Thank you Chipper Jones, for everything.

In a city full of history, there are few icons that have a profound influence on a large number of people.  Chipper Jones was the exception.  Men looked up to him.  Woman looked up to him.  Children literally looked up to him.  Birds perched on the top of Turner Field looked down at him.  All eyes were on him.  For 19 years, he was a symbol of strength and devotion in the city of Atlanta.  After this year, that symbol will change forever.

Chipper came to this city in 1993, when I was still sipping on baby food and figuring out how to say simple words like Mom and Dad.  As his legacy grew, so did I, and I watched from the silvery glow of my television set as he strolled to home plate, Crazy Train blasting over the loud speakers around him, and clubbed balls out of the park, like Tiger Woods at the driving range

Chipper Jones came to the Braves in 1993, and created a legacy

The Braves were a hot ticket in the 90's, and Chipper and company were solely responsible for that.  They became the perennial power house in Atlanta.  You thought sports in this city, and you thought Braves.  Chipper was the leader.  He ushered in an era of winning, an era of tradition.  An era where people of all ages, young boys and girls, flocked to Turner Field by the masses, all wearing shirts with the number 10 on the back, blue and red caps with the bright letter "A" pulled over their heads.  He became the iconic symbol of a team that represented something that was more than itself, and he accepted his role with the kind of diligence and patience that not only makes for a good baseball player, but a good person.

Fans flocked to Turner Field in the hundreds to watch Chipper and company

This is the part of this post where all the snide jabber comes to an abrupt end.  This is the part of this post where the meaningless stats get thrown out the window.  This is the part of this post that commends a man using the only means necessary.  Respect.

Chipper Jones was integrated with my childhood.  He was the one constant thing I had known since I was a young child.  When I would attend games, my heart would pound when number 10 stepped up to the plate, because I knew something great was about to happen.  Even when he struck out, or hit a pop fly, the crowd still cheered with an exuberant vigor, because they knew he would be there again, and next time, he wouldn't let them down.  He never had.

Chipper Jones has 454 home runs, but he meant more to the Braves than just a slugger

With Chipper's retirement, I feel like my childhood just died.  It wasn't when I graduated high school, it wasn't when I got accepted to college and it wasn't when I got my first job.  It was when I realized the hero of my youth would step away from the game he so loved, and the game I so loved watching him in.  I know my pain resonates with Braves and baseball fans everywhere.  I don't know if he will get elected to the hall of fame or not, although I'm sure he will.  What I do know, is that he will always be in my hall of fame.  He will exist in my heart, a heart that still beats with the energy of young boy who stood and cheered whenever he crushed a ball into the 755 Club.  He will exist there because he so rightly deserves it. 

Not bad for a chip off the old block.