Maddux a Star and a Role Model

One of the greatest pitchers in baseball history stepped down this week. Greg Maddux stands in the record books as one of the best all time. He was the best pitcher of the 90’s. He has 4 Cy Young awards to prove it. He was a complete ballplayer, winning at least 15 games in 18 years while being one of the best hitting pitchers year after year and proving to be the best fielding pitcher of his era and maybe all time by winning 18 Gold Gloves.

It would take pages to list all his accomplishments. And yet, at his retirement press conference, he was what he was since the day he was a rookie – soft-spoken, humble, and modest. Listening to the audio, you do not hear crowing or bragging. You hear a man who should be a role model for everyone, athlete or not.

Maddux stands in stark contrast to Rickey Henderson, who is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. Henderson always referred to himself in the third person, and he never passed a chance to tell everyone within earshot how great he was.

There is a story of Henderson reporting to a new team one spring. He had spent the entire winter griping about not making enough money, although he had been one of the highest-paid players for years. As a joke, a teammate pushed out a wheelbarrow filled with pennies on the field for Henderson. Rickey, who was worth millions at the time, took the wheelbarrow.

I don’t dispute that Rickey Henderson was a great player. I don’t dispute his eligibility for the Hall. I am extremely happy that he never played for the Atlanta Braves, just as I am extremely happy that Maddux did play for them.

Maddux has a reservation in five years for his induction into the Hall of Fame. It would be a travesty if he is not joined by John Smoltz and Tom Glavine on the same stage. Sadly, it appears that will be the case, since both Smoltz and Glavine appear to be preparing to play this year, pushing their inductions back at least one more year.

I know I won’t be the first nor the last to mention it, but I would love to see Maddux signed to a contract late this year by the Braves to pitch a few games. This would allow him to end his stellar career as a Brave, and could provide a truly historic moment for a HOF induction ceremony. I admit to being selfish. I want to see the three of them standing together on that stage. It’s the right thing to do.

Sadly, I don’t think it will happen. Why? Because Maddux is not the type to agree to it. He would not come back to pitch in Atlanta unless he was convinced it was real, and he could help them.

We don’t care if you are capable of your same high standards, Greg. We just want to see you in a Braves uniform again, if only for a couple of starts, and if only to stand and cheer for you one more time. Good luck in the future. Enjoy your retirement. We know you’ll spend a lot of time on the golf courses. And we know that no matter what you do, you’ll do it with your usual bulldog mentality.