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5 Revelations From Ex-Brave Chipper Jones' New Book

BREAKING: Former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones is releasing his new book, "Ballplayer" on Tuesday. Here are 5 revelations.

SOUTH COBB, GA -- Although former Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones is done running the bases, his new book, "Ballplayer," has been running on the presses. The book, which debuts Tuesday, chronicles the athlete's life from his time as a teenage phenom in DeLand, Florida all the way through his 19-year career in Major League Baseball, all with the Braves.

"Ballplayer" offers a fascinating look of Jones, born Larry Wayne Jones Jr., and his relationship with sports luminaries such as Deion Sanders, Manny Ramirez and Derek Jeter. The book also offers some surprising interactions, such as the time he confessed to his wife that he had been having multiple extramarital affairs.

Here are five revelations from Jones' book "Ballplayer":

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The affairs confession: In chapter 16, Jones details the time he told his new wife that he was cheating with three girls; one from Los Angeles, one from Detroit and one from Atlanta. He says for some reason he didn't tell her about the one in Philadelphia.

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Then he lowered the "boom," telling his spouse that the girl from Detroit was pregnant with his first child.

"There was a long silence, followed by uncontrollable sobbing from both of us. Eventually we got up. I needed to gather myself. I heard something behind me, and when I turned around, I saw she had picked up a vase. She threw it at me, and it hit me on the side of the head," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Scott Boras meet-greet-and-eat: that didn't go so well: In the 1980s and '90s, agent Scott Boras held the ear of every MLB team, securing huge contracts and making an impeccable name for himself. In 1990, Jones says that when he sat down with Boras at an Olive Garden he found him to be insufferable and walked out. But Boras disputes this.

But Jones stands by his recollection, even 27 years later, writing on Twitter: "My meeting with him did not go well, at least from my perspective and I was not going to listen to another word from a guy who I KNEW wasn't gonna rep me or my family the way we wanted to."

Double A team asked Jones to reschedule his marriage: When Jones was about to tie the knot to his wife on Sept. 12, 1992, his team, the Double A Greenville Braves were in the midst of a playoff series against the Chattanooga Lookouts. Sept. 12 would be Game 2 and the Braves asked him to move the wedding.

According to the chattanooga Times Free Press, Jones says in his book: "That was not going to happen. We'd been planning it for a year. I guess my penance was honeymooning in Chattanooga, Tennessee."

Ace pitcher had a nasty habit: Jones says that Greg Maddux was like a "10-year-old kid" in the locker room. One particularly disgusting thing Maddux would do is pick his nose and wipe it on teammates. Eeeewww. Talk about dirty mitts!

Daddy knows best: Jones credits his father for his batting prowess. Although technology in the '80s was nowhere near what it is now, the VHS (remember that?) -- and his dad -- helped Jones correct his flaws.

"Nobody knew my swing inside and out like he did. He built it. He and I used to watch VHS tapes of my at‑bats, whether it was Babe Ruth League, high school, or American Legion. I was a visual learner, and I needed that immediate feedback, especially from the left side, so my mom videotaped every game," Jones says in his book, according to the AJC.

"Once I got to the big leagues, Dad saw every one of my 10,000 or so plate appearances. By the time I called him after a game, not only had he seen my at‑bats, but he’d also watched replays of them and already had some suggestions."

Jones' book was co-written with ex-Atlanta Journal Constitution writer Carrol Rogers and is being published by Penguin Publishing Group subsidiary Dutton. "Ballplayer" hits book stores Tuesday and is available for download.

Image via Wikimedia / Creatives Common license

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