"Adam Jones came to me" Jim Palmer interview w/Rob Long

[ScottieBaseball]

Hey folks-

Rob Long (Fox Sports 1370am, roblongshow.com) just finished an interview with Jim Palmer. As always with Rob, good stuff!

Palmer never holds back and this one was no exception. Rob's going to re-broadcast the interview around 11am today and I'm sure it'll be podcasted later this afternoon, but it's worth checking out. "Adam Jones came to me," is just one little nugget Palmer dropped.

Tune in at 11 or listen live online then come back here to talk about it!

[Moose Milligan]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Jim Palmer can dish out hitting advice. I hope that's why Jones went to him.

[SilentJames]

Scottie, you tease.

You're like a coquettish habadasher winking at us from behind the fedoras.

[ScottieBaseball]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Jim Palmer can dish out hitting advice. I hope that's why Jones went to him.

Jones catches a lot of flack here. A LOT. I'm not saying some of it isn't warranted. Personally I think a lot of it stems from raising the bar for himself by playing out of his mind over the first 2+ months of 2009 and then struggling.

It's no secret that Jim Palmer knows the game and knows it well. (Just ask him. I kid. But really.) I think this one goes in the "plus" column for Jones. Mired in an almost 1-year slump, reaching out to an intelligent HOF'er for advice is commendable.

On the flip side, I recall a story from a few years back in which Palmer approached a strugglign David Segui, and about 20 seconds into the interaction, Segui was screaming vulgarities at Palmer..."IF YOU WANT TO BE A (expletive) COACH, THEN PUT ON A (expletive) UNIFORM AND DO IT! OTHERWISE, GET THE (expletive) OUT OF MY FACE!" I'm pretty sure that's how I heard things went down.

I'll post a link to the podcast when it's up, but like I said, you can listen live at roblongshow.com or through the studio cam at fox1370.com. (Strange...the audio stream is blocked from my office but I can get the studio cam just fine.)

[Moose Milligan]

Jones catches a lot of flack here. A LOT. I'm not saying some of it isn't warranted. Personally I think a lot of it stems from raising the bar for himself by playing out of his mind over the first 2+ months of 2009 and then struggling.

It's no secret that Jim Palmer knows the game and knows it well. (Just ask him. I kid. But really.) I think this one goes in the "plus" column for Jones. Mired in an almost 1-year slump, reaching out to an intelligent HOF'er for advice is commendable.

On the flip side, I recall a story from a few years back in which Palmer approached a strugglign David Segui, and about 20 seconds into the interaction, Segui was screaming vulgarities at Palmer..."IF YOU WANT TO BE A (expletive) COACH, THEN PUT ON A (expletive) UNIFORM AND DO IT! OTHERWISE, GET THE (expletive) OUT OF MY FACE!" I'm pretty sure that's how I heard things went down.

I'll post a link to the podcast when it's up, but like I said, you can listen live at roblongshow.com or through the studio cam at fox1370.com. (Strange...the audio stream is blocked from my office but I can get the studio cam just fine.)

I'm not sure you can call it a 1 year slump. I think we're at that point with Jones where what you see is what you get. IMO, the first month and a half last year was a complete mirage.

Curious to know what they talked about. Here's hoping Palmer gave him some good insight.

[Mirko Crocop]

Not surprising. If you want to pimp your underwear the proper way, you go to the best.

[NewMarketSean]

It's a shame there aren't any former Oriole hitters like Palmer who are available to players. I am sure Palmer has some great advice for Jones, but it would be great if there was a hitter for him to talk to. Eddie Murray???

Either way, good on Jones for this.

[mcgraw238]

It's a shame there aren't any former Oriole hitters like Palmer who are available to players. I am sure Palmer has some great advice for Jones, but it would be great if there was a hitter for him to talk to. Eddie Murray???

Either way, good on Jones for this.

I have no doubt that guys like Murray would make time for players if the the player reaches out. The key being the player reaching out and seeking the input; Former players don't usually initiate the contact because it is not always well received. Haven't heard the interview, but Jones deserves a ton of credit for reaching out to Palmer for assistance. I still think Jones is going to be a very good player even though its been a rough ride. If he can pull things together, there is 25-30 HR potential in his bat.

Recall last year that Guthrie had worked with Palmer as well.

[Boy Howdy]

This is Jones' third season with the Orioles.

On June 8 of Palmer's third season with the Orioles, he coughed up two homers in three innings and made only a pair of big league appearances over the next 22 months.

Obviously there are countless differences between them as ballplayers, but it bears repeating that Jones is still a very young (and very precocious player). His accomplishments as a young man bode very well, and God willing he has many, many years of good baseball ahead of him.

Guys like Reimold & Luke Scott hadn't even sniffed the big leagues at the age Jones is now. MVP & 6-time All Star Miguel Tejada was enjoying his first MLB season batting higher than .233 in the year he turned 25.

[mcgraw238]

This is Jones' third season with the Orioles.

On June 8 of Palmer's third season with the Orioles, he coughed up two homers in three innings and made only a pair of big league appearances over the next 22 months.

Obviously there are countless differences between them as ballplayers, but it bears repeating that Jones is still a very young (and very precocious player). His accomplishments as a young man bode very well, and God willing he has many, many years of good baseball ahead of him.

Guys like Reimold & Luke Scott hadn't even sniffed the big leagues at the age Jones is now. MVP & 6-time All Star Miguel Tejada was enjoying his first MLB season batting higher than .233 in the year he turned 25.

Great post outlining perspective. In another thread, I noted some names and ages from the roster of the 1988 club to demonstrate that some degree of patience is warranted for the younger guys.

[Boy Howdy]

Listening to the Yankees broadcast last night, Ken Singleton mentioned his chat with Terry Crowley about Jones.

Crow told Singy that Jonesy looks like Hank Aaron in the pre-game drills, but that it isn't transferring to the games. (Singy pointed out that an awful lot of guys hit like Hank Aaron at 4 in the afternoon).

Singy also mentioned that Juan Samuel is considering putting Jones back in the leadoff spot, which Singy thinks would be a mistake. (He advocated putting Nick Markakis there, which vaguely reminded me of how Earl Weaver used Singleton as a leadoff man over 100 times when he first came to Baltimore in 1975).

[TGO]

Jones mentioned in that chat with Steve Melewski that he has spoken to both Eddie Murray and Brady Anderson this year when the two were around to do broadcasts. He said he thought he would see Brady on the SD/SF trip and speak to him then.

[Mackus]

Jones mentioned in that chat with Steve Melewski that he has spoken to both Eddie Murray and Brady Anderson this year when the two were around to do broadcasts. He said he thought he would see Brady on the SD/SF trip and speak to him then.

This is why all the nonsense some people have said throughout the year (although less recently) about Jones being lazy or not working hard enough or being ego-driven has been so frustrating.

I don't think Jones' struggles this year have anything to do with lack of work ethic.

[Boy Howdy]

Jones mentioned in that chat with Steve Melewski that he has spoken to both Eddie Murray and Brady Anderson this year when the two were around to do broadcasts. He said he thought he would see Brady on the SD/SF trip and speak to him then.

Brady's another guy worth thinking about.

Came to the Orioles as a 24-y.o. uber-prospect and struggled mightily for four full years before putting it together at age 28.

Again, Jones is 24 going on 25 this season.

[Sports Guy]

This is why all the nonsense some people have said throughout the year (although less recently) about Jones being lazy or not working hard enough or being ego-driven has been so frustrating.

I don't think Jones' struggles this year have anything to do with lack of work ethic.

The work ethic is there...but that doesn't mean the ego isn't hindering him.