After winning his 18th Gold Glove in his 23rd season in Major League Baseball, pitcher Greg Maddux, 42, retired today; click here to read an AP report.
Maddux won 355 games and lost 227. He won four consecutive Cy Young Awards (1992-95). Click here to look at his stats at baseball-reference.com.
With his old Atlanta Braves teammates John Smoltz, 41, and Tom Glavine, 42, weighing their own career options in the off-season -- they were on the same pitching staff for 10 years in the age of free agency! -- this Braves fan likes the idea of watching all three of them enter the Hall of Fame on the same day.
What are the odds of that?
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Good on Maddux for a great career in a time of juiced balls and players.
ReplyDeleteHe might have been one of the smartest pitchers ever. I remember reading a profile in SI when he was with the Braves. One of his teammates told the reporter how he predicted that a ball was going to be hit into their dugout based on the way the batter was swinging the ball and who was on the mound. Eerie.
If he ever becomes a manager, he'll have a few (more) World Series rings to put on his fingers. There have been few of his level of talent and genius in this game.
I respect him that much and I'm a Yankee's fan.
Tom Sanchez Prunier,
ReplyDeleteMaddux has been a marvel to watch. And, I wonder how much of what he was doing with a baseball, his deft touch at the point of release, could be taught to a kid.
Like you, I imagine Maddux might be a good teacher/manager. His brother is a pitching coach with the Rangers. But in most sports, especially baseball, great athletes don't usually make good coaches. So, it will interesting to see what he does.