access and was determined to use it.

Since two of the players on his team are Jacque Jones and Doug Mientkiewicz, some Twins are featured prominently in the book. For instance, he tries to influence the Mientkiewicz trade. Remember when we kept wondering on this site why the Pirates would have any interest in Minky? This insight might help...

"Sad as I am to see one of my players shipped out, it also presents an opportunity. Reports say the two teams most interested in Mientkiewicz are the Red Sox, who would probably use him as an occasional defensive substitute, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who would play him every day. In Rotisserie terms, I'd much rather see Mientkiewicz go to Pittsburgh, where he'll be a mainstay in the lineup.

 

 

At noon Sig and I begin to pore over the numbers, looking for some compelling and hertofore undiscovred reason why the Pirates should acquire our $12 first baseman, and after wading through all the lukewarm arguments, we strike pay dirt. Sig notices that the Pirates home infield is a difficult surface to play on. In fact, the the last two seasons there were 42 percent more infield errors committed at Pirates home games than Pirates road games, which is the biggest deviation in baseball. Nonetheless, I notice that the Pirates' starting pitchers have a strong tendency to give up more ground balls than fly balls, and the bullpen is even more extreme. So not only do the Pirates have a bad infield surface, they've built a pitching staff that actually exacerbates the problem. If there's any team that needs a Gold Glove first baseman, it's this one.

 

 

Hanging up with Sig, I deal a number with a 412 area code.

 

 

"Dave Littlefield", a voice says."

I mean, honestly, how great is that? And Mientkiewicz is a cameo compared to Jacque Jones. Jones looks over Walker's the roto handbooks during spring training when the roto books hated Jones. Walker drafted him anyway, presented him with a trophy for "player of the month" (for his roto team) and talked to Jones about his approach at the plate. He also watched Jones deal with the death of his father up close and found he was caring far more for these players on his team than he ever had as a disspassionate sportswriter.

So far, it's a fun ride, with a guy who is almost purposely going off the deep end, and mocking himself while doing it. I'll let you know if I find some more fun stuff, or you could just grab it yourself (and likely beat me to the punch).

[notoriousgod71]

I agree- Fantasyland is an excellent book.

 

I think Sam Walker may have been code for Terry Ryan though. During the initial draft he throws out Ponson for an absurd amount of money and no one else bites.

[Jdosen]

I took the day off of work on opening day 2002 and watched him hit a leadoff HR. That was such a fun time to be a Twins fan, they came from such a dark stretch that having good baseball to watch was incredibly exciting. And that Jones HR really kicked off what might've been my favorite Twins season (non-87 & 91 category).

This is one of the first Twins memories of my life. I was 9 when this happened and I'm pretty sure I was home on a snow day.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Two words: Soul Patrol.

 

Great name for the 2001 outfield of Jacque Jones, Torii Hunter, and Matt Lawton, the only all African-American outfield in MLB at the time. Two great retrospectives here:

 

First a blog by LEN 3: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/97490179.html

 

And another by Cody Christie, where he projects the coming of Soul Patrol II: http://www.nodaktwinsfan.com/2013/05/soul-patrol-back-with-vengeance.html

 

Jones, even more so than Lawton and Hunter, brought the soul into the Soul Patrol. His charisma brought life to a milquetoast league. More than ever, baseball is a League of Nations, and we are all better for it, because of characters like Jacque Jones.

 

And who can forget his bat flip? Here's a hilarious video of his one home run in a Detroit Tigers uniform: