Greg Maddux: A True Legend Retires

I’m a die hard Atlanta Braves fan.  With the territory I’m a student of the game who values quality pitching and much prefer a pitching dual in a 1-0 game over a 10-9 slug out.  Today Greg Maddux announced his retirement.  Greg pitched for the Braves for eleven wonderful years (every year they were in the playoffs) and was a surgeon on the mound dissecting hitters like nobody else could with pinpoint control and the mental toughness like no other.

Maddux wasn’t the most physical and his fastball only topped out in the 90’s earlier in his career but no one can deny his greatness.  It’s almost impossible to fully list all his accomplishments but I’m going to try and list a few.

• Four time CY Young Winner (1992-95 four consectutive years)
• 355 Wins (Most among living pitchers and eight all time)
• Record 18 Gold Gloves
• 17 straight seasons of 15 or more wins (record) and 13 or more wins in 20 straight seasons!
• 20 straight seasons of 198 or more innings pitched
• 8 time All-Star
• 3,371 K’s (10th all time) to only 999 BB
• 5,008 1/3 IP (13th all time)
• 1st or 2nd in ERA seven times in his career

You simply do not get a longer streak of sustained excellence!  Greg you were always my favorite and simply never got the attention that you deserved.

Now if only Tom Glavine & John Smoltz would retire this off season that would be the perfect triology for Cooperstown in five years and one that this Braves fan would feel compelled to make the pilgrimmage.  Heck if Bobby Cox wanted to retire we could turn it into a Braves foursome.