Citing his 23 years in baseball and his desire to be more than a "part time Dad," Chipper Jones spoke to the media to officially announce his retirement after 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, all with the Atlanta Braves, effective at the end of the 2012 season.
Jones acknowledged that he had an interest in coaching after he retired, but not in the immediate future, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family.
Throughout his speech, Jones thanked practically the entire cast of the Atlanta Braves mythos, from ownership and Bobby Cox to Hall Of Fame players like Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, to his current teammates, his friends and family, and the Braves fans across the nation. Jones even thanked TBS, the former cable home created by one-time Braves owner Ted Turner, for giving birth to "Braves Country."
Jones also expressed his pride in playing solely for the Braves organization throughout his entire run, saying that he's "been proud to only wear the red, white and blue of the Atlanta Braves," and that in attempting to model his career after Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, he knew the importance of staying with one club.
For more on the retirement of Chipper Jones, check out Talking Chop and Baseball Nation.