Stories like this are exactly why I became a Braves fan.

At the beginning of his career during a spring training, MLB legend Jeff Francoeur was given a golden opportunity to not just meet Tiger Woods, but play golf with him. And while Francoeur was going to do the responsible thing and stay with the team, his manager Bobby Cox (Atlanta Braves) had a different idea — he wanted him to go! (RELATED: Peter Bendix’s Marlins Are Blowing Up Everything At Dramatic Levels, But It’s Pretty Clear What The Vision Is)

Atlanta was set to square off against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game scheduled for 1:00 PM. Well, before the contest, Cox caught whiff of Francoeur turning down a chance to tee it off with Tiger because of his obligations with the Braves.

Making an appearance recently on the “Is This A Great Game, Or What?” podcast to speak with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, Francoeur spilled the beans on what exactly happened, and boy oh boy, what a story.

WATCH:

Jeff Francoeur of @PureAthleteInc faked an injury with the help of his manager, Bobby Cox! The full interview is hilarious at https://t.co/13q9q6U7h2 pic.twitter.com/ItkeUlUUSX

— Tim Kurkjian (@Kurkjian_ESPN) August 13, 2024

As time goes along, my Miami Marlins fandom grows, but one thing is promised for me (other than death and taxes) when it comes to baseball — my Braves fandom.

I was totally the kid who read “Built to Win: Inside Stories and Leadership Strategies from Baseball’s Winningest GM” by John Schuerholz (our former general manager) in class in high school, so hearing a story like this is no surprise to me. It’s the iconic stories like this that attracted me to the Braves brand when I was a youngin’.

Absolutely legendary stuff, exactly what you would expect out of the Bobby Cox era.