Goodbye To a Class Act.

Greg Maddux retired Monday. In an age of steroids and bad behavior by millionaire athletes Greg stood out because he did neither. He was a quiet and unassuming man. His job was to go out and try to win, which he did 355 times. Only 7 others have won more. He was not really impressed when he won his 300th game. He was more impressed when he recorded his 3000th strike out. He finished with 3371, which puts him tenth on the all time list. He was the Cy Young award winner from 1992-1995. No one one else has ever won 4 in a row.

One of the biggest mistakes the Cubs ever made was letting Greg become a free agent after the 1992 season. He wanted to have a deal before the season ended, but the Cubs General Manager set a deadline and refused to renegotiate after that date. When Greg's agent tried to talk a day after the deadline he was rebuffed, so Greg went to Atlanta where he helped form one of the greatest pitching trios in baseball history. I showed the other two here. Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine never lost a division title while pitching together. In 2004 Greg rejoined the Cubs. In 2006 they sent him to the Dodgers. He signed with the Padres for 2007 and last year they sent him back to the Dodgers. In his retirement announcement he said for this year he is just going to spend it with his family. I feel after that he will be back as either a coach or manager. He already has a reputation as for helping others become better players.

In five years he is eligible for the Hall Of Fame. He should be a unanimous pick, but a few sportswriters will not name him because they believe no one should ever be unanimous. There are names for sportswriters like that, but decorum prohibits me from using those terms. Now if you buy that line, I have some real estate I would like to sell you. Good luck in your retirement Greg. You will be missed.