One of the better-known beat writers in the baseball world is retiring.
David O’Brien announced Wednesday night (New Year’s Eve) on X that he has decided to retire.
It’s here, entirely my choice. I’m retiring. Appreciated every day of 41 years I’ve been paid to do what I loved — writing, covering sports. Without y’all, it wouldn’t have been possible. So, thanks from the bottom of my cantankerous heart. Your passion is admirable, beautiful.
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) December 31, 2025
“My days, they are the highway kind
They only come to leave
But the leavin’ I don’t mind
It’s the comin’ that I crave
Pour the sun upon the ground
Stand to throw a shadow
Watch it grow into a night
And fill the spinnin’ sky…”https://t.co/zYTrw9QklY— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) December 31, 2025
“It’s here, entirely my choice. I’m retiring,” O’Brien posted to X. “Appreciated every day of 41 years I’ve been paid to do what I loved — writing, covering sports. Without y’all, it wouldn’t have been possible. So, thanks from the bottom of my cantankerous heart. Your passion is admirable, beautiful.”
He added in a follow-up post, “Don’t know what to say. I’m gonna try to respond to everybody here, but it might take a while because right now, I’m f*cking crying. Thank you so much, everybody. I mean it. It’s humbling, gratifying and overwhelming. You folks have been so good to me, even ones I sparred with.”
O’Brien has been a beat reporter covering MLB for 31 years, with most of the coverage being about the Atlanta Braves. He has been a Braves beat writer for The Athletic since 2018, and previously held the same role for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also covered the then-Florida Marlins for eight seasons, including for their 1997 World Series title.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.