Chipper Jones defends Braves legend Bobby Cox amid Brian Snitker debate

The Atlanta Braves won 76 games, falling well short of the playoffs.

Shortly after the Braves defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the regular-season finale, longtime manager Brian Snitker announced he would not return to the dugout next season.

The 69-year-old will move into a special advisory role. He spent nearly a half-century with the Braves organization in various capacities, many of them as a minor league player and coach. His decade-long run as Atlanta’s skipper was highlighted by the 2021 World Series title.

Braves Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk said Snitker would be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame next year, according to 680 The Fan.

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Snitker oversaw six straight National League East titles and seven postseason berths. He ended his career as one of the franchise’s all-time winningest managers. Snitker’s 811 career wins trail only two former Braves managers: Frank Selee and Bobby Cox.

After Snitker confirmed he would step down, Atlanta sports radio host Mike Bell compared his career to Cox’s, “Brian Snitker did more with less. Bobby Cox did less with more,” Bell wrote on X Wednesday afternoon.

That comment drew criticism from Baseball Hall of Famer and Braves icon Chipper Jones.

“U are….without a doubt….a clown! Only an absolute, talentless, gasbag….would take this opportunity to celebrate a glorious retirement by crapping on the generational GM and manager that ignited the last 35 yrs of baseball relevance. U can’t be serious with this post,” Jones responded.

Jones, who spent most of his career with Snitker as his manager, also responded to a fan who suggested “the Braves underachieved during that Bobby Cox tenure.”

“[B]lowing a 2-0 lead against the Yankees in 98 was just one of the many times,” a social media user wrote. 

“Hmmm….i have 2 WS rings, 2 NL rings. How many u got Einstein? We were 2-0 in ‘96. If u gonna argue, at least seem knowledgeable. Padres/yankees were ‘98,” Jones rebutted.

Cox was on the New York Yankees coaching staff during their 1977 World Series run. He managed the Braves for 25 seasons over two stints.

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