My love affair with Chipper Jones: One last hurrah

Working for the Indianapolis Indians, I spend every work day watching baseball or listening to baseball or writing about baseball or (usually) some combination of the above.

So that means the last thing I would want to do on my day off is go to a baseball game, right?

Wrong.

In just a handful of days off since the 2012 season began, I've been to three Major League Baseball games. The first was on the second day of the season, when my girlfriend Jessica and I went to Wrigley Field for Chicago Cubs-Washington Nationals, our fifth trip to the Friendly Confines -- and second year in a row we've been to Wrigley for the second game of the season. The second game was in late April on Chicago's southside, when I joined my former college roommate, Cory Bifoss, for a White Sox-Red Sox matchup, my first time at US Cellular Field, a ballpark which gets a bad wrap, in my opinion.

The most recent was Wednesday night in Cincinnati, when Jessica joined me for a Reds game against the Atlanta Braves, a team toward which I'm particularly partial. (If anyone knows who's in charge of such things, I'll go ahead and take that award for understatement of the year.)

If you know anything about me, it's obvious that I'm a lifelong, die-hard Braves fan -- fan being short for fanatic, which definitely fits in this scenario. I would watch a Braves game any chance I got, but this one was particularly important to me for one reason.

This guy:

Photo courtesy Jessica Boursier and her smart phone.

Braves third baseman Chipper Jones has been my favorite player ever since I started watching baseball, which encompasses the entirety of his spectacular career. A spectacular career that is rapidly coming to a close.

When Chipper announced his plans to retire following the 2012 season, I immediately grabbed an Indianapolis Indians schedule and an Atlanta Braves schedule to try to figure out when I could see Chipper play again. It worked out that the Braves were in the Queen City, an easy two-hour drive, on the same day the Indians were scheduled off.

In the days leading up to the game, Chipper was sidelined by a contusion on his left shin that he suffered when a hot-shot groundball got to him before he had a chance to get his glove in front of it. Rumors on Twitter were that he could possibly play by the game I was attending, but certainly not before then.

To my dismay, however, he wasn't in the starting lineup on Wednesday evening. I was still excited to be able to see the Braves play and to spend some time with Jessica, but I was (not-so) secretly hoping for a pinch-hit appearance by the great No. 10.

I got my wish in the top of the seventh inning, when Chipper pinch hit for pitcher Tommy Hanson with one on and one out in a tie game. The Reds, in a smart move, didn't give Chipper anything to hit and he drew a five-pitch walk. He was immediately replaced a pinch runner, his appearance short but oh-so-sweet.

As Chipper came off the field, a large conglomeration of Braves fans behind the third-base visitors dugout -- where I was sitting -- gave the 40-year-old slugger a standing ovation. No doubt there were several Reds fans in the fray, too. Chipper commands great respect from people who appreciate the game, regardless of team affiliation.

I, of course, was among those standing and cheering, clapping nearly as loudly as I likely would have if he had just hit a go-ahead home run. That man has been my baseball hero for my entire baseball life, and I would swear he looked right at me before he descended down the steps into the dugout -- but maybe that's just the fanboy in me. Since no one can prove me wrong, I'll believe what I want.

While I hope to be able to see Chipper play again this season, preferably in Atlanta or possibly in Pittsburgh for his final regular-season series, I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I'll be happy that I got the chance to see him again, period, the chance to see him draw a walk in a big situation, a chance to see him command the respect of an opposing team and the adoration of their fans.

I'm not looking forward to watching baseball without Chipper Jones, but I am looking forward to the day he gets his well-deserved call from Cooperstown, N.Y., and is enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Even when Chipper is gone, I'll still root my heart out for my beloved Braves, and may even one day come to accept a new face manning the hot corner in Atlanta on a full-time basis.

But there will never be another Chipper Jones.

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and is going to cry like a baby when Chipper's retirement becomes official. You can contact him (or express your condolences) at therainesdelay@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Michael__Raines. Also, ya know, there's that comment section down there. You know you want to...