There may not be a better authority on the matter of playing under longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox than Chipper Jones. From 1993 to 2010, Jones and Cox worked together to win three NL pennants, turning one into a memorable World Series victory in 1995. 26 years after that title, Jones found his way back onto the Braves as a hitting consultant under current manager Brian Snitker... just in time to be a part of the next Braves World Series title.
Cox is a Hall of Famer and a true legend in the manager category. Snitker is off to a fast start in his managerial career, with four NL East titles, two 90-win seasons and a World Series victory already under his belt in just six years. And Chipper has been along for the ride with both of them.
Joining Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville on a visit to "Starkville," Jones discussed the two managers' styles and in what areas they're similar.
"You very rarely saw Bobby in the clubhouse. He was always in his office and you might see him in the food room or something, or the lounge, but you would never see him in our space, and he believed that was the players' space," Jones recalled. "Snit's the same way. I've got veteran presences in the clubhouse, it's their job to police the clubhouse. It's my job to manage this ball club from 7:05 to 10:05 or 11:05 or however long it goes.
"Very similar in the way they handle personnel. Very similar in the way that they manage the X's and O's of the game."
But not everything about the way the two skippers ran their teams was the same.
"The difference is in the personality. Bobby was hardcore baseball, 24/7. Like, he slept in his cleats, he might've unbuttoned his jersey but he never took it off. Always had the stogie in his mouth. I mean, he could've managed in any era of the game for all time. He was just eat drink sleep baseball," Jones said. "Snit's not like that. Snit, the second he takes the uniform off, he is dad. He's granddad. He's husband. He wants to get away from it because this game, it takes — especially at this level from a managerial standpoint — it takes a lot out of you.
"Back in the '90s, you could ink in your starting lineup, your starting eight other than your pitcher, pretty much every day. Everybody played every day. Now, I mean, he (Snitker) about pulled what little hair he had out because of the amount of relievers that'll come in and say, 'I can't go today,' or 'I'm down today' or the amount of players that say, 'I'm a little gimpy today.' Man, if you'd have walked into Bobby Cox's office...
"... Those are the only differences, but from the managerial standpoint, they're very very similar."
Cox and Snitker have a close relationship, with the current manager visiting the Hall of Famer at his house "during almost every homestand," (via Alan Blinder of The New York Times). Though Cox's health has declined following a stroke in 2019 — Blinder writes that "his speech largely vanished, and his right arm was paralyzed" — Snitker still meets with him to talk as much baseball as possible, though there are no more stadium visits in store.
"It’s hard not having him there to talk to and bounce things off of," Snitker told Blinder. "I lost a huge mentor there. I know he’s still my biggest fan, still roots like hell for me."
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram