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
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
12:20 pm
P Rose, your screen name doesn’t begin to do you justice. You’re not writing prose — you’re a poet.
I laughed out loud at this one. Three times. A blog record.
Braves4life
June 5th, 2009
12:21 pm
Smoltz and Glavine STAYED HURT and lived off of their legacy they built with the Braves. If Smoltz really loved the braves he would have stayed. Glavine left for greener pastures and got BLASTED everytime he faced Atlanta.
These guys were faithful to a certain extent and I feel the Braves have been faithful to a point. However, how to you tell a Smoltzy and a Glavy they are finished and not piss them off? They ran the joint forever and they they have to relinquish their reign.
So good luck Smoltz getting blasted in Boston, and good luck to Glavine who if he was good enough he would have be called to pitch. WE TRADED PLAYERS FOR YEARS BECAUSE YOU WERE HOLDING THEM UP BECAUSE OF YOUR STATURE WITH THE CLUB! WHEN YOU LEFT US FOR THE METS YOU SHOWED WHAT YOU WERE ALL ABOUT… GOOD RIDDANCE!
We have payed players like Mike Hampton, Paul Byrd, Smoltz and others who stayed on the DL and then bolted! Atlanta has to let the Hanson’s get their chance or they will end up getting traded and Atl regretting it like Adam Wainright and others… Glavine was only successful because umpires gave him the corners….
TM
June 5th, 2009
12:22 pm
I did not hear the radio interview, but I think Mark Bradley nailed the description of T. Glavine’s attitude towards the Braves organization AND the fans.
It is exactly why i do not like Mr. Glavine. Humility goes a looooooooong way. Lack of humility, will turn people against you quickly. If memory serves me, mr. glavine stiffed the Braves first several years ago. If anyone has the right to be angry at the Braves, it’s John Smoltz… and the FANS!
GET OVER YOURSELF TOM.
BringOnHanson
June 5th, 2009
12:22 pm
Mark Bradley, am I reading too much into Frank Wren’s comment that “moves need to be made” to boost the offense? That seemed to imply that others are coming. Do you agree with my post earlier about dealing a pitcher later?
south ga boy
June 5th, 2009
12:25 pm
say mark, now that we have finally broken with the past, do you think bobby cox, at his age no offense to anyone, can return his “game” to a 1991 level where he was willing to let young talented guys have a chance to fail early for a future payoff. in other words is he going to let these young pitchers, esp henson, take his lumps this yr(dont get me wrong i hope it doesnt happen) ala glavine, smoltz, avery 20 yrs ago or will he hit the panic button and choose mediocrity today and mediocrity tommorow. will he stick and stay on these young guys, no matter what the way he did 20 yrs ago.
All I'm Saying Is...
June 5th, 2009
12:25 pm
Baseball is a business and the leaders can do whatever they want, Glavine did not warrant being treated the way he was (and Smoltz, whether you like him or not, is simply being a friend by saying what he said). If the Braves changed their minds after signing Glavine and decided to move on without him despite him doing everything they contractually mandated, that’s fine and that’s all they needed to say.
But to throw things out there about his performance during his minor league rehabs being insufficient or his speed on the radar gun was too low or that the radar gun did not work right and that’s why they decided not to bring him to the majors——come on people, everyone knows that all that is baloney and anyone reading it with an ounce of sense knows its crap. Obviously, at that point, it became Wren and company trying to cover their behinds from a P.R. standpoint.
Wren and company now look stupid and petty and its not for what they did — we all know Tom Glavine has very little left in the tank — but for how they did it.
All Wren and Company had to do was say “We think the world of Tom, he was a key member of our championship team but given where we are in the 2009 pennant race, we changed our minds, decided the future is now and that we could better use our financial resources to strengthen our offense, and that it was best to cut ties with Tom at this point enabling him to sign with any other team of his choosing”. That’s it. No need to bad mouth Glavine and no need to explain away anything else.
This ain’t rocket science, people (with props to Stan Kasten).
TM
June 5th, 2009
12:25 pm
For everyone ripping John Smoltz. IMO, this is exactly why he signed with Boston.
I took that he did not want to wait and put all of the power in the Braves hands and have something like this (how the braves treated glavine) happen to him.
I say Smoltz was very smart. Glavine made a huge tactical error in judgement.
Leroy Updike
June 5th, 2009
12:26 pm
Bottom line is that the Braves do not deserve Glavine. They don’t deserve Chipper or Brian either. They WERE a “Class” team and that obviously is totally gone. From a management perspective, we have gone
“from first to worst”.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
12:26 pm
I think the Braves are going to see what McLouth does for them before making another move.
David
June 5th, 2009
12:26 pm
The right decision but handled poorly. Wren just doesn’t seem to understand PR. Mark you need to coach him.
CAC
June 5th, 2009
12:26 pm
Glavine was on 680 and so much was made out of his comment that yes, it was about the money, not his pitching. And why is this a big deal? MLB is a BUSINESS. Of course it is about money. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
bushwacker
June 5th, 2009
12:27 pm
Bradley, you do yourself a disservice every time you open your mouth.
You just can’t handle it because big stars like Glavine and Smoltz don’t know you from the man on the moon and could care less about what you have to say about them!
Steve Dworschak
June 5th, 2009
12:28 pm
Great article, Mark! Glavine walked away from the Braves because the multi-million dollar contract offer from the Braves apparently didn’t suit his current lifestyle, and now he wants a guaranteed return to the former team that he jilted! Incredible arrogance!
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
12:28 pm
No, I don’t. I’m the world’s worst publicist.
David
June 5th, 2009
12:29 pm
If the Braves fall too far they will sit tight but they need to stay into it until September because ticket sales will be terrible. I say they need to stay within 4 -5 games by the All-Star break. Then make a decision on Garret, Frenchy and Kawakami (maybe wait a little longer on him) and eithe trade for a basestealing 2B or another big OF or work a swap with Kotchman and somebody for a big time 1B.
BringOnHanson
June 5th, 2009
12:30 pm
I agree that there is no need to rip Tom Glavine or John Smoltz that were great bseball players and great people in the Braves organization. I will not ever do that. They feel the way they feel. I don’t think it’s a good idea to rip the Braves organization either if you’re a player. At this point, Glavine’s feelings are raw. It would probably have been best to say that he would have no comment until he had time to reflect on things. I’ve been where he is- not in baseball but in other organizations- and be told you’re no longer needed never feels good. So, I understand his expressing his feelings the way he did.
Shamus Thacker
June 5th, 2009
12:30 pm
The Braves promised Glavine NOTHING!
Why all the incremental bonuses if PROMISED a spot on the team?
No promises, just lies, and they all come from the bitter pie-hole of a washed-up has-been!
Mark, you should go to Vegas, RIGHT NOW! You’re on a roll bud!!
kirkinga
June 5th, 2009
12:33 pm
Again, “results” on a rehab start aren’t just about getting out children.
The game is played to win so it is a result-oriented business. The Braves decided to send him to go pitch to “children” and he got them out.
But like the Braves, you Dr.R, want it both ways. You want to discount his results because he was pitching to “children”, yet you would have us believe that a child who also has only pitched to “children” (and done well) should be given a chance over the “adult”.
And as far as the velocity excuse goes, you folks using it along with the Braves need to get your stories straight. It was reported that he was hitting 86 mph which is plenty for Glavine. Highly touted Kris Medlen seems to top out at 88, so the velocity excuse doesn’t jibe. This is especially the case as his velocity (after surgery mind you) continued to slowly increased with each start. Again, that doesn’t suggest a guy who shouldn’t be given a chance to see if he actually could get major league hitter out.
He deserved, based on his results in Spring Training(remember that,curiously no one mentions his starts this Spring-when he wasn’t pitching only to “children” then) and rehab starts, to have his fate decided on the field and not in some backroom.
j
June 5th, 2009
12:33 pm
great article!
BooHoo Crybaby Glavine
June 5th, 2009
12:34 pm
Hey Smoltz, quit tampering with our team or I’ll call the commish. You’re in Boston now. mind your own business.
Weldon
June 5th, 2009
12:35 pm
Unless the Braves are expecting McLouth to pull a Nancy Kerrigan on Francoeur, they should go ahead and think about their next move.
Matt
June 5th, 2009
12:35 pm
Dead on accurate. Tommy G is one of my all-time favorites, and it pains me to see him go. Still hurt that his 300th win was in a Mets uniform. I was hoping that they would bring him back for one game like they did for Phil Niekro, but I guess that bridge is burned. It was all about money, but the smart money is on an all-star centerfielder and not a fifth starting who hopes to go 6 innings a start.
Atlanta needs a News Paper.
June 5th, 2009
12:35 pm
I think the header “Mark Bradley speaks and does himself a disservice” would be a great one for a book about you.
They should send you over to the Apartment Fires department. I think Atlanta would be a great market for a news paper. Maybe I’ll start one.
TC
June 5th, 2009
12:36 pm
Well, Mark…at least this article is about sports and not about your childish resentment for a man. I have to give you credit for righting the ship and getting back to actual journalism.
Dr.R
June 5th, 2009
12:36 pm
I think the Braves bent over backward for Glavine to let him come back. They let everyone know about his minor league performance because so many fans, like many of you, assume that getting minor league hitters out translates into major league success. There’s just no easy, happy way to tell a guy, “you can’t play anymore.” I’ve had to do it in the real world, and believe me, it’s not any fun no matter who you’re saying it to. Though I suspect many of you here work at Dairy Queen and have never faced such decisions. It’s easy to criticize management when you’ve never managed anything yourself but a fork and a remote control.
datominator
June 5th, 2009
12:37 pm
Cutting Glavine and seeing what Hanson can do, $1 million + Hanson’s pro-rated minimum.
Blog respondents calling others classless by using name-calling and disguised cursing, priceless.
TC
June 5th, 2009
12:37 pm
However, it’s funny how you respond to people here and not about your other blog. Seems a bit “wittle” to me.
Shamus Thacker
June 5th, 2009
12:38 pm
The AJC should fire-up a comedy/poetry blog and make P Rose the blogmeister!
Really funny stuff…
Greg
June 5th, 2009
12:38 pm
Glavine has always been a player out for himself. We should have never signed him in the spring. He was going to get bombed when he came back.
MotherTeresa
June 5th, 2009
12:38 pm
I read by a recent bLogger that Tom Glavine wanted to be treated like ROYALTY. Tom Glavine is royalty. Guys you all have short memories. Who do you think pitched the clinching game in the world series in 1995 that gave the Braves their lone world series in their run of 14 division titles? TOM GLAVINE SAVED THE CITY FROM UTTER EMBARRASSMENT. THINK ABOUT IT. IF TOM GLAVINE DOESNT PITCH A SHUTOUT IN THAT WORLD SERIES GAME AGAINST THE CLEVELAND INDIANS, IT IS CLEVELAND WHO WOULD HAVE WON THAT WORLD SERIES. PLEASE DONT EVER FORGET THAT. TOM GLAVINE IS THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BRAVES NOT BEING THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. REWIND TO 1995 FOR A MINUTE. LETS SAY GLAVINE GETS ROCKED IN THAT CLINCHING WORLD SERIES GAME AGAINST THE INDIANS AND THE BRAVES LOSE THAT WORLD SERIES TO THE INDIANS. HOW DO YOU THINK THE CITY OF ATLANTA WOULD HAVE BEEN REMEMBERED FOR 14 STRAIGHT DIVISIONAL TITLES AND 14 STRAIGHT FAILURES OF NOT WINNING ANY CHAMPIONSHIPS. TO MY WAY OF THINKING, THE BRAVES WOULD NOT HAVE WON ANY WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS AT ALL DURING THAT 14 YEAR DIVISIONAL TITLE RUN. HOW EMBARRASING WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN. EVERY TIME SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT ATLANTA THEY WOULD SAY OK YEAH THATS THE CITY THAT WON 14 STRAIGNT DIVISIONAL TITLES AND CAME UP WITH ZILCH, NADA, NOTHING. DONT YOU KNOW THAT THE ONLY PERSON ON THIS PLANET WHO SAVED ATLANTA FROM BEING THE LAUGHINGSTOCK OF THE WORLD. THAT MAN WHO DID THAT IS TOMMY “Terrific” Glavine. Folks, Dont ever forget it.
Michael Sousa
June 5th, 2009
12:39 pm
Mark,
Wren keeps saying that Glavine can’t pitch in the majors, that he can’t get hitters out at this level. So the Braves front office is on their heels and they are assassinating his ability to pitch…which could actually hurt him and his ability to get picked up by another team. So you come down on him for defending himself??? That’s God awful. I listened to the whole interview and he still handled himself with class the whole time. Yes, he is angry and rightly so. Maybe if you could remove yourself from the emotions that surround yourself and certain Braves players you would be able to write a well thought and unbiased column for a national publication like Buster Olney did for ESPN. Instead you are almost 70 and still just writing for the AJC. You use to be my favorite writer, Mark…I guess because I said that this comment will mean more???????
diego
June 5th, 2009
12:40 pm
This is coming from a guy who left us high and try a few years ago to chase the money the Mets were throwing at him. The Mets realized he was washed up but still commanding millions of dollars so they let him come back here.
Smoltz and Glavine were very big parts of our championship year and playoff era, but they’re has beens now who are getting pissed because the Braves are telling them enough is enough. Did Smoltz return all those millions he received a few years ago even though he only played a few games… no. Did Glavine come here and only play in a few games… yes. Did he make money… yes.
It’s embarrassing to watch grown, millionaires cry when someone else ‘gets’ them. They should have retired this past offseason and gone into the Hall with Maddox in a few years.
Bill Heller
June 5th, 2009
12:41 pm
If Glavine doesn’t watch his mouth he’ll sink any chances he has with another team.
Ernest
June 5th, 2009
12:42 pm
Mark, you may be in for a raise. You are adding 2-3 blogs per day with who knows how many hits/comments thus keeping a LOT of fans talking about those subjects. Add to that, you also comment on some of the postings. Keep up the good work!
Could it have been handled better? Perhaps but it is hard to deny the Braves made the right decision for the team and fans. As fans we have great memories what Tommy G did for the Braves during that great stretch during the 90’s. As a fan, I will not forget. That was almost 10 years ago not and a new generation of players are here. It’s time to move on and cheer today’s Braves team to victory.
timthebrave
June 5th, 2009
12:43 pm
Braves fans will always owe Tommy and Smoltz for the great memories and great run of division championships but the Braves don’t owe them anything. If Tommy says it was a business decision to save money so that they could get McClouth then he should take it as such. Does he really think that he makes the team better over having Hanson and Mclouth? If he can honestly answer that he will see why the Braves had to do this. If I was him I would be angry too so I see his point but he needs to see it from the Braves point of view
Pete
June 5th, 2009
12:43 pm
Chris: “And you forget that he changed his mind and tried to undo it. The only reason Glavine pitched for the Mets for those years was because the Braves were being petty.”
Thats totally inaccurate. Loyalty runs both ways, and TG definitely turned his back on the Braves 6 years ago for a relatively modest pay difference. After he left, he lied about John Scheurholz not returning phone calls during negotiations. So JS took the unprecedented step of calling a news conference with Stan Kasten to dispute Glavine’s lies, even bringing his cell phone records to prove it was Glavine’s agent who didnt return the calls.
In JS book “Built to Win” (great book), Stan Kasten states he ran into Glavine at a Hawks game, and Glavine asked why they embarassed him with that news conference. Kasten replied it was because Glavine lied about him and the Braves, and Kasten would not stand for it.
Go do some homework to get the facts.
Steve
June 5th, 2009
12:43 pm
I think Mr. Wren would solve his PR issues if he would simply tell the truth. He seems to think Braves fans are all 3rd grade dropouts who wouldn’t understand the issues of budget constraints. Many of us have spent our adult life dealing with Profit and Loss issues so we understand. Clearly Glavine was here to fill the 5th starter’s role only until Hanson had passed the cutoff to push arbitration back a year. Clearly that is a smart business decision so simply tell us that. I suspect Liberty Media wasn’t real excited to add to the payroll with attendance down due to the current economic environment so getting rid of the 3 additional roster bonuses Glavine could have earned provides the money to pay Nate McLouth’s contract for this year. Again a very reasonable business decision. Mr. Wren you fixed our pitching issues and made a great deal for an all star center fielder by trading away three prospects that didn’t appear like they would be major contributors to the Braves anytime soon. So how do we get the fans to appreciate your efforts more. Simply tell us the truth. We already know it anyway!
DHD
June 5th, 2009
12:43 pm
The Braves paid him EIGHT MILLION cool ones for TWO wins last year. That’s FOUR MILLION per win. Who owes who here??? Get over it and go back to the Mets. I am for the name on the FRONT of the uniform, not the back.
TC
June 5th, 2009
12:45 pm
Personally, I don’t care much about what Glavine did or what he said in the players union. THat’s not a popular position to be in, for sure. I was a little irritated when he went to the Mets but when I take a moment to reflect and reflect objectively, I can’t think of an instance in my own life when a company has offered to pay me less than another and all I have to do to get less is stay…that I stayed. Come on, what irritates us is that we are not in their shoes. Ok, I admit it. I’d love to be paid millions upon millions of dollars to play a stupid kids game but the fact is, I can’t hit the inside fastballs. It pisses us off, doesn’t it? However, faulting a guy for taking more money for doing the same job at another “company”, is absurd.
The thing I do think is just dumb is the fact that the Braves don’t want to pay a measley million bucks to keep (at the very least) a fifth starter! And why are we assuming that if the Braves kept Tom, it would be Hansen that would stay in the minors. Pretty sure we don’t really need Reyes or the other kid they brought up for two terrible starts! The Braves could have had both!
AGTFan
June 5th, 2009
12:46 pm
Baseball is a business. Some businesses consider their employees as valued members of the family. Some businesses consider their employees to be nameless, faceless comodities and could care less whether they live or die. There is always another nameless, faceless piece to take their place at a lower wage so management can pocket an unearned bonus. The Braves organization used to be the first type of business. Now they are the latter. I’m tired of supporting businesses like that. They take and take and never give back. The fact that something is business in no way excuses bad behavior.
diego
June 5th, 2009
12:47 pm
And Glavine didn’t save the day in ‘95. I enjoyed the run of playoff apppearances but they were the ones who would get to the playoffs or World Series and choke. Don’t make Glavine or Justice out as a hero just because of that one game against the Indians. If the whole team would have stepped up and played like champions, the organization would have more that 1 championship to show for it. They should have beat Minnesota but choked. They should have beaten the Yanks… but choked. And how many times did the playoffs seem to start and quickly end just like that because our Braves didn’t play with heart or intensity in that 1st round of the playoffs?
Glavine and Smoltz will always have their spots in Braves’ fan’s hearts but that doesn’t mean we have to waste millions of dollars on their broken arms and inflated egos. I don’t see anyone crying to bring back Steve Avery or Charlie Leinbrant.
Casey Stinkle
June 5th, 2009
12:47 pm
So Mighty Quinn, you think this season is OVER and TG should have been allowed to pitch? which means Hanson and probably Medlen would both have been at Gwinnett the whole year? Braves are 4 or 5 out. It wouldn’t take any more than a say 14-6 run, and they would be right in the mix. Phillies pitching and Mets team as a whole are not all that good.
BMizzy
June 5th, 2009
12:48 pm
You know, I fall on both sides here… I *hate* the way I see the Braves treating the likes of both Glavine and Smoltz. There *should* be a bit of loyalty, a bit of nostalgia in their treatment. However, I also understand that if the Braves don’t win and put some butts in the seats, they won’t have the money to sign anyone, 43-year-old-HOFer or not. If they don’t have a solid fan base that shows up, they can’t keep the likes of Tommy Hansen. The only way to keep that base strong is by winning (unless you live in Chicago).
Was it a tasteless and classless act on Wren’s part? Yes.
Was it a part of business, and therefore probably needed in order to keep revenue streams vibrant? Probably.
Regardless of the logic / business end, it just leaves a really sour taste in my mouth.
Chris
June 5th, 2009
12:50 pm
The Braves handled this poorly. If they were candid w/ Tom and the media, this would have all blown over. Guess what i LOVE Tom Glavine, but if the choice is a) upgrade the terrible outfield and use a minor leaguer in the 5 hole (which is what we’re already doing….) or (b) keep Tom Glavine in the 5th spot…. 90% + of fans are going to say upgrade the outfield.
This has been a really poor last 6 months for the Braves front office and this is another example of how they are blatantly trying to mislead their consumers about business decisions. It is 2009 you can’t manipulate public opinion based on relationships with Sports page writers anymore. The information will come out, and people are smart enough to dissect the publicly available facts.
Glavine maybe didnt do himself any favors, but he got screwed by the Braves who lost some credibility with their fans as a result. Will it be a permanent injury to any party no? But Frank Wren is not an executive who has demonstrated he can handle his organization’s media image in any way shape or form. He is doing some good things on getting some personnel pieces in place, so give credit where credit is due.
It is a new marketplace ladies and gentlemen. Brands that are transparent and honest with their customers will suceed at the expense of those who don’t. The Braves missed an opportunity here, and it may be a little smudge on Tommy Hanson’s debut – who is the next big thing for them.
Pete
June 5th, 2009
12:50 pm
MotherTeresa: “I read by a recent bLogger that Tom Glavine wanted to be treated like ROYALTY. Tom Glavine is royalty. Guys you all have short memories. Who do you think pitched the clinching game in the world series in 1995 that gave the Braves their lone world series in their run of 14 division titles? TOM GLAVINE SAVED THE CITY FROM UTTER EMBARRASSMENT. THINK ABOUT IT. IF TOM GLAVINE DOESNT PITCH A SHUTOUT IN THAT WORLD SERIES GAME AGAINST THE CLEVELAND INDIANS, IT IS CLEVELAND WHO WOULD HAVE WON THAT WORLD SERIES”
In fact, its you with the short memory. He pitched Game 6, so if Cleveland wins that game, the series is tied 3-3 and we dont know who would have won the Series.
Steve
June 5th, 2009
12:52 pm
Excellent article; I couldn’t agree more.
Casey Stinkle
June 5th, 2009
12:57 pm
Mother T, you are assuming if Glavine had lost game 6, the series would have been over? No ma’am, they play 7 games when it is tied 3-3. Braves would probably have won even if they had lost game 6. We will never know. He was a great pitcher in 1995. 2009….not. The Braves did the right thing, they just didn’t do it the right way. There are no less than 7 starting pitchers on this staff that are WAAy better than the 2009 version of TG.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
12:58 pm
Know who would have started Game 7 against Cleveland had one been needed?
Correct. John Smoltz.
Michael
June 5th, 2009
12:58 pm
Anyone who says they are surprised about the Braves decision is a moron. Tom was my favorite player for a long time, but since the Mets decision and his attitude now, he is just showing his true colors.
Nova Scotia Steve
June 5th, 2009
12:59 pm
Great job Mark…excellent couple of the stories the past few days…really enjoy your articles…you don’t mix words…
On another note….
C’mon guys are we looking over our shoulder here at the past…wake up we’re not that team that won 14 Division titles not even close…its time keep our heads straight and look to the future, to the present…Tom Glavine is not going to help make this team a play-off club and you know what Tommy Hanson may not either…but then again, maybe he will…
And if he at least helps up stay in play-off contention…Nobody and I mean NOBODY will regret the move Frank Wren made to release a 43 year old pitcher to bring up a possible ace in the hole.
Wren did what he had to do to try and help this team win and win now…you can’t blame him cause he’s trying to make all of us happy by putting a winning team on the field. At least he’s trying!!!!
Steve