Ron Gant says goodbye after 14 years at FOX 5

Well, it's a bittersweet morning here on Good Day Atlanta as we say goodbye and happy retirement to our very own Ron Gantt after 14 years. Yes, 14 years, which is crazy. But before we do, we're just going to reflect a little bit on your time here. Actually, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take a look back at some of some of the moments that we'll never forget. Here's the 3-1 delivery. There is home run number 30 for Ron Gantt. When Ron Gantt joined the Fox 5 team 14 years ago, Atlanta already knew him as a hero. A baseball legend who spent his first seven years in the majors defining the glory days of the Atlanta Braves. But over the past 14 years, he traded the outfield for the anchor desk, helping Atlanta and North Georgia wake up with a smile on Good Day Atlanta. We quickly learned that his greatest talent went beyond sports or broadcasting it was his undeniable ability to connect with people so you're a professional at it now right i suppose he was always up for anything bringing a competitive spark and a contagious laugh to everything he did taste matters for more than anything else and the best tasting dish here was ron's especially when it came to his wardrobe frame up the boy When Ron walked in this morning, I was like, are you kidding me? On the television, yeah. I saw the television. I was like, wow. And, of course, his famous love for socks, every kind of sock. He was a powerful storyteller, taking us to Cooperstown to sit down with baseball royalty. And when the world slowed down and schools closed during COVID, Ron stepped up for our community. Hi, everyone, and welcome to Reading with Ron. today i have we're going on a bear hunt by michael rosen let's read it together he brought that same warmth dedication and genuine care to our newsroom every single morning ron is stepping away from the anchor desk to begin his next chapter he'll be spending more time with his family and traveling back and forth to texas but the good news he isn't leaving atlanta you'll still see him around town continuing his work with the Braves and, inevitably, dominating on the golf course. Ron, you're not just a phenomenal broadcaster. You're a wonderful human being in every sense of the word. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for 14 incredible years. Because when it comes to defining your legacy, our viewers really say it best. So what do you think is better, Ron the baseball player or Ron the newsmaker? Ron the man. I'm overwhelmed right now. This doesn't seem real that it's actually really happening. But again, and we say bittersweet and I've said bittersweet because the bitter part is I'm going to miss all these guys. I've said this before. And it's not just us delivering the news to all of you out there. This is part of my family now and they're always going to be part of my family. So from the bottom of my heart, I love each and every one of you all in a different way because we've had different conversations about different things. And it's just been so pleasant. And you guys have always welcomed me with open arms, for sure. We all spend a lot of time with each other. Yes, yes, yes. We do. We spend more time, I guess, with each other than a lot of times with our families. So, you know, for us, you know, to to be able to share a lot of different moments, it's not just the news. It's also personal things that go go on in our lives. So, again, everyone here has been so wonderful, wonderful to me, even from the beginning. The first year, even though I didn't know basically what I was doing, everybody wrapped their arms around me and just always supported me. So I want to thank everybody here at Fox 5 behind the scenes because there's a lot of people to thank. But I want to thank them all for everything they've done for me. I know someone at home watching you who is very excited to get to spend more time with you, I can imagine. Yes, yes. She's probably just as excited or more excited than I am. Because we do have a next chapter of life that we're going to step into, and it's going to be a lot of fun doing that. But, again, it's a bittersweet, and that's the sweet part of the bittersweet, being able to move on to that next chapter. Love this for you, honestly. Long-time baseball fans know this about you, but I don't know that everyone does. Ron came up as a second baseman. Yeah. And then went back down and completely reinvented himself as an all-star outfielder. And he kind of did the same thing, reinvented himself again, when he came and started something totally different because the difference between playing second base and the outfield is night and day. And then becomes a morning television personality, a long-time recognizable. So you've done it twice. You reinvented yourself. A big shout out to Russ Spencer because when I first started here, he would come in early before his shifts and kind of come out here and work in the studio with me and kind of show me the ropes. Even though sometimes he was probably thinking in the back of his head, oh, my God, what are we doing? He did it, man. And so I learned a lot from Russ Spencer. Well, speaking of being new, just me being here for the couple of weeks and sharing the studio with you, you've welcomed me with a warm heart and open arms, so I do appreciate that. And it's been a good four weeks with you, Ron. We're family and we're a team, and we're all in this together. And we're always, always going to be in this together. And this is the best crew in Atlanta on television. So that is definitely from the bottom of my heart, for sure. Love it. Do you have anything, Jillian? I'm the worst with goodbyes. I just sit here and think about it. Ron the man is what got me chosen here because it's so true. I mean, you came in, to me, larger than life. You're the Ron Gant, right? And you are still the Ron Gant, but you are who you are. Everybody says it. What you see is what you get with Ron Gant. There is nothing put on about this. He is the most humble, sincere, professional, and kind human being. And we're going to miss you so much. You guys are all the same, too. Ron Gant fans to Ron Gant friends. You know, it's been really cool. Yes, a gentleman opens doors, gives pity laughs at every joke. I'll make some pretty bad jokes, too. But great puns. Great puns. We'll be right back. Amen.