Well, today was eventful.
In what was to me and others an absolutely stunning move, the Braves released Tom Glavine today in a rather heartless manner. And then announced a HUGE trade that is very good for us, in a pretty obvious effort to get us talking about a positive instead of dwelling on the very painful Glavine situation.
But it still deserves some words. Glavine, who pitched for the Braves for 17 seasons, is just as much an icon of the Atlanta Braves as Smoltz was. He never did look right in his handful of years pitching for the Mets. Last season, he made a nostalgic and heralded return to Atlanta. It didn't really work out. And even though that season was a wash, he tried to come back this year for what would be his farewell tour.
Except he broke down in spring training. And has had to battle his way back, rehabbing, and getting in some minor league starts to hone his skills. After last night's rehab outing, Glavine was ready to return, and was set to pitch Sunday.
Except he got canned in a move that nobody really saw coming. If activated, he would have received a $1M bonus, and then $3.5M more had he stayed on the roster for two months.
So, rather than do that, the Braves cut him. Just like that.
I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, Glavine has given everything he has to Atlanta. He is as much the face of the dominant Braves of the 90s as anyone out there. He came up with the team, won it a world championship, became a hall-of-famer with it, and came back to retire with it. One would think he earned the right to leave on his own terms.
On the other hand, he's kind of done. It hurts to say, but he had nothing last year. His play and stats were awful. His stuff was gone, his velocity was gone, and he was going by mainly on fumes and experience. He just wasn't a major-league pitcher anymore, at the age of 43.
Moreover, we have an absolute monster in Tommy Hanson, uber-prospect. Hanson has -- from the games I've seen him pitch -- filthy stuff. He had nothing left to prove in the minors with 90 strikeouts and 17 walks in 66-1/3 innings. If all goes to plan, he should be out unquestioned ace within two years.
Bottom line is, the Braves have a much better chance of winning with Hanson than with Glavine. There is little reason to postpone the future when the past no longer works. That -- coupled with the savings -- is the reason Glavine is gone.
And it sucks, but at some point we all must move on. I wish we had cut him some other way -- the move somehow feels like we abandoned our old hunting dog in the woods because he had glaucoma. I mean, it had to be done, but Christ, that was cold. Even Belichick, somewhere in his vampire coffin, went "damn."
It's time, but Glavine deserved better than this. I'll never forget his 8 innings of one-hit ball to win us the World Series in '95. Or his fearlessness on the mound -- never giving up the outside corner, no matter what. Or the consummate professionalism -- the man won 20 games five times, 2 Cy Youngs, and made 10 All-Star teams in 16 years.
So long, Tommy. We'll see you in Cooperstown in a few years.
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