The Glade 4.0

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5458167

ATLANTA -- Chipper Jones may have played his last game in the major leagues after tearing up his left knee while fielding a ground ball.

The Atlanta Braves said Thursday that the 38-year-old third baseman tore his anterior cruciate ligament and will need surgery. The estimated recovery time is six months -- if Jones decides to return in 2011. He had already said he would consider retirement after a season that's now ended sooner than expected.

Jones was hurt in Tuesday night's game at Houston . He fielded a routine grounder by Hunter Pence, jumped in the air while making the throw to first, then collapsed to the ground for several minutes.

After an MRI exam, Jones met Thursday with the team doctor, Marvin Royster, who delivered the bad news -- and a major setback for the NL East leaders.

"Obviously, he's very, very disappointed. I would almost describe it as numb," his agent, BB Abbott, told The Associated Press. "He knows this will be a big blow to the team. Obviously, he has been going very well recently and felt like he was really contributing to the team's success. This is real disappointing for him."

Jones feared something was seriously wrong after he walked off the field gingerly under his own power.

"I heard a distinct pop," he said in Houston. "It sounded like the whole stadium could hear it pop."

Jones had bounced back from a slow start and was hitting .265 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs for a team that had a 2½-game lead in the NL East on two-time defending league champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves will have to carry on with Omar Infante and Brooks Conrad sharing third base, though neither has Jones' power.

Coming off a poor 2009 season, Jones got off to a miserable start this year and said in June that he was considering retirement. A few days later, he backed off and said he would wait until after the season to make a decision. He had been playing much better since then, raising his average some 30 points and showing more power in the middle of the lineup.

Now, Jones has another issue to think about -- coming back from the second major knee injury of his career. He missed all of 1994, expected to be his rookie season, after sustaining the same injury to the same knee. Jones returned to become one of the greatest players in Atlanta history, a six-time All-Star who won the NL MVP award in 1999 and the NL batting title in 2008.

Recovering from a major injury late in his career would be much tougher, perhaps the biggest factor of all when Jones considers whether he wants to keep playing. He would also have to work out a settlement with the Braves, who owe him about $28 million in guaranteed money for the next two seasons.

"I'm sure as the next couple of days go by, those are things we'll discuss and he'll discuss with his family," Abbott said. "It's not something he'll decide immediately. He's going to need to hear everything about the injury and rehabilitative process. He'll probably make his decision from there. I can assure you it's not something that's going to be a knee-jerk decision."

He won't be around to help the Braves try to hold off Philadelphia for their first playoff appearance since 2005 in the final season for longtime manager Bobby Cox, who's definitely retiring at the end of the year.

"There's certainly a part of him that feels like he's let Bobby down, and let his teammates down," Abbott said. "He's really distraught about it."

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My favorite Brave of all time. Done. Gah, that sucks.

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"It is true that democracy undermines freedom when voters believe they can live off of others' productivity, when they modify the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.' The politics of plunder is no doubt destructive of both morality and the division of labor."

As a Phillies fan I can't be too distraught... :p

But yeah, kinda not a good way to end (probably) a pretty remarkable career. His numbers alone say a lot, but I think the fact that he has played for the Braves his whole career... for Bobby Cox his whole career, even... that makes him special. It's not something that happens often. Pretty refreshing to see in this era of the Yankees buying up every great player and whatnot.

Dude would get booed every time he came up to the plate in Philly (from what I've seen, at least), but they were boos earned simply for beating us up year after year. They were boos from a tough-guy Philly fan base that, if anything, show respect.

In a way I'm not too shocked by all this, given how he was talking of retirement earlier this year. If his career is indeed done, ending on an injury sort of robs him of the opportunity to have a known last game played, where he could get a proper send-off from fans. And there's one wrench I really don't like in his potential plans now -- he said he isn't certain he's done, but if he were to come back for one more year next year it would be a bit... eh, I don't know. He wouldn't be playing for Bobby Cox, and it's pretty likely we won't see superstar numbers from him. Almost seems better from a fan point of view to just have it end now. Not the way he would've liked, I'm sure, but in the big picture, at least to an outsider, it seems like a good a time as any.

He names his last son Shea. I thought that was hilarious.

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"It is true that democracy undermines freedom when voters believe they can live off of others' productivity, when they modify the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.' The politics of plunder is no doubt destructive of both morality and the division of labor."

I always enjoyed watching Chipper Jones play. He was all about effort and hustle, getting dirty, and never quitting. He plays (played?) the game the right way, and it is unfortunate that he may not get to exit on his own terms. Either way, he's a sure fire Hall of Famer, and one of the best switch hitters to ever play the game. I'll miss watching him play, for sure.

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Ezekiel 23:19-20 

I can deal with the way he went out. He made a great play to throw out Hunter Pence that caused the injury.

Sad to see him go when the Braves were right in the thick of it.

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"It is true that democracy undermines freedom when voters believe they can live off of others' productivity, when they modify the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.' The politics of plunder is no doubt destructive of both morality and the division of labor."

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Andruw Jones all wanted to stay in Atlanta, too. They, however, did not do (for mostly contractual reasons) what Chipper Jones had the luxury of doing: fire Scott Boras. Chipper actually took a pay cut in his last contractual renewal stay in Atlanta. And, while he will certainly go in the Hall of Fame, it is certainly his loyalty to the team that made him one of my favorite players. Plus, to be quite honest, he's just a hell of a nice guy. He won't retire this year, but he'll probably not play much next season. Still, they'll let him walk off the field of his own accord.

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A great rival to be sure.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

I'm reading that he is going to try to come back next year.

If he does choose to do this, I hope it goes well for him, and that if it doesn't, he's able to recognize it and retire with class.

I hated what Ken Griffey Jr. went through in Seattle. He should have retired two years ago. Last year wasn't horrible, but him trying to come back this year was a huge mistake. It really tainted his reputation for some. I hope Chipper doesn't make the same mistake.

Nothing should ever taint Griffey Junior's legacy. He's one of the top ten position players of all-time.

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Ezekiel 23:19-20 

It's probably mostly a local phenomenon, but he's being blamed by a lot of local media, and talking heads, for the Mariners struggles this season, and the dismissal of their Manager.

I agree with you. He is far and away my favorite player of all time. He just always looked like he was having fun. He made everything look so easy. I just wonder what his career would have looked like if he hadn't lost most of 6 seasons to injury. I also wonder if he'd be higher than 'Top Ten all time' if it weren't for others using PED's. The fact that Pay-Rod will surpass him in a lot of offensive stats really grates me.

The Derrek Lee trade should go a long way towards helping the Braves see past the Chipper speed-bump. In addition, with Chipper having already decided for a full come-back next year (the man is clearly the Anti-Favre), having now positioned themselves as a key player for Lee in this years FA bidding, having another year under the belt of budding super-star Jason Heyward, along with retaining the rights to Brian McCann the Braves look to have a truly monstrous 3-6 slot's in their batting order for the 2011 season.

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Ezekiel 23:19-20 

Yeah, I'm happy about the Lee acquisition. Love Glaus but he hasn't done crap since May.

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"It is true that democracy undermines freedom when voters believe they can live off of others' productivity, when they modify the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.' The politics of plunder is no doubt destructive of both morality and the division of labor."