AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > August > 19 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USA day when win bigger than history
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Notwithstanding the elbow surgeries, the shoulder inflammation and any other assorted aches that generally come pre-packaged with 40-year-old power pitchers, John Smoltz is quite aware that his biggest problems sometimes aren’t physical.
It happens. You pop a spring.
Maybe when a pitch isn’t working, you overthink, then overthrow. Maybe you forget you’re getting paid a lot of money to play a game. Maybe you let a visually challenged umpire get to you. Again.
Cleansing breaths, John. Pure thoughts.
“I want to enjoy what I’m doing, and lately I haven’t done that,” Smoltz said Sunday. “I’ve been hard on myself. I think I’ve had a fantastic year, with the quality starts and all. But sometimes I expect so much. Sometimes I lose perspective. I have to remember this is supposed to be fun and just relax. I haven’t done that in a while. There were times today I wanted to bite my glove.”
A run in the first. A run in the third. Smoltz battled thoughts of here-I-go-again. They’re to be expected, given the lack of run support he has received. Smoltz hadn’t been awful of late, he just hadn’t been dominant or lucky. He had just one victory in his last seven outings despite six “quality starts” (defined as three runs or fewer in six-plus innings).
Then came Sunday. After being slapped for two runs and three doubles in the first three innings, Smoltz, well, found his happy place. Fact is, he was Mr. Chuckles when he came to bat in the sixth inning. With the Braves leading 6-2, Smoltz cracked a joke to umpire Wally Bell as he stepped to the plate with one out and the bases empty.
“I think I told him that no matter where the pitches were, just call them strikes,” Smoltz said. “I wasn’t going to argue.”
Understand the desire to get back out to the mound. This was Smoltz’s best start since returning from the disabled list with a sore shoulder. He threw 118 pitches and felt like he could keep going. He went eight innings, allowing only one hit after the third, struck out 12 — becoming the franchise’s all-time strikeout leader in the process — and led the suddenly desperate Braves past Arizona, 6-2.
Smoltz briefly lobbied manager Bobby Cox to let him finish the game, but Cox didn’t want to take a chance.
“He knows me well enough that I’m not going to let him start an inning with 120 [sic] pitches,” Cox said.
So he turned it over to Bob Wickman, the man who ate Dan Kolb.
Wickman (who had blown two of his last five save opportunities) loaded the bases with two outs, before getting Orlando Hudson on a groundout. Nothing like a little drama to ruin the moment.
Smoltz downplayed the significance of the strikeout record (he now has 2,920, passing Phil Niekro at 2,912). He says he “had no clue” about it until somebody mentioned it afterward. But if ever circumstances overshadowed a career achievement, this was it. The Braves had lost three straight and four of six since trimming New York’s lead to 2 1/2 games.
Forget the team’s new sudden Sluggo lineup with Mark Teixeira. The bullpen was still a thrill ride. Starter Chuck James was looking more like a project every day. Buddy Carlyle had turned back into Buddy Carlyle.
The Braves didn’t just need Smoltz to win Sunday. They needed him to be a blowtorch. If he and Tim Hudson aren’t dominating, they’ve got no chance.
“I don’t think we can do it without me or Hudson,” Smoltz said. “We know what we can do if we get to the playoffs. But we have to get there. He and I have to win our games.”
The unspoken reality: There is no counting on starters 3, or 4, or 5 du jour. Maybe that’s why Smoltz has felt frustrated, trying to be too perfect.
It’s not about the shoulder any more. It’s about the head, which affect the arm and the mechanics.
He got angry at himself Sunday. He forced himself to take a walk around the mound in the third before throwing another pitch. But he recovered.
It was a day to enjoy the moment.
Next challenge in five days.
Permalink | Comments (30) | Post your comment | Categories: Jeff Schultz
Comments
By Gene
August 19, 2007 9:05 PM | Link to this
I have new for John. Getting old really sucks, at least from a physical point of view. In addition to general deterioration, every injury in your whole life comes back and bites you. Smoltz is having a fine year. Without him, the Braves have no chance of making the playoffs. He is a remarkable athlete and a credit to the sport.
By Chief Nokahoma
August 19, 2007 9:33 PM | Link to this
Great game by Smoltzy. Can we clone him? If not, maybe Buddy and Chuck can use his lucky socks from 1991 season. If 3-5 don’t come thru with some quality starts we will all be watching the Mets and San Diego in October. Let’s go Braves!
By Joe Walsh
August 19, 2007 10:04 PM | Link to this
A vintage John Smoltz quote: “I think I’m having a fantastic year.” Almost every postgame comment that comes out of his mouth is self serving and occasionally self-deluding.
Especially after losses when he had thrown “only one bad pitch” or an opponent somehow hit a great pitch.
Give me the honesty of a Tim Hudson or Buddy Carlyle any day. They at least tell it like it is.
By David
August 19, 2007 10:16 PM | Link to this
Smoltz is having a fantastic year! He’s not being a braggart, he’s telling the truth. The bullpen has lost several games for him. In reality he should be right up there with Hudson and have 14 or 15 wins. His ERA is 3! What more do you want?
By not a Braves fan
August 19, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this
Smoltz is on steroids.
By Mr. Met
August 19, 2007 11:39 PM | Link to this
6 weks to go and Los Bravos are down 6 and fading. The Mets will win the NL East going away.
By Coach (Hank Aaron is the Real HR Champion)
August 20, 2007 12:09 AM | Link to this
Nice article Jeff ! Like I said before in O’Brien’s blog , Hudson , Smoltz and hope for ten runs from the offense.
By Eli
August 20, 2007 12:32 AM | Link to this
“…Bob Wickman, the man who ate Dan Kolb.”
Quite possibly the best line of your career, Jeff, and also very worrisome. Wickman looks every bit as unreliable now as Kolb did a couple of years ago. Couldn’t help noticing just how miserable his conditioning was a couple of nights ago. He got two quick outs, but had to hustle over to first to cover a play. He expended so much energy getting his fat butt over to the base that, by the time he got back to the mound, he was too winded to even throw a strike, and blew the save. I would hope that Bobby won’t hesitate to hand closing duties over to Moylan if Wickman continues to struggle with his responsibilities. There’s just no room for error anymore, and a lead going into the ninth inning absolutely must result in a win from here on out.
By gotigers72
August 20, 2007 1:27 AM | Link to this
I knew Smoltz was going to shut down the Diamondbacks today. He’s the guy you want out there after a three game losing streak. Big game pitcher and today was a big game. The Braves have two stoppers, Smoltz and Hudson. If the other three spots in the rotation could just do DECENT jobs, the Braves would be in first in the NL East.
Great to have two big game pitchers that are able to stop bad streaks. Smoltz is truly one of the best competitors to ever play the game. He WANTS the ball in a game where a W is needed, and he almost always comes through in those type games. Doesn’t always win them, but puts his team in a position to win. Doesn’t give up a lot of runs where a comeback is impossible.
By jeanE
August 20, 2007 7:50 AM | Link to this
Congratulations, Smoltzie! Where would we be without you? Yes, people, Smotlz has athletic arrogance, so what? That’s part of what makes him one of the great ones…If not for him & Hudson & Buddy Carlyle before his last couple of starts, we’d be dead in the water. Bye, Chuckie, it was nice knowing you. I call Wickman, Porkchop because that’s what he reminds me of, a big fat piece of Pork. It’s funny until he’s barely getting the job done, like now. It’s getting a little dicey when he’s comes in, not feeling good about it at ALL. I agree with the other comments, with Wick, it’s not a head problem, it’s a conditioning problem and lack thereof. Also, he’s no spring chicken. He looks like he’s going to die in this heat but he’s going to have to suck it up like everyone else & do what’s he’e being paid tons of money for!
By Jim
August 20, 2007 8:05 AM | Link to this
But Mr. Met…even if you win the division we still have a REAL good shot at the wild-card. Mets record against the Braves this year is 4-8…be very afraid if they meet in the playoffs (you typical dumb-a@@, obnoxious yankee)
By Bill Heller
August 20, 2007 8:21 AM | Link to this
If I remember correctly, early in Smoltz’s career he visited a hypnotist to help him through his anxiety. It’s good to see him still navigating the psychological demons high pressure athletes can face.
By BlueMoon
August 20, 2007 8:27 AM | Link to this
Hey Joe I’m just going to assume you never played this game above the little league level and don’t know what constitutes a great season. Smoltz is having a GREAT season.
By GE
August 20, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this
Jim,
I am a Brave fan through and through. The reality is … THE METS ARE BETTER THAN THE BRAVES. The Braves do not have the pitching required to last over the next few weeks of playoff atmosphere baseball…. never mine the playoffs. Have you noticed that the Mets are pulling away. The new additions have not made the Braves better than a 500 team. Philly, Arizona, San Diego, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Chicago are also better because of pitching. The season is over. Lets get some pitching and win next year before everyone leaves for more money.
By bevsouth
August 20, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this
Smoltz and Hudson have 8 starts each left. If the Braves win 10 of the 16 we nstill need the other 3 to win half of the remaining 22 in order to get to 86 wich is what I believe it will take. Not sure they can do it.
By ChampDawg
August 20, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this
Without Smoltz and Hudson, the Braves would already be double-digits out of the lead. Smoltz and Hudson have given this team the only chance it has had at the title or wildcard. Unfortunately, only 2 good pitchers is not enough. The rest of the crew has been too inconsistent, awful. Smoltz and Hudson have given us a chance but it’s not going to be enough. In the offseason, the pitching staff needs a complete overhaul (or will JS and BC sit on their collective @$$ and think that Mike Hampton’s return will solve all the ills) and Andruw needs to go.
By hop
August 20, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this
the braves stated last spring that pitching was the new direction for 2007.
well, if it is,where his the starting pithing after smoltz and hudson, not to be found.
why did they not sign glavine when they had the opportunity?
this will be the reason they don’t make the playoffs in 07.
starting pitching is awful and will keep the braves from getting in to the pst season.
By Falcon49
August 20, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
JOE Walsh ——What a MORON!!! Probably never played ball in your life. Where would this team be without JOHNNIE BOY!!! FIRST Ballot HOF!!!!!
By Falcon49
August 20, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
JOE Walsh ——What a MORON!!! Probably never played ball in your life. Where would this team be without JOHNNIE BOY!!! FIRST Ballot HOF!!!!!
By Falcon49
August 20, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
JOE Walsh ——What a MORON!!! Probably never played ball in your life. Where would this team be without JOHNNIE BOY!!! FIRST Ballot HOF!!!!!
By Kelley
August 20, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this
I was very happy for Smoltzie breaking Neikro’s record yesterday. Our 3-5 pitchers have got to start coming through for the Braves to make it to October. But above all else, never count out a Bobby Cox team: nobody better in the business.
I think the Braves win the wild card and face the Mets in the playoffs.
You know Mets fans (like Mr. Met) are already worried about the Mets getting to the play-offs and having to face the team they can’t beat. It’s a shame the Braves don’t just play the Mets for the last six weeks of the season, then there would be no discussion of the wild card, the Braves would win the division.
It must be hard to be a Mets fan knowing that one other team has owned your club for such a long time.
By iwalterp
August 20, 2007 11:02 AM | Link to this
Chuck James looked like a little league pitcher Saturday. Just throw the ball over the middle of the plate and hope if they hit it your defense can catch it. I thought he was a Glavine clone, because he can not throw hard. But Glavine is a control pitcher who can hit spots. James can’t hit spots right now. He is throwing an 85 mph fast ball belt high over the middle of the plate. His 78-80 mph changeup is also belt high and over the middle of the plate. Hitters can look for his changeup and still adjust to his fastball. Cox should at the next break in schedule move him down to 4th in the rotation and put Carlisle in as 3rd option. If Cormier has another solid start like he did against Webb, then Cox should even drop him to 5th starter.
By Put Up The Damn Tee-Pee!! DAMMITT!!!
August 20, 2007 11:08 AM | Link to this
Can Smoltz play quarterback?
By Alan
August 20, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this
Smoltz IS having a fantastic year, as is Hudson. Without them, the Braves would have been cooked a long time ago. This is “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain” 60 years later. Good news is, every other team in the pennant race is in exactly the same boat. The Mets are NOT better than the Braves - the Braves can - and do - beat the Mets head-to-head. Problem is, the Braves don’t sweep the “bottom-feeders” (Pirates, Giants, Nationals, etc.) and the Mets usually do. The Braves have to get more out of James, Carlyle and Cormier - and I don’t think those guys have the goods to deliver. They’re just too darn inconsistent - they’re not good enough to count on in the heat of a pennant race. Yeah, the bullpen has been shaky lately, but that’s not the problem. It’s clearly starters 3, 4 and 5. I think the Braves have to bite the bullet and go get 1 or even 2 veteran pitchers to put them in better position to make the post-season. They’ve got to put a winning streak together - playing .500 ball is not going to get it done.
By Mark
August 20, 2007 1:23 PM | Link to this
Congratulations John! You are class act and now you are the Atlanta Braves all-time strikeout leader. I just hope when your playing days are over the Braves make you either the manager or the pitching coach!
By Fred McGriff
August 20, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this
The Braves have not caught fire after the Texiera trade like they did after I was acquired. The difference is the level of pitching. The arms aren’t there and, while Texiera helps, he alone can’t catch the Mutts.
By Randy
August 20, 2007 3:55 PM | Link to this
I have heard all of the comment today on the possible recovery of Mike Vick’s bonus money by the Falcons if Mike is suspended by the league, but I have heard nothing about the salary cap implications if this happens. Can anyone enlighten me?
By JT
August 20, 2007 6:59 PM | Link to this
First of Randy, wrong sport. This is a baseball blog. Second of all, Smoltzy is having a great season, and with out him or Huddy, we’d have no CHANCE at any playoff position. The main thing about Chuck James is that he needs to develop some more pitches. You CAN’T be a starter in the major leagues and only throw two pitches. If he had a dominating (95+) fastball, then he could possibly get away with it. Running it up there in the mid 80s does not get it done. Get a curve ball, or at least a fastball that runs away from righties and not directly into them. I was very pleased by Lance’s last start. It just so happens that Brandon Webb is completely unhittable right now . If Lance can find the from that he showed in spring training, that will be a HUGE help down the stretch. Buddy just needs to give us a chance when he goes out. Doesn’t have to be spectacular, but at least give us a chance. As far as the pen, Wicks is a heart attack waiting to happen, but he’s still getting the job done. Moylan’s been a beast, and Mahay has been a stud as well. If Soriano and Yates can keep the ball in the park I like our chances of at least getting the wild-card. Once in, anything can happen. GO BRAVES!!!!!
By Braves Blue
August 21, 2007 1:05 PM | Link to this
I know this blog today is primarily a salute to the wonderful accomplishments of John Smoltz, but we all want to see the Braves make, and advance, through the post season. Here’s an idea. I think the Braves’ offense with Tex is very good, but could be even more intimidating without Andruw starting when a righty is the opponent’s starter. Yes, folks, I’m proposing yet another platoon for the Braves’ batting order; Harris’ bat has cooled off in the past month or so—why not play him in center against righties in a platoon with Andruw, and try playing Diaz every day in left field? The Diaz bat has been on fire all season; he deserves to start. Andruw is trying, I know, but he’s held captive by all the slow, down-and-away stuff a righty can bring to the table. Seems like he’d do better in a platoon with Harris. I hurt with Andruw every time he lunges at a pitch low and way out of the strike zone. It would give his sore elbow a deserved rest more often, and juice the Braves’ lineup more than Andruw is capable of doing right now. We’ll miss some of his dingers, and certainly his defense, but we won’t miss his many rally-killing strikeouts. I foresee a more lethal attack at precisely the time it’s most needed by the Bravos. How about it? Let’s talk.
By michael
August 21, 2007 2:12 PM | Link to this
All of a sudden there is a lot of Hank Aaron fans. That was not the case in Atlanta in the 1970’s when he passed Babe Ruth.
Michael