Jones: Cross-Country Travel to See Family ‘Not So Bad’
- Updated: April 30, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
Prior to the game, the Revolution midfielder mingled with a few Red Sox players, including David Ortiz.
“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.”
He doesn’t mind being an ambassador for the Revolution in a sports-crazed region, either.
“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.”
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