One of them is a right handed fireballer, out for the year, with right shoulder surgery. Another is a lefthanded craftsman, owner of 305 major league wins, who returned home this year, pitched well, and has spent considerable time on the DL with a shoulder injury. The third, and probably the greatest of the three, spent eleven years as a teammate with the other two, in the prime of his career, going a sparking 194-88 over that time. Two of these future Hall of Famers are past age 42, and the other is past age 41. The question is: Should Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, all retire at the end of this year, thus allowing them to enter the Hall of Fame together, when they are eligble in 2014.
All three should be shoo ins for the Hall of Fame, even if none of them even throw another pitch. Greg Maddux has 350 wins. Tom Glavine, is at 305, and John Smoltz, sits at 210 wins, 147 losses, with 154 saves. The only other pitcher with those credentials of more than 150 wins, and 150 saves, is in the Hall of Fame, Dennis Eckersley.
In favor of retirement: Greg Maddux is 42 years old, tolling for a miserable last place Padres team. He has a 3 and 8 record, with a sub 4 ERA. That record, for a better team, could easily be reversed. John Smoltz, at 41, posted a 3 and 2 record, with an excellent 2.57 ERA, before having to have his shoulder operated on. The guy may never come back. He has had Tommy John Surgery, and mutiple additional arm operations. At age 42, in the spring of 2009, can he come back? Tom Glavine, at age 42, returned to the Braves, after five years with the New York Mets. He pitched very well for Atlanta, until he, too, had to go on the DL, with a shoulder problem. He may be back within a month. However, even though Gl;avine has said he wants to play in 2009, is he worth the 8 to 10 million he will cost the Braves, with their ever present payroll issues?
It has been a joy to watch these three guys pitch for over 20 years, and, when they were all in Atlanta for ten years, following each other in the rotation, from 1993 to 1999, you just knew that each night, you were going to get a solid game from all of them.
However, with these guys advanced ages, Smoltz, and Glavine's injury problems, and Maddux tolling for a bad team, is it time for them to say "Uncle".
I'll weigh in on this, since two of the three of them affects my favorite team, the Braves, directly. Glavine pitched very well for us earlier in the year, and could well have provided innings, and 10 to 13 wins. If he can come back, and be healthy, I would like to see him pitch in 2009, as I feel he can still help us. If he continues to have injury problems, it might be time for him to retire.
As for Smoltz: The guy still throws 90 plus at age 41, and can still strike people out. I hope he makes it back from surgery. That being said, the Braves need him in the rotation, not on the DL. His retirement might be the most complex of the three,as he might be forced into it, due to injury.
About Maddux: I read on the Padres website today that he is seriously considering retirement after this season. The article also stated that Maddux would love to pitch for the Braves again, with a quote by him supporting such. As much as it would be wonderful to have him finish his career in Atlanta, it doesnt seem likely that the Braves will trade for a 42 year old pitcher, when they already have two 40 plus year olds on the DL.
So, the question is: Should Maddux Glavine and Smoltz all retire at the end of the year, and go into the Hall together in 2014. It's an intriguing thought, and one they have all admitted they've thought about.
Any feedback and reaction from baseball fans would be appreciated. Thanks.
Mitch
All three should be shoo ins for the Hall of Fame, even if none of them even throw another pitch. Greg Maddux has 350 wins. Tom Glavine, is at 305, and John Smoltz, sits at 210 wins, 147 losses, with 154 saves. The only other pitcher with those credentials of more than 150 wins, and 150 saves, is in the Hall of Fame, Dennis Eckersley.
In favor of retirement: Greg Maddux is 42 years old, tolling for a miserable last place Padres team. He has a 3 and 8 record, with a sub 4 ERA. That record, for a better team, could easily be reversed. John Smoltz, at 41, posted a 3 and 2 record, with an excellent 2.57 ERA, before having to have his shoulder operated on. The guy may never come back. He has had Tommy John Surgery, and mutiple additional arm operations. At age 42, in the spring of 2009, can he come back? Tom Glavine, at age 42, returned to the Braves, after five years with the New York Mets. He pitched very well for Atlanta, until he, too, had to go on the DL, with a shoulder problem. He may be back within a month. However, even though Gl;avine has said he wants to play in 2009, is he worth the 8 to 10 million he will cost the Braves, with their ever present payroll issues?
It has been a joy to watch these three guys pitch for over 20 years, and, when they were all in Atlanta for ten years, following each other in the rotation, from 1993 to 1999, you just knew that each night, you were going to get a solid game from all of them.
However, with these guys advanced ages, Smoltz, and Glavine's injury problems, and Maddux tolling for a bad team, is it time for them to say "Uncle".
I'll weigh in on this, since two of the three of them affects my favorite team, the Braves, directly. Glavine pitched very well for us earlier in the year, and could well have provided innings, and 10 to 13 wins. If he can come back, and be healthy, I would like to see him pitch in 2009, as I feel he can still help us. If he continues to have injury problems, it might be time for him to retire.
As for Smoltz: The guy still throws 90 plus at age 41, and can still strike people out. I hope he makes it back from surgery. That being said, the Braves need him in the rotation, not on the DL. His retirement might be the most complex of the three,as he might be forced into it, due to injury.
About Maddux: I read on the Padres website today that he is seriously considering retirement after this season. The article also stated that Maddux would love to pitch for the Braves again, with a quote by him supporting such. As much as it would be wonderful to have him finish his career in Atlanta, it doesnt seem likely that the Braves will trade for a 42 year old pitcher, when they already have two 40 plus year olds on the DL.
So, the question is: Should Maddux Glavine and Smoltz all retire at the end of the year, and go into the Hall together in 2014. It's an intriguing thought, and one they have all admitted they've thought about.
Any feedback and reaction from baseball fans would be appreciated. Thanks.
Mitch
