When dealing with legends, there’s rarely an exit strategy
“It’s not how you go about it,” John Smoltz told reporters this week, but how do you go about it? If you’re suggesting, as Smoltz and others have, the Braves mishandled the release of Tom Glavine … well, how do you handle it? How does a team say goodbye to someone who isn’t ready to leave?
Joe DiMaggio retired at age 37, saying he could no longer “be Joe DiMaggio every day.” Today’s athletes are different. Smoltz got mad and left for Boston because the Braves had the gall to offer too little money to a 41-year-old pitcher — he has since turned 42 — coming off shoulder surgery. And now they’ve angered Glavine, who’s 43 and coming off shoulder and elbow surgery.
Two days after he was lopped, Glavine launched a counteroffensive. He accused the Braves of lying to him and being cheap. He said he merited special treatment for his years of meritorious service. Brett Favre felt the same. Brett Favre went from being the Green Bay Packers to despising the Green Bay Backers because they didn’t show due deference.
But should due deference to a legend trump the greater goal of all professional teams, which is the winning of games? The hardest thing for any ballplayer is to know when to stop playing ball, and the great ones find it hardest of all. They always think there’s another big game or another touchdown pass in that famous arm.
Joe Namath went out as a Ram, Michael Jordan as a Wizard. Roger Clemens “retired” so many times we needed an abacus to keep track. Randy Johnson won his 300th game at age 45, working for his sixth different franchise. And this was the career path of Greg Maddux after he left the Braves in 2003: Cubs to Dodgers to Padres back to Dodgers.
Loading ...Yes, there’s money still to be had, lots of money. But these guys have made more for one year’s work than the average Joe or Jane earns in a lifetime. How much is enough? How long is too long? What happened to the concept of a graceful exit at the top of one’s game? Did it walk away in 1966 with the princely Sandy Koufax?
John Schuerholz felt moved to apologize Friday for the way things ended with Glavine — “The environment and the tone and the manner … didn’t feel comfortable to me,” Schuerholz told reporters — but what could the Braves have done? Cut him in spring training? (Wouldn’t Glavine have then said, “You didn’t even give me a chance”?)
Brought him up for one start and paid him his million-dollar bonus while strongly suspecting he’d get tattooed? (And what if, come October, the Braves found themselves one game out of the playoffs? Would Glavine have apologized to them?) Should they have offered him a job as a coach? Shoved aside Joe Simpson in the TV booth? Made Glavine general manager and booted Frank Wren to the curb?
In the clear light of hindsight, the Braves might have rushed things. They could have tried to arrange a formal news conference, as opposed to the hasty gathering behind the press box a half-hour before Wednesday’s game, but Glavine had made it clear he wasn’t retiring. And he said Friday he wants little to do with the Braves now. So there.
Every legend wants to depart “on his own terms,” but seldom do those terms account for anyone else’s. This isn’t Tee Ball. Not every player gets to play in every big-league game. And it’s the guys who were once the best players who can’t seem to grasp they’re just not as good anymore.
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194 comments Add your comment
brave1
June 5th, 2009
7:07 pm
Two down, one to go (angry ex-Braves). What do you think is going to happen in four years when Chipper is 41 and wants to pitch two more years? Is ownership going to be the bad guy again? Probably. But only if you weasels keep caring more about the back of the jersey more than the front.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
7:13 pm
The Chipper thing could get ugly, too, but I hope it doesn’t. He’s my second-favorite Brave.
Stinky
June 5th, 2009
7:22 pm
If Chipper moved to the A.L., he’d finish his career with 500 HR.
AGTFan
June 5th, 2009
7:23 pm
brave1 – you’re a total idiot.
AGTFan
June 5th, 2009
7:30 pm
John Schuerholz showed great class. A simple gesture did more for my confidence in the Braves organization than any trade for a lifetime .261 hitter ever would. (And no, I’m not dissing McLouth. He’s a big upgrade for the outfield.) And this blog is way superior to the previous two. You don’t sound quite as much like a bitter sportswriter who had his feelings hurt years ago.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
7:45 pm
It’s like the late Earl Strom — the NBA referee — would say of his calls: “Some they like; some they don’t.”
country boy
June 5th, 2009
7:54 pm
I just hope the Braves win now. That would cure the ills of this Glavine/Smoltz drama.
Dwatyne
June 5th, 2009
7:58 pm
Mark , the Braves handled this very poorly. It was classless. The Fans and Glavine clearly deserved a better send off than that debacle . I’m glad Scherholz finally stepped up to play grown up in this situation.
Tim
June 5th, 2009
8:02 pm
Like Schuerholz said, this one really didn’t feel good. The Braves were in a tough spot. Maybe they should’ve gone to Glavine to let him know their decision was to release him but they were willing to bring him up for a opportunity to pitch an inning or two in order to let the fans say goodbye IF he would forego the million. It would’ve been nice to let the fans say goodbye, but was it worth a cool million to the organization. I think not.
Glavine deserves better. I can understand the bad taste in his mouth. But, the circumstances were such that the Braves organization had to make a hard business decision. That’s what they are paid to do.
May Nate and Tommy Hanson help us to get over this as soon as possible!
Tom
June 5th, 2009
8:14 pm
I am a 56 year old ex-dawg baseball player who was in attendance at the Rome game. I believe Glavine’s changup had more velocity than his fastball, He would have been killed in the show. Didn’t the Braves make him a millionaire? Get a life and quit whinning. That goes for Smoltz too.
Dannyboy
June 5th, 2009
8:18 pm
You handle it by avoiding the situation altogether. They knew what they were getting into when they signed him over a year ago…and I say this with the utmost respect as Glavine has been one of the most accomplished and respected Braves, but when he left the Mets, he was already in the twilight of his baseball career. If signing him was anything more than sentimental, then management needs to reassess themselves. I think they handled the Smoltz situation perfectly. You make him a decent offer, one that won’t break or strain the budget, but isn’t insulting either. If a team like the Red Sox comes in and offers him a more lucrative contract, so be it. They can say they tried, but couldn’t afford to spend as much on a pitcher that’s been in and out of the DL for the past few seasons. Bottom line, those two were a huge part of the 14 division title run, but it’s a business. Hopefully, one day, they will accept a role similar to Hank Aaron…one that isn’t a ceremonial position, but reflects the value of their place in Braves annals as well as their contributions to the community and the city of Atlanta.
JD
June 5th, 2009
8:33 pm
Any way you can put a speech bubble out of Glavine’s mouth saying “SCHAWING!”?
journalist jimmy smith
June 5th, 2009
8:38 pm
oh, the humanity! a possible toe injury in mclouth’s first game as a brave. toes are not to be trifled with.
Will
June 5th, 2009
8:50 pm
Mark:
I am surprised and disappointed by your continued defense of the indefensible.
Not that the team would be better off with the young arms rather than Tom – that’s a given – a given that would have been true two, four or six weeks ago and not something that was suddenly “discovered” after putting Tom through the humiliation of thinking he was working himself back to the big leagues.
You seem to think because this (the mishandled mess) has happened before to other organizations, its okay for Braves management to have made such a mess.
I am proud that John S has stepped forward and tried to make amends. You also may want to take a step back and rethink your position on this sad affair.
Father of 5
June 5th, 2009
8:58 pm
The Prez couldn’t sleep, then publicly apologized. Many national media outlets are making fun of the Braves for dozens of boneheaded moves over the past few years. Many national commentators have, fairly or unfairly, characterized the once proud Braves as a “classless” organization. Many believe the Braves have become undesireable in the eyes of top free agents (Peavy?) who do not want to suffer similar fates. The Braves paid a $15M premium over and above what a cash-loaded NY was team was offering their top pitcher (might seem ok now, but check back in 3 years). The Braves traded their CF leadoff hitter (.290 ave, 10 SBs) for a song before opening day — then had to give up 3 players to get another one. I think anyone who says that this club has handled everything as good as possible has very low expectations.
There is a common thread to all these mishaps — and we didn’t have this reputation when the current Prez was in charge. About 10,000 fantasy leaguers could have done a better job with this club than the current GM. He keeps making controversial moves “to make the ballclub better” — but they’re still a .500 team. And he mortgaged the future to save his own skin. I happen to agree with JS, Glavine, Smoltz, Chipper . . . . My family will be enjoying games in Gwinnett until the key change is made in the front office.
Dondee
June 5th, 2009
8:59 pm
Glad Schuerholz at least apologized for the way it was handled. The fans deserved a chance to say good bye. If I had remotely thought they wouldn’t bring Glavine back up, I would have made an effort to see him pitch with the G-Braves. Something could have and should have been done, especially with the way Smoltz was treated. Sounds like they were not considering the legend and what Glavine means to the Braves and the fans. Hope Glavine will realize the business side to this decision and come to love the Braves again one day. And, I hope I find something to love about these Braves, soon…..With Glavine, Smoltz, not to mention Skip and the Professor gone, it’s gonna be hard.
brewdawg
June 5th, 2009
9:03 pm
Will,
Forget it. Mark won’t. An otherwise fine journalist and person is cold-hearted when it comes to baseball business. What bothers me is that the Braves act like they all of a sudden realize they are a better team with Tommy Hanson. They would have been better off this entire time with Hanson, maybe even have five or so more wins. But no, they wanted to wait until after June 1st to save money in the future on Hanson, so in the meantime they let Jo-Jo Reyes and Kris Medlen get shelled time and time again (though Medlen showed improvement towards the end). However, the Braves feel it’s too risky to run a Hall of Fame pitcher out there now, because they don’t want to lose any more of the ground that Brave immortals Reyes and Medlen have already spotted the Mets and Phils.
jen
June 5th, 2009
9:03 pm
Poor Tom Glavine
JDM
June 5th, 2009
9:05 pm
Oh Boo Hoo, Glavine should have never been allowed back in Atlanta.
sansho1
June 5th, 2009
9:06 pm
Don’t forget that Glavine would have gotten a slot in April had he not gotten hurt, so it’s not as though the Braves didn’t try to work him in. But then Hanson then spent the first two months of the AAA season showing he’s ready and then some. Frankly, giving Glavine an auld lang syne start at this point would be a patronizing gesture considering he thinks he can still pitch. This isn’t the Niekro situation here. People claiming to be upset on Glavine’s behalf are actually upset for themselves that they don’t get to see him pitch in a Braves uni, but that’s not the team mission. To (harslhy, perhaps) paraphrase the old country song, how can we miss you if you won’t go away?
EP
June 5th, 2009
9:08 pm
Mark, are you being paid by the word these days? Every time I refresh the page, you’ve written another column. Not complaining, but I’ve never seen a journalist crank ‘em out at this pace before.
sansho1
June 5th, 2009
9:09 pm
“harshly”, that should read….
Barney Strickland
June 5th, 2009
9:10 pm
Glavines retirement makes me sad. I’m the same age as him and it somehow made adifference that an active Brave player from my generation was still on the team. Say farewell to the 80’s. Shuerholz apologized…enough said……. Tom should graciously accept the apology and move ahead…end of story.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
9:14 pm
Paid? Am I supposed to get paid? Is that the way this usually works?
Scorby Jones
June 5th, 2009
9:17 pm
Actually, someone else mentioned this a while ago. I think the best thing the Braves should have done was release Glavine when he re-injured himself swinging the bat a few months ago. I imagine that the Braves were ready to take him on back then, before they thought Hanson would be ready. However, when he hurt himself, you gotta think that somewhere in the brain trust of Braves management, someone was saying “Hanson will be a Super 2 by the time Glav’s ready to pitch.”
and for all the folks talking about possible trades/future lineups/payroll… isn’t attendance sucking this year?? Payroll WILL drop, no question, unless we all get out to see the guys play!! I’m pissed, cause I bought tickets to see Hanson pitch tomorrow, and his debut was pushed back a day… but I’m not that pissed – I still get to see my team play.
that’s all I got.
Legend of Len Barker
June 5th, 2009
9:19 pm
It was nice of Schuerholz to apologize. The gesture was not necessary. I don’t think they could have made Glavine understand in any way that didn’t hurt the major league Braves in the standings.
To Glavine:
The reward for your loyalty will be a plaque in the Braves Hall of Fame and potentially your number retired. That’s your gold watch. You might think that you deserve better, but how about your teammates? Do you honestly think that at this point that you deserve a slot in the rotation above Medlen, Hanson, Jurrjens, Vazquez, et. al? Please sir, come to your senses. This isn’t 1991, 1996, or even 2001. Your teammates deserve someone durable.
Do you remember Doyle Alexander, Tom? Doyle wasn’t a Brave as long as you, but he was 36 in 1987. We cleared him out for you and used to him to get another prospect.
Traver
June 5th, 2009
9:21 pm
This is an impossible situation. In the case of Smoltz, in the case of Glavine, and I might even throw the Justice deal in there (a little different but some similarities given he hit the home run in Game 6) because of one thing – Emotion. These guys have been to war together “so to speak” (don’t want to slight the sacrifice of our real heros) but they were a huge part of turning the Atlanta Braves from perennial losers to perennial winners. Major trials and tribulations involved in making something like that happen. A lot of sweat equity together and the longer they did it the closer they got with each other and the organization. I think about how Cox might feel about all this. Sure, he was a part of this decision but you can’t tell me that inside the deal with Smoltz and this deal with Glavine isn’t killing him. You could just tell when he tried to answer questions about it Wednessday night. It is such a rarity in this day and age to find guys that spend as much time as these guys did with the same organization and no matter how much they try to deny it they feel a sense of ownership in what they helped build in Atlanta and when the organization is ready to turn to the next generation it is very understandable (at least to me) why they would feel some betrayal when they feel they can still be produictive. Its like being told that your family doesn’t want you anymore. People want to make a big deal about the money and it is a lot of money. I will probably never make as much in a lifetime as these make in one year but one million in baseball economics is about like 1,000 for most of the rest of us and really shouldn’t be the main focus of this discussion. This is different becasue these guys are exceptions. Since 1990, they are Hall of Famers who made the Braves who the Braves are (include Maddux of course). They do deserve a different level of respect becasue they have earned it on the field where they have performed at a level that only most wish they could.
The question was “What should the exit strategy be?” How about being honest from the start (all parties). When Glavine signed over the winter I do think the Braves had every intention of having him in the rotation if he was able to comeback but they were in a differnt position at that point. I think Hanson was just beginning to tear up the fall league and I don’t think they had KK or Vasquez yet. The Braves rotation didn’t really get all that crowded until Hanson, Medlen, and Morton started going gang busters. So from the Braves point of view – as soon as they knew that Glavine’s spot in the rotation might become a competitive situation they should have sat him down then and put the cards on the table. He can’t blame the Braves for trying to put the best 25 on the field. In January (assuming he would make it back to this point) Glavine was one of the best 25 but along about March I am willing to bet that Frank started to realize that Glavine might be number 26 or 27 given the development of the youngs guys. On the flip side, the Braves shouldn’t blame Glavine for feeling blindsided when (at least as it appears) there was no indication that things had changed. That is a slap in the face when you have made a living successfully competing at the level Glavine has competed at since high school. You can’t turn off the detemination of a Glavine or a Smoltz with a light switch. When you try to do that, the emotion of it all takes over and they start responding in ways that people do when suddenly, their fate is no longer controlled by their physical talents but by the guys in the fornt office.
I would say there in no one perfect exit strategy but in Glavine’s case(Smoltz too in my opinion) this should have been planned and thought out a lot better. It is painful to watch and frankly I am very disappointed and sad about the whole deal. Glavine and Smoltz should be finishing up their playing careers and planning their non-player roles in the organization and now Smoltz is in Boston and we don’t even know if Glavine is going to show up for Maddux’s jeresy retirement. This really sux for us fans.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
9:28 pm
The one way this works is if a given legend chooses to retire at the exact moment you’d like him to retire. But how often does that happen? Once a decade? Once a generation?
bravesfan
June 5th, 2009
9:52 pm
Glavine considered it a business decision when he left Atlanta to go to the Mets. The Braves are well within their right to make a business decision when it regards him as well. I would like to see the Braves not create public relations nightmare, but Glavine didn’t worry too much about Atlanta’s fans when he took more money to go to New York.
Traver
June 5th, 2009
9:55 pm
Your right Mark and that is why I think the communication should have been so much more open than it was. 90% of this is “hurt feelings” He doesn’t want to retire because he is a competitor and the Braves are taking away what allows him to compete. The moment this became a competition is the moment the converstaions should have started.
I’ll flat out admit it. This hurts me. Tom Glavine is the Braves of the last 20 years to me like Dale Murphy was the Braves to me in the 80’s. Completely parting ways without it being uncomfortable is probably unrealistic but there could have been minimized.
A. Einstein
June 5th, 2009
10:01 pm
Athletes are pampered far too much by our society, consequently we sholdn’t be surprised when they act like spoiled brats. I don’t recall any press conferences or appearances on TV/radio for any of the people that lost their job at the AJC where they whined PUBLICLY about the way they were treated. While I’m sure that there was some grumbling, most of those affected by job loss responded as adults and not over-grown adolescents. Glavine should look at it this way – He’s still part of an elite group – the 9.4% of Americans that are out of work. If he needs the number for the local Labor Dept. office, I’ll be glad to provide it.
Billy
June 5th, 2009
10:03 pm
I love people who say that they’ll never watch another Braves game again (I’m looking at you, Maximus…). If you’re more tied to a certain player than the team, then hit the road! I wish that Glavine had spent his entire career with the Braves, but he took care of that 6 years ago. I don’t begrudge him going for more money, but when you leave a company, you have no right to ask them to treat you like the prodigal son when you come back. I hated to see Smoltz go, and I’m sorry that Glavine is old and washed up. But they didn’t “owe” him a million dollars to say goodbye. When the day comes that Chipper is dealing with this, maybe I’ll feel differently, but I grew up watching all sorts of Braves “icons” being traded away. People get over it.
Billy
June 5th, 2009
10:04 pm
By the way, Mark, you’re definitely on fire these days. You keep me from actually having to work at work…
mike
June 5th, 2009
10:13 pm
Said it once, and I’ll say it again. This was a bush-league way to handle this. Sometimes, it takes someone to sit down and ask, “is this the way we want to end this relationship.” Someone in the front office (Wren) really blew this one. If Hanson is your answer, fine. But letting TG come back for one last start isn’t going to make or break this season. That is, if it really wasn’t about the money.
Fred
June 5th, 2009
10:16 pm
If Glavine wanted to pitch here to be close to his family then why did he DUMP the Braves for the Mets? MONEY not family.
Reid Adair
June 5th, 2009
10:21 pm
Mark, you present a lot of “what if’s” with this one.
Given the offensive struggles, I don’t believe it will be (or would have been) a situation where the Braves finish one game out of first – or the playoffs.
If they were going to give him a chance, they should have given it to him. Otherwise, they should never have started this in the first place. To have turned on him then probably would have in no more backlash (possibly less) than they’re getting now.
I thought John Schuerholz showed class with his statement this afternoon. I wonder if he will grow tired of trying to save the organization’s face after another Frank Wren lie down the road.
Mitch
June 5th, 2009
10:25 pm
I seem to be in the minority, but, while it was in a different environment than Phil Niekro did in 1987 for his “farewell game”, I would have given Tom the chance for one last big league start.
After 18 years, and all that Tom meant to this team, and this city, I thought the Braves did right by re-signing him last winter, even after the injury plagued 2008. The guy had never been on the disabled list for any extended period of time in a 22 year major league career, so the Braves thinking that 2008 was an aberration, and that Tom could help us in 2009, was the correct one.
When I read that Glavine pitched two outings of six scoreless innings each in his rehab starts, it really makes me wonder… Even if his velocity was a little slower than before, the guy is 43 years old, and coming off major arm surgery. Tom didnt throw 95 mph in his prime.
With as hard as Tom worked, and with the money the Braves paid, I dont think there would have been any harm in giving Tom a start for the major league club. I have a feeling that if Ted Turner was still the owner, he might have told John S and Wren that Tommy deserved that, like Phil Niekro did in 1987. While Braves attendance is down this year, we know it isnt as bad as in 1987, and that Ted also got a good gate turnout, on a Sunday afternoon, at a time the Braves were out of thr race, a Glavine start now, especially if it was his last, and fans thought that, would have brought people into the park.
Yes, Glavine is rich, and yes, athletes are often overpaid whiners, but I still think that out of respect for how hard Tom worked, and the fact that the Braves re signed him in the first place, he deserved one last start.
I know many dont agree, but this is how I see it.
Mitch
brewdawg
June 5th, 2009
10:28 pm
You want a blueprint on how it should be handled? Look at the Falcons dealings with Keith Brooking. The Falcons offered him a lower contract than Keith felt he deserved, and so they agreed to amicably part ways. Then the Falcons promptly held a press conference praising what Brooking meant to the Falcons, on and off the field, and wished him the best going forward. The contract they offered basically said they didn’t think he was as good as he once was, but Arthur Blank didn’t come out to the media and say, “Well, our scouts all agreed that he couldn’t tackle anybody anymore. This is a performance based decision, not a financial one.” The Braves front office showed no class with Glavine, as has become their norm. No, I’m not saying Brooking is on the level of Glavine or Smoltz, but you asked for how you handle it, and that’s a pretty good starting point. If Arthur owned the Braves, both Smoltz and Glavine might still be gone. But they wouldn’t be bashing the team on radio and in the papers, and it would have been done in a way where the fans wouldn’t think either had been screwed.
TheAntiMe
June 5th, 2009
10:41 pm
There were 2 reasons, I believe, that the Braves were willing to re-sign Glavine this season. The first reason was that after the backlash that the front office was feeling from the Smoltz debacle, it would have been bad PR to let Glavine go that same route so soon after Smoltz appeared to many to have been mistreated.
The second reason was more of a practical reason as they were looking at Glavine as a hopefully adequate 5th starter to be able to hold the fort until either Tommy Hanson and/or Tim Hudson was able to be added to the rotation.
The sad thing for Glavine is that he didn’t seem to realize that he was no longer a focal point of the pitching staff. Part of it was probably him being in denial of his diminished skills, even when healthy, but I do think that part of it was also that the Braves took it to the limit and very muched allowed him to think that he was a part of their plans this season, even after the braintrust had pretty much already decided to cut him.
As it turned out, it has become sort of a Glavinegate, just like the earlier Smoltziegate that the front office was hoping to avoid.
mike
June 5th, 2009
10:41 pm
Ditto Brewdawg. This was a classless way to handle the situation. I expect as much from the “new” brave’s front office.
dan
June 5th, 2009
10:44 pm
brewdawg…
I agree with what you said. Have Smoltz and Glavine let their egos get in the way? Yes. But one can make an argument that they are only being as egotistical has they have earned the right to be. Guys like Smoltz’s have put a lot of butts in the seats and have sold a ton of merchandise for the Braves over the years. The Braves have taken care of both of them, but Smoltz and Glavine have definately taken care of the Braves as well. The bottom line is those two are competitors. When some front office suit like Frank Wren tells them they are washed up, it’s in their nature to want to prove them wrong. It’s that competitve drive that has fueled them to great things. The fact is the Braves are a second tier organization and have been for a while now. Frank Wren better bring home a championship, because if he doesn’t he’ll be out the door too.
Billy
June 5th, 2009
10:45 pm
People need to quit being over-sensitive. People in jobs all over this country who have been with companies longer than Smoltz or Glavine were with the Braves are being fired every day. Please forgive me if I don’t shed a tear for people who have made more than 99.9% of the American populance can even contemplate. When you’ve made over $100 million, you should already feel “respected” and “loved.”
mike
June 5th, 2009
10:45 pm
You, “he took more money to go to NY” fans need to get over it. Glavine didn’t come out afterwords and say, “if the Braves paid me what I was worth, I’d still be Brave”. The truth is the Braves low-balled him and he went somewhere else. I would have done the same. This is an entirely different situation. And even though he was low-balled, he didn’t bad mouth the organization. They’ve done this twice now. How many times before someone notices a pattern?
Piedmont hospital born, ATL/Gwinmett native, left field teepee chief nokahome fire breathing, gritz blitz, tween the hedges dawg fan since birth
June 5th, 2009
11:01 pm
Mark, aside from your Kentucky blue grass hertitage, I wanted to say kudos for picking up the AJC sports blogs tempo. You are defintely on a roll. Keep up the great on the fly blogging.
Jan
June 5th, 2009
11:12 pm
Our Braves are in disarray fromt he top down. Shurholtz admits he didn’t step up in the meeting with Glavine. Wren is making trades and pulling strings in a daze. The players get nicked and disappear for a week or two. This ship is taking on water from a public relations and field product perspectives. Let’s lower expectations by admitting we’re going with kids and going to take our lumps. By owning up to this reality we can shift from expecting wins and competing for the division to making sure the kids play the game right and learn from mistakes and successes. Neither Bobby nor TP are teachers and it will hurt the youngsters for the good ole boys to not show them how to “man up, show up, and step up”. I like the young faces now let’s let them play. Win, lose, or draw just show me improvement each week. How about Willie Randolph for Bobby? Get the fat guy and TP out and let’s get some teachers and some fire in the dugout.
Ozzfest
June 5th, 2009
11:18 pm
Dear Tom-puss,
I am sorry you lost your $10M+ a year job. My wife also lost her job…some 8 months ago. If I go on a talk radio show, would you please consider letting me borrow $200,000 (about one weeks pay for you) so that I can PAY OFF EVERY DEBT I WILL EVER HAD…including my mortgage…and so that I can move to NYC and have a fresh start. I stayed at the Peninsula Hotel in NY once about 3 years ago. I only got to stay one night because I was splurging on their cheapest room, it was $425 per night. I understand you stayed in their largest suite for 12 weeks after you left the Braves for the Mets. I digress, could I please borrow $200k at 4.86%…I really need the money…so that I can be a happy little t*rd like you.
tiger7_88
June 5th, 2009
11:31 pm
Dear Tom:
I’m sorry for not appreciating your hard work and dedication in defending the abused and misused millionaires of the Major Leagues back in 1994. All I wanted was to enjoy some baseball that season and I realize now that I showed no concern in the least for the most abused minority in the country: the Major League baseball player.
So I’m sorry.
I’m also sorry for no longer caring a whit how you pitched or whether or not you won 300 games after you left for the Mets. That whole “agreement in principle” you had with John Schuerholz prior to your bolting for the Mets? It doesn’t reflect in the least on your personal integrity. And, after all, you only left the Braves because of the highest principle of them all for the Major League baseball player: money.
So, again, I am so very sorry for thinking less of you.
And, finally, I am also sorry for having no consideration for your feelings this week, here at the twilight of your career. I never realized you were so sensitive about how a certain club treated YOU after you had made it so clear year after year in the past that how you treated that certain club in return was JUST BUSINESS. Nothing personal!
How dare that certain club just CUT you from their roster with no regard for your feelings after giving you only ONE MILLION DOLLARS to get healthy and rehab! Shocking, shocking behavior… and they should be ashamed of themselves.
And I’m ashamed for them.
I’m sorry, Tommy… you are a paragon of virtue. And I only belittle myself for thinking less of you.
Rex D
June 5th, 2009
11:33 pm
Mark: There is no great way to do it, but that does not mean you have to do it in a classless way. Can we agree on that? There was no reason to go public and say “we decided Tom can’t get anyone out.” If you care about Tom, you simply explain your decision a different way. That’s what is pissing people off. Not the decision itself. All they had to say was it was a tough decision, “Tom has shown a lot of progress, and can probably win some games in the big leagues if he wants to – but we have a young gun (Hanson) who we want to give the same chance that we gave Tom 20 years ago. If this young gun can have 1/2 the success of Tom, we’ll be truly blessed. Tom got his chance early, took his lumps, and became a winner at a very young age. Tommy Hanson has now earned that chance, so we’re going in that direction.” What’s so hard about that????
Mike
June 5th, 2009
11:34 pm
Is everyone forgetting that Glavine turned his back on the Braves a few years ago because the Braves ONLY offered $10 million a year when the Mets offered him $11 million? He had no loyalty then. Why should the Braves be the bad guys now. This guy did great things for the Braves for a very long time, and I will always be appreciative that. However, he also proved to be greedy and all about the green for two reasons; 1) he left the Braves for a few dollars to play for the hated rivals and 2) he was the player’s representative on the union and always fought to increase pay for players, even when people like Pay-Rod quarter of a BILLION dollar contracts. He and his ilk continue to push salary numbers higher and higher. WE pay those salaries through increased ticket prices and longer commercial breaks. Glavine was the poster child for that salary growth.
End of story – he turned his back on the Braves – he shouldn’t be allowed to get upset with this latest turn.
DirtyDawg
June 5th, 2009
11:35 pm
The one thing that I haven’t noticed about this, and in my estimation could have made something of a difference, is that instead of telling Tom that they didn’t think he was ‘good enough’ or that he couldn’t get big-league hitters out anymore, would have been if they had said to Glavine – ‘Here’s the story Tom, it’s clear to all that the Hanson kid is about as ready as he’s gonna get…we’ve got five starters already that are pitching pretty good…and we have you coming back from what, for most people would be career-ending surgery. Just what do you think we should do? You would agree that it’s our job to make decisions about which five would give us the best chance to win, wouldn’t you? So, just who do you think you should replace? Pick one then we’ll have a simulated game between the two of you, winner take the job’…probably not.
Mark Bradley
June 5th, 2009
11:37 pm
Thanks, Piedmont. Thanks, Billy.
Lefty
June 5th, 2009
11:50 pm
Sandy Kofax, Joe Dimaggio, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Roger Staubach, Robert Smith, John Elway, Bjorn Borg, Annika Sorenstam…all retired BEFORE they were out of shape and ineffective. Oh, and none of them made anywhere near the money that Tommy has made (well, maybe Annika did). I think the question that needs to be asked is, Why did Glavine put the Braves in such an awkward position? Does he really think he can still get big league hitters out? The difference between denial and delusional is very narrow, indeed.
Glavine got the Class A hitters out in Rome because none of them know where the strike zone is, or they’re too impatient to wait for pitches in it. The Brewers would have had batting practice on Sunday if Glavine would have pitched – and he wanted a million dollars to throw it to them. It’s pathetic when you can’t face reality.
bigjohnchopfan
June 5th, 2009
11:51 pm
“Well, our scouts all agreed that [Brooking] couldn’t tackle anybody anymore.”
I think the entire City of Atlanta (and the State of Arizona) would agree. Glad he’s gone!!
GO BIRDS GO!!!
Billy
June 5th, 2009
11:52 pm
Completely off subject, I just saw your former colleague, Mr. Moore, on NFL Network described as “AOL Fanhouse Columnist.” No matter how many times I disagreed with the guy (> 95%), it’s hard to see a guy that you grew up reading in a physical newspaper having to write for a website. No matter what most of these losers say, I’m glad that you’re still here. I left Atlanta 6 years ago. Reading you, Schultz, and Mr. Bisher makes me feel at home.
Homer the Brave
June 5th, 2009
11:54 pm
**Mark Bradley**, thanks for giving me more than my fair share of sports articles to read. It really helps the scotch go down while I mourn the loss of Glavine (and the eventual “release” of Chipper Jones). I love ya, man!! *hiccup!*
Matt Winkeljohn
June 5th, 2009
11:58 pm
Well put.
Matt
June 6th, 2009
12:03 am
Money says he ends up with Stan Kasten in DC and ends up with the most wins in their rotation with 8.
Just one man’s guess!
raconteur
June 6th, 2009
12:11 am
ESPN predicts that, this season, Adam Dunn will have more homeruns than the Washington Nationals have wins…
TAKING ALL BETS!!!
Titus Andronicus
June 6th, 2009
12:11 am
“Man, if I made one million dollars I would come in at six in the morning, sweep the stands, wash the uniforms, clean out the office, manage the team and play the games.”
- Duke Snider
And to think Richie Hebner used to spend his offseason as a gravedigger.
Tom, I understand you’re hurt. But please look at this from more perspectives than your own.
Let us start with the team perspective.
- Dumping your salary (in your opinion) got us someone who we think can hit and field. Apparently, you haven’t been watching our offense or Jordan Schafer this year, sir. Offense is our issue. The Braves want to win games. The fans want to win games.
- The Braves have several arms younger than yours. Medlen, Jurrjens, and Hanson are the young ones. Vazquez isn’t bad and some of us still hold out hope of Kawikami. Hudson may be coming back this summer. Sir, do you think that you deserved a slot over all these gentlemen? Could you contribute more than them?
Personal/fan perspective
- Did you watch the end of the careers of Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Phil Niekro, and the ongoing saga that is Brett Favre? You should at least be familiar with Favre. Big gala, lots of tears shed, and it hasn’t registered with him that he isn’t nearly as good as he used to be. I won’t deny that either of you love your chosen sport, but sometimes you have to let it go.
- If you skip the retiring of Greg Maddux’s number, you’re not sticking it to the Braves. You know who you’re sticking it to? Maddux. The fans. Yourself. Maddux isn’t the reason you’re currently unemployed. I’m not the reason you’re currently unemployed.
- Please remember, Mr. Glavine that the vast majority of us make far less money than you did for playing a kid’s game. You haven’t lashed out at us, but most of us still remember that you jilted us for New York for more money that most of us will make in 20 years.
Alan
June 6th, 2009
12:24 am
“Our Braves are in disarray fromt he top down. Shurholtz admits he didn’t step up in the meeting with Glavine. Wren is making trades and pulling strings in a daze.”
Sheesh, that’s a bit harsh, I would think.
I am real sure that the front office had hoped they would not have to have that mtg with Glavine. Truth is, their hand was forced by the performance of both Medlen and Hanson. Either one is (or very shortly will be) better than TG…. heck, better than Kawakami, too. So what do we do? Continue to string him along or put the cards on the table. I hope that Schuerholz slapped Wren about the office for certain bad statements (the public apology essentially admits that he and/or they screwed that up), but the end remains the same. But I hardly would characterize the front office in such terms in general. Why?
1. The trade w/the Pirates. That gets a ‘Wow’ — Charlie Morton was never going to see Atlanta again, being at least 4th behind Medlen, Hanson, Reyes, and maybe even Jeff Bennett. Good pickup for Pitt, good move for him, good deal for Atlanta. Hernandez: well, with McClouth and Shaefer, when would he ever get called up? As for Lock, there’s a draft this weekend in which Atl will get his replacement. McClouth should hit better in a lineup in which he isn’t “the guy” that other teams MUST get out… like he was in Pittsburgh.
2. Now What? The new rumor about Brad Penny is interesting, but odd unless someone like Vazquez is being shopped. You don’t need 7 starters. Oh, and how’s Hudson coming along?
3. If Francouer is on the block, that kinda would negate the trade you just did for McClouth, unless there’s even *more* going on.
4. Back in the winter, I would have begged for a Kotchman & Reyes for Adrian Gonzalez trade… I’m pretty sure the Pads won’t do that one today.
The one thing I ask is this: Bobby, I know you’ve always liked Jermaine Dye — please resist.
I just gotta think that an early June trade means (a) the Braves are serious about getting better quicker than not, and (b) they’re getting started way before anyone else so they can get the best deals and have the greatest impact for a longer period of time.
MikeyMouse
June 6th, 2009
12:31 am
quick question? Is this the same jackass that said screw to atlanta and bolted for the cash in flushing, NY. Thought so…….Dont let the door hit ya, where the good Lord split ya. good riddance….buh bye.
Boo Boo
June 6th, 2009
1:29 am
Chipper Jones will never be released. He will simply go on the IR forever, from chronic oblique and toe injuries. He can still suit up and sit on the bench that way. Much better way to fade away than Bob Horner’s and Nick Esasky’s Braves IR retirements.
Well, it was good to see Schuerholz trying to make nice with Tom. Now plans can get underway for the Smoltz-Glavine monument outside the Ted. I think the sculptor has them both in a golf cart, where their golf bags are actually functional garbage cans for the fans to toss hot dog wrappers in. A “go green” theme. One that matches the “give the green, I stay. Hold the green, I leave. Either way we’re headed to the green.” attitude they had in Atlanta.
scottbravesfan
June 6th, 2009
1:30 am
Hey Tom Glavine I felt betrayed when you signed with the freaking New York Mets in 2002!!!!! So get over it and go enjoy life in the rich atlanta suburbs and spend the rest of your days counting your money in your mansion.
TheAntiMe
June 6th, 2009
1:54 am
Homer The Brave, you are the best darn mascot in baseball! Both Mr. Red and especially Mr. Met suck softballs compared to you.
Bill
June 6th, 2009
2:10 am
Bradley isn’t a legend and his exit strategy isn’t impressive.
Poopy Pants
June 6th, 2009
2:22 am
I can’t believe my poop in my pants that I’m saying this but I agree with Mark Bradley on this one. I saw Glavine pitch last week on May 28 in AAA Gwinnett before he made his last start in A Rome, and let’s just say those 78-80 mph pitches were not going to cut it in the big leagues. He might not have given up any runs, but he gave up a ton of hits and got out of a lot of innings on lucky double play balls. If he ever made it to the majors, the big leaguers would have knocked those underhand pitches out of the park all night.
Signing Glavine over Spring Training was obviously a ploy by management to get the fans from totally revolting on the team after they got cheap with Smoltz and he walked. They signed the wrong guy and the Braves know it.
And it’s stupid to think the Braves didn’t want to promote him because they’d have to pay him a million dollars. $1 mil is nothing to an MLB club that ranks towards the top in payroll.
Ken Stallings
June 6th, 2009
5:26 am
Mark, you and Furman are the yin and the yang of this one. But, I think you got it right.
john d
June 6th, 2009
5:45 am
Would someone please put a muzzle on Smoltz! He”s an ungratefull self serving baby! Take your golf game to Boston and keep your nose out of the Braves business!
Roswell Ed
June 6th, 2009
6:20 am
I remember when he was the union rep during the strike in the early 90s.
I remember when he left for the Mets for minimally more money.
Pay me millions of dollars and cut me any way you want.
Check me out at libertarianhumor.com
Ted Striker
June 6th, 2009
6:35 am
Mark — Smoltz and Glavine are standing before microphones, wearing nothing but their naked misconceptions of entitlement. It’s like watching the Emperor Who Had No Clothes.
Also, sounds like you were pretty good motivation for Smoltz since ‘97. He should toss you a few million, though it may need to be lobbed underhanded at this stage of his career.
p.s. If he suggests the Sea Bass to you, you’d better order the chicken.
Jenifer
June 6th, 2009
7:24 am
The Braves should have never hired Glavine back. He and Smoltzy should take their rocks and scram. Go find another sandbox to play in. They are past their prime and have had their day in the spotlight.
tr
June 6th, 2009
7:35 am
There is never a good way to handle such a situation. The Braves followed the best available path – cut ties with a legendary, but past his prime, player, and then apologize after the fact as to how it was handled.
I mean, really. Once Glavine was resigned, other than Tommy being reborn as a #1, 2, or 3, was there ever a good way for this to end? You don’t become a 300+ game winner without developing an ego. And what strong ego goes quietly into the night, thinking that it’s time to just go home.
Tom Glavine wouldn’t be the legend he is if he didn’t think he was still capable of getting major league hitters to make outs. Who knows? Maybe he was/is right. But the worst possible scenario would have been sending him to the Turner Field mound and having him proven wrong.
We’d probably never hear about it, but I hope that one day, Tommy will both apologize to FW, JS, and BC and thank them for saving him from the possibility of embarrassing himself in front of his loyal fans.
jamesr1991
June 6th, 2009
8:13 am
Hey Bradley don’t you think Schurholtz damaged Wren by coming out with an apology? I almost swallowed a fly when I heard Holtz apologizy. I’m still waiting for the apology for Justice, Gant, Jordan, Nixon, Harris, Lofton, etc.
After that act by Schurholtz if I was Wren I’d give him the keys. This organization is heading in the wrong direction and has been for a number of years.
Keep up the good work Mark enjoying the tweets as well.
scott
June 6th, 2009
8:16 am
Let’s not forget one big thing here: Several years ago the Braves offered Glavine a rather large contract to stay here. They also offered him a lifetime job with the organization. Tom Glavine decided to take the Mets’ offer because it gave him an extra contract year. If you recall, the Braves were also at the beginning of their downswing. I believe that Glavine felt he could reach 300 wins faster with the Mets than with the Braves. The Braves tried to keep him all those years ago and Glavine said “no.” It was a business decision. The decision the Braves made to release him was a business decision. All you have to do is take a look at the stock market to see that every business, and believe me baseball teams are all about business, needs to save every penny it can and reinvest it in assets that will actually produce. How would those of you who are complaining about the Braves’ decision feel if your boss brought in to your place of business an older employee, let him do busy work for one day, then gave him a huge bonus that could possibly affect your year-end bonus? Think people, if you want to get into the playoffs you need to win as many games as possible. Letting Glavine get shelled for a game so he can get his bonus, and allowing the possibility of missing the playoffs by one game just doesn’t make sense. The Red Sox are going to face the same decision with Smoltz. He’ll come back, he’ll win some games, the Red Sox will get into the playoffs, then they’ll have to decide if they want a 42 year old with a history of elbow and shoulder problems on their playoff roster. What would you do?
Carl
June 6th, 2009
8:20 am
Mr. Bradley, I applaud your columns on this issue. Glavine was given another run with the Braves when they took him back after bolting for the Mets for a better deal (guess it was ok for him to make a business decision but not the Braves). Nine million bucks later, they got 5 wins out of him and a washed up arm. That’s just the reality of it. I heard Glavine on the radio all this past winter telling everyone he was “ready to pitch”. Well – he wasn’t. Now instead of taking the retirement with dignity route or tipping his cap and hawking his wares elsewhere, he runs around whining publicly and tearing down the organization who has paid him so well and gave him his start. I enjoyed the 90’s Braves immensely but that era is over. We need the excitement and hope of seeing new young arms develop and become aces. We don’t need nostlagia tours, that’s what DVDs and VCRs and youtube is for.
Braves Native
June 6th, 2009
8:23 am
Smoltz and Glavine continue to show why we loved them. Their competitiveness is exactly why we as fans loved them as Braves.
But there comes a time when they as older baseball players must say “it is time”.
Both can still save their true loyalty as a Brave and go down in history as two of the greatest Brave and Major league pitchers ever.
Now, will they just retire and save their ” Legends” labels as true Atlanta Braves pitchers?
The Braves need “Legends” (like the Yankees) in order to build a fan base and history.
Now please retire as Braves you guys!
Endymion
June 6th, 2009
8:26 am
I really don’t remember any great loyalty from Glavine. I saw more from Smoltz and Chipper so am more sympathic to their complaints (if any). But Glavine was adversarial with the Braves when he pitched for us. He pitched well. We paid him well. Then he left for more money. He came back a washed up and hurt pitcher. So what is it exactly that ole Tom thinks we owe him?
And Smoltz is just bitter. Maybe justly so.
Retired on the lake (formerly cityofdecatur)
June 6th, 2009
8:35 am
No good deed goes unpunished. Braves gave Tommy (center of the universe) Glavine a chance NOT A GUARENTEE. there would be no GOOD ways to cut ties with over paid me first spoiled brats like this. See John (my way or the highway) Smoltz. It’s a business. J Shuerholz no apology needed remember JS did little Tommy give you an apology when he went off to Gotham! Left the wife and kids to make a few more bucks (relatively speaking, any of you going to NYC for a 10% raise didn’t think so) Bye Tom Bye John
Dave
June 6th, 2009
8:42 am
Ok you don’t like how they did it how would you have done it different. Would you have not resigned him at the beginning when you had nobody signed yet? I don’t think you would. Pretty much signing him was out of necessity then he became an insurance policy as pitchers get injured all the time. Finally I guess I ask those fans who wanted to keep Glavine for nostalgia why? Are the Braves really competing for something this year probably not. We all know Braves attendance is bad. Here you have our biggest attraction Hanson is drawing as many people to the Gwinnett team to see him as are seeing the Braves now. The Reason why Hanson over Glavine is to try to get the excitement back to the Braves to build attendance. Glavine was a rerun of an old movie during a rain out rather than seeing a summer premier of the latest blockbuster we have been waiting to see. Some of you don’t know when to say when on Glavine or Smoltz you care more about the final hurrah than the Braves looking to our future rather than our past. I bet if they had Glavine pitch his final game for the Braves few would go because they would expect another lose. The real reason for all this is attendance it is Glavine vs Hanson. Mark Bradley has it right. Maybe reality is he cares more about the Braves than you nostalgia freeks. Ok here is you test for you Glavine loyalists CSS will rerun Glavines last game he pitched at Gwinnett at 1:00 today Saturday I bet those who wanted to see Glavine one last time can’t even be bothered to watch even this chance to see him and missed it before.
Duane
June 6th, 2009
8:47 am
If the Braves find themselves one win away from making the playoffs in October, they can blame Wren and Schuerholz for not playing Hanson from the beginning of the season. That strategy of trying to keep him arbitration to save a few bucks was cheap and disrespectful to the fans who want the Braves to win.
journalist jimmy smith
June 6th, 2009
8:55 am
mark, a “best of cox award” is in the bradley future. would have gone to chop chick this year but only one post. chop chick has now been eliminated (may have been eliminated during the cuts, not sure) for consideration. yes, a best of cox. not many journalists left at cox but always nice to be the best. keep up the good blogging. and please, no pet names for the players. must keep dignity intact. respectfully, journalist jimmy smith
and one more thing . . . this is a different organization now. new owners. same name. the only basis for loyalty is that shown to them and by them since acquiring the team. looks like the team offered a chance when the mets were no longer interested in an aging junkballer. injuries occur. this team was bitten by hampton – no need to be bitten again (while fully recognizing tom glavine is missing tom glavine’s front teeth – only being colloquial – realize fully tom glavine will be doing no biting with no front teeth). watching the holes in the lineup (still there) it may not matter who is pitching for the braves.
brewdawg
June 6th, 2009
9:04 am
Mark,
Mark,
Just read your columns on Smoltz and Glavine. I will say that while I still disagree with you on Smoltz, it puts your apathy towards him into a whole new light. (Rare moment: I don’t remember the column you are referring to). On Glavine, I’ll bet he comes to honor Maddux. If he doesn’t, that’s a poor move on his part.
brewdawg
June 6th, 2009
9:04 am
Oops, a double “Mark” and now I’m not sure if apathy was the correct word to use!
tip
June 6th, 2009
9:11 am
I’m glad someone brought up the Jusitce trade. In my opinion that was the one that was handled poorly. The Justice and ironically enough the Murphy trades were the worst handled affairs this franchise has seen. Smoltz and Glavine don’t understand the business side of this from the teams standpoint. But oh how they get the business stanpoint from the individual athlete side of things.
kj
June 6th, 2009
9:12 am
The Braves made a bad decision. The organization is lost. The Braves will not make the playoffs for several years.
Mike
June 6th, 2009
9:13 am
I think that eventually all this will blow over and both Glavine and Smoltz will be part of the Braves “family” again. Look at Brian Jordan and Ron Gant. Both left with bitter feelings and bad mouthed the Braves. Both now are right back in Atlanta and are involved in Braves baseball. Granted, neither is an employee of the team, (and Jordan criticized the handling of Glavine) but both openly pull for the team.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Smoltz in a similar role as Gant/Jordan in a few years. He’s certainly comfortable in front of a mike. Both he and Glavine will be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame and both will go into Cooperstown with an Atlanta hat on their plaque (the Hall of Fame makes this decision, not the player).
As for the handling of Smoltz and Glavine, well yeah it could have been done in a cleaner way, but neither of these guys was going to go quietly into the night no matter what the Braves did. I would have more respect for Smoltz if he had just admitted that he wanted to pitch in the postseason one more time and he thought the Red Sox had a much better chance of being there than the Braves. As for Glavine, I watched his last start in Gwinett and he was getting by on guile against a weak hitting AAA team. Put him on a heavy hitting team like Texas or Philly and assuming his arm holds up, I could see him making 20 starts with 120 IP and a 8-4 record with an ERA over 5.00. Put him on the Braves and I see the same numbers except the won-lost would be 4-8 as he wouldn’t have enough run support.
tip
June 6th, 2009
9:14 am
I think Dave and MB are correct. No matter how and when the team cut Glavine (and they would of had to at some point-no way was he retiring) it would of come off badly. The team did what it had to do in order to put the best athletes on the field to win games. you can’t sacrifice a single game if you are trying to compete. Just ask the Mets the past two years.
Joe Plumber
June 6th, 2009
9:25 am
Mark,
This doesn’t happen often, but I agree with you on this one! Baseball is an entertain business people but a business none the less~ The Braves made a business decision (like Glavine made when he went to the Mets) and so be it. I never saw a team win a division on ‘class points’. Get real!
Tim
June 6th, 2009
9:33 am
I was sitting in section 336, row 9, seat 13 on October 28, 1995 when Tom threw 8 innings of 1 hit ball against a very strong Cleveland Indians line-up. That was the game of his life. It is that memory that I wish all Braves fans will remember, not of him leaving for the hated Mets, or some of his comments these last couple days. I hated when he left, and I hated it even more when he got his 300th victory in a Mets uniform. The Braves Nation has taken some pretty bad body shots recently (Smoltz leaving, Skip passing, Pete retiring), and now this. Now we are left with Bobby Cox and Chipper as the last remaining pieces of the ‘Braves Dynasty’. Remember the days when winning the division was a given?
While I have never been in Tom Glavine’s position, I understand his disappointment and anger in the organization, but I also can see it from the Brave’s point of view. How do you tell a Hall of Famer that he no longer has the skill to get major league batters out? I hope that time will heal the wounds, and that Tom will remain in the organization.
I hope to see the number ‘47′ in left field one day, and I can tell my grandchildren that I was at old Fulton County stadium watching him pitch the game of his life, and possibly the greatest game ever in Atlanta Braves history. Good luck Tommy, you will be missed.
Toby Cash
June 6th, 2009
9:35 am
I really do not feel sorry for either Glavine or Smoltz. The Braves have spent countless million of dollars on both, both chose to go to other teams probably for more millions of dollars. Greed, the big head, whatever the reason, both have it. Very happy both are gone.
Braves Fan
June 6th, 2009
9:40 am
What’s wrong with firing Frank Wren & giving Glavine his job? It is just a matter of time for Wren anyway.
DirtyDawg
June 6th, 2009
9:41 am
If I understand this correctly, Mr. Glavine thinks that it was a financial decision and that a million dollars ain’t that much considering ‘all he’s meant to the organization’. Seems that he’s completely forgotten the reason, and the amount of money, he left us for back in ‘02, or whenever it was, and went back again a few years later. Now it’s the Braves that are ungrateful. And the same goes for Mr. Smoltz. In fact, why don’t they both sell their houses and move to somewhere where they’re both appreciated….say Boston…not much golf in the winter but they can always buy a winter home in Winter Park. Just leave us be. And by the way, when the time comes to enter the HOF be sure to put duct-tape over the A on that hat. We don’t care anymore.
TommyP
June 6th, 2009
9:50 am
I usually agree with the majority of your columns/blogs but I really feel you’re off on this one, Mark. The Braves/Wren blew it with this one. Big time. And, unlike you, Glavine is not an all-time favorite Brave of mine. (I’d go with many before him…Andruw, Otis Nixon, Smoltz, Maddux to name a few)
Wren deserves a lot of grief here. You’d like to give him a fresh slate but it’s hard to forget that he started his GM career in Baltimore and that hardly went well.
The Glavine signing was a PR move from the start. He completely blew it with the Smoltz negotiations and after the public outcry he decided that signing Glavine would be damage control. But why? We KNEW Hanson would be pitching this year. With Kawakami, we already had 4 other slots penciled in. The 5th spot could be occupied by any number of guys. Just a horrible signing from the start.
Then he exasperates the situation by telling Glavine the path to Atlanta and what they want him to do. Glavine does that. He even throws 11 shutout innings his last 2 rehab starts to prove he’s ready. (yeah, one start was vs. A-ball but the other was AAA…I’ve seen guys get lit up for 7 runs in a final rehab start and be in the rotation their next turn)
After reports that Glavine was throwing in the low 80s and even hit 86 (I think that was the reading reported), the Braves say that was inaccurate. Oh really? Please.
Again, Wren mutilated this situation. And this comes from a guy not exactly enamored with Tom Glavine over the years but one that respects what he’s done for the organization.
Will we ever see 3 pitchers like Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux do what they did for one team over that long a period of time? Probably not.
So treat them differently no matter how difficult it becomes.
I’m just tired of the way Wren does things.
The Lowe signing? The idiot had him fall into his lap. He didn’t want him and proved it by the way he pursued other pitchers instead. Lowe was the last “ace” left so he felt he HAD to sign him when he was the smart choice all along.
Glavine signing? PR move and this past week proves it. And he butchered it at both ends.
I could go on and on but I’ve gone too long already.
turkey
June 6th, 2009
9:52 am
I watched Glavine pitch against the Toledo Mudhens to see if he had anything left. He got shelled and was taken out in either the 2nd or 3rd inning imagine if this had been against the Phillies. Time is up, Braves made the right choice.
Nativebird
June 6th, 2009
10:00 am
Mark, right on again. KEEP up your great insight into the vanity of these (all time great) Prima Donnas. It is especially refreshing to hear someone speak with a voice from the common fan, and bring some common sense, balance and a little reality to the conversation regarding these narcissistic great ball players. It’s obvious they cannot bear to even look at their own “re-introduction” back into real life as just “regular people”, not “special people”. Yet though as HOF’ers, they’ll never be regular (some relief to them I’m sure). This happens SO much in pro-sports it has become a time-honored tradition, and quite literally, an annual “clock-watch” on Who-this-Year-is-Going-to-Turn-on-Their-Franchise-at-Retirement routine. And yes get Ready, for as much as I admire Chipper (my 2nd all-time favorite Brave), mark it down now, book it, set it in stone….he WILL trash Atlanta and the Braves organization on the way out, it’s already pre-ordained. Simply because they’re the organization that’s paid him all his millions.
TPM
June 6th, 2009
10:05 am
John Smoltz needs to get over his bitterness with Frank Wren. John would sound a lot more credible if he himself had pitched this year in the big leagues.
Cut like Glavines are made all the time in the nfl
dcbrave
June 6th, 2009
10:20 am
The Braves made the right decision in letting Glavine go. Six shutout innings at Rome is better than a punch in the face, but it doesnt translate to much in Atlanta. Tommy Hanson is a better pitcher in 2009 than Tommy Glavine. As Mark noted, a handful of five inning, six run starts from Glavine could be the difference between Braves baseball in October or not.
Glavine is right to be upset about being let go. Hes a competitor and a guy who has succeeded in large part because of his intensity and grit and his absolute refusal to give in to anyone on the mound. Do you think he would just step aside or admit that after 6 shutout innings he was past it?
The Braves handled this situation horribly. Glavine did deserve better. Much better. And Im glad Mr. Schuerholz stepped up and did the right thing. In this case, better late than never.
Unfortunately, this situation has once again revealed that Frank Wren is a deeply flawed general manager. He may know baseball–and I think he has done an admirable enough job of upgrading the Braves this year from last–but there are some very distressing trends that he doesnt know how to be a General Manager.
Even discounting Smoltz’s and Glavine’s ego and their innate competitiveness, Wren and the Braves handled these situations poorly. At least when Bobby Cox traded Dale Murphy in 1990 it was handled in a way that acknowledged who Murphy was and what he had contributed to Atlanta (as an aside one of my most vivid memories from 1991 was the Braves-Phillies fight on Dale Murphy day and Tommy Glavine having to “brush back” Murphy when he led off the Phillies half of an inning after the Phillies pitcher had gone head hunting in the Braves’ half. He lobbed four soft-toss pitches vaguely near Murphy. It was one of the classiest moves I have seen on a baseball field. Good on you, Tommy).
When you combine the mishandling of Smoltz and Glavine’s departure with the Furcal and Griffey mess, the Tex trade and the fact that Wren somehow managed to alienate Cal Ripken–Cal Ripken!–when he was GM of Baltimore and you have a picture of a guy who is simply not be cut out to be the face of the Braves or any other organization; of a man who has no problem making tough decisions, but who has a shcoking lack of ability to make those decisions palatable to the people he relies on for his livelihood, namely players–who are not flocking to Atlanta these days–and fans–who have a right to be upset about the debasing of a once proud franchise.
Glavine did deserve better than what Wren provided. So does Atlanta. So do Braves fans.
Bookie
June 6th, 2009
10:34 am
Great column, Bradley. The super-spoiled prima donnas (the players) will probably retaliate against you for telling the truth on this one. Glavine was washed up 5 years ago and has been running on fumes since. I would like for someone to ask him in a news conference how else the Braves could have made the decision, which was based on the fact that he can no longer pitch at the major league level. Also, ask Smoltz for all his bitching, why he left in a snit for a couple of million bucks after picking up $155 million from the Braves over the years.
I love baseball and the Braves but some of the players turn my stomach. You want to see a young player on his way to being a complete ass, watch Yunel closely. His act after an inside pich hit his bat was worthy of an Oscar. The admiring umpire did grant him first base in admiration.
chas
June 6th, 2009
10:36 am
Let’s not forget that Smoltz and Glavine chose to be on the Braves and presumably signed on a dotted line. Smoltz acted as if he had sacrificed some productive years to be loyal to the Braves and that we owed him. But, come on…everyone wants to play for Cox and most of these guys like the warm weather and golf courses around the city. If the Braves had played like the Pirates (from 1993 until present) and Smoltz and Glavine had stayed with us throughout that time span (at a competitive or lower salary) then I’d say they took one for the team. But, they got to win a World Series and made the playoffs a record number of times. Imagine if we were still waiting on Smoltz to return to our rotation and hadn’t gotten Lowe? We’d be toast right now.
AJC
June 6th, 2009
10:36 am
VERY IMPORTANT BRAVES NEWS!!!
No, I’m not talking about all the goings on this week of our 2 former greats Glavine & Smoltz not liking the Braves anymore. I’m talking about the anemic offense, who hasn’t won a game since Tuesday, and the only reason we won Tuesday was because the baseball mistakenly hit Francoeur’s bat as he was attempting to strikeout in a game where the Braves offense flirted with a no hitter.
In the 2 games/losses that the Braves offense aka: “Not the Big Red Machine” have played since Tuesday, they’ve managed to average 1 run per game…Tell me again exactly why Glavine & Smoltz both yearned to pitch for this team?
I lied, I don’t really have any big Braves news…..You know, it doesn’t take a great manager to lose baseball games, and to also have a team that’s totally boring & unexciting. Maybe Bobby Cox should look in a mirror to try and find the answers to our woeful offense…..Hopefully, Nate can help inject some enthusiasm into this group of underachieving players, being that Nate comes from the mighty Pirates organization and all.