I had not done a Braves post in a while, and I was really hoping it could be something a little more positive - Chipper Jones hitting well, the walkoff home run by Francouer during the last live poker game - than this news.
John Smoltz's season, and possibly career, might be over. He's getting ready for shoulder surgery in Birmingham. It sounds like a rotator cuff surgery, and when you combine that with his four elbow surgeries and being 42 next season, this is probably going to be it.
On the bright side, we now have someone who could step into the broadcast booth or even into the dugout to coach/manage until the Hall of Fame calls in January 2014.
I do think he is a definite lock for the Hall , with his dominance as both a starter and a closer and his longevity, even though he has only one Cy Young award.
With the Braves only 3.5 GB, there's still plenty of time to make some moves, but considering the Braves were already looking for some starting pitching help, this will not make things any easier.
Mike Hampton could not be reached for comment, as he sprained his elbow reaching for the telephone.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Red Alert in Birmingham
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2 comments:
I can honestly say this news is a bummer. I may hate the Braves with the passion of a thousand setting suns, but I have tons of respect for Smoltz, and it's too bad he has to go out like this. I agree that he is definitely a Hall-of-Famer. It's amazing to think about it, but Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddux might all be part of the same Hall-of-Fame class.
What is even stranger is that this injury may cause the return of Maddux for the remainder of this year, since San Diego isn't going anywhere.
I would love to see him eventually succeed Cox in the dugout, but taking over for Skip or the FOX crew is fine as well.
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