Chipper Jones on retirement: 'I'm ready'

After Atlanta's 6-3 wild card loss to the St. Louis Cardinals ended the career of the now-retired Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution met with Jones to discuss his initial new-found retirement as he cleaned out his locker for the last time.

This is a lot easier than I thought it would be than five years ago when I thought this moment would come," Jones said "That lets me know that I'm ready. I think if I were in here sobbing uncontrollably that it would be painfully apparent that I wasn't ready to walk out the door, but I'm ready."

Asked about his unceremonious if not embarrassing final game with the Atlanta Braves, a game already notorious for questionable officiating, Jones remarked that "it is what it is" and said he was ready to begin a new life.

Jones made his major league debut in 1993 and played every one of his major league seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He is an eight-time All Star, a two-time Silver Slugger, the 1999 National League MVP, and the 2008 National League batting champion. He finished his career with a batting average of .303 with 468 home runs and 1,623 RBI.