At the end of last season Chipper Jones officially retired from baseball and it was the end of an era. He spent his entire career in Atlanta with the Braves and when you think about that, in this day and age, it's pretty impressive. Not to mention the fact that he had an incredible career in Atlanta and is destined to be enshrined at Cooperstown in a few years. AG's first true favorite baseball player was Chipper and we had a hard time all winter helping him grasp the concept of retirement. We knew that when the Braves decided to retire his number we would make plans to be there. Well, while I was in Orlando for the Princess Half in February Andy was buying tickets for Opening Day and Chipper's Retirement.
We told AG for months that we were going to this game and that he would get to see Chipper one last time at Turner Field. He was beside himself with excitement on the morning of June 28th and spent the day gathering everything he needed to take to the game:
We left that afternoon with plenty of time to get down to the stadium and walk around before the festivities started. The kids were pumped and ready to go.
AG's Heyward t-shirt was starting to get a little short on him and we told him he could get a new one at the game. He opted for a red Freddie Freeman t this time. (We've since retired the #10 Jones shirt that both kids have worn and passed the Heyward t to Avi-Kate. One of the few things that we are able to pass from kid to kid!)
Andy and AG standing next to the stadium...they removed this section of bricks and gave them to Chipper as one of his gifts to thank him for his contributions to the Braves over the course of his career.
We had great seats with a great view. Of course, they put Chipper's number ten in the outfield and AG's pumped when he saw it. AG was also excited that he had a nice view of the Coke bottle and the Moo-Cow.
Getting everything set up for the pre-game ceremony. It was neat to see former Braves in attendance since it was also Alumni weekend. Andy and I kept pointing out different people to AG and saying, 'we use to watch him play for the Braves when we were little.'
Deep in concentration as he watched the pre-game ceremony on the tv in our section. He was in awe of the whole thing.
The man of the night. He started playing for the major league Braves in the fall of 1993 and I was a few weeks shy of ten years old. He's been such a huge part of the organization these last twenty or so years that it's been really weird this season to look over and not see him at third base.
Pumped up and ready to see Julio Teheran take on the Diamondbacks. It was also bittersweet because this was the first time several former Braves were back in ATL since the offseason when they were traded. Included in this trade was one of our favorite Braves, Martin Prado. BUT we have been really, really pleased with who came to Atlanta as a result of the trade. Specifically Justin Upton and Chris Johnson.
It was a beautiful night to watch the sunset over the stadium with the city off in the distance. Love our city.
Avi-Kate enjoyed some quality snuggle time with her G-Daddy during the seventh inning stretch.
AG was excited to hear 'Welcome to the Jungle' blaring at the top of the ninth and watch Kimbrel run out of the bullpen. We love to watch Kimbrel pitch and it's electrifying to be in the stadium when he runs out.
Braves got the win to shutout the Diamondbacks 3-0! Teheran wanted to get 10 strikeouts in honor Chipper's #10 and the Kimbrel got his 23rd save to that point in the season. It was a great game.
These last two pictures make my heart happy. I'm glad we got to take the kids and enjoy it with my parents. I remember learning about the Braves and the game of baseball in early elementary school. I can remember my Dad waking me up one night in the fall of 1991 and running downstairs with me so that I could see the Braves as they made their playoff berth. That year they went from the worse to first and began their domination of the National League East for the next 14 years. Here's hoping that this years team continues to play deep in to the playoffs. I haven't been this excited about a Braves roster in a long time and they are playing lights out. Reminds me of the teams I grew up watching and I'm sure AG will carry memories from this season well in to adulthood.
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