The Atlanta Braves fan nation was unsteadied this week when future Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine was released by the club.
Glavine had injured himself in the offseason and had been working his way back toward the Major’s for a possible debut this past weekend against the Brewers. His rehab last week in Rome gave the signal that all systems were go for a return to Turner Field.
The Braves said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Now Glavine and his defenders are crying foul because of the way the situation was handled. Glavine claims the sole reason behind the dismissal was to save a million bucks. Interesting. Mr Glavine upset at a team’s business decision when it was his own “business decision” that helped him sign with the hated New York Mets from 2003-2007.
Glavine also cried that a player who has made great strides for a singular franchise should be treated with a certain amount of respect and dignity when those type of “business decisions” are made. Hmmm. I wonder if Tommy G considered such points when he left the Braves in 2002.
Divorces are never clean. We saw that earlier this season with the departure of John Smoltz. Smoltz also blasted the club for failing to resign him.
But I’m going with the suits on this one – something I’m not normally prone to do.
Sure, Glavine may be the present. His call up this past week may have given the Braves a handful of quality starts this summer and a chance at a few more wins. Come September, does anyone really want to relive the image of Glavine slowly walking off the mound to a smattering of boo’s in Shea Stadium as the Mets finalized their late-season collapse thanks to Glavine’s seven-run first?
In baseball, the present is always hard to swallow while the future is always bright. Sunday, Tommy Hanson made his MLB debut and looked like the real deal. Yes, he got beat up a little bit, but the Braves won the game. Perhaps the same result we would have seen if Glavine had been toeing the rubber that day.
With Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Chris Medlen and Derek Lowe (and don’t forget Tim Hudson waiting in the wings) it could be sooner than later that the Braves return to the glory days of old. Instead of relying on an old pony to get back to the finish line, I’m glad to see the Braves riding some new horses in that direction.
MLB Draft
The Major League Baseball Draft is this week and we’re pretty pumped at the Statesboro Herald. Well, maybe I can just speak for myself.
A host of young men will get to further their baseball careers this week when their names are added to an MLB organization. Greedily, I just want to see which player gets to go to the team with the most ridiculous name. C’mon Batavia Muckdogs! No whammy… stop!
Griffin Benedict and Crawford Simmons are the two locals with the highest prospects – from all accounts.
Benedict, former Georgia Southern catcher, has been ranked No. 1 by a certain college scouting Web site and has put up impressive numbers his entire career. His technique behind the plate and his family bloodline won’t hurt matters either.
Simmons, former Statesboro High pitcher, is a lefty that is sure to go pretty high. He told me this week he’s not sure what to expect… while I expect big things. You don’t have 10-15 scouts at each of your starts without something significant about to happen.
Others who could go from the prep scene include: Statesboro’s Zach Taylor and Luke Connell and Screven County pitcher Jeremy Rosier. From GSU: Outfielders Ty Wright and Phillip Porter, shortstop Brian Pierce and pitchers Chris Mederos and Dexter Bobo.
