 |
I’ve been a fan of the Atlanta Braves for more than 25 years and, believe me, I’ve watched some terrible baseball. The teams that were assembled in the mid/late 1980’s were so bad that they needed improvement just to reach the level of “stink”.
But, for anyone that’s followed them since then, it’s been a very different story. Constant contention, a string of division titles (I just call it The Streak), a handful of World Series appearances, and one Ring (though not the One Ring).
At the center of the success was dominant starting pitching, and that could best be described with two words…Greg Maddux. Born on April 14, 1966, and catapulted to super-stardom in the 90’s, Greg is one of the most unassuming staff leaders ever. Just look at his picture. He’s kind of small, he looks kind of wimpish, and has the appearance more of a school-teacher (hence one of his nicknames…”The Professor”) and less of a pitching ace. Not possessing an overpowering fastball, nor anything really approaching what scouts would call a “plus” pitch, Greg has relied mostly on deception for his success. Location, changing speeds, tenacity (from which comes another of his nicknames…”Maddog”), and an uncanny ability to know what to pitch are what have filled his bank accounts and awards room.
I could list statistics until I’m blue in the fingers, but that would only bore y…well, I’ll list some of my favorites. Three hundred forty-nine wins (he got #349 last night). Four consecutive Cy Young awards (’92-’95) and a fifth he may well have won in ‘97 (except for a bullpen that cost him several wins). Two straight years with an ERA of less than 1.65, which is totally unheard of in this era of expansion, steroids, and the “live ball”. In 1997, Greg Maddux won 19 games while allowing just 20 walks…staggering. A 76-pitch, 9-inning complete game. The numbers, and the stories, could go on and on for days. Just do an Internet search on the guy and you’ll get all the neat stuff you’ll ever want to read.
Dad and I used to sit and watch him pitch, and our mouths would just hang open in amazement. You could almost predict what he was going to throw, and know the guy in the batter’s box didn’t have a prayer. A fastball that looked like it would hit lefties, then tailed right back over the plate. A change-up that simply fell off the planet. Control, control, control.
Greg Maddux was (and still is) a scientist on the mound, opposing hitters were (and still are) his experiments, and the baseball was (and is) his instrument of precision. Accolades are cheap, but I believe Greg may be the greatest right-handed pitcher since Walter Johnson…and one could make a legitimate case that Greg is the greatest righty ever.
Happy Birthday, Greg!!
Maddux is definitely a great pitcher, as opposed to a great thrower. He relied and relies on qualitative talent and masterful skill. Maddux will go down as one of the all-time greats (but Bob Gibson was the better righty . He better get in on the first ballot.
Xerac, Bob Gibson was a fantastic pitcher, truly one of the best ever. I’m not sure there’s a single shred of objective evidence that shows he was a better pitcher than Maddux though.
I’m just busting your chops. I’m sure we can both pull out stats to prove our respective cases. But the real point is you couldn’t go wrong with either pitcher. While I would give Gibson the edge as a post-season pitcher (but it’s hard to compare because of the two widely disparate eras in which they played) and at the plate (more due to power since Maddux actually was a decent hitter in his younger days) on the mound during the regular season both were excellent. If anything, I would give Maddux credit for having survived not one but two stints with the diapered bears, LOL.