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.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
545 comments Add your comment
R HAIRE
June 5th, 2009
2:42 pm
If I’m not mistaken Glavin has had one winning season in the last 6 years…get a grip and a real job Tommy
Robert
June 5th, 2009
2:42 pm
“They’re trying to win games”
If they’re so damn serious about winning games, then why not get rid of Cox, who loses more of them every year than any 5 of his pklayers combined
BringOnHanson
June 5th, 2009
2:45 pm
Robert, Bobby Cox loses more games a year than any five players combined? That’s pretty stern stuff about a Hall of Famer. Can anyone tell me why Atlanta would possibly be interested in Brad Penny? Could they possibly acquire him, then package him for another bat? There is no way they need him in their rotation.
R HAIRE
June 5th, 2009
2:45 pm
Enter your comments here
Hamad Meander
June 5th, 2009
2:46 pm
Maybe Tom Glavine and Brett Favre can start a club together – Let’s call it the “He-Man I Put the “I” in Team Club”
BrandonC
June 5th, 2009
2:46 pm
I 100% agree with Wren’s decision, I’m glad the Braves are moving on from the past. It’s time to start looking toward the future and I commend Frank for having the beans to make this kind of decision. Tom Glavine needs to realize that he’s not the Glavine of 15 years ago, he’s 43 and coming off two surgeries while his fastball maxes out at 80 mph. I only hope that he comes to the realization that it’s time to hang em’ up. I would much rather watch Tommy Hanson than Tommy Glavine at this point.
NRBraindead
June 5th, 2009
2:46 pm
Tom:
You are one of my favorite Braves of all time, but I was having a hard time arguing with my Met fan friends about why it was a plus to have you in The Braves rotation in 2009. You’ve had a great career, so please don’t burn too many bridges now that it’s over.
Pete
June 5th, 2009
2:47 pm
Reality Time: “Braves 70: I love the way people make statements about things of which they know so little……..”
Thanks for the REALITY check…great post!
Alaska Braves Fan
June 5th, 2009
2:47 pm
Glavine said a mouthful when he said, “They don’t ever take into account [that some] guys deserve to be treated a little bit differently.” Problem is, special treatment hurts everyone and simply isn’t appropriate. The Braves tried very hard to give Glavine every consideration, but a 43-year-old who has undergone surgery on his arm and who cannot boost the ball over 85 mph anymore, is not a good bet. Mark Bradley has hit the nail on the head. By trying to be TOO considerate of a man who once was a fabulous pitcher, management put themselves in a poor PR position. Glavine should and will get over it; and now the Braves must go out and win some games. The moves Wren made over the last few days have strengthened the club dramatically, and one of the best choices he made was not to put Tommy – an old Brave we all love – back on the mound.
braves70
June 5th, 2009
2:48 pm
I know more about Braves baseball form the last 39 years than you jerks could ever know. Grow up you little twits.
bfred
June 5th, 2009
2:51 pm
The Braves are in the middle of trying to put together a contender – right now – and simply didn’t have the luxury of sending Glavine out there for three or four starts if the team’s talent evaluators didn’t think he had it anymore. I’d have loved to see him go out with the Braves, but not at the expense of competing for the playoffs.
William Burch
June 5th, 2009
2:53 pm
Once again Bradley has it wrong. If the Braves weren’t going to let him pitch then they should have been done with it before the season. To get him to this point and then dump him is classless any way you cut it. This is another in a long line of backstabbibgs-Niekro, Murphy, Justice,etc.. I wonder if Chipper is looking over his shoulder now. The Braves have always prided themselves as being a first class organization. A first class organization does not treat someone like that-business or not. Glavine went to the Mets and many seem to think that this is his commupence for that. How soon we forget. Without Glavine I doubt we win the World Series in 1995. At least give him a chance to prove he could no longer pitch. If he couldn’t he would have been the first one to say so. Smoltz saw the writing on the wall as did Furcal. I am still a fan but this has tainted my view of how they do things.
Pete
June 5th, 2009
2:53 pm
braves70: “Thanks Pete. I know the facts as I have followed the Braves now for 39 years. I know what a mess they have been. I know how they dissed Phil Niekro in not letting him finish out here and how Ted stepped in and brought him back for one final game. I know that Glavine and Justice provided us with that 1-0 win in 95. I know that that the Braves have many shortsighted fans like you who do not acknowledge the real facts. Dream on my friend and watch this team fail year after year as it has since 1966 except for 1995 when we had guys named Justice and Glavine.”
If you want to ignore what Glavine did to the Braves and how he blatantly lied about it 6 years ago (by bringing up Niekro et al), I dont blame you at all. If you cant refute the facts, change the subject….tried and true method when youre losing the debate.
Maxwell Snark
June 5th, 2009
2:53 pm
BringonHanson, Robert is a pathetic loser who haunts AJC baseball blogs doing nothing but saying Bobby Cox should be fired. Robert should be a first-ballot selection for the loser hall of fame.
I respect him but it was time for him to go
June 5th, 2009
2:53 pm
Seriously people Glavine had a chance. He is 43 years old and he looks like he is throwing batting pratice up there. Now don’t get me wrong I love Tommy as much as the next Braves fan, and yes he has been great for this organization. Still the fact reamins that he just doesn’t have the stuff anymore. You have two great pitching prospects in Hanson and in Medlen, not to mention a pretty good starting rotation anyway. Glavine would not have improved our pitching staff. Everyone must remember that this is a business first. We can’t make decision based on who we are friends with. And for Smoltz where do you get off. You ran out of town on us to go pitch in Boston for more money. Where is your loyalty for an organization that has stood behind you for God only knows how many rehabs You should have no say in how the Braves treat anyone. Please don’t get me wrong the guys were great and I looked up to them as a ballplayer when I was a kid, but the fact of the matter remains that decisions are based off of baseball needs and not friendships. And for all those saying the Braves were cheap when Glavine went to the Mets, just want to say I know one third baseman that could have been paid a lot more money but decided to stay in ATL because he wanted to be here. Granted I do beleive he did alright for himself, but he still stayed.
smitty
June 5th, 2009
2:54 pm
braves70 – I’m sorry you’re not a good enough fan retire or you’re fired…
Forever Fan
June 5th, 2009
2:55 pm
First of all, like it or not, Mark Bradley is right on this one. Glavine was carried farther by the Braves than any other team would have carried him. Sadly, it was time for him to go. If the Braves are committed to winning this year, then they couldn’t take the risk. And yes, the money that was potentially going to be spent on Glavine brought us McLouth and addressed the biggest need we have at this point. It IS business, Tommy, just like it was business when you followed the money to New York! It’s time to let Tommy Hanson shine and take the first steps toward becoming what you were almost TWO DECADES ago!
We seem to have an epidemic in Pro Sports of 40+ year old athletes having an unrealistic sense of entitlement. Favre, Smoltz, Clemens, Bonds and now Glavine are all examples of one-time franchise players who, for one reason or another, began to lose a bit of what made them so special. They continue to try to play largely to feed their own egos, and unfortunately many times they embarrass themselves in the process. When it’s over, it’s over. It’s no use looking back. When the slider doesn’t “slide” anymore and your “fastball” registers the equivalent of the speed limit on I-16, it’s time to enjoy life as a one-time Great. Thanks for all you’ve done for the Braves, Tommy, but now go and enjoy a well-earned rest! In 25 years, the retirement home will have quite the 1-2 punch with Smoltz and Glavine! (And Bobby Cox will probably STILL be managing!!)
Pete
June 5th, 2009
2:57 pm
braves70: “I know more about Braves baseball form the last 39 years than you jerks could ever know. Grow up you little twits”
Rule #1 when frustrated due to losing the debate: resort to name calling.
old fashioned ray
June 5th, 2009
2:58 pm
In hindsight,it would have been better for Glavine to have accepted a straight contract for one million with no other bonus payments due for the year. That way he could have had his start in June for the Braves ,either convincing the team he could still produce or take his retirement. There’s no question in my mind that the contractual bonus payment prevented him from his chance.
Nova Scotia Steve
June 5th, 2009
2:58 pm
ok so Atlanta is interested in Brad Penny??? First Question is why? Second question is who are they going to give up Francouer? Then Who plays RF? And that means possibly bumb Kenshin to the Bullpen which mean we may have a guy with a $23 M dollar contract in the bullpen?
I’m so confused
PS
The pic of Glavine on the front page is absolutely hilarious
jmart1951
June 5th, 2009
3:02 pm
Mark,
In my opinion the only thing that management should have done differently is keep Glavine abreast of what the scouts were saying once he began pitching against the minor leaguers. This would have helped him realize that his slot in the rotation was not a certainty and that he was going to have to earn a spot, not be given a spot.
Paul Lentz
June 5th, 2009
3:03 pm
Braves70…………..so what if all of what you said is true? As a Braves fan who wants to see the team put the best team out there that they can……I realize that economics and budgets play a big part in fielding a team.
Signing Tom Glavine to the contract that they signed him to did not legally “obligate” them to put him on the roster. He had to “make the team”. They gave him $1 mil to sign while he rehabilitated his arm. A couple of days ago, they decided that adding him to the roster was not necessary. So they cut him. Again, I applaud the Braves for “hedging their bets”.
For you to say that Braves management is cheap is foolish. Do you realize how much the Braves paid out in salaries last year to players who were hurt? Mike Hampton $18 mil (was basically a 5 inning guy for the 13 starts he made). John Smoltz $13 mil (for 5 starts), Tom Glavine $8 mil (another 5 inning guy for 13 starts), Tim Hudson $13 mil (22 starts). Basically the Braves forked out $52 mil for 53 starts…out of 162 games. So tell me, how is that being cheap?
The Braves are willing to spend money. However, they cannot afford to pay precious payroll dollars to injured, over the hill, past their prime players who take too long to come back from injury. So the Braves did not resign those injured players (Hudson’s $13 mil comes off the books after this year). What the Braves did was go out and pay good money to starting pitchers who have a HISTORY of being durable. Derek Lowe $15 mil, Javier Vazquez $11.5 mil, Kenshin Kawakami $8.3 mil. How is that being cheap, MORON? Plus those guys consistently go 6-7 innings pretty much every start.
The Braves resigned Chipper Jones to an extension averaging approximately $13 mil a year. If that is “cheap”, then I’d like to know what “expensive” is then.
I was a Ron Gant fan. However he choose to partake in an activity (riding a motorcycle) that put his career at risk. The Braves could not afford to pay him good money that he surely would have been awarded in arbitration to be hurt for the whole year. His actions hurt the Braves. The Braves were depending on him to hit home runs while playing the outfield. The Braves had no choice but to let him go.
David Justice had his best years with the Braves. If you were to take time to remember what led up to him being traded…Justice was hurt during the 1996 season. He played in only 40 games that year. The Braves didnt know what they were going to get in 1997. Plus his contract demands were too high for the Braves to meet.
Tom Glavine was not worth the money that the Mets paid him. 61-56 with an ERA over 4 are not numbers that I would consider worth the $51 mil that the Mets paid him during those 5 years. The Braves did right in not signing him back in 2003. Actually he helped us because we ended pounding him pretty much every time he pitched against us.
Greg Maddux accepting arbitration and getting awarded $15 mil basically busted the Braves budget that year. I understand why the Braves offered him arbitration. They wanted the draft picks that would come from another team signing him. However when he realized that the market was not there for him, he accepted their offer. That forced them to basically give away Kevin Millwood. After that, the Braves wisely quit offering arbitration to free agent players that they didnt want to resign. Imagine the uproar if the Braves had offered arbitration to Andruw Jones last year and he had accepted? Notice that when the Braves let Greg Maddux go after the 2003 season, the Cubs only offered him $6 mil for the 2004 season. After that 2004 season, he was no better than a journeyman pitcher.
If the Braves had given Glavine and Maddux big contracts back in 2003….then there is no way the Braves win the division in 2004 and 2005. And we would have been far worse off in the subsequent years.
After this year, the Braves will be rid of big contracts from injured players. If the Braves are smart, they can improve the team, and still have financial flexibility to acquire a good player should a significant injury occur in the future (which will because injuries do happen). However if a player has a history of significant injuries, it is not wise to sign him to big money for a lot of years.
Again, I wish that some of you so-called Braves fans would actually take the time to use some reasoning and logic when making posts. Some of you morons have short memories. Or maybe some of you are simply unable to think without emotion (kind of like how Jeff Franceour is unable to quit swinging through pitches).
Tony C.
June 5th, 2009
3:04 pm
Also, Glavine’s done, but the timing of his release comes about in a tacky manner. Prima-Donna or not, Glavine is the cornerstone that the modern-era Braves were built on. Yes he did go after the biggest(best) contract available (Mets). But he is still a true “Braves Legend”-Wren has been dealing from a very poor PR position since he got the GM gig. He left a smoking crater in Baltimore, I am just hoping he does better here-seriously, while his baseball moves have made this team better, the guy could learn a thing or two about media manipulation/public relations.
But if the report that Glavine decided not to take the retirement “package”, then he must’ve known what the ” or ” was going to be. It’s a business, sometimes the dirtiest business their is. THis is one of those times where everybody’s partly in the right, and partly in the wrong.
Hopefully, time will heal the hurt and Glavine can rejoin “the family” in some sort of non-player capacity (heck maybe even coach/player, all these young guys coming up certainly would benefit from his experience, and maybe we could see Tommy toss one last inning as a Brave).
jake
June 5th, 2009
3:04 pm
Great article Mark. This release was one of the smartest moves I’ve seen by Wren yet. Glavine’s pride is hurt but he’s made a gazillion dollars over his career that should easily assuage his hurt feelies. If he were a $6.50/hour worker, he’d be canned in the same way if he weren’t what the company wanted. Here today, gone tomorrow. That’s life Glavine OLD boy when you don’t cut the mustard.
If another team seriously wants to pick his worn out body up and give him another gazillion bucks to ride the pine with “sore shoulder” or “sore elbow” then I say great. Great for them, great for him. I’m just glad the Glavine era is finally ending here so we can let go of the past and continue to build to the future.
Bob
June 5th, 2009
3:05 pm
We got Minor League updates (those that weren’t rained out)-
http://minorsandmajors.com
Jenifer
June 5th, 2009
3:05 pm
Mark, to answer your question, I do not think the Braves mishandled things with Glavine and/or Smoltz. Its business period. A lot of money was on the table and the organization had to make a decision. It didn’t really bother Glavine or Smoltz too much to leave and go to another team for more money. Its Major League Baseball and its a business not the local baseball little league that meets on Saturday mornings for a game. I liked these guys a lot more when it was the early 90’s and their pockets weren’t so heavy with the cash. They were more humble then and not so whiney.
Plate Appearance
June 5th, 2009
3:06 pm
NO DISSERVICE
Is it a disservice to tell the truth? Hardly!
Moreover as fans, we too were LIED TO — about Tom’s pitching return.
As a regular follower of the Braves, I was told (along with other fans) time and time again that Tom was close to making his next start with the Braves — and that Medlen was called up before Hanson only because the Braves didn’t want Hanson to simply make one or two starts — and then be sent down again — before Tom returned.
No, the truth needed to be told. And I for one am thankful that Tom had the courage to do so! Good for you Tom!
I was one of those fans — among many others I’m sure — who was actually looking forward to Tom’s return. Tom has been one of my favorite Braves throughout the years.
So again, were we fans also lied to? You bet we were!
If there’s anyone to put into the “disservice category” it’s the Braves management in general and Frank Wren in particular!
Volman
June 5th, 2009
3:07 pm
Enough of the 75 MPH “blazing” fastballs from Glavine, the sore shoulders, and “rehab starts”. Give me a break.
You WERE a great pitcher, but your time is over. Go play golf.
Nick
June 5th, 2009
3:07 pm
Mark,
I completely agree with you. The Braves paid Glavine (and Smoltz) handsomely for their services. Even this year Glavine made more for one fourth of a season than many major leaguers make the whole year – and never started a game! He is a big part of the Braves’ history and that won’t be forgotten – unless he continues to whine about being forcibly led to pasture.
Robert
June 5th, 2009
3:10 pm
“Robert, Bobby Cox loses more games a year than any five players combined? That’s pretty stern stuff about a Hall of Famer.”
Voting Bobby Cox into the Hall Of Fame would be the equivalent of taking a dump on the Mona Lisa
Robert
June 5th, 2009
3:11 pm
“In my opinion the only thing that management should have done differently is keep Glavine abreast of what the scouts were saying once he began pitching against the minor leaguers”
Ten bucks says the scouts didnt say what Wren claims they did
Frank Wren
June 5th, 2009
3:13 pm
This would all be different if Glavine’s stats for last year WERE NOT: W-L 2-4 with a 5.54 era, 37BB’s/37K’s and 11hr’s in 13 starts! Before he was hurt! He demanded a starting spot and WOULD NOT got to the bullpen to “help out the team”. His control is his MO… It wasn’t there last year, why would it come back after surgery? Loyalty? Where? Option 1: Tom Glavine or Option 2: Tommy Hanson AND Nate McLouth… Not really a decision. Thank you Glavine as a fan, but shut up!
Move on people it’s not the 90’s anymore! 81-83mph fastball is off for Glavine, I don’t care what he says! Oh, and Smoltz needs to shut up too… How many millions do you have for the 3 years you were injured and didn’t pitch??? Yea, the Braves aren’t loyal…
Pete
June 5th, 2009
3:15 pm
Paul Lentz: “Signing Tom Glavine to the contract that they signed him to did not legally “obligate” them to put him on the roster. He had to “make the team”. They gave him $1 mil to sign while he rehabilitated his arm. A couple of days ago, they decided that adding him to the roster was not necessary. So they cut him. Again, I applaud the Braves for “hedging their bets”.”
Paul you are being way too logical, so many here will not understand you.
Paul Lentz
June 5th, 2009
3:16 pm
Dave in Tampa……….I would love to see Glavine sign with the Mets or Phillies. What was Glavine’s record against the Braves while he was with the Mets? Something like 2-8 with an ERA over 5? I’m not exactly sure. Can someone please tell me what the precise stats were?
Robert…….Rafael Furcal’s agent is the one who lied and did the classless thing of having the Braves fax over and offer sheet for them to sign…only to take it to the Dodgers in an attempt for them to up the ante. Technically, they were within their legal rights to do that. Just like the Braves were well within their legal rights to cut Glavine. Smoltz not only got paid $13 mil last year while only making 5 starts last year….but he also wanted the Braves to fork over $10 mil for this year (even though he has yet to pitch). I said in the winter that I didnt want the Braves to pay him anything.
SAM!!!
June 5th, 2009
3:16 pm
BOTTOMLINE!!!
Glavine was on “the inside of baseball”.
Most of his pitches were off the plate …yet the umps called them strikes. He got over for years with help from the umps.
Now he is old and washed up and needs to retire.
Case closed and move on.
jmart1951
June 5th, 2009
3:17 pm
Just a follow up: I believe that if Glavine had not hurt himself again in April that the Braves would have called him up to be the 5th starter. Once, he couldn’t go in April and the season wore on management was faced with situations that were different than the April scenario.
What’s the old adage – if you don’t like the weather, stick around 15 minutes and it will change. The same goes for baseball seasons. Team’s seasons often go down with an injured star or catapult forward on a strategic trade. Glavine received $1,000,000 for his rehab efforts. Its sad that he was hurt in April because after that things changed.
tashunka
June 5th, 2009
3:18 pm
Easiest decision I have made in years: BRAVES SUCK!!!
Dennis
June 5th, 2009
3:18 pm
Wah, wah, wah.
He’s lucky in that #1: over the years, the Braves scored runs for him. If they’d scored as many for Smoltz, he’d have won 30 games every year, and #2: the umpires decided to widen the strike zone by four feet.
Go away and spend that extra money you got from the Mets and be quiet.
Dana
June 5th, 2009
3:18 pm
People keep saying that if the Braves mgmt. know they weren’t going to activate Glavine, then they should have never re-signed him. I don’t think that was their intention. I think the reason it got dragged out and then announced the way it did (right before his scheduled start) was BECAUSE they were hoping he WOULD be able to cut it. It would’ve been financially better for the Braves to NOT sign him rather than paying him through rehab. But they did it. Anyone knows that a Glav-o release is going to cause uproar among the fans. I think the mgmt. also tried to avoid that if at all possible. He simly wasn’t making the cut anymore.
bfred
June 5th, 2009
3:20 pm
Okay, a poll. We are stacked with pitching, mostly young pitching, for the first time in years. With the moves that the front office is making to improve the offense, I want to know how many people think giving Glavine a handful of starts is worth the potential damage to the Braves playoff hopes, relative to pitching Hanson or Medlin.
For the record, I do think the Braves handled this badly. They certainly made it sound like Glavine would be rejoining the team any time. But that doesn’t change the question – would you risk missing the playoffs to provide Glavine with some feel-good starts?
MuscleFlexer
June 5th, 2009
3:20 pm
The Braves should at least bring Tom Glavine back as a BAT BOY; or have him throw warm up pitches to get the catchers loosened up. Its really no big deal that the Braves treated Glavine poorly BECAUSE I remember the Braves treating ALL of the players like $hit every since they started. Remember Mark Texiera last year when they got rid of him. They treated Tex like crap. They treated Dale Murphy like crap at the end of his career. They treated Hank Aaron like garbage when they dispatched him to Milwaukee at the end of his career. The only way they saved face on Hank was they hired him in the front office AND they erected a statue of him in front of Turner Field, near to the 755 Club Section. They treated Gary Sheffield like crap. Gary Sheffield is a future hall-of-famer, has over 500 home runs and could have helped the Braves to win more world series championships. They kicked gary out of here after one season. Even their announcers they treated like garbage. Remember when they let Don Sutton go the first time. Although they brought him back, he too was treated like crap. That Glavine was treated so poorly shouldnt have surprised anyone. The Braves have a reputation of using people up to get what they could get out of them and then when they have squeezed every ounce out of the person, they dump that person into the garbage can. This is the Braves way and it has always been their way. It is also why as I pointed out earlier, the Braves have only one (1) world championship despite going the playoffs 14 straight years after winning 14 consecutive division titles. That is a record for futility unmatched in sports. The only two teams in sports that were worse were the Buffalo Bills in football, and the Minnesota Vikings in football. TOM GLAVINE saved the Braves from being a total, unmitigated futility. The Braves should be thankful to Turncoat Tommy and they should treat him like royalty as he deserves to be treated.
Tim
June 5th, 2009
3:21 pm
I won’t speak to Smoltz, but here is how I would have handled it for Glavine: Communicate to Glavine that they don’t feel that he is performing to the level that they feel will best serve the club. As such they have decided that they are going to give his roster spot to Tommy Hanson, but not before Glavine pitches one final game in Atlanta as a Brave. They would then market the game as Glavine’s final one in Atlanta, and allow for a celebration of sorts of his career. This would give Glavine the opportunity to go out from Atlanta and not Rome, and allow the fans to show the appreciation that they actually feel towards him, but weren’t able to show when he left the first time. The situation ends up the same (you could even have Hanson pitch on Sunday, the day after Glavine was cut from the team), but everyone is happy and the mood is completely different. As it is now, you have embarrassed Glavine, and made yourself a GM who has further alienated a portion of his fan-base, and on a day that he actually improved his team dramatically no less.
And the easy argument is that if TG couldn’t get anyone out, then there is no reason to let him pitch, but if his mates knew that it was his last game, they would step up and play to get him the win. If Glavine knew it was his last game, then he would throw everything he had out there to get himself the win. The fans would be out in full force, and they would have 42000 fans cheering for him the way they did in the 95 world series, and it would have been a magical night.
Imagine the positive publicity from Wednesday to Sunday that they would have. Wednesday they announce that they are activating Glavine for his last game on Saturday against the Brewers, AND they announce the deal that they made to acquire McLouth. Thursday and Friday they have the build up to the game on the local channels, and they have Sportscenter talking about the storied career of Glavine and what he provided to the sport (as a benefit, they have the parallels between Randy Johnson and Glavine being the last two to win 300 games, and are able to equate the two best left-handed pitchers of this generation). On Saturday, you have the game and the celebration (regardless of the outcome). And on Sunday, you have the changing of the guard and Tommy Hanson’s first game. It would be worth the $1,000,000 it would have cost them to get him on the roster to have a 5 day period like that.
Chris
June 5th, 2009
3:23 pm
Pete, it’s time for YOU to do some fact-checking, and you should look outside a singular and (obviously) biased source.
Talk to Leo. I have. Listen to what he says.
Find yourself a friend who works on staff. I have. Listen to what he says.
What I posted was absolutely, 100% truth – Glavine wanted to come back at the original offer and was rebuffed. Childish.
TWig
June 5th, 2009
3:26 pm
Frank’s in a no win situation, even though he did the right thing. Maybe if Glavine had been in better shape last year (not looking like he was trying to get an endorsment deal with Golden Corral) he wouldn’t have gotten hurt, could have finished with class and not come off sounding like a 10 year old that didn’t make all stars.
Rick
June 5th, 2009
3:28 pm
Mark, as I said earlier, if the Braves truly based their decision on performance, then the Braves should have been providing Tommy clear, upfront info on his progress (or lack thereof). Now, they may have been doing just that, but that’s not what it sounds like. What it looks like to me is that the Braves strung him along making him believe that he was going to make the team if he did everything they asked of him AND they never once told him that there was a concern about him getting major league hitters out. That’s wrong and it was totally unnecessary. Tommy’s a big boy (I think – don’t know him personally). I am sure he would’ve been able to handle the news had it been given directly and in a timely fashion (i.e., not the day he’s released!). If I did this in my line of work, the employee would be seeing me again in court.
alsim
June 5th, 2009
3:28 pm
Can we just move on now? The Young Guns era is over. Time to look to the future.
Outside Robber
June 5th, 2009
3:29 pm
When the time comes, either as an athlete or an employee, one needs to stand back and take a realistic personal accounting. How does he perform against the younger troops in the office or on the field? Can he relate to modern challenges and to those he’s attempting to perform for and how is he being perceived?
Failure to take a realistic accounting of these and other circumstances leads to a state of denial. And the more one denies his time has come and past, the more likely he’ll be bitter when the employer closes the show on him. Glavine is a sad example of the latter.
Paul Lentz
June 5th, 2009
3:31 pm
Plate Appearance……….morons like you are typical of phony Braves fans. You place loyalty to the player over the team. Tom Glavine was a very medicore pitcher since 2003. He came back last year and was 2-4 with an ERA over 5, barely pitching 5 innings a start. I see no problem with what the Braves did concerning him. They paid him $1 mil to get in shape, in case they needed him. They didnt so they cut him. Simple as that.
I, for one, was not looking forward to seeing Glavine pitch. I was dreading it. Not because I have anything against him. It is because I imagined him getting rocked and taxing the bullpen because it took him 100 pitches of nibbling the plate to get into the 5th inning. I want to see a starting pitcher who can go more than 5 innings, and keep us in the game.
Pete………thanks for the props. I choose to be logical because I want to see the Braves win. Growing up in the 80’s, the Braves SUCKED, particularly from 1985-1990. Then we turned it around in 1991 and made the play-offs for 14 STRAIGHT years. Now that we have missed the play-offs for the past 3 seasons, I am HUNGRY to see the Braves get back to the play-offs. I realize that thinking with emotion when trying to figure out how to best get the Braves back in the play-offs only accomplishes the opposite. Many of these so-called Braves fans are really jock sniffers for the players they root for. Their loyalty is to the player.
While there are players I have come to like and root for, my loyalty has always been to the Braves team. I want to see the TEAM win. I’d rather have a team full of A-HOLES and win…than to have a team full of nice guys and lose. Reason being, I will never know these players personally. And they could care less about knowing me. It’s just reality and I accept it.
Thinking logically = winning. Thinking with emotion = losing.
Pete
June 5th, 2009
3:32 pm
Schuerholz will make a statement at 4 today at Turner Field….should be fun
JUSTAFAN
June 5th, 2009
3:33 pm
Save A Buck…What you think we in the South need is a powerful union to tell us what to do, say, think, and live, right? I hate to tell you this puppet mouth but the powerful unions no longer exist, except in the minds of the old Nazi worshipers. Get over it and stay up north, or return there.. You wouldn’t fit in with real people who make their own decisions..