When Adam Jones finished his 11-year run in an Orioles uniform in 2018, he’d left his name throughout the storied franchise’s record books.

He’s seventh all-time with 875 runs scored, fifth with 1,781 hits, eighth with 305 doubles, fifth with 263 home runs, sixth with 866 RBIs and fifth with 595 extra-base hits. He also appeared in five All-Star games and owns four Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger.

But his impact went far beyond those statistics — and the smooth athleticism he flashed while patrolling center field. He endeared himself to the local fan base with his infectious personality and embrace of the city. He became one of the few rays of hope during some of the lean years.

Fans appreciated him because he embodied the true essence of this blue-collar town as an inner-city kid who worked hard and didn’t cut corners in pursuit of excellence.

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Jones, who recently retired from the game after a two-year stint playing in Japan, is reestablishing his presence here with today’s launch of the “The Adam Jones Podcast,” in partnership with The Baltimore Banner.

We sat down with the Orioles great to talk about the podcast, life, Manny Machado, his hometown San Diego Padres and his favorite tunes to walk out to when it was his turn at the plate.

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Banner: You’re one of the Orioles’ most beloved players and my daughters’ absolute favorite. We were at the ballpark during some lean years but they didn’t care, they just wanted to get some chicken fingers and watch Adam Jones in centerfield. Before we talk about the new podcast, let’s talk about a young Adam Jones growing up in San Diego.

Adam Jones: When you grow up in the inner city, sports are always there. I grew up at a rec center, so as early as I can remember I was playing soccer, flag football, basketball. You know how it works in the hood, we’re playing tackle football out in the back or in the park with your friends and there ain’t no rules.

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I grew up like a normal inner-city kid, there was structure but also no structure. That taught me to be aware, to pay attention to my surroundings. I had loving parents, there was food in the house and the lights stayed on. I’m no different than anybody else, I just had a really cool job.

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Tony Gwynn, the phenomenal player for the San Diego Padres, was he your first athletic role model?

He was. On the national stage at the time, around ’96, ’97, ’98, you had Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey, Juan Gonzalez, Cal Ripken, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez. I loved Chipper Jones with the Atlanta Braves, that’s why I wore the number 10. Those were the biggest names. But for me, my guy was Tony Gwynn, one of the best hitters of all time.

I got to see him every night. I only got to see his last few years, but when I asked older people about how good he was when he was younger, they’d light up in the same way people do in Baltimore when they talk about a young Cal Ripken.

As a young player in high school, when does it hit you that you’re not only good, but that you might have a shot at the big leagues?

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I was about 16 years old, when they were starting to fly me out to different events and camps. I would go and play well and people started asking, “Hey, who’s this kid from San Diego?” I started getting more and more letters from colleges and pro teams. The pro scouts started coming to my practices and games. It was humbling to realize that pro baseball could be my career.

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Who was the vet, that peer mentor when you made it to the major leagues with Seattle, that pushed you and showed you how to be a real pro?

Willie Bloomquist. He was up my derriere. He was probably the 25th-and-a-half man on the roster with the Mariners during my first few years and he knew how to grind. He played everywhere as a utility guy and did anything he was asked to do on a baseball field. He came up to me and said, “Hey, you’re the first round pick, congratulations. We’re gonna get to work.”

Baseball is such a beautiful game and the most analogous to life because it’s a game of failure. With that stick in your hand, if you fail seven out of ten times you’re considered a great hitter. What was your favorite part of playing the game?

The chess match every day. You have an idea of what the pitcher is going to do, but you don’t really know. You have an idea where the ball is going to be hit, but you don’t really know. You really know nothing, but I did know that every day I was going to give it my all. When you’re an everyday player you’re going to be good, and you’re going to suck. That’s just how the game works.

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When did this idea of doing The Adam Jones Podcast start to germinate?

My brother-in-law Reggie and I started doing a podcast together in Japan when we were locked down over there because of the COVID outbreak. We thought, “Everybody in the world has a podcast,” and we have some followers and some people around the world might want to latch onto some of the nonsense we talk about.

How did that morph into this?

Reggie and I put it on pause for a while because we both got really busy, but he approached me about restarting it. We tweeted that we were going to resume the podcast and Jerry Coleman hit me up and said, “Damn, they just let me go at 105.7 The Fan.” So I said, “Hey, you want to do a podcast together?” We latched onto each other during my career. He’s very confrontational, but I love him. When he raced Brady Anderson, he got my respect. We have a unique connection in terms of going back and forth, talking about and debating sports.

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This podcast is going to really resonate with folks in Baltimore. I’m still laughing about you walking into the locker room at Yankee Stadium, saying you felt like Will in the last episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when he’s standing in an empty house, sadly looking around because Manny Machado and all your dudes had been traded.

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That was terrible, man! The cool thing is that I grew up from a boy to a man in Baltimore. I lived and played there from the age of 22 to 33. Those were my formative adult years. So why would I ever bad-mouth Orioles owner Peter Angelos? He gave me way too much money.

This is a business. Not all business decisions are liked. But I know and love the city. I love the local restaurants, I’ve been to all of them. I submerged myself in the city during my time there.

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I’m not going to give away any secrets from the first episode other than to say you give more details about your departure from the Orioles, which didn’t seem to end on a good note. I also love the fact that you’ll be bringing other athletes and celebrities on as guests.

Stay tuned, it’s going to be fun.

Seeing you embrace former teammate Manny Machado after the Padres beat the Dodgers to advance to the National League Championship Series was heartwarming.

The guy’s a superstar. When Manny first came to Baltimore he was just a baby, a skinny little heartthrob with a puppy face. Now he’s a grown man leading his own team. When he joined the Orioles, you had me, Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and a core of veteran guys. And he added a huge spark to the team. He’s been sick from day one.

San Diego is my town. That’s the team I loved growing up. Even when I played for the Orioles, after my games I’d eat dinner and then go home to watch the Padres. After they beat the Dodgers, I told him, “Brother, you just made me feel like I was 13 years old all over again.” The last time the Padres were in the NLCS was in 1998 and that’s when I really started to love the game of baseball. And this type of environment will make kids love the game of baseball.

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If he was doing this for a franchise other than the Padres, would you be this excited?

If he was doing this for the Diamondbacks, I’d be like, “My boy is doing good!” but I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass. If he was doing it for the Rockies, I really wouldn’t care. But he’s doing it for my hometown team so, that makes it more sentimental to me.

When you came up to bat as a player, what were your favorite walkout songs that you told the team to play for you?

“California Love” by Tupac, “Get Allot” by Young Jeezy, and another Jeezy song, “Put On.” Then the Ravens started playing it, and when you hear “Put On” at M&T Bank Stadium, that means it’s time to go get it, it’s time to play some football!

I know Phil Collins gets the mood set with “In The Air Tonight,” but that ain’t getting me ready to play football. That’s getting me ready to have a Moscato!

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Look for The Adam Jones Podcast on The Baltimore Banner website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

alejandro.danois@thebaltimorebanner.com

Alejandro Danois was a sports writer for The Banner. He specializes in long-form storytelling, looking at society through the prism of sports and its larger connections with the greater cultural milieu. The author of The Boys of Dunbar, A Story of Love, Hope and Basketball, he is also a film producer and cultural critic. 

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