Why Favre deserves to fail but Smoltz deserves to succeed
John Smoltz has a massive ego. He won’t retire. He believes he still can help a team win a championship, even though people think he’s nuts. Gee, you would’ve thought he was Brett Favre.
Big difference.
Smoltz will officially sign with the St. Louis Cardinals today after he clears post-release waivers at 1 p.m. eastern time. Here’s a guy to pull for at the end of his career, not a guy to mock.
Smoltz will sign with St. Louis because the Cardinals are giving him a chance to be a fifth starter. That’s something that wasn’t afforded him after his collapse with the Boston Red Sox. He also presumably won’t have to rehab in the minors, which the Red Sox also wanted.
So you might say, “Smoltz is getting his way. How selfish. He’s just like Favre.”
Not even close. Favre has managed to get his way and signed with the Minnesota Vikings Tuesday, which is what he wanted to do two years ago. But in getting there, he stepped on three NFL franchises along the way and scorched any remaining bit of character left in his soul. He cried crocodile tears at a retirement press conference in Green Bay after the Packers gave him a prolonged period (again) to make his decision. Almost immediately, rumors circulated that he wanted to come back — and never intended on leaving. The idea all along was to force the Packers to trade him to Minnesota, a division rival. The Packers dealt him to the New York Jets. A similar chain of events occurred in New York after last season, except that the Jets, convinced Favre had really retired, just released him. Then came the Minnesota abomination.
It’s one thing to get your way. It’s another to do so without regard to the teammates you’ve played with or the ones you’re about to play with.
Nobody can say that about Smoltz. Whether you believe he can still pitch or not, he never damaged the Braves’ franchise on the way out the door. He still has universal admiration in that clubhouse, and it’s the same in Boston and around baseball. Favre is not embraced the same way. Players, coaches and management have come to recognize him for what he is.
As for Smoltz, while there was little tangible evidence in Boston (2-5, 8.32 earned run average) to lead many to believe that he can still pitch after major shoulder surgery a year ago, some high profile teams obviously still believe he’s worth the risk. The National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and wild-card contending Florida Marlins both expressed interest. Ultimately, Smoltz will sign with the Cardinals, who are contending for the N.L. Central title. It puts Smoltz back in the National League, where he spent his entire major league career with the Braves.
It also puts him in a potential face-to-face meeting with the Braves, who go to St. Louis for a weekend series Sept. 11-13. And I guarantee you when the Braves meet the Cards, every Brave will wish him luck. Can you imagine a similar scenario when Favre plays the Packers? Didn’t think so.
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115 comments Add your comment
Nativebird
August 19th, 2009
10:42 am
He deserves what he gets, if someone wants to sign him fine. But don’t try to keep selling this ego-maniacs “nice-guy” image he so painfully and transparently invested more time in crafting over the years than pitching (which comes quite easy to him).
A man is measured by how he treats those who he is not dependent upon for personal gain, and when Smoltz interacts with the average man on the street, he’s maybe one-step down from Pete Rose on the perverbial pro-athlete jerk-meter. Trust me.
Jeff Schultz
August 19th, 2009
10:42 am
Bvillebaron – Big difference. I don’t view that as a “classless dissing” like you do.
Arkansas – No. Wren didn’t want to bring him back and honestly I doubt Smoltz would have wanted to come back. Bad fit for both right now, to say nothing of the burnt bridges.
Coach Cool – Safe to say Bradley and I have always been on different sides of the Smoltz fence.
Laura – no problem.
Ed – his criticism came AFTER he had already signed somewhere else and after Braves had Frank Wren had made his roster decisions. Big difference. Did nothing wrong before or during negotiations.
BravoFan – did you forget though? He turned out to be right. Check out his numbers his first three years as a starter before he injured again. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smoltjo01.shtml
Jeff Schultz
August 19th, 2009
10:43 am
BravesGal — Obsessed? Hardly. But FYI, there may be one more Smoltz blog before this day’s over.
DirtyDawg
August 19th, 2009
10:46 am
I’m sorry but John Smoltz doesn’t deserve any more or less than any other self-centered, over-paid athlete that thinks his crap don’t stink. Ask is ex if she thinks he ‘deserves’ to succeed (unless it’s tied to alimony or something)…ask the Braves front office if they think he was anything close to magnanimous when it came to negotiations this past year..ask the Red Sox if they think the $5 plus million they ‘dropped’ on him, and are no longer willing to throw good money after bad, if they think he ‘deserves’ it…ask any of us that think anybody that openly supported Ralph Reed for public office is closer to a John Rocker than (Saint) John Smoltz…ask those that believe that same-sex marriage is a ‘human-rights’ issue and not akin to ‘bestiality’, like John does…and John, you coulda at least used some of that Boston money to hire somebody to update the website for that ‘foundation’ of yours – doesn’t appear that you’ve done anything much to ‘help’ this past year. What was all that, part of a strategy to make you look good going into negotiations while you were rehabing? Well at least it worked with the Red Sox.
John, just shut it down and work on the golf game. Fifty’ll be here before you know it.
Train Wreck Bystander
August 19th, 2009
10:50 am
With all due respect to Smoltz’s accomplishments as a Brave, I have to say I am agreeing with BravoFan82.
CrocodileDundee
August 19th, 2009
10:53 am
Smoltz is doing a Mike Vick impersonation. Smoltz is desparately reaching out for employment. However, Smoltz knows that if he doesnt keep his longevity going with respect to pitching in major league baseball, Smoltz will fall short of reaching baseballs HOF in Cooperstown. I believe that is all Smoltz lives for right now. Smoltz knows that Glavs (Tom Glavine) and Doggie (Greg Maddox) are in and he will be left out if he doesnt get to 300 wins. That is why Smoltz is literally on his hands and knees begging for employment; the same way that Vick did after his first month of being released from prison. Vick got lucky there at the end and got a deal with the Eagles. Now it looks as though Smoltz will receive a deal from the Cardinals. Smoltz needs to be employed until he reaches at least 50 years old so that LONGEVITY WILL PUT HIM INTO THE HOF.
Mr. Cub
August 19th, 2009
10:57 am
I hope Smoltz fails. He should have retired and the Braves saw he was finished along with Glavine. Smoltz failed at Boston and will fail in St. Louis. As far as Favre, He is an idiot and I hope he fails!!!!!!!!!
Bama Aaron
August 19th, 2009
11:01 am
I’ve always been a Smoltz fan. Proudly wore my Smoltz jersey to every game (til this year) and cherish the Braves hat that holds both his and Glavine’s signatures. But I can’t bring myself to root for him on another team. I don’t think he handled himself very well during the off-season and I don’t like the remarks he’s made since he’s been gone. I understand that baseball is a business and a player has to look out for himself, but Smoltz is still deminished in my eyes.
The Lemmer
August 19th, 2009
11:14 am
Brett Favre an idiot? Do you have his old SAT scores? College grades? Driver’s license test?
No need to name call…
HarveyPritchard
August 19th, 2009
11:17 am
Smoltz will break Gaylord Perrys record for longevity with respect to age pitching. Smoltz is such an incredible pitching speciman and keeps himself in pristine condition, Smoltzie is a pitching machine and an incredible pitching phenominon and will pitch until he is 79 years old. Hopefully by that time, Smoltzie will break Cy Youngs record for wins at 511.
Chris
August 19th, 2009
11:23 am
I hope both succeed, and win championships while going out on top (if the Braves or Steelers can’t). People say these athletes are selfish for wanting to continue their careers, but the fans somehow aren’t because you want their legacies to remain intact, so that YOU can have YOUR memories? Try to be more hypocritical, it’d be a good challenge for you.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 19th, 2009
11:26 am
Smoltz didn’t hold two franchises hostage for months on end while deciding whether his ego or his body was more important to him. I’m not clamoring for the Braves to bring Smoltz back, but he left the team with his head held high. Favre knows at this point how important it is for a QB to be signed and in training camp from day one so that he can build a relationship on the field with his teammates on offense, and he has shown repeatedly that his ego is more important.
I’m in the same boat as Schultz. I hope Smoltz succeeds and gets to retire having done well in his final season. I hope that not only does Favre crash and burn, but that Tarvaris Jackson leads that team to success once he’s gone, just to show what a complete waste Favre is at this point in his career.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 19th, 2009
11:29 am
And the funny thing is, as unhappy as Favre is about the Packers “pushing him out the door”, it turns out that they made the right decision. Aaron Rodgers right now is a hundred times the QB that Favre is, and it’s not out of the question that by the end of this year he’ll be top 5 in the league. Not to mention Rodgers doesn’t hold up the franchise for three months every offseason deciding whether he’ll play next year.
Dave
August 19th, 2009
11:32 am
I hope that his arm falls off and he never pitches again. Thanks again Smoltz for bad-mouthing the team that made you millions.
Jerk.
The Lemmer
August 19th, 2009
11:33 am
But Smoltz did bash the Braves after his departure…twice.
Lou Vales
August 19th, 2009
11:55 am
I’ll say it AGAIN. By now the Rogaine Man should have earned enough money for missionairy positions around the Globe. Since Smoltzie–What is it with the Braves and sophomoric nicknames??–appears to have a much better chance in a league that does not have potent lineups 1-9–I could see where he has a chance. With St. John united with the Man Who Invented Baseball that could be an unbeatable pairing.
I find it amusing how the good denizens of Atlanta shrug off being stiffed by a guy after 20 years and how they continue to live vicariously through his performances–Also see Glavine and Maddux.
Since John loves to evangelize it might be appropriate for someone to remind him of the Biblical verse describing the difficulties of a rich man getting into heaven. John’s camel is growing larger every year and the needle is staying the same size.
Lou Vales
August 19th, 2009
11:58 am
Smoltz is much smarter than Favre. If it was not for Favre’s FORMER ability to throw a football, does anyone have an iota of doubt that he would have spent his career working at a bait shop in Houma, LA. And I don’t mean as the owner.
bravesgal
August 19th, 2009
12:08 pm
The Red Sox fans are not too enamored with Smoltz. They feel for $5 million, he should have accepted the assignment to the minors to work on becoming a relief pitcher. Kinda agree with them.
GeorgiaDuck
August 19th, 2009
12:08 pm
I like Smoltz and hope he succeeds in St. Louis. That said, sometimes he just needs to shut up. It appears that Frank Wren was 2-0 with Glavine & Smoltz. Maybe Frank is a lot smarter than a lot of the “experts”.
Diamond Lil
August 19th, 2009
12:12 pm
Baldy has morphed into an egomaniac. i trust his wife FINALLY had enough of his act. The ONLY good thing about the folicly challenged John Boy is he does not utilize comb overs. Does he have anything to comb over?? What a goofy looking guy. Maybe he keeps playing baseball so he can wear a cap a good deal of the day. If I looked like John, I would wear it in the shower and when “involved”.
wxwax
August 19th, 2009
12:13 pm
Silly.
Enjoy the show. Relax. Live longer.
Stop fulminating. Of course, if you were to do so, you’d have to find another line of work.
BamaBrave
August 19th, 2009
12:17 pm
Smoltz simply has a massive, Olympic-sized ego, cloaked in an evangelical veneer. Favre, in my view, actually has a problem. He’s delusional and, on some level, addicted to the attention and the hype. People now tend to overlook the fact that he’s done this retirement dance now for about 6 years, not just the last two. He’s a sick puppy.
andrew
August 19th, 2009
12:24 pm
Some guys don’t knwo when to quit but Smoltz never went the mercenary route like Clemens did, doesn’t ask for special treatment or hold teams hostage like Clemens or Favre, no retirement flip flopping like those two did and we’re talking about Smoltz being a fifth starter at a low pay rate (well by mlb standards anyway!), not a starting qb, the most important position in all of sports at a ridiculous payrate. Suddenly Eli Manning’s contract doesn’t look so bad when a player in serious decline with health issues get paid nearly as much.
Dre
August 19th, 2009
12:50 pm
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE, GREED IS GREED. Smoltz does not know when to quit. At least Favre plays a sport where some semblance of fitness is a requirement.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
12:50 pm
Look guys, I’m a Christian. I can’t help it that I’m better than everyone else.
*shrugs shoulders* Watcha going to do?
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
12:52 pm
Dre, I’m physically fit.
Have I ever told you guys that I play golf with Tiger Woods? Have you ever heard of him?
Praise the Lord everyone.
Have a blessed day, my flock.
Paddy
August 19th, 2009
12:55 pm
As the great Yankees GM, Gabe Paul said; “be very careful when trading for someone elses aging super star”.”he might just lose you the game you really need to win”.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
12:57 pm
JC is my homeboy.
Peter
August 19th, 2009
1:01 pm
Gee Jeff…….You must be in the wrong cities……Why do you even care ?
Are you rooting for the Cards secretly ?
Laura
August 19th, 2009
1:07 pm
@ Dog Days – we’re not giddy about Smoltz. We know what we need and he is the best deal on the market who is available to fill the role of 5th in the rotation temporarily and to step into the set-up man role for Franklin.
We have other stuff to be giddy about, like Pujols, Holliday, Carpenter, and the fact that we’re 6 games ahead of the Cubs and hopefully on our way to the postseason and (God willing) another World Series win again. We’re not getting Smoltz to turn around the franchise. We just need him to fill a gap.
Kevin
August 19th, 2009
1:24 pm
If the Vikings play better than their opponents, they deserve to win. If the Cardinals play better than their opponents, they deserve to win. Talk about ego, WTF do you think you are telling people who DESERVES to win?
Lou Vales
August 19th, 2009
1:26 pm
Laura, When Tony is not getting DRUNK or fulminating on the heady machinations of a double switch, is that when he actually devotes time to animals. Hope a stray puppy never wandered in front of him while he was operating a motor vehicle. You must also admire his defense of the now invisible Home Run King. I’m betting Mark stays out of the public view due to his now diminished physical stature.
Tony, you are a BLANKING lawyer. You passed the BAR exam–well, more than once it appears, that does not make you Steven Hawking. Silly Man!! The double switch is not symbolic of quantum physics.
Smoltzie
August 19th, 2009
1:34 pm
Lou Vales – have you let JC into your life?
Herschel Talker
August 19th, 2009
1:41 pm
Lou Vales likes men
Lou Vales
August 19th, 2009
1:56 pm
Dear Herschel, I heard that said about your namesake. I’m sure it was not true.
Dear Smoltzie, I could take you a lot more seriously if you lost the combover and lost the silly nickname.
New Rule—If you are over 25 you can not be called Smoltzie, Chipper, Roachy or a similiar monicker. Time to grow up. Political figures, scions of industry, Nobel Laureates, Supreme Court Justices—They are not called by nicknames best having been lost at the age of 12.
Trainwreck
August 19th, 2009
1:57 pm
I love Smoltz and wish him well… Favre not so much… but both of them need to just go home, take a bath in all the money they have made, and stare at their trophy cases. If they wanna relive the glory days… make their own highlight film…
Trainwreck
August 19th, 2009
2:02 pm
Lou… since when are nicnames only for 12 year olds? Pretty sure they are fairly common in the sports world
Trainwreck
August 19th, 2009
2:03 pm
Just ask Chris Berman
Big AL
August 19th, 2009
2:16 pm
Will you just get off Favre! Who are you to say he shouldn’t play? He should play as long as he can complete, a team will give him an opportunity, and he still has the desire. If he changes his mind and retires 10 times, who cares. He didn’t force anyone to sign him, pay him big bucks, insert him as a starter. What the Heck is it to you? You can’t do it! You’re the whinning little baby that cries evertime he unretires. I am sick of hearing you cry about it. If he takes the team to the playoffs or God forbid the Super Bowl, you’ll be taken about how great he is. Please cry about something else from now on, I tired hearing your crap about Farve.
Hillbilly Deluxe
August 19th, 2009
2:18 pm
Wasn’t Whizzer White a Supreme Court Justice and over 25 at the time?
The Lemmer
August 19th, 2009
2:24 pm
Hahahahahahaha…..enjoying everyone today.
Reid Adair
August 19th, 2009
2:30 pm
The situations with John Smoltz and Brett Favre aren’t even close. Smoltz hasn’t publicly retired (Favre has – twice). Smoltz hasn’t said he was done and turned around two weeks later to sign with another team.
I’m convinced Favre just likes keeping his name out there. The sad part is, people won’t have forgotten him – and wouldn’t have WANTED to forget him – if he hadn’t flip-flopped so much.
Laura
August 19th, 2009
2:39 pm
Wow, Lou. That was intelligent.
When you can’t attack a manager’s credentials (your slam of the double switch was fairly ignorant, thanks), go for the personal life. It must have been really hard for you to think of something to say knocking his 2529 wins.
“OMG HE WAS TEH DRUNKZ!” Brilliant. Thank you ever so much for contributing to a valid discussion of baseball. I would make smart aleck comments about Bobby Cox, but I won’t stoop to your level since I respect Braves fans as fans of baseball. You might want to look into taking the same route.
UGASlobberknocker
August 19th, 2009
2:46 pm
Favre is a glory hound. I hope he throws 6 interceptions in the first game, gets sacked 6 times, and gets sent home on the bus back to the boonies.
I loved Smoltz when he was here ..he will be a Hall of Famer with a Braves hat on.
That said..wont he please just shut the hell up? He left here showing no dignity and very little class. The Braves didnt sign him because he is no longer any good. He proved it in Boston and he will suck in St L as well.
UGASlobberknocker
August 19th, 2009
2:49 pm
Lou, youre just mad because your nickname was “Loser” and you still have it at age 40.
UGASlobberknocker
August 19th, 2009
2:58 pm
I find it hard to rip Cardinal fans since they are prob the best baseball fans in the country. They show up no matter what, cheer the home team, dont boo the visitors, and appreciate great baseball. Im a Braves fabs since 1966, and im not crazy about LaRussa but the fans are awesome.
Ted Striker
August 19th, 2009
3:04 pm
Laura — I didn’t read what you wrote, but I read your name. Send me a photo and I might give a stink what you think.
LukeMerriman
August 19th, 2009
3:08 pm
Farve will lead the league in picks and have his worst season as a pro. Farve keeps coming back because he wants the media attention and he thinks he is bigger than ALL SPORTS combined. Farve somehow thinks his name is bigger than any sport, which is nonsense. Farve should go work on his farm and stay retired before he ruins his legacy. We’ll remember him for coming out of retirement too many times instead of what he did on the football field. COMMISSIONER ROGER GODDELL SHOULD STEP IN AND THROW FARVE OUT OF THE LEAGUE BEFORE FARVE RUINS THE NFL. ALSO THE COMMISH SHOULD IMPOSE A LIFETIME BAN ON FARVE FROM PLAYING IN THE LEAGUE TO KEEP THAT JOKER OUT OF THE LEAGUE. FARVES PRESENCE IS BAD FOR FOOTBALL BECAUSE AS I SAID FARVE THINKS HE IS BIGGER THAN ALL SPORTS COMBINED, WHICH IS FOOLS NONSENSE.
Laura
August 19th, 2009
3:09 pm
UGA, thank you – a lot of us aren’t sold on TLR either, but we try really hard to be good fans regardless. There for a time the Cards were the only thing worth noting in StL.
Ted, I would, but I don’t trust sending stuff through prison mail.
butch t
August 19th, 2009
3:21 pm
Geez Luke. Ban him from the NFL?
Relax, dude. It’s just football. If he stinks, then he’ll be gone soon enough, won’t he? I don’t get all the Brett hating. Wasn’t it the team that he played with for 16 years that pretty much said they didn’t want him anymore? So what’s he supposed to do. Go home and forget about it? I’m sure Shultzie will be writing for the Gwinnett Daily News when they get tired of him at the AJC.