Maddux to retire

[Will E Worm]

Greg Maddux has thrown his last pitch.

The four-time Cy Young winner will announce his retirement Monday at the baseball winter meetings, near his home in Las Vegas.

Maddux, who turns 43 in April, ranks eighth on the career wins list with 355. He went 8-13 with a 4.22 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Maddux to retire with 355 wins.

Who's next? :dunno:

 

[titsrock]

Pedro.
Troy Percival.
Nomar.

 

[Dawn]

I'm old enough to have seen Maddux as a youngster with the Cubs so many years ago...

I'm living in Montreal so i was watching all Expos games and it happend Maddux was with the Braves most of his career. (Too) Many of his 355 wins have been against Expos!

Seriously tho. Maddux was one of the best pitchers i have seen in the MLB. I had the chance to see hime pitch on several occasions at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

He might have been a rival, Maddux is by far my favorite pitcher of the past 20 years.

When a guy like Greg Maddux retires, as a baseball fan, the only thing i can say is:

Thank you for the good times, Mr. Greg Maddux. :hatsoff:

 

[Yankeefan21325]

Maddux was a class act all around. Even though he never pitched for my team I'll be sad to see him go. The league could use more players like him.

 

[titsrock]

I think he was the best pitcher, all things considered these past 15 years, in terms of treating pitching like an artform. Sure power pitchers get all the press but Greg Maddux was an artist I think. And he never bothered to Roid up....that puts him at the top of my list.

 

[Facetious]

Re: Maddux to retire

Oh, he's a special athletic talent , no question :bowdown:.
I remember those days in Atlanta . . Early '90s (?) Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery :bowdown:

Ya done good Greg ! Nice career ! Say, why don't you & I hit the fairway . . . I got a bucket - o - "g" balls I can pitch to you.

Has anybody ever tried that ? Golf balls off of zee Louisville Slugger ?
It rips !!

 

[Dawn]

I remember those days in Atlanta . . Early '90s (?) Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery :bowdown:

Oh my God! The memories. How other teams of the division were supposed to beat them on the 162 match run to get the championship?

 

[titsrock]

How the hell could the Braves only win 1 World Series with that rotation?

 

[ArabJames]

Maddux is arguably the best pitcher of our time in my opinion

 

[maildude]

He doesn't want to go out with shitty stats. The longer he hangs around the more he'll look like a Jack Morris. He has a lifetime ERA of 3.16 and a good win-loss record. Why not be remembered for that?

 

[yaheem]

When I first saw that he was going to retire, i had a double take. I couldnt believe it. I thought he would pitch until his arm literally fell off. Easily one of the greatest pitchers ever.

 

[sp00ner77]

The interesting thing now is the question of weather Tom Glavine and John Smoltz will also retire coming off arm injuries and the possiblity of all 3 being elected to the Hall of Fame in the same class in 5 years. That's something a lot of people have speculated about for a few years now.

Glavine most definitely should retire and in my mind deserves to be a first ballot HOFer along with Maddux. I thinks Smoltz should eventually get into the Hall but maybe not on the 1st ballot. If he does retire now, he'll probablly get more 1st year votes than he would otherwise because the symmetry of all 3 being elected at the same time. I get a feeling though, that's he's not quite ready to retire.

 

[JohnnyThompson]

Most overlooked part of his game was his greatness on the mound after he threw his pitch. 18 gold gloves is no joke, although some of those selections were questionable (like this year's). Yet, he is the greatest righthander of this generation. Pedro was great but for a short amount of time and he has better numbers than Schilling and Clemens's steroid issues taint his legacy. The only other pitcher than can compete with Maddux is Randy Johnson, but he is of course a lefty.

 

[senob44]

I **** pitchers, and Maddux was truly a great one. His thinking-man's approach to pitching was unequaled in this day and age. So frequently he outclassed hitters not by overpowering them but by getting them to do exactly what he wanted. His impeccable control of location, speed and break ensured that the hitters often had to hit "his pitch" and more often than not into his desired results. The type of guy that just frustrates you to no end and more often than not leaves you walking back to the bench shaking your head no matter how he got you out. I could always suck it up if someone just plain blew one by me, but these guys who outmaneuver and keep you guessing to the point where you can never square one up, well that just stings a little bit. And that's assuming you were actually able to put the ball in play.

Here's to a true artist, and a master of a game of inches. :hatsoff:

 

[Facetious]

^ If there was a diamond cutter of a major league pitcher, "Mad" is that man, huh ? :hatsoff:

How the hell could the Braves only win 1 World Series with that rotation?

It begs the question, huh ?

The interesting thing now is the question of weather Tom Glavine and John Smoltz will also retire coming off arm injuries and the possiblity of all 3 being elected to the Hall of Fame in the same class in 5 years. That's something a lot of people have speculated about for a few years now.

Glavine most definitely should retire and in my mind deserves to be a first ballot HOFer along with Maddux. I thinks Smoltz should eventually get into the Hall but maybe not on the 1st ballot. If he does retire now, he'll probablly get more 1st year votes than he would otherwise because the symmetry of all 3 being elected at the same time. I get a feeling though, that's he's not quite ready to retire.

Also begs the question ( I baited ) :o

 

[ChefChiTown]

I **** pitchers, and Maddux was truly a great one. His thinking-man's approach to pitching was unequaled in this day and age. So frequently he outclassed hitters not by overpowering them but by getting them to do exactly what he wanted. His impeccable control of location, speed and break ensured that the hitters often had to hit "his pitch" and more often than not into his desired results. The type of guy that just frustrates you to no end and more often than not leaves you walking back to the bench shaking your head no matter how he got you out. I could always suck it up if someone just plain blew one by me, but these guys who outmaneuver and keep you guessing to the point where you can never square one up, well that just stings a little bit. And that's assuming you were actually able to put the ball in play.

Here's to a true artist, and a master of a game of inches. :hatsoff:

:yesyes:

Greg Maddux has single-handedly shown the world that being able to throw over 90MPH is the least important factor when it comes to being a successful pitcher.

There is never going to be another pitcher like him, which is sad, IMO. The way that the game is marketed and coached now-a-days, makes true pitching ability seem like a secondary skill that isn't necessarily needed in order to make it in the pros. The game is changing and, along with it, the pitching. Greg Maddux is the last of his kind.

He is MLB's "I Am Legend".

 

[calpoon]

I thought you meant the guy who used to do the "best website in the universe".

 

[D-rock]

I don't think he was quite as good as Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson were when you consider their entire careers, and he had more padding the stats years of mediocrity then either of them, but he was one of the best pitchers of his entire generation.

 

[alexpnz]

First ballot hall of famer, no doubt in my mind. :glugglug:

 

[Civickiller80]

can he be the first unanimous first ballot hall of famer...i think he will be known as the pitcher with the most wins until the day he breathes his last breath....who will come close to 355...I find it fitting he has 1 more than Clemens....Not a power pitcher but a smart pitcher, only Warren Spahn has more wins since 1940, with 363....Maddux a class act!