{"id":34128,"date":"2015-04-30T08:28:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T12:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=34128"},"modified":"2015-04-30T15:34:15","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T19:34:15","slug":"jones-cross-country-travel-to-see-family-not-so-bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=34128","title":{"rendered":"Jones: Cross-Country Travel to See Family ‘Not So Bad’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo credit: Kari Heistad\/capturedimages.biz<\/p><\/div>\n

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Hours after the Revolution claimed a 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake, Jermaine Jones was already on a cross-country flight to Los Angeles to see his family. But he wasn’t gone for long.<\/p>\n

Jones, whose wife and five children live in the City of Angels, routinely takes red-eye flights to see his family shortly after matches, even if it’s only for a day or two at time. In fact, less than 72 hours after flying out of Logan International Airport on Sunday, he was back on the training ground with his teammates.<\/p>\n

“For me, it’s really important that I be with my family, my kids and my wife,” Jones said. “So the travel is not so bad. I always try to get an early flight out to LA, and get the latest flight back so I can sleep the whole flight.”<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old midfielder says he has no complaints about long flights between Boston and Los Angeles, though he admits that he’d rather have his family closer to him.<\/p>\n

“It works good right now,” Jones said. “I don’t do it every week, mostly every two weeks. It works, it’s cool, but still I try to negotiate with the club and see what we can do with a longer opportunity.”<\/p>\n

Jones says he hopes to get a new deal with MLS hammered out soon so he isn’t going through the same routine at this time next year.<\/p>\n

“For me, the big thing is, and what I want, is a deal to talk about my family to bring them over here,” Jones said, “so that I’m not always alone here, and always have to travel back to LA.”<\/p>\n

Not long after he returned from his latest trip to the west coast, Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Tuesday’s Red Sox-Blue Jays game at Fenway Park. Although it wasn’t televised, Jones assured the media on Wednesday that it was a strike.<\/p>\n

“It was good,” Jones said. “I talked with the guys and I used my wrist to get a little bit of speed on the ball, and I think it worked good.”<\/p>\n

Jones admitted that he has limited experience throwing a baseball, though Tuesday’s event wasn’t the first time he took to the mound prior to a major league ballgame. Last year, he threw the first pitch at Dodger Stadium shortly after the World Cup.<\/p>\n

“Yeah, I played a little bit with my kids, but they’re five, so I don’t throw really fast,” Jones said, with a laugh. “But this one (had) a little more speed in it.”<\/p>\n

Prior to the game, the Revolution midfielder mingled with a few Red Sox players, including David Ortiz.<\/p>\n

“It’s always nice to come in and see different sports and see the different atmospheres and different stadiums,” Jones said. “Before the game, I talked a little bit with Big Papi, and it’s always nice to meet different people from different sports.”<\/p>\n

He doesn’t mind being an ambassador for the Revolution in a sports-crazed region, either.<\/p>\n

“I like it here,” Jones said. “A lot of people give me respect in the city, and in Boston, too. I’m happy. Everything here is good.”<\/p>\n

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