Tagged: tom glavine

Death Of A Star

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           http://stardate.org/resources/gallery/gallery_detail.php?id=141

  • Red Sox DFA John Smoltz

Three years of glory as a closer.  Fourteen years as an anchor starter for Atlanta.  Part of one of the greatest pitching rotations ever, Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz.  A dream 1996 season, while the Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, stealing the spotlight, Smoltz quietly went 24-8 with a ERA of 2.94, a WHIP of 1.00, and a league-leading 276 strikeouts, that year he won his only Cy Young award.  Eight All-Star Game selections.  A Silver Slugger award.  Altogether eighteen years of greatness as one of the best pitchers of the game, going strong through his age 40 season.  Then a year of the injury bug.  But still he tried to make a comeback.  He unceremoniously departed from the Braves in the 2009 offseason to start his comeback afresh, in a new league, with a new team, the Boston Red Sox.  John Smoltz struggled mightily with the Red Sox this year.  Nothing went right for him.  At age 42, Smoltz has had a great career.  But its time for him to accept that it’s over.  Five years from now, he will stand next to his rotation mates, Glavine, and Maddux, as the anchors of the best rotation of their era enter the HOF together.

A Pair Of Dramas

  • Who Says The Cubs Offense Is Dormant

The Chicago Cubs are back.  Well, not completely.  But a offense that had been scoring about two runs a game coming back in the final two innings from huge deficits to win 6-5, and 8-7, certainly shows life.  Yesterday against the Indians, Cubs starter Rich Harden struggled through five innings, giving up 7 runs.  The Cubs offense managed to chip away a pair of runs of Cleveland ace Cliff Lee, who went seven innings.  But in the eight inning, the Cubs came back, scoring four runs off relievers Joe Smith, Rafael Perez, and Matt Herges.  The innings’ key hit came when injury replacement number eight hitter Andres Blanco, hitting just .220, drove a two-out, two-run base hit, going into the 9th, the Cubs were down 7-6, but that quickly changed when Derrek Lee blasted a one-out solo homerun, his second of the game to tie the score.  Kevin Gregg kept the game tied in the top of the tenth, then Ryan Theriot drove a bad-hop single that scored Alfonso Soriano for the teams second straight walk-off win.

  • Tom Glavine won’t play again in ’09, may retire

Tom Glavine will not retire.  He is too big-headed to realize so quickly that no team wants him any more.  Glavine must realize that this not the 90’s any more.

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He has been injured, he has pitched ineffectively, he is 42.  He is done, he had a great career, I wish him success in any future endeavors, but just retire already!!!!!!!

Glavine The Complainer, And A Marathon

  • When Will The Tom Glavine Drama End?

Tom Glavine is moaning that the Braves released him for purely financial reasons, and is demanding an apology.  Sure there was some financial motivation, minor league salary over 5 million dollars.  But who would you rather have, a 43-year old pitcher who’s averaging 82 mph on his fastball, or a 22-year old with a blazing fastball, and one of the top pitching prospects ever.  The Braves have tried to cling to the past for too long, it’s time for Atlanta to move on.

  • D-backs 9   Padres 6

A win is a win, or so it is said.  A comfortable 5 run, traditional 9 inning win; is different from a 18 inning marathon, where you can’t score until you’re opponent has to bring in an infielder to pitch.  Arizona better hope that their starter goes the distance tomorrow, or they’re in trouble.

  • MLB Draft Notes
  1. Stephen Strasburg will break the bonus slot system
  2. The Padres are fools if they take Donovan Tate at number 3
  3. Redrafts Aaron Crow, and Tanner Scheppers will be top 10 selections

This Day In Baseball History

1927-Tony Lazzeri becomes the first Yankee to hit three home runs in one game, including a ninth inning blast that ties the game. The four-bagger closes a five-run deficit, and New York goes on to beat the White Sox in the 11th inning at the Stadium, 12-11.

1961-Becoming the first major league team to accomplish the feat, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe Adcock and Frank Thomas hit four consecutive home runs for the Braves in the seventh inning off Reds’ pitchers Jim Maloney (2) and Marshall Bridges (2) at Crosley Field. Despite the home run barrage which also included another by Mathews and one by Warren Spahn, Cincinnati still manages to win the game, 10-8.

1965-In the first major league free-agent draft of students and sandlot players, the A’s select Arizona star Rick Monday making him the first player ever to be drafted.

1968-Don Drysdale’s scoreless streak ends at a record 58 2/3 consecutive innings as Phillies’ Tony Taylor is driven in by Howie Bedell’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. It will be Bedell’s only RBI for the season.

1979-Future NFL stars, Dan Marino (4th) and John Elway (17th), are selected by the Kansas City Royals during the free-agent baseball draft.

1989-After the Pirates take a 10-0 lead in Philadelphia by sending 16 batters to the plate in the first inning, Pirates’ broadcaster Jim Rooker announces if the Bucs lose the game he’ll walk back to Pittsburgh. True to his word, the radio by-by-play man organizes a charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh after the season as a result of the Phillies comeback win over the Pirates, 15-11.

2001-Damion Easley becomes the ninth player in Tiger history to hit for the cycle, and the first Detroit player since 1993 when Travis Fryman accomplished the feat. The New York City native’s eighth inning right-field triple completes the deed in the 9-4 victory over the Brewers.

2007-In the third inning of a 10-3 loss to Boston at Chase Field, a surprised Alberto Callaspo is tagged by Julio Lugo as he dusts off his uniform taking a lead from second after Chris Snyder’s base hit. The Diamondbacks’ third baseman is the victim of the hidden ball trick as he doesn’t realize the Red Sox shortstop had never returned the ball to the pitcher.