I don't have any sports hero other than the Great General Neyland himself, but I grew up with Chipper. Chipper's rookie year was 1993, the year I was born (okay, I was born Dec. 31st, 1992 but the point remains dammit!). After Chipper retired, I was not in a daze, but definitely down a little bit. My mom asked why and I was like "Mom, Chipper's my childhood. I did everything Chipper did on the baseball field. His batting stance, the high socks, the switch hitting (which I was awful at). Basically, this is the end of my childhood."
That's kind of how I look at it in a weird way since Chipper never has met me. It's the end of my childhood. I will cry after his last game. Not just because my favorite athlete ever will be gone, but it's the end of an era also.
Dammit.