Future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones’ new book, “Ballplayer,” hit shelves on Tuesday. As the title suggests, much of this autobiography deals with his life as a baseball player. The former Atlanta Brave is known throughout the Major League for his recall abilities and detailed anecdotes about giants of the game, and this book offers no shortage of stories about playing with stars like Greg Maddux or about playing under legendary Bobby Cox. Any fan of insider baseball (literally) would enjoy the book for such fascinating tales.
An avid hunter and outdoorsman, Chipper is currently the co-host of the TV show “Major League Bowhunter.” It will be interesting to see how well his book sells, considering he became persona non grata to many liberals (which includes almost all sportswriters) in 2013, with this tweet:
Y’all think if they took all them gators they trap in Fla and La and put them in the Rio Grande, it wud stop the illegals from crossing? Jk
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) June 8, 2013
Photo via Amazon
“Ballplayer” — $14.16 Hardcover, $13.99 Kindle
“Ballplayer” also explores Chipper’s life off the diamond. In Chapter 16, Chipper tells of informing his then-wife Karin that a woman in Detroit was pregnant with his first child. This was Karin’s reaction:
Ultimately, Karin decided she wanted to stay married, but she couldn’t coexist with the child in the picture. I didn’t fault her for feeling that way. A child would be an everyday reminder.
She was being honest about her feelings. To ask her to bury those feelings would be even harsher. I knew coming into our conversation, I’d probably have a decision to make — her or the baby— and she basically made it for me.
Chipper’s first son, Matthew, was born later that year. You can read the rest of that story and more in “Ballplayer,” out today.