Tom Glavine speaks and does himself a disservice
“The last thing I want to do was come in here and sound like a bitter athlete,” Tom Glavine said on 790 The Zone this morning.
Call that a swing and a miss.
My favorite Brave ever went on the radio (link requires registration) and did himself a massive disservice. He sounded like a bitter athlete. He called the Braves liars. He called them cheap. He said he’d been “misled and mistreated to a certain extent.”
And also this: “It could have been handled a whole lot better … This organization sometimes boxes itself in. They don’t ever take into account [that some] guys deserve to be treated a little bit differently.”
Tom Glavine was treated differently. He was handed a million dollars coming off shoulder surgery at the ancient age of 43. No other team would have given him a job — or a dime — without first seeing if he could pitch. The Braves gave him a million dollars. Then they took a long look and decided he couldn’t.
And now he’s mad. He’s mad because he had to drive (his estimation) “an hour and a half” to pitch in Rome on Tuesday. He’s mad because he worked hard to get into shape only to be told he wasn’t good enough to make the Braves’ 25-man roster. Had he been told, Glavine said, he was going to have to audition for a place on the team, he wouldn’t have signed the contract.
Loading ...So there it is: If he was going to try and make a comeback, Tom Glavine wanted a guaranteed roster spot. At age 43. After arm surgery.
Folks, this is not college. Athletes — even great athletes, which Glavine indisputably is — don’t get tenure. There comes a time when every athlete must realize he’s no longer the guy he was at 25 or 35 and step aside. And too many of them simply don’t grasp that. Too many of them walk away blaming somebody else for the inexorable march of time.
Glavine said on 790 he probably wouldn’t show up at Turner Field to honor Greg Maddux in July. Because he’s mad. But you know what else made him mad? That the lying, penny-pinching Braves didn’t offer him a job as a pitching consultant or something. Glavine is so mad he wants to have it both ways — or, more precisely, all his way.
But he’ll get over it. Guys invariably do. He’ll step back and realize he’s no longer a big-league pitcher, and the Braves will call and say, “We’re putting up a statue of you — will you come for the unveiling?” and he’ll say, “Yeah, sure.” And he’ll show up and smile and forget he ever called the Braves liars and cheapskates and he’ll join the broadcast team and forget how mad he felt in June 2009.
Rip-A-Hall-Of-Famer Friday: In case you missed it, here’s what I thought of John Smoltz’s criticism of the Braves for releasing Glavine.
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545 comments Add your comment
Shawn
June 5th, 2009
11:32 am
Don’t forget we also gave up a first round draft pick in last years entry draft when we signed Glavine.
DSC
June 5th, 2009
11:32 am
Glavine and Smoltz have been playing for 20 plus years-they know the business of baseball. Glavine and Smolze both made business decisions in the past 5 years to leave ATL but it’s not ok if the franchise makes business decisions? Grow up, shut up, and throw the ball!
varodrunner
June 5th, 2009
11:33 am
One last thing – I don’t like the poll question – It was a performance issue and a financial issue. His performance on his rehab starts clearly demonstrated that he is not the Glavine of old. Sure he got some AAA and AA batters out, but with much less velocity and command. The Braves saw that and made a decision based both on performance and money. Why pay someone a million dollars when their is one or two waiting in the wings for mcuh less?
Pete nose
June 5th, 2009
11:33 am
Come on people lets get past this cry babby.The Braves did the the right thing. he’s washed up.Its time to move on.i do wish Glavine the best but his days are over.It happens to all of us.The one thing i will miss though is those 25mp fastballs on the outside corner of the plate
Steven Daedalus
June 5th, 2009
11:33 am
It took Glavine five minutes to throw the Braves under the bus, why does he deserve any better. Just another typical spoiled ego. Good riddance and don’t let that door hit you in the back when you leave.
TurkWindom
June 5th, 2009
11:33 am
Tom Glavine should have been given the keys to the city the way he has treated the Braves organization. Tommy pitched an absolutely breathtaking ballgame which literally GAVE THE BRAVES THEIR WORLD SERIES championship in 1995. Without Tommy’s spectacular performance, the Cleveland Indians would have won that world series. The only time that I can recall when Tommy was somewhat obnoxious was when he was the player representative for major league baseball. I didnt like some of Tommy’s talks with respect to player issues. Buts thats about it. Ive always felt that Tommy has given the Braves far more than they ever gave him. And how do the Braves show their appreciation to Tommy by throwing him under the bus and then off the cliff without a parachute. The Braves are reckless fools for the way they have treated Tommy and I hope that the Braves have 15 straight years of losing and go back to their losing ways of the ’70s when they were the worst franchise in ALL MAJOR sports. The Braves suck!
Dip
June 5th, 2009
11:34 am
Tom – I thought baseball was a business?
The Real Gumby
June 5th, 2009
11:34 am
Oh, yeah, a little zip on his pitches and maybe the organization wouldn’t be so terrible. No one takes accountability for shortcomings/failures anymore. It’s always the fault of someone else. Sign of the times. Another sign of the times . . . the Braves may be again focused on putting the best players on the roster. Will Bobby put the best players on the field? How long will Francoeur be allowed to throw away precious at-bats?
Tommy G is old hat. Tell us about Hanson. Never speak again of Smoltz. That is for Boston and the chowder heads.
One more thing, Mark . . . do you have a pet name for Chipper? Do you call him, “Hoss”? Your answer may gain you new respect in the world of AJC blogdom.
BeachGaBulldog
June 5th, 2009
11:35 am
I am glad that Glavine is gone! The Braves did handle this poorly, but I haven’t liked Glavine since 1994 and his union crap. Jesus, he is making millions of dollars and he still isn’t satisfied. What a greedy loser! So, he was on my permanent s*** list, and then Mr. Greedy decides to bolt for the Mets, which by the way, he had a terrible record when he pitched for them against us. I said good riddance. Then, they bring this money hungry jerkoff back.
I don’t feel bad for him one bit. To hell with him!
Red
June 5th, 2009
11:36 am
Talk about kicking a guy while he’s down. You sound a little bitter yourself, Bradley.
chc4
June 5th, 2009
11:36 am
Glav shows his true colors w/ these comments. He expects to be treated differently because of who he is. What a joker. Last I checked he isn’t exactly the most liked guy in Braves history.
The biggest irony is that Glavine was upset at the Braves inital contract offer before the year. He turned it down, then they worked out the current contract. I would argue Glav wanting to pitch this year was all about money. He wanted one last paycheck before riding off into the sunset. Not that he needs it but let’s be real… once he retires that’s it for the multi-million dollar salaries. Never hurts to tack one more on at the end.
As for Smoltz, he needs to just shut up. Just wait… the Sox threw at least $5mm down the toilet by signing him. If he struggles or doesn’t pitch at all, I wonder if he’ll come out and praise Wren on his decision to not bow down and give him what he wanted. We love you Smoltzie but that doesn’t mean you always get your way. Now do yourself a favor and shut your piehole before you make a bigger a$$ of yourself. These guys are all big wheenies who get spoiled into thinking they are bigger than the team. Screw ‘em I say!
Mac
June 5th, 2009
11:36 am
It’s working out fine, pup. Neither the Braves, nor Liberty Media are your corner Mini-mart. Bad PR and perceived insensitive treatment can hurt your business. Paying Glavine $1 million and giving him a final bow would be a small price for the Braves or Liberty Media … if the way it was actually handled makes acquiring quality free agents next season more difficult. We’ve already seen Peavy (not a free agent), Burnett, Furcal and others rebuff the Braves. Did Smoltz’ treatment have anything to do with that? Maybe. If so, Glavine’s situation will add to it. Anyway, the roster bonus is not an astronomical PR price for a major league baseball team.
MatthewH
June 5th, 2009
11:36 am
SAVE A BUCK- You are msitaken. The South does not memoralize and celebrate its past?!? The South has been accused of the exact opposite of that for years! We have been told that we need to let go of the past. We have been told to ignore our past. I never thought I would see a day when the South is criticized for NOT celebrating its past. Weird.
Also, how were the Braves going to offer him a coaching job if he still wanted to play? As I mentioned in an earlier comment, he asked to be released.
Tbone
June 5th, 2009
11:36 am
Spot on, Bradley. Very well balanced and accurate article. Just as coaches can never be objective with their son’s talent…..seldom can a legend know when the career is done. Glav says it wasn’t about performance. Uh, dah!!! How many times does he actually think he could get through the 2nd with a 70 ish mph “fastball”? And what would that make the infamous outside corner changeup…..60?
Thanks for your wonderful career, Glav. Now go about the biz of being a great ambassador, hall of famer, and legendary former Brave!
Kimmer
June 5th, 2009
11:37 am
To quote a famous movie cliche. “What we have here is a failure to communicate”. Sounds like the Braves were thinking one thing and Glavine was thinking something else. What the Braves might have done better was make it clear to him what his chances were of making the roster and what Glavine should have realized is that unless he has it written on a piece of paper signed by the Braves there are no guaranteed roster spots in ANY sport. In reality the Braves shot themselves in the foot trying to be Mr. Niceguy. They should have nipped this in the bud prior to the season by strongly insisted he retire then and cut him loose then if he chose not to do so.
Dr.R
June 5th, 2009
11:37 am
The Braves did offer Glavine a chance to go out smoothly but he turned it down. Save a Buck obviously is a union organizer of sorts who thinks the business world owes us something. Nobody owes anybody anything. You work for a paycheck, and when you can’t get the job done any more, you go somewhere else. It’s got nothing to do with north-south. It’s got to do with being a man and taking responsibility for yourself instead of looking for Big Brother to take care of you. Go back your villa in Havana and preach to the revolutionary choir (by the way, they have some pretty good ballplayers down there who aren’t allowed to earn a big-league salary because of the leftist policies of their government.)
"Some guys deserve to be treated differently"
June 5th, 2009
11:37 am
What can you say about the selfishness of a guy who thinks that guys like him “deserve to be treated differently”. He’s probably the same guy who doesn’t think he should ever stand in line because after all he is Tom Glavine.
I lost all respect for this guy years ago when he was talking about umpires strike zones and he stated that veteran pitchers like himself should be given the benefit of the call on close calls on pitches by virtue of having been in the league for awhile and having “paid their dues”. So this is a guy who thinks that if he is pitching against a rookie or 2nd year pitcher and the both make the same borderline pitch that he should get the pitch called a strike while the young pitcher should get the same pitch called a ball. Why? Because at this point Glavine had been in the league longer and had “paid his dues”.
If Brett Favre comes back for another year we should apply Tom Glavine’s logic and when Favre comes to the line of scrimmage it should be first and 9 instead of first and 10. Why? Because just like Glavine in baseball Favre “paid his dues” and thus deserves an unfair advantage over a rookie qb like say Matt Stafford.
What a selfish, egotistical, narcissistic punk. I should get this or that advantage because I’ve paid my dues or ” some guys like me deserve to be treated differently”.
This guy is worthless.
Mustang Sally
June 5th, 2009
11:37 am
I think Tom dumped the braves a while ago – and I vaguely remember Tom being way “pro-union / pro-strike” a few years ago… I used to like to watch him pitch, but after the shenanigans, to be honest I was disappointed the braves welcomed him back…ancient and all, arm surgery and all. Sort of stinks that the braves are out the $ they could spent on some young-buck I’d like to watch more.
chc4
June 5th, 2009
11:37 am
Mac — easy to say when it’s not your money, right?
Tami
June 5th, 2009
11:38 am
I agree. He’s just mad. But, WHO or WHAT to be mad at – now that’s the question. I’m a year and a half older than Tom, and it’s still hard to believe that at this age we can be considered “too old” for anything. But, the realization of time and age can sometimes surprise and even shock most folks, mainly due to the rapidity by which we’ve reached that age. The fact that the Braves management offered to retire Tom tells me that they agonized over this decision. They may have even allowed him to continue in rehab longer than they would have allowed many other ball players simply because he is Tom Glavine. When Tom has cooled down a bit, perhaps he will find that he’s just mad because time & age finally caught up to him, disallowing the exit from his playing career the way he likely imagined & dreamed he might go out. He’d make a great color analyst for some MLB team (preferably for the Braves) if coaching isn’t something he’s leaning towards. Whatever he decides, I wish him all the best.
edward
June 5th, 2009
11:39 am
Hoosier, you are absolutely correct. Murphy was all-around total class. He ASKED to be traded so the Braves could bring up Justice. He knew he could be a bridge for other teams and that’s what he did. When he left I was saddened beyond belief. I guess he just knew better that it was time to go even though he still had some pop.
The only player I know of now that will go out when it is time is Chipper. I am sure that when we all look back, Chipper and Murphy are the 2 classiest guys we have ever seen in the last 20+yrs of Braves baseball.
People want to talk about Glavine and Smoltz being money-hungry. Remember when Maddux had the choice of another team or arbitration? No one would pick him and he suddenly took the 16-18million option. No one expected it and it hurt the team financially. Why hasn’t anyone mentioned that?? 16million is WAY more than 2million. Plus he was only good for 5-6 innings. Killed our bullpen.
So it looks like all of the “Big Three” tried to “steal” money from the Braves at the end.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
11:39 am
I wrote the other night that Bobby Cox was almost in tears when he spoke of Glavine after the game. Bobby loves Glavine like a son. But Bobby also knows this is a business.
Bill
June 5th, 2009
11:39 am
“In Baseball nobody has a life time contract”..MB == Tell that to Bobby Cox fans. He needs to go .
Great blog Ron Roberts.
Thanks Mark…much better.
TO MARK
June 5th, 2009
11:39 am
Glavine has every right to be bitter and voice his opinion about how the Braves lied. It’s called 1st amendment rights. And as far as “doing himself a disservice” by not making waves and running the risk of hurting the poor Braves’ image? Shame on you. It’s his right – especially because the Braves weren’t honest with HIM.
Ted Striker
June 5th, 2009
11:39 am
Anytime someone says “The last thing I want to do was come in here and sound like a _______ (whatever word or phrase they choose)”, they sound exactly like a _______.
Occam’s razor, folks. “The simplest explanation is most likely the correct explanation.”
Rev. Otis Nixon
June 5th, 2009
11:41 am
mark, so how do you think bobby will feel when he hears what glavine’s been saying, that he wants to “shove it up their…”?
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
11:42 am
Why, thanks, Bill. I’m trying to work on my velocity, as it were.
And you know it’s a great day when Stephen Daedalus posts all the way from Ireland. (James Joyce reference.)
LT-A blogger
June 5th, 2009
11:42 am
The Braves organizational loyalties should be first and foremost to the fans. They have the obligation to put the best, most competitive team on the field. Wren made a hard decision and fufilled that obligation.
I am a Glavine fan because of what he did for the Braves not because he is Tom Glavine. The fact of the matter is Hanson, by all coaches estimation, is better than Glavine.
Dr.R
June 5th, 2009
11:43 am
Nah, Chipper will do the same thing. As I said, ballplayers are arrogant to a degree because you need to be in order to play a ridicuously hard game at such a high level. You have to have an ego the size of Montana to think you can succeed against the world’s best. It comes with the territory. In time, when they’re retired for awhile, it wears off and they come back to a closer sense of reality. You see it in Favre, we saw it in Jordan when he kept hanging on. The great ones will always see themselves as special until it’s overtly clear that their specialness has faded. And in nearly every case, fans and their coaches and teammates realize it long before they do.
PopeyeJones
June 5th, 2009
11:43 am
Tom Glavine should sue the Braves organization for fraud. They tricked him into joining their team just so they could slam the door in his face! OOuch!
Benjamin
June 5th, 2009
11:43 am
Mark, you keep writing things like this, and I’ll start liking you. lol
Great article. I’m surprised so many people are down on the move and commenting in here. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a no-brainer, and Bradley hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head. Whether Wren wants to admit it or not for PR reasons, it was a business decision and the Braves are better off having made it.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
11:43 am
And now Occam makes an appearance! His razor, too! (Thanks, Ted.)
The Real Gumby
June 5th, 2009
11:46 am
A lot of fans didn’t care to see Tom come back after his time with the Mets. I guess they didn’t want to deprive him of the cultural experience that first drew him to NY – museums, theatre, and the like. He came back to Atlanta to mixed reviews. Sure, having Glavine beat sending Buddy Carlyle to the mound . . . but, now, not having Glavine will allow Hanson and/or other strong young arms to pitch. Maybe the games will be more competitive. For one, I did not like to attend games when Glavine pitched. Dink here, dink there, and when he didn’t get the corners from the umpire . . . !
Tommy, Smoltz, Leo . . . you left the Braves, fellas. Don’t expect anything special in your Christmas stockings. Loyalty works both ways. Crybabies all – and yesterday’s news. Mark, the blog is burning up. You have more hits than the AJC will publish papers today – and you did it all without the splash of color now found in the AJC.
Johnny Rocco
June 5th, 2009
11:46 am
We usta have bums like this back in my day. Didn’t wanna retire…thought we owed ‘em somethin’. We’d hafta take em out to th docks and retire ‘em for good. Those were the days in Chicago. We usta go to this restaurant afterwards…they served up pompano in a brown paper bag. Served it with champagne. Ahh…champagne and pampano…nothin like it.
Just wondering?
June 5th, 2009
11:47 am
What is the difference between a yankee and a dam yankee? Which one is Glavine and Smoltz?
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 5th, 2009
11:47 am
As I posted yesterday, Glav hasd earned $128,000,000 over his career, most of it wearing a Braves uni.
Glavine should have taken the high road.
FlashGordon
June 5th, 2009
11:48 am
How could someone be foolish enough to say that Tom Glavine is baseball’s Farve, implying Tommy hanging around too long. Listen folks, when Tommy went down to Triple-A, he pitched like Cy Young down there, PITCHING SCORELESS INNING AFTER SCORELESS INNING. When Tommy Hansen was called up it should have been Tommy Glavine instead of Tommy Hansen. They literally called up the wrong Tommy; I can assure you. Like I said yesterday, next season, as sure as I’m standing here, TOM GLAVINE WILL WIN THE CY YOUNG AWARD NEXT YEAR AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT ONE TO THE BANK!
BamaBrave
June 5th, 2009
11:48 am
I’d like to take Glavine, Smoltz AND Brett Favre and ship their spoiled asses to Afghanistan so they can get a reality check on life. Spend a week with some of our GIs, perhaps. For most of their adult lives they’ve heard that they’re great people, wonderful human beings with magical talents and gifts – and it’s ALL about them. Now they believe it. Good riddance. Let’s move on.
Mac
June 5th, 2009
11:48 am
Yes, that does make it much easier. Just like it’s easier to be an investment adviser than an investor.
PS
June 5th, 2009
11:48 am
TO: SOME GUYS SHOULD BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY: YES, All stars should be treated differently. Most TOP NOTCH ORGANIZATIONS TREAT THEM THIS WAY.
There aren’t too many all star hall-of-famers on any given team. Plus, Smoltz, Maddux and HIM were the ones who put the franchise on the map.
Yes – there are a few who deserve to be treated differently than all the rest. Think before you write.
don
June 5th, 2009
11:49 am
The Braves handled both the Glavine matter and the Smoltz matter poorly. The Braves should expect no loyalty because they extend none. How soon they forget that these two plus Maddux are what brought the division, league, and one WS banners- it sure wasn’t because of Cox, Mazzone, Schuerholz, or Wren.
Pitiful but completely in character.
Kissell
June 5th, 2009
11:50 am
You think anybody cud turn a 6-1-8 double play NOW?? They got nuthin’ but BUMS now!!
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 5th, 2009
11:50 am
Braves ” wanted him to get hurt “. Just insane.
Ted Striker
June 5th, 2009
11:50 am
The Franciscan friar, William of Ockham rates high in my book, slightly behind John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich. Both dudes simplified my life with their contributions. Of course I’m high on Frank Capra, Sinatra, and whoever invented the martini and the wonderbra.
PMC
June 5th, 2009
11:51 am
Along the lines of Occam’s Razor…. anytime Frank Wren or Terry Mcguirk speaks and says… it wasn’t about money it was about performance… It’s about money. The reason Tommy Hanson wasn’t pitching in the majors already…money.
Everything in any business is about money, It would just be nice if they would come out and tell the truth for once rather than dancing around it and parading BS everytime they speak.
The only thing any corportation ultimately gives a crap about is money. They don’t care about you. Fans are the only ones emotionally invested and they prey on that to try and drag you out to buy tickets and 7 dollar beers.
To: "Just wondering"
June 5th, 2009
11:51 am
That’s “Damn” Yankee. “Dam is something on the south end of Lake Lanier, you uneducated hick!
PMC
June 5th, 2009
11:52 am
Hell the purpose of this blog is to sell advertising.
Mac
June 5th, 2009
11:52 am
I still stand by what I wrote, but Glavine and Smoltz are both being babies. Glavine should retire, make nice with the Braves and become an elder statesman/ambassador for the team a la The Hammer.
Jp Swain
June 5th, 2009
11:52 am
I think the Braves could’ve handled the situation differently- even if it was just offering him a job in the organization somewhere- whether or not he took it. He’s a competitor, and he doesn’t know when to stop- most of them don’t.
Of course he ought to show up in July for Mad Dog- because he may not like the Braves right now, but he and Maddux were team mates for 10 years, and that ought to count for something.
The Real Gumby
June 5th, 2009
11:53 am
Of course we know there is no collective bargaining in baseball . . . but a union guy that wants to be “treated differently” is kinda refreshing. I hope Tom’s cold ring finger warms up now that he has time to work in the yard at home. Yesterday’s news.