LISTEN: Chipper Jones Says He Always Looked Forward To Playing In NYC, But Still Bothered By '96 World Series Loss To Yankees

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Chipper Jones might have played his entire big-league career in Atlanta, but New York was a common theme in his interview with WFAN's Mike Francesa on Friday.

The former Brave, whose new autobiography "Ballplayer" hits stores Tuesday, said Yankees great Mickey Mantle, whom he has sometimes been compared to, was a God in his household.

"Mickey Mantle wasn't just regional. He was universal. He was countrywide. He was worldwide," Jones said. "His influence stretched well outside of New York City. And my dad was certainly one of them. My dad had like a 35-inch, 33-ounce Mickey Mantle signature bat in his closet, and I grew up grabbing that bat. Whenever we went out into the backyard, I don't think there was a day that he didn't say the name Mickey Mantle to me.

"And being as young as I was, I didn't know who Mickey Mantle was, but my dad put him up on such a pedestal that this guy was like God. And when I finally got the chance to meet him in 1992, I found myself in the bathroom looking in the mirror, practicing how I was going to meet Mickey Mantle. That's how revered he was."

Jones' father also talked up New York City to him.

"One of my dad's little sayings that really stuck with me through the years, he always said, 'If you can be successful on that stage in New York, you can be successful anywhere. Because when you go up there, it's going to be tougher than anywhere else you've ever played,'" Jones said. ' ... He was right. It is one of the toughest places to play, but that little saying motivated me. Every time I went to New York, whether it was Shea Stadium or Citi Field or either one of the Yankee Stadiums, there was a little more intensity, a little more pep in your step. It was like an in-season playoff game every time we went up there."

Jones took that advice to heart. In 87 games at Shea Stadium, he batted .313 with 19 homers.

The memories were not as great at the old Yankee Stadium, however. Jones said the series in his 19 seasons that still bothers him the most today is the 1996 World Series, in which the Braves blew a 2-0 lead to the Yankees.

"We had a lot of disappointments, it's been well-documented, through the years in the postseason," the former MVP said. "But I felt like most years, if not all, that we got beat, at that particular time in the season, we got beat by a better team.

"That '96 Series, I felt like, 'You know what? We've got the best team in baseball.' We showed it all year during the course of the season. We go to New York, we beat them, I think, 15-1 in the first game (actually 12-1), beat Jimmy Key 4-0 in the second game, and I'm coming home to Atlanta going, 'Man, I'm going to win the World Series the first two years in the league. We're not going back to New York, either.' And true to championship form, the Yankees showed their mettle."

To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.