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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > June > 04 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USNever count John Smoltz out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He dressed out in full uniform for the news conference, when slacks and Izod might have seemed a more accurate foreshadowing for his career. Then again, can you ever really know with John Smoltz?
There have been other surgeries. There have been other comebacks. There was the time he missed an entire season, bottomed out emotionally after a start in his return in 2001, and using his words, “I ripped the jersey off my back and said, ‘I quit.’ “
He didn’t. Instead, he transitioned into one of the most dominating closers the game has ever known.
We got over that shock just in time for him to transition back to being the Braves’ most effective starter.
John Smoltz didn’t say the words “I’m retiring” Wednesday. If you believe this time between news conference and surgery amounts to little more than window-dressing, you’re missing the point.
The man’s career has been a series of medical precedents. What’s one more?
Smoltz acknowledged: “I can’t compete against my body anymore.”
He also reminded us: “One thing I know is of all the challenges I’ve had in my career, a lot of them aren’t really believable. I’ve never seen anything I couldn’t accomplish.
“I’ve learned a few lessons from being hard-headed.”
He said this with a sense of peace. The Smoltz we witnessed Wednesday was not the one who has been venting frustrations at reporters when asked for medical updates. At this point, there’s a feeling of resignation. Surgery next week will either end his career or give us another reason to rub our eyes.
John Smoltz could come back as a left-handed, knuckleballing setup man, and I wouldn’t be surprised.
“I said I would retire if the desire is gone,” he said. “I’m not there yet. I’m not there emotionally. Physically, it’s to be determined. No one wants to have surgery. But I look forward to the challenge.”
Chipper Jones called the news “devastating.” He said, “Just the mere speculation that he would be able to come back and close for us kind of kept everybody going.”
There is a point when all great athletes attain special status. The statistics may not sing like before. The limbs may not function in concert as in early years. But there becomes a feeling of, “At least he’s there.”
Smoltz can’t be replaced this season. He can’t be replaced, ever. (He certainly can’t be replaced by Manny Acosta, who allowed a pair of two-run homers in the ninth inning Wednesday. Maybe somebody should check out Acosta’s shoulder, too.)
If this is the end, baseball will have lost one of its premier big-game pitchers. Atlanta will have lost one of the biggest “gamers” in any sport in the city’s history. Nobody has quite grabbed the moment like him.
When Smoltz goes into the Hall of Fame, people will see the numbers: 200 wins; 150 saves; 3,000 strikeouts; eight All-Star Games; one Cy Young. But they won’t know what set him apart. They won’t know about the five surgeries (at least). They won’t know about the times he changed his delivery in hopes of just trying to function.
They won’t know about March. Smoltz, who has had little sleep in months because of pain and uncertainty, tried to re-invent spring training. He rarely pitched, working instead on a side field in hopes of saving arm strength. It seemed to work. He opened the season on the disabled list, but then went 3-1 with a 0.78 ERA in four starts.
But the shoulder, now 41 like the rest of Smoltz, throbbed. He never threw between starts. He was “mentally drained.” Rehab assignments in the minors accomplished little. He returned as a closer Monday, only to get shelled. If that message wasn’t loud enough, the pain he felt an hour after the game was.
Maybe this is the end. But right now it’s just another maybe.
“Sooner or later our bodies are going to shut down,” Tom Glavine said. “But if there’s any way John thinks he can put that off, he’s going to do it.”
Assume it’s over at your own risk.
Permalink | Comments (44) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves/MLB
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By suzy
June 4, 2008 6:44 PM | Link to this
To paraphrase Smoltz himself from when he was mic’d up “Don’t go, Smoltz. Don’t go.”
By suzy
June 4, 2008 6:45 PM | Link to this
To paraphrase Smoltz himself from when he was mic’d up “Don’t go, Smoltz. Don’t go.”
By scott
June 4, 2008 7:50 PM | Link to this
Here’s to you John! Mr. Brave, Mr. Atlanta. May God grant you the honor of going out the way you want to go out.
By Joe Mac
June 4, 2008 7:53 PM | Link to this
Someone on the sports desk please fix the Web headline to the following story to read “optimistic” rather than “optomistic” Here’s the link: http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/06/04/smoltz_0605.html
By Joe Mac
June 4, 2008 8:47 PM | Link to this
Thanks
By Gene
June 4, 2008 9:43 PM | Link to this
Two things are for sure: if Smoltz can play and contribute, he will continue to do so. If he can’t, he will quit. I hope that he ends up as an announcer. He would be a great one.
By Rimfire
June 4, 2008 9:46 PM | Link to this
John Smoltz is the Ultimate Warrior! He will never back down or let his TEAM down. What an inspiration to everyman. If John were to never pitch again, just having him around should be a priority for the Braves. His attitude and drive is contagious, and should be kept in the organization as long as possible. Best of Luck, John! We still need you.
By harold england
June 4, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this
MAN I HOPE YOU CAN COME BACK BUT IF NOT YOU HAVE GIVEN ATLANTA A LOT OF GOOD YEARS AND I HAVE TO SAY YOU ARE INDEED MY FAVORITE BRAVE EVER.GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS.
By PJ
June 4, 2008 10:07 PM | Link to this
I have to say I’m a Mets fan but there is no guy I would rather have on my team than John Smoltz. He battles like no others and in the steroids era he is an example what courage and determination mean.
By PJ
June 4, 2008 10:08 PM | Link to this
I have to say I’m a Mets fan but there is no guy I would rather have on my team than John Smoltz. He battles like no others and in the steroids era he is an example what courage and determination mean.
By fieldofdreams
June 4, 2008 11:26 PM | Link to this
Only a chip shot at another Fall Classic would compel John to forego (the potential for) simultaneous induction into the Hall, with buddies Maddox and Glavine. No way will he rehab to fire up the seams for a .500 team that’s constantly in the rough. Seems to me that Wren will have to conjure some fairly potent magic to make that happen. Perhaps the real dilemma is whether Smoltz can transfer his mound wizardry to the Manager’s seat.
By Vic, Sr
June 4, 2008 11:38 PM | Link to this
John,you have given an old man, 81 years and I’ve seen a lot of ball plsyers come and go, a reason to believe in you and your teammates. In a day of so much corruption in sports, it has been a real blessing to see a real man not taking shortcuts to rise to the the top. You got there…congratulations! Every blessing in the days ahead.
By Lew Burdette
June 5, 2008 12:39 AM | Link to this
Dear Jeff, Of course don’t count John out when writers as yourself keep insinuating that a 41 year old man who has performed remarkably as an athlete might not have an After Baseball Life to fall back on.
By all means John undergo the procedure and then do the rehab and then MAYBE you can bear a resemblance to your former self. AND by all means do it with an organization that has won 1!!!! World Series since 1958. Yes Sir John!!! The Braves as presently constituted with an old beyond his years Hudson, a just old Glavine, a frail—and he will break down(that is why Tigers threw him in so readily)—Juir, a gone Hampton, an ever aging and injury prone Chipper, a departed Tex Well, you come right back and try to win that second ring since 1958.
John, you got a lot going for yourself. You are in no where near the situation as the NFL QB who realizes the next great American novel and working with Stephen Hawking on Strand Theory may be out of the question.
By Lou Vales
June 5, 2008 12:48 AM | Link to this
Dear John, I will agree with my somewhat namesake. Sometimes it’s just time to walk away. Millions of things to do in this big old world and you’ve earned the financial wherewithall to do them. Sometimes tilting at windmills for glory takes on an element of hopelessness in perception there is not more in life than throwing a hellacious sinker. I hope you don’t have that feeling.
By A Hammer Fan
June 5, 2008 12:51 AM | Link to this
I clearly remember watching a Braves telecast 20 some years ago when Skip Caray announced a bulletin: The Braves had just traded Doyle Alexander (a gunslinger for hire if there ever was one…but that’s another story) to Detroit. Skip: “….and in return we’re getting a kid named John Smoltz. The only information I have on him is that he throws beebees. We’ll see”. And indeed we have seen, Skip.
By Reality Rex
June 5, 2008 1:07 AM | Link to this
And those “beebees” and Glavine and Maddox getting the corners has amounted to 1 World Series Championships.
20 to 25 years from now they are going to discuss this Braves division streak with the same fondness they have for the Dodgers futility against the Yankees for about a 20 year period.
By Mark Morgan
June 5, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this
Here’s to hoping the miserable lives/life of Lew Burdette and Reality Rex (likely the same person) find relief today. Perhaps under the tires of a bus.
By KyleH
June 5, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Mark Morgan,
Well said.
John Smoltz is my hero.
By DAN C
June 5, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
John will do well no matter what happens. I just hope he can comeback. There are not to many more pro athlete’s like him around. so it we are lucky to have him in a Brave’s uniform. Glad I can I saw him play.
By 1eyedJack
June 5, 2008 10:38 AM | Link to this
Smoltzie should be allowed to leave the game in a manner befitting the man, at the end of game 7 of the World Series with his arms raised in triumph, not with a bum shoulder.
By azcat225
June 5, 2008 10:41 AM | Link to this
Lew Burdette and/or Reality Rex, I bet you’re just a ton of fun at parties, too, aren’t you? Oh wait, you probably stopped getting invitations years ago…
By Kelley
June 5, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this
Here’s to hoping the John Smoltz can retire on his own terms, rather than forced out by injury.
Not only is Smoltz a future Hall of Famer based on ability, he is a class act on and off the field.
He has served as a leader and a face of the Braves for many years. He will be missed when the sad day comes. There needs to be more players with Smoltz’ dedication, desire, and passion in baseball today.
Mike Hampton should take note of Smoltzie’s fierce desire to compete and pitch and go out there through the pain.
By SICEM
June 5, 2008 11:16 AM | Link to this
John, here is to being blessed no matter what happens.
By Tomy Fournier
June 5, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this
Anddddd why Mr. Smoltz not invite Mr. Cox to be his companion and never….never come back again…WAO…that’s could be GREATTTT!!!!
By Tomy Fournier
June 5, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
i KNOW MR SMOLTZ, MR. GLAVINE AND MR. COX HAD MAKE A GREAT JOB…BUT IS TIME TO SAID GOODBY….PLEASE AND NOT COME BACK!!!!!
By Tomy Fournier
June 5, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
I KNOW MR SMOLTZ, MR. GLAVINE AND MR. COX HAD MAKE A GREAT JOB…BUT IS TIME TO SAID GOODBY….PLEASE AND NOT COME BACK!!!!!
By Big John
June 5, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
I have been a Braves fan since I was 10 yrs old,I am now 35 and as far as I am concerned John Smoltz one of the best ever to play the game.As far as braves players he’s right there with Murphy,Chipper,Aaron,Maddox and all the other greats to have ever worn a braves uniform.I hope he can make it back and retire on his own terms,but if not I’d love to seem him coaching with the Braves.Good luck in what ever comes your way John.
By Whopper Dawg
June 5, 2008 12:18 PM | Link to this
Simply put, Smoltz makes you proud to be a Braves fan. Everyone is pulling for you, John, whether you can come back or not. Thanks John for being a Brave. I have really enjoyed it.
The Whopper
By bali smith
June 5, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this
thanks for the great article on john smotz.I sure hope he can come back and pitch one more year. that is kind of selfish, but i have never seen a pitcher try harder than smoltzie. He has been a great pro in a time when so many athletes have acted like so much less. Good luck john .hope all goes well……… an d thanks
By bali smith
June 5, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this
thanks for the great article on john smotz.I sure hope he can come back and pitch one more year. that is kind of selfish, but i have never seen a pitcher try harder than smoltzie. He has been a great pro in a time when so many athletes have acted like so much less. Good luck john .hope all goes well……… an d thanks
By salty dawg
June 5, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this
There will never be another John Smoltz, plain and simple. It would be epic, downright poetic, if Smoltzie was able to come back from this injury and pitch another year or two - truly go out on his own terms. But even if that doesn’t happen, the man didn’t leave a single thing on the table in his career. Smoltz IS the Braves, moreso than ANY other player ever to don the uniform. More than that, he is a model for what men should aspire to be and hope for their sons to become. Hope to see you next year John, but if that doesn’t happen, thanks for the memories.
By Tami
June 5, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
You know we as Braves’ fans have had the unprecedented privilege of the talent and admirable characteristics of a special talent as John Smoltz when even fans of rival teams tune in and comment their feelings of admiration of the man. I too would like to see John go out into the sunset - so to speak - on his own terms. There will NEVER EVER be another one like him. I have to admit that I’ll be sadder to see John retire than Glav & Maddux. Don’t get me wrong. Tommy & Greg will be a huge loss to MLB when they go. But, John is special and he stayed with the Braves when he too could have left. It’ll be quite an adjustment for us all when we finally get the word from the man himself.
I just hope he knows when to hang it up so that he doesn’t experience any kind of permanent disability in the arm that he’ll have to live with in retirement.
You have many, many folks in your corner cheering for you. Get well soon, John!
By BeachDreams
June 5, 2008 2:30 PM | Link to this
Well said Whopper Dawg, What a pleasure it has been, But don’t be surprized if you see old #29 again. I so hope its up on the hill with the game on the line. Rather have Smoltzie out there then anyone else in the game. Rubish you say, I’ve lost my mind. Did I forget he’s 41, And is prepping for his 5th surgey What we all must remember is true greatness is above the shoulders. No pun intended. Smoltzie is the ultimate big game performer it’s John hunger to succeed in the spotlight. Thats why he keeps coming back for more,thats why he has pitched all these years in pain thats why I want #29 on the hill when the game is on the line. Smoltzie when you decide your body won’t let you pitch any more. Well then and only then, will I say thanks for the memories It was a pleasure watching true greatness perform.
By Tacobellmanager
June 5, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
This could truly close a frontier. As silly as it is, I actually remember the trade that brought him in, like it was yesterday. I remember watching him and Glavine, both looking like teenagers, getting shelled in 1988 and 1989. And I remember him throwing a complete game victory to lock up the 1991 NL West — which at the time was a day I thought I would never see. John Smoltz is a living symbol of just how far the franchise has come, and of the inhuman amounts of work it has taken to raise up a winning club and, more importantly, a winning attitude in fans who saw losing and irrelevance as their lot in life. On behalf of a grateful, old-guard fan base, thank you John.
By BA
June 5, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
check this out for more Braves stuff
By nycbravesbaby
June 5, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this
John Smoltz, I don’t even know where to start! So many of you have put your thoughts so eloquently. Very nice posts. There is so much I could say, but there is not enough room to say everything I feel about John Smoltz. I will say that it will NEVER EVER be the same without you! I have had the pleasure of seeing so much greatness from john smoltz in many different stadiums and many different games! I always looked forward to the day when john smoltz took the mound! I believe in you SMOLTZIE!!! I believe you will get better and do what is best for yourself and the team! I just hope what is best is returning as a pitcher next year for the braves!
By Steveobravo
June 5, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
Smoltz is the true example of the saying, “I’ve spent all these years gripping the ball, when it’s the other way around.” Too bad we can’t clone his heart.
By Anthony
June 5, 2008 8:59 PM | Link to this
Braves fan or not you have to admire and respect John Smoltz. He has drive for winning that has encompassed few athletes(Jordan, Favre). You could honestly tell he loved the game everytime he took the mound. In a time when corruption seems to accompany the game as much hot dogs and penuts Smoltz has shown us that there are still respectable athletes out there. I hope to see you on the bump again next year. If not though, it was truly an honor to be able to watch you play. Thanks for all the memories Smoltzy. You have made me proud to be a fan of the game.
By josh ryan
June 6, 2008 12:31 AM | Link to this
Tommy?? are u drunk? or just that ignorant? If it wasnt for Smoltz, Glavine, and Bobby Cox where would we be this year? Glavine is pitching as good as anyone on the team he just hasnt had any decisions. Smoltz had .78 era in 3 starts before he went out and as we have seen before would have made a great closer. Which it seems we could use right now. And Bobby cox’s stats speak for themselves. When hampton has pitched a single game in 3 or 4 years you do need people like smoltz and galvine to step up. And they are good examples for our young pitchers. On the other hand all i want to say about Smoltz is that if he is unable to pitch for the braves again it will be a sad day not only for braves fans but for baseball. it will be hard to imagine the braves without you john. thanx for the memories and the dedication to our team. you will always be remebered as a great pitcher and person for the braves. my thoughts and prayers are with you no matter what you decide you have went above what any team could exspect when they trade for a player. Which i consider the best trade the braves ever made! thanx john smoltz
By josh ryan
June 6, 2008 12:32 AM | Link to this
Tommy?? are u drunk? or just that ignorant? If it wasnt for Smoltz, Glavine, and Bobby Cox where would we be this year? Glavine is pitching as good as anyone on the team he just hasnt had any decisions. Smoltz had .78 era in 3 starts before he went out and as we have seen before would have made a great closer. Which it seems we could use right now. And Bobby cox’s stats speak for themselves. When hampton has pitched a single game in 3 or 4 years you do need people like smoltz and galvine to step up. And they are good examples for our young pitchers. On the other hand all i want to say about Smoltz is that if he is unable to pitch for the braves again it will be a sad day not only for braves fans but for baseball. it will be hard to imagine the braves without you john. thanx for the memories and the dedication to our team. you will always be remebered as a great pitcher and person for the braves. my thoughts and prayers are with you no matter what you decide you have went above what any team could exspect when they trade for a player. Which i consider the best trade the braves ever made! thanx john smoltz
By Rita
June 6, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
Thank You John Smoltz, You have been a inspiration to all of your Atlanta Fans. We love you! We need your courage and your loyalty in the Braves dugout. I hope and pray your Surgery goes well. You will be in my prayers. God Bless You. Rita
By STEVE LLOYD
June 6, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
What a class act, not just as a brave,but also as a human being. John Smoltz and I are close to the same age, and I have learned alot from him on perserverance, and not giving up. God bless you John, and I hope you leave on your own terms,
By STEVE LLOYD
June 6, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
What a class act, not just as a brave,but also as a human being. John Smoltz and I are close to the same age, and I have learned alot from him on perserverance, and not giving up. God bless you John, and I hope you leave on your own terms,
By Tomy Fournier
June 7, 2008 4:07 PM | Link to this
I am not drunk…Mr.Josh Ryan…I am young and I want new blood….time is running…look to The Marlin…and them…you going to know what I talking about….is show time to a new ERA and a NEW DYNASTY…YEAAAA…GO BRAVE…GO