The death of legendary Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox hit hard across the baseball world this weekend, but nobody summed up his impact better than longtime Braves star Chipper Jones.
Jones, who spent nearly his entire MLB career playing under Cox in Atlanta, shared an emotional tribute on X after learning of the Hall of Fame skipper's death at age 84.
"I can't stay quiet in this time of loss," Jones wrote. "I'm struggling to tell all what Bobby Cox meant to me and so many others in Braves Country."
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Jones went on to call Cox "the leader of men and a second father to so many Atlanta Braves [through the years]."
The two were connected for virtually Jones' entire baseball life. Cox selected Jones with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft and managed him from his 1993 debut through the end of Cox's managerial career in 2010. Under Cox, the Braves became one of baseball's defining dynasties - winning 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series.
Jones credited Cox not only for changing the Braves franchise, but for shaping his entire career.
"He's probably the number one reason I played my entire career for the Braves," Jones said. "He gave me the opportunity to play baseball by drafting me."
Even in the midst of grieving, Jones found himself hearing Cox's voice while watching his sons play baseball on the day of the legendary manager's passing.
"I can't help but shout the same things he did from the corner of the dugout," Jones wrote. "'Come on kid, [you] got this!'"
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And in true baseball-guy fashion, Jones joked that Cox may have still been pulling strings from above.
"My boys won both of their games," Jones added. "Bobby had a hand, I have no doubt!"
But Jones wasn't the only Braves legend reflecting on Cox's impact.
Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine remembered Cox's unmatched passion and loyalty to his players.
"The minute he came down in that dugout, in full uniform with his spikes on and ready to go, there was just a passion to win the game and fight for every inch of advantage he could get for his players," Glavine said.
John Smoltz credited Cox for changing the course of his career entirely.
"He gave you confidence when you didn't have it yourself," Smoltz said. "I'm not a Hall of Famer without him."
Meanwhile, fellow Braves star Andruw Jones echoed Chipper's sentiment that Cox became an additional father figure to so many players.
"Bobby meant everything to me in my baseball career," Andruw Jones said. "I've said this before, he was like my second dad."
That theme keeps surfacing over and over in the aftermath of Cox's death. Not just respect for one of baseball's greatest managers - but genuine love for the man who helped build the Braves into a powerhouse and treated generations of players like family.
