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
JEB
June 5th, 2009
11:53 am
Smoltz & Glavine are Braves icons.
But, when you are over 40 yrs. old, coming off of arm surgery – it is different when you are coming off of arm surgery at 20 – 35 yrs. old.
Everything is a gamble at that point!
Glavine and Smoltz were on rehab – at over 40 yrs. old – who knows if they can come back at all?? (They say they are determined to do so – but can they?? Will they??) It’s a gamble!
Glavine would be the first one – always – to say “this is a business!”
This was a business decision – the business of winning ball games.
At this time we are 6 games behind Phillies – Tommy Hanson does give us a better chance at making up the difference – as well as Mclouth.
As a LONG time Braves fan – for over 30 yrs. – I am nostalgic over Glavine and Smoltz – but as a Braves fan, I like to see my team win ball games, (and in these constantly changing times – with names moving in and out of the team) I adjust – and want to see the best team we can have on the field.
I do, however, think the situation could have been handled better. I could think of several different scenarios – it just didn’t happen that way though.
So, in the words of all these players, coaches, and owners “It’s a business”. The business of winnning baseball games.
Reality Time
June 5th, 2009
11:53 am
Flash Gordon, you are delusional.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 5th, 2009
11:53 am
FlashGordon-FYI first outing @ Gwinett, Hit HARD with great defense behind him, offense got him off the hook from a MINOR LEAGUE LOSS.
NORRIS
June 5th, 2009
11:53 am
Glavine is showing his true colors. He is holding a grudge that affects the fans and his friends. By stating that he wasnt going to come to see Maddox honored is very childish. The fans still love him.
But he admitted that the move to let him go was financial. He understood that the only way to get the trade done was to release him.
so he is selfish enought that he would rather have his glory and ego stroked and not improve the team with what it needed and that was an outfielder and not another pitcher. I have always enjoyed watching the man play ball but these guys egos are ridiculous. Its about putting a winning team on the field. We are not owned by ted turner anymore. We cant just throw money out there to everyone and anyone. We are owned by a company and we have to work within the budget.
GROW UP GLAVINE and recognize that although it would have been nice to have you. They had to make the tuff love decision and decide what was best for the team.
George
June 5th, 2009
11:54 am
Shed no tears for Tom Glavine. He will never miss a meal, always have a fat portfolio, cash in his pocket, and his name in the Hall of Fame. Fewer than a few people in this country can have that. Thanks for the memories, but please sit down and be quiet.
Nativebird
June 5th, 2009
11:54 am
Tom Glavine, meet Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Tom Glavine.
BamaBrave
June 5th, 2009
11:54 am
LOL – KILL A COMMIE FOR MOMMY! GUNG HO!!! SEMPER FI! Anyone who voices their concerns should go to Iraq and see what them jarheads is puttin’ up with!
YOU = IGNORANT HICK!
varodrunner
June 5th, 2009
11:54 am
Flash,
That’s a joke, right?
rick
June 5th, 2009
11:54 am
Great Article Mark. You nailed it perfectly! With Tom, it was always about doing things on his terms. He expected to be treated like royalty because he felt he earned it, should be given the benefit of the doubt, be-damned what’s best for the Braves!
Marie
June 5th, 2009
11:54 am
Nice article, Mark.
Again, MEMO TO JOHN SMOLTZ: You are in Boston. Don’t worry about the Braves, NOT YOUR PROBLEM.
varodrunner
June 5th, 2009
11:56 am
Come on FLASH, I have to know – It was a joke – RIGHT?
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
11:56 am
A personal favorite: Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside. Invented sideburns.
SMART
June 5th, 2009
11:56 am
Celebrate your great players – treat them with more respect than the rest – it’s the right thing to do.
And as for the comparisons to Favre, are you insane? Favre year in and year out made demands on the Packers and now trying to stick it to them again. Glavine , on the other hand, never did that – are you people that dumb?
GooseGivens
June 5th, 2009
11:57 am
Its true that Smoltz and Glavine are ancient and are too old to pitch. But because both have done so much for the Braves organization, they should be given a pass and be made an exception for. In other words, if Smoltz and Glavine were in wheelchairs, they should still be allowed to pitch for the Braves. Both of those guys should continue to be paid by the Braves for the remainder of their lives as far as I’m concerned.
AJC
June 5th, 2009
11:57 am
MB,
Tommy Glavine’s comments were not very apropos in my opinion.
NORRIS
June 5th, 2009
11:57 am
glavine says he wont come to see maddox honored. what does that say he is? he doesnt care about his friends or the fans. Its all about his ego.
Dr.R
June 5th, 2009
11:58 am
Flash Gordon, getting out minor league kids 19 and 20 and getting out major leaguers are completely different matters. People who know baseball know that. And if you’d like to put a little cash on your Cy Young prediction, I’ll take a slice of that action. As for the fact that Glavine and Smoltz were the reason for the Braves’ success in years past, I agree. But that championship was in 1995, 14 blinking years ago. You can’t cling to the past in a sport that moves this fast. Kids born that year are headed to high school in the fall. You can’t put a team on the field that sucks today because you’re stuck on whatever glory you achieved more than a decade ago. But again, there are real baseball people who understand these things, and there are casual fans who think it’s all a reality show and don’t understand the real nature of competition. The rest of you should stick to collecting baseball cards and bobbleheads and leave the real game to those of us who know what we’re looking at.
kirkinga
June 5th, 2009
11:58 am
Glavine may have done himself a disservice, but it is not like the results he got in his rehab starts suggested this release. That’s the problem, that’s a fact missing in this article’s analysis of the situation.
If he had continued to pitch and attain the results of his first rehab start, then no one would question this move. But he didn’t, he got better results with each start. We are also told, or it is implied, that the radar readings were faulty. Well if they were false for Glavine, they’re faulty for every pitcher including Hanson.
Lastly, the idea that putting Hanson in the 5th spot gives the Braves a better chance to win, is a hope. As great as Hanson has been and looked from Spring Training on, we still don’t know if the guy can win at the big league level. So that rationale is bumkus too.
Again, he did sound bitter to some, but it is not as if there are any circumstances that support what he says about the Braves’ handling of his situation. I hope for the Braves that he is wrong because karma is a ….well, you know.
BooHoo Crybaby Glavine
June 5th, 2009
11:58 am
Boo-Hoo! Glavine you crybaby shutup! Just like you said when you took more money to play for the Mets “It’s not about the money.”
Now that the shoe is on the other foot you whine. Get over it you overrated douche. Go home and let your millions of dollar comfort you.
It’s always about money with you. You have no loyalty to anything else, why should any be shown to you?
Good riddance phony!
TBraveFan
June 5th, 2009
11:58 am
Once again- just when I think you can’t appear more ridiculous – I see this headline. Bradley go back to whatever it was before you tried to be a sports writer… you have no clue.
The Braves organization is totally classless, cold and this situation – along with a string of others – could have and SHOULD have been handled much more appropriately. Tommy has every right to call them out on how this was handled -as does everyone else – it was mishandled in the most inappropriate manner.
Roger
June 5th, 2009
11:59 am
Lest ye forget Glavine, you’re the one that made the choice to go to the Mets a few years ago. It was your choice. Now the Braves organization is giving you a little bit of your own medicine. Take it like a man and move on. There is nothing I would love to see more than Glavine pitch for “My” Braves, but Father Time has taken that day away. I do wish the Braves had just told him all of this before he worked so hard to re-hab and get ready. I guess if I were Glav, I’d be ticked a little bit too.
NORRIS
June 5th, 2009
11:59 am
AMEN to Dr. R. I AGREE!!
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
12:00 pm
OK, AJC, you went and did it. You made me laugh.
Jake
June 5th, 2009
12:01 pm
Baby beater turns crybaby. The man fashioned a Hall of Fame career out of umpires that would call strikes as if the plate were 20 inches wide and babybeating those weak Pittsburg, Phildelphia, Montreal, and Florida teams all those years. When the chips were down this loser was only 14-16 in the post season. I remember my 10 year old daughter waiting 45 minutes through batting practice only to be told “I don’t sign on days when I’m pitching” by this wonderful role model. It’s perfect justice to see him old and worthless and whining like my daughter did that day!
AJC
June 5th, 2009
12:01 pm
If (gigantic if) the Braves win 25 of their next 30 games, what Glavine & Smotlz think, will not matter to the Braves fans.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 5th, 2009
12:02 pm
FlashGordon_ Please let me borrow your time machine as I have some unfinished prom business in the back seat of my parent’s car.
John Rocker
June 5th, 2009
12:02 pm
I dont understand what all the fuss is?
Ted Striker
June 5th, 2009
12:02 pm
I’d never heard of Ambrose Burnside. When I was little, my mom always told me to learn something new each day, so this meets the quota! I may have a martini now, as a salute to Frank, Dean, Sammy, Pete & Joey. (Yeah, and you too. I know you probably stick to your diet coke but hang out with me one afternoon or evening and you’ll be writing columns in sanskrit.)
Dawg Fud
June 5th, 2009
12:03 pm
i love Glavine, but it was time. he had one good season with the Mets and when he pitched against the Braves we dominated him.
it was okay to lead the charge in 1994. it was okay to leave the Braves for the Mets. Tom did these things because he felt it was in his best interest. now, the Braves are doing what they feel is in the franschise’s best interest and Tom wants to cry foul and pout.
I love Tom Glavine but he is acting manipulative and unprofessional right now. he needs to take a step back, re-evaluate the situation and count his blessings. i love his fire and competitive spirit. but that’s all the Braves evaluated it was – spirit, not ability.
haney
June 5th, 2009
12:04 pm
I personally lost respect for Glavine when he bolted Atlanta for the Mets. I always thought he was arrogant but no doubt he was a very good pitcher in his prime for the Braves. Yes, he was the player rep and thus felt he had or maybe was pressured to take the higher offer. I can get that to a point and my memory fails me but I am thinking there other teams besides the Mets and Braves bidding for his services back in 2002-Mark you might know this better than I. My problem was, why pick a divisional rival? Also, the standard of living in NYC is so much higher than in the ATL, not to mention having to have another home up there during the season, being away from his young children?? So, greed/business decision was the reason for him leaving back in 2002.
Fast forward to 2009, there is NO DOUBT the decision to release Glavine at least partially was financially driven-I actually agree with him on that. Just as the decision to call up Reyes and Medlin were stop gaps for the Braves to keep Hanson in the minors until after June 1st. Wren can say this is not true but this ownership group has proven to be very tight with money. But, back to Glavine, the Braves decided that Tommy Hanson was a better 5th starter than Tommy Glavine-a business decision and the correct move. The Braves have scouts that know what they are doing and those scouts advised them that Glavine could not get out hitters at the big league level. So, they told Tommy and he got huffy about it. I actually understand his reaction because any top level athlete is a fierce competitior and does not like to be told he can’t do something. He also doesn’t want to go out of baseball like this. But, I will be surprised if many teams line up for his services now. If he plays somewhere else, his reasons will be strictly for spite because he has publicly stated he would pitch in Atlanta or nowhere citing his family and knowing this would be his last year to play. Let’s just see what happens next.
Leroy Updike
June 5th, 2009
12:04 pm
Enter your comments here
Bob Horner
June 5th, 2009
12:04 pm
Mr. Glavine, I knew Dale Murphy and you’re no Dale Murphy!
1911A1
June 5th, 2009
12:05 pm
SorryTom @ 11:00:
This.
Nativebird
June 5th, 2009
12:06 pm
“Absolutely, they were hoping I got hurt, no question in my mind,” Glavine said.
Ya know, in all honesty, there are just some people in this world that could use a good bu++ Wh00p1n. Really, it would positively do them wonders in terms of bringing their outlook back into balance. But alas, lawyers. This is what they’ve created.
Dr.R
June 5th, 2009
12:06 pm
Again, “results” on a rehab start aren’t just about getting out children. To those of you who spend time watching soap operas and amateur football, let me explain. The velocity Glavine lacked meant that his best pitch, the changeup, would be less effective as well. Hitters can sit on something at a certain speed if there isn’t another pitch of a different speed to upset their timing. Glavine’s fastball was about 82, his changeup 75 to 77. That’s not enough difference to fool real, major league hitters. It’s plenty good enough to get out Class A hitters, but that means absolutely nothing. Anyway, what’s the point of having scouts and coaches in the organization evaluate talent if you’re not going to use their expertise? To a man, they said Glavine would be ineffective against major league hitters. I tend to believe them. Wait and see how many other teams show interest in him. It will be a very short list, I assure you. They’re saying to themselves, “If the Braves couldn’t use this guy, why should we bother?
BoatRacer
June 5th, 2009
12:06 pm
From the reports I saw Glavine was only throwing in the 70’s. At that speed I could hit him and I’m past retirement. The Braves should have never resigned him. You never go backwards.
Reid Adair
June 5th, 2009
12:06 pm
Mark, let’s start with the fact that Frank Wren has a history of lying. He told the public that the Braves’ offer to John Smoltz was very similar to Boston’s. It wasn’t.
None of us know what the agreement was between Glavine and the Braves. None of use were there when they met. Personally, I have never known Glavine to lie; Frank Wren has (see above).
I know we disagree, but I don’t see what at least one start at the Major League level would have hurt for a team that is struggling to stay at .500.
I do know that not bringing Glavine up saved the organization at least $1 million – and even though Wren says that wasn’t a factor, I believe it was. A big one.
south ga boy
June 5th, 2009
12:07 pm
mark you are right, can we please stop the madness of crying crocodile tears for a guy who has made over 100 mil playin baseball. glavine talking about loyalty is rich, he walked away in a tizzy to the hated mets cuz the braves wouldnt guarantee a 3rd yr for 10 or 11 mil and says its just business, now the braves decide he cant hack it anymore and suddenly their the bad guys, hey tom the braves would have you out there sat if they thought you could help, they dont, its just business tom. its was good enought for you 5 yrs ago, now take your medicine, thanks for the memories and stop crying. and mark if henson does well the braves fan will be singing the praises of letting tom go, its a business, right tom
Rodney
June 5th, 2009
12:08 pm
Mr. Bradley the last time I recalled you got free tickets to get into the games with you Media Pass. But as a 10+ years season pass holder with four seats behind first baseline I didn’t like the treatment and was embarrassed as a paying fan, not one that just read about in paper, or online. Yes, the team has been improved that’s great thanks Mr. Wren BUT I have a problem with mistreating and disrespecting those persons who help to make this franchise what it is today. It’s funny that the Atlanta Braves Club went on this media tour talking about how Furcal, and other potential free agent players had mistreated and/or used the Braves and then they turn around and do it to one of our own players.
Wayne
June 5th, 2009
12:08 pm
Tommy, it is just like what the doctor tells my mother at age 94. Some of the pains and strains and inabilities are just because of age. You were let go because there is a young 95+ mph arm in waiting. I agree it was handled wrong, but appears to be how Frank Wren handles things-last minute with no thought of the individual. What did you expect from management-look at what business are doing to their employees. Some just shut the doors and don’t even notify their employees. When was the last time you call and consoled one of them for being mistreated.
Leroy Updike
June 5th, 2009
12:10 pm
Some of your comments could have some validity under different circumstances, Mark. However, the main thing you are not doing is putting yourself in Tom’s shoes. Try that and your analysis goes away. “Respect” is a word for which the Braves’ front office has it’s own new meaning and it starts with a big $$$$ sign. This is not the same upstanding management that prevailed for 14 years!!!
Wayne
June 5th, 2009
12:11 pm
Hey, Tommy it’s just baseball, not rocket science. It’s not like you lost you little old job at GM. I hope you saved a few dollars to pay the power bill and buy food for the kids. It’s not like you lost a REAL JOB.
Suze
June 5th, 2009
12:12 pm
I was a huge baseball fan for several years in the late 80s/early 90s. Until the day when, as the player union rep, Glavine made the flip remark about how “the fans don’t pay my salary”. I’ve never been back to a Braves game since. Then there was his defection to the Mets. In both cases, he wanted to make us think (as Michael Corleone would) that it was just “business”. And so is this; the Braves have made a business decision which screws him in the process. Karma’s a wonderful thing.
P Rose
June 5th, 2009
12:14 pm
I Am Glavine
by Tom Glavine
I am Glavine, hear me roar
With numbers too big to ignore
And I’ve done too much to be kept off the team
Though I’ve won 300 games
Yet I still need more acclaim
Now the Braves have tried to hurt my self esteem
Whoa, yes, I am old
And my elbow feels the pain
The Braves have paid the price
For all the weight I’ve gained
For my ego, I will do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am Glavine
They can bend but never break us
‘Cause it only serves to make us
More determined to achieve our sad revolts
And we’ll come back even stronger
We’re not rookies any longer
They’ll be sorry that they messed with me and Smoltz
Whoa, yes, I’m a jerk
Yes, and Smoltzie’s half-insane
And the Braves have made me rich
So why do I complain?
‘Cause I’m stupid, I don’t know anything
I am dumb (dumb)
I am irascible (iracible)
I am Glavine
Dr.R
June 5th, 2009
12:14 pm
The other thing you guys lose sight of is that $1 million bucks, which is what the team would have owed Glavine, is to a ballclub what $50 is to you and me. It’s chump change. The fact is, they’re in danger of fading from the race if they don’t start stringing together wins. You put a damaged old pitcher out there for 4-5 starts, you might not only lose all those games, but you’ll probably gas out your bullpen when he only goes three or four innings. Then you wind up releasing him anyway, paying him a million, and now he’s even more humiliated because his last Braves memories were of him getting his clock cleaned and Bobby taking the ball from him while some fans are still parking their cars. I just don’t see that being a better scenario for anyone but the Phillies and Mets.
GL
June 5th, 2009
12:14 pm
$8,000,000 for 63 innings last year. $1,000,000 fo zero innings this year. The mistake the Braves made was ever bringing him back. Glavine has been a shell of a pitcher for several years.
Beauregard
June 5th, 2009
12:14 pm
The Braves would have “handled it better” if Glavine hadn’t tried to “hang on” forever. Maddux retired gracefully because he wasn’t nearly the pitcher he used to be. Glavine obviously couldn’t see what he’d become. And just because Glavine kept saying he didn’t want to “hang on” past his prime, that’s EXACTLY what he was doing. Tough love is the only option at that point, and that’s what Tommy got.
Wayne
June 5th, 2009
12:15 pm
Tom Glavine-another spoiled, over-paid ball player. Cry us a river you POOR mistreated rich kid. By the way, who made you such a rich kid. The fans, the braves or maybe both. But mainly the BRAVES.
BringOnHanson
June 5th, 2009
12:16 pm
I find myself again agreeing with Mark Bradley on this one. There is never a good way to say goodbye to someone who has been a part of your organization particularly when they have been as good as Tom Glavine has been. I see both sides of this issue. Glavine DID walk away from Atlanta to go to the NY Mets. The fact that he wanted to back out of his agreement with them and return to Atlanta notwithstanding, he didn’t pitch very well prior to his injury last season, he was injured, he is 43 years old and Atlanta is trying to compete for a playoff position in 2009. In a perfect world, this COULD have been handled better. There is no doubt about it. Frank Wren found himself in the position of having to make a very difficult decision about a very popular player while trying to address the needs of this team. Did he address the needs of the team? I believe so. Tommy Hanson will offer more to the Braves pitching staff than Tom Glavine could at this point. The trade for Nate McLouth also addresses the need for offense from the outfield. Had Wren not made a trade to fill this need, he would have been under fire for standing pat. I don’t envy Frank Wren for the position he was in or the decision he had to make. Other decisions are coming soon. Tim Hudson returns in the next couple months and a decision will have to be made at that point. The likely pitchers affected are Kenshin Kawakami, Javier Vazquez and Tommy Hanson. Much will happen between now and then that will impact exactly how this decision is made. IF Vazquez continues to pitch as he has and Hanson performs as many believe he will, Kawakami may be moved to the bullpen or be dealt. A more likely turn of events would see Vazquez dealt for another bat which I feel that the Braves will sorely need at deadline time. At that point, the need for a fifth starter decreases and Wren may be compelled to move someone. These moves will create more of a stir among Braves fans, but I really believe they are coming.
John Smoltz gets his wittle feelings hurt. Imagine that. | Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
12:16 pm
[...] Friday: In case you missed it, here’s what I thought of Tom Glavine’s appearance on 790 the Zone this [...]