When Chipper Jones embraced the role of a father to his illegitimate child without jeopardizing his existing marriage

Legendary Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones was not exempt from making mistakes in his personal life. In his autobiography, "Ballplayer," Jones expressed open sorrow for his 18-month extramarital relationship with a Hooters waitress, which resulted in the birth of an illegitimate kid in 1998.

The legendary Braves third baseman first met Matthew, his son, four months after he and Karin finalized their divorce. When they first met, Matthew was 11 months old. Chipper Jones subsequently petitioned the Fulton County court to officially recognize Matthew as his biological child.

Chipper didn't want to divorce his wife, hence, he tried to fix his marriage with her. An excerpt from the book read:

"I was scared to get divorced, and I’d already hurt her so badly. I didn’t want to hurt her anymore. I felt that I owed it to her to give it a try. So I decided to recommit to the relationship and not to see my child. I would do what I needed to do to take care of Jennifer and the baby, but I was going to stay with Karin."

Karin decided that although she wanted to remain married, she couldn't live with the child in the picture. However, the pair ultimately decided to get a divorce.

Chipper Jones' last game was a nightmare

There's no denying that Chipper Jones' farewell game for the Atlanta Braves was the worst conceivable way to end a career. Jones was a selfless athlete who deserved the ideal send-off, but as we all know, that doesn't often occur. Despite appearing to be a regular play, Andrelton Simmons' pop-up to short left field ended up on the grass between Matt Holliday and Pete Kozma of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Braves' eighth-inning rally was effectively crushed when the left-field umpire gave a late signal for an infield fly. Given that the umpire arrived at his decision too late and Kozma did not pursue the ball with the usual effort, the call shouldn't have ever been made.

Chipper Jones, former Atlanta Braves player

Jones' final game was utterly overshadowed by a faulty call and the chaos that followed, which is a result he didn't deserve. Instead of being remembered as Jones' final game, the 2012 National League Wild Card game will be remembered as when the umpires made a questionable call.