It's always sad to see the truly great players realize that they can't compete anymore.
Recently, that happened to Greg Maddux, and to Tom Glavine. Unfortunately, it has now happened to John Smoltz.
As much as I enjoyed watching the Yankees bludgeon the Red Sox on Thursday night to halt their eight-game losing streak against their arch-rivals, I took no pleasure in the victory coming against a helpless Smoltz (3 1/3 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 4 BB). Smoltz is one of the true greats from this era, a shining light in the darkness of a time blanketed by performance-enhancing drug use. The same can be said for his former Atlanta Braves teammates.
Perhaps the greatest pitching trio in MLB history?
Smoltz was 42 years old, coming off a shoulder surgery, and a year-plus rehab, but still wanted to give it another shot. Tom Glavine won his 300th game in the final weeks of the 2007 regular season at the age of 41, but just two months ago was toiling away in Triple-A Richmond before being cut. At least Greg Maddux went out with some gas in the tank, pitching four scoreless innings of relief for the Dodgers in last year's NLCS before calling it quits.
I can't fault the guys for being competitive - when you've been playing on a Hall-of-Fame level for 20+ years, you get used to that mindset. However, similar to Emmitt Smith, Hakeem Olajuwon, Steve Carlton, Jerry Rice, and even Michael Jordan, they hung on too long.
Sorry it had to end this way John. Just like this image, I'll put the rocky, career-ending tenure with Boston in the "FORGET FOREVER" compartment of my brain.
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