After a year of golfing, hanging with his sons, and watching a lot of baseball, Chipper Jones is ready to roll his sleeves up again — as a rancher.
The former Braves third baseman, who has made Atlanta his home for the past 22 years, is preparing to move to his ranch in southwest Texas and take over the commercial hunting operation that has been run by his parents, Larry and Lynne Jones.
With a goal of making sure the ranch can pay for itself, Jones will host hunts, immersing himself in a passion that’s been a close second to baseball throughout his life.
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“I always had in the back of my mind, even throughout my playing days, that I would retire out there one day,” Jones said. “It is without a doubt my favorite place on the planet.”
Jones said he always figured that day would come after his sons graduated from high school, but with the hunting business struggling in recent years, he moved up the timetable.
He is determined to get the 10,000-acre Double Dime Ranch, named for the No. 10 jersey both he and his father wore, on better financial footing.
But don’t be surprised to see Jones at Turner Field some this summer before he moves he makes his journey out West.