Greg Maddux, For the Love of the Game

Greg Maddux announced his retirement from baseball earlier this week.

When I lived in Atlanta he was . . . quite simply . . . the best pitcher I’ve ever seen, and most likely ever will see. I’ve enjoyed watching him over the years even after we both left Atlanta. Even his retirement announcement was handled the way he did everything else — low key, with no hint of ego or pride.

Oddly, some of my remembrances of Mad Dog were away from Atlanta Stadium as my company was his plumbing company until I left in 1995. I was lucky to see a World Series after so many years trying and Greg was a major part of that success for Atlanta. The crazy antics on the golf course with his pals and fellow players, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Steve Avery kept everyone in stitches as the practical jokes ran rampant.

From 1992-95 he won four straight Cy Young awards. His approach was subtle in the fact that despite being known as "not a strikeout pitcher," Maddux is 10th all-time in strikeouts. This year, at 42, he scored his 18th Gold Glove award for being exceptional at fielding his position (most in history). He loved to hit too and the rivalry between the other pitchers made for many antics away from the field.

He had no "money" pitch as some players are known for and he was hard pressed to even hit 90 mph on the gun. Greg seemed to me essentially the average male figure and looking at him at times screamed: huge nerd. But his love of the game gave him an insight to be successful. Mad dog had to actually pitch, and actually field his position. He out thought the other guys the entire time he was on the mound. His work to be perfect and control the ball was what made him so fun to watch. It was a great pleasure to watch Maddux pitch for many years in Atlanta. The game talk in Atlanta was that not only could Maddux control where he threw the ball, he could control where the batter would hit the ball as well.

Greg Maddux came as close to perfecting the art of pitching as any player I have seen in my lifetime. A true competitor and perfectionist, Maddux never settled for anything.

Growing up a Braves fan over the years was a combination of lows (many seasons early on with only about 3,000 of us in the stands) with a period of high’s in the '90s leading finally to the World Series. Those were special times, albeit frustrating losing to Minnesota with such a great team that year.

The majority of his success came in Atlanta, making him arguably the best pitcher to put on a Braves uniform in the history of the franchise. That includes the Braves runs in Boston and Milwaukee and he has been missed.

I would love to see Maddux signed to a contract late this year by the Braves to pitch a few games. This would allow him to end his stellar career as a Brave, and could provide a truly historic moment for a Hall of Fame induction ceremony in a few years.

Sadly, I don’t think it will happen. Why? Because Greg Maddux is not the type of guy to agree to it unless he would come back to pitch in Atlanta convinced it was real, and he could help the team.

Good luck in the future. Enjoy your retirement. I know you’ll spend a lot of time on the golf course.

I think I can still speak for many Atlanta fans even living in Alaska now when I say we appreciated the intelligence you brought to the game. A class act that never shot off his mouth while never appearing to be a Prima Donna embarrassing himself or the game he played.

Well maybe once seen here in this fun Nike commercial with Tom Glavine.

Just like an old movie line . . . Greg Maddux . . . The best there ever was.

Ice