Written by Brett Smiley at Fox Sports.com
In his soon-to-be released autobiography “Ballplayer,” switch-hitting former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones tells the tale of when he hashed out his contract at an Olive Garden the night before the 1990 MLB Draft, when Atlanta selected him at No. 1 overall.
A Braves scout offered the third baseman (then shortstop) the opportunity to go out to dinner anywhere he wanted, and Jones, then age 18, selected the Olive Garden in Daytona Beach, Florida. Fine dining it’s not, but Jones wasn’t looking to score an expensive steak or demand every last dollar he possibly could at that time, which is part of why he and super-agent Scott Boras didn’t see eye to eye – and don’t still.
Jones recalls his meeting with Boras and says he walked out of it, describing the agent as “smug and cocky.” So he hired someone else, BB Abbott, and ended up signing for $275,000, a far cry from the $1 million Boras says Jones deserved and should pursue. Boras recalls the meeting differently and says it lasted much longer, and despite Jones earning $168 million in salary over his playing career, Boras did not hesitate to take a jab at Jones’ modest ask for dinner and, of course, the contract.
“Free salad … and free talent” Boras told Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports. “The Braves love it. That meal cost (Jones) $975,000.”
Now here’s what Jones had to say about that (text below):
@JonHeyman, I hope my response to @borascorp leaves no doubt as to what my @olivegarden salad has done for me and my family 27years later. pic.twitter.com/HwBP4FTyOE
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) March 31, 2017
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