REYNOLDS: LSU’s ‘Secret Weapon’ Provides Cinematic Moment

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Some athletes just have it in their DNA.

by Matt Reynolds
Tiger Rag Assistant Editor

(At left, Chad Jones celebrates with his teammates after his relief outing on Sunday against Auburn. (Photo by Steve Franz/LSU)

LSU coach Paul Mainieri has always been a stickler for accuracy.

In the coaching aspects, he is a self-described perfectionist.

When speaking on specific plays after a game, Mainieri spits out minute details verbatim like he is watching the nine-inning replay in his head.

And maybe one of his most admirable qualities, the skipper always gives credit where credit is due, whether it is directed at a player or coach.

After a gutsy coaching decision late in the game on Sunday against Auburn produced a cinematic scene that aided LSU to its first sweep of the season, the third year Tiger coach was quick to point out he wasn’t the the first to envision the use of the Tigers new “secret weapon”.

That weapon wasn’t just secret, it was a highly unlikely option considering the situation of the player, and the current status of the pivotal game.

For months LSU pitching coach David Grewe had been in his boss’ ear about how to effectively use two-sport athlete Chad Jones. Jones, who was just returning from Spring Football, was hitting an attractive .355 when he departed for the gridiron, but the emergence of freshman Mikie Mahtook in the outfield was going to make it hard for the sophomore to find a spot in the grass.

Last Sunday, when reasons not to bring in the prodigy out of the bullpen were more than one could count on two hands, Mainieri seemingly took the riverboat gambling mentality of his colleague that makes his money across the street at Tiger Stadium.

And the result? The Tigers end up with the victory to earn their first conference sweep of the 2009 season, and one of the most electrifying moments in the brief history of the new Alex Box Stadium occurred.

To set the stage, LSU was gripping a 7-4 lead going into the top of the eighth inning after LSU reliever Daniel Bradshaw had pitched a scoreless 1.2 innings of relief work. Bradshaw started the eighth inning by hitting the first Auburn batter and walking the next. With three left-handed hitters coming up, Mainieri decided to go with the left-handed Jones, who hadn’t pitched in a game in his two-year career and had not touched the baseball field in over a month.

As the 6′3, 225 pound Jones, his braided hair bouncing underneath his purple and white baseball lid, made his way from the bullpen to the pitchers mound, shock had to be the first feeling many Tiger fans felt.

For me, the text messages started flying in both from friends that were at the game, and watching it at home on TV.

“Is this joke?”, one read, while another said, “What are the odds Jones is about to give up the longest home run in the history of the new park?”

I didn’t respond to them as I was still trying to compute what I was actually seeing on the field.

This was a scenario that would leave even the most uninformed baseball fan scratching his head:

– You have no outs, and two runners on in the eighth inning of a three-run Sunday conference game.

– A win gets you a sweep and a 5-0 record for the week, which is much needed after dropping two of five the previous week.

– Due up for Auburn was the heart of the order at the 3, 4 and 5 spots. A combination of hitters that had accounted for 12 hits and five RBI on the weekend up to that point.

– Along with Jones’ spending his last month on a football field, you throw in the fact that he hasn’t pitched in a game since his high school days at Southern Lab.

– The LSU fan base, as we well know, is a highly critical one and the consequences of a poor performance would no doubt lead to a high level of scrutiny.

(At left, Chad Jones forces a fumble against Alabama in 2007. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

So it sort of seemed like a “joke”, or at the very least, quite a questionable coaching move.

Whether it was the excitement of being caught up in the moment or just hoping for the best, you couldn’t have gathered that the fans in attendance had the same concerns as me. In fact, you might have thought Ben McDonald was on his way to the hill judging by the deafening applause Jones received as Mainieri handed him the ball.

It was go time.

But Jones surrendered a base hit to the first batter he faced, Casey McElroy, to load the bases for Auburn and suddenly the rabid roar from stands became eerily calm.

Next up for Auburn was Hunter Morris, the lumberjack of a first baseman who tomahawked a two-run homer earlier in the game. Jones not only struck out Morris, but also fanned the next batter, Ben Jones, to send the crowd into a super-regionalesque frenzy.

With closer Matty Ott warmed up in the pen, Mainieri decided to let the freshman try and get the final out of the inning.

As the Tiger skipper made his way to the mound for the pitching change, the coach and the LSU infield shared a moment with the appreciative Jones. The pats on the back from his coach and teammates combined with the unwavering support from the Sunday crowd noticeable effected Jones, as he made his trot back to the LSU dugout smiling from ear to ear.

“I just told coach thank you after we got back in the dugout,” Jones said. “I have always wanted to pitch. I even talked about it with him when I was recruited. It was good to get out there.”

Ironically, the shut-down sinker pitcher Ott came in and gave up a two-run single to Brian Fletcher but escaped the inning with the Tiger lead intact. The freshman closer pitched LSU out of the ninth to solidify the first SEC sweep of the season for the Tigers.

After the game, Mainieri drew a comparison from Tinseltown when describing Jones’ performance.

“Unbelievable wasn’t it? Roy Hobbs,” Mainieri said with a smile, referencing Robert Redford’s character from the classic baseball film, The Natural. “It was like watching a movie.”

“Everybody’s is praising me for having the courage to bring him in, but honestly I wish I would have been smart enough to do it three months ago like our pitching coach David Grewe suggested,” Mainieri continued.

The former 13th round draft pick of the Houston Astros has started in seven games for the LSU football team at safety in two seasons on the gridiron, playing in all 28 contests. Mainieri points to Jones’ football experience that kept him from completely becoming a nervous wreck while the southpaw was on the mound.

“You can’t explain it, some kids just have it in there DNA,” Mainieri said. “Pressure situations makes them focus more. Chad is one of those kids. I knew a guy that fielded punts in front of 100,000 people in the SEC wouldn’t be intimidated in that situation.”

Jones has the chance to become an important part of the LSU bullpen as the crucial stretch of NCAA baseball begins. A third southpaw arm, especially one with a “wicked slider” as Mainieri put it, is something that any college skipper would welcome with open arms to an evolving pitching staff.

“There are a few great athletes that are the best in every sport they play,” Mainieri said. “I can’t say what Chad did on Sunday surprised me. He is just one of those guys that really shines under the bright lights. I mean, this is the guy that would probably be the best basketball player on the court if he was on the hardwood.”

Matt Reynolds is the assistant editor of Tiger Rag. Reach him at mattreynolds@tigerrag.com.