John Smoltz's famous pain tolerance and competitiveness are no longer enough to carry the Braves pitcher in a battle with his throbbing shoulder.

Now the question is whether the iconic right-hander will ever pitch again.

Smoltz, who will have season-ending shoulder surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, says he'll do all that he can to pitch again.

But he also realizes his distinguished career could be over.

"I'm 41. I still love to compete," Smoltz told a room packed with reporters and TV cameras Wednesday morning at Turner Field. "I would retire if the desire is gone in five or six months. I'm not there yet. Not there emotionally. Physically would be the one thing to be determined."

That determination could come Tuesday, when renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews looks inside Smoltz's right shoulder through an arthroscope to diagnose the damage and decide what surgical procedure will be done that same day to fix it.

There is, however, at least as good a chance Smoltz won't decide whether to keep pitching or retire until at least five or six months after the surgery, when he's able to better gauge whether he could come back and pitch effectively after his fifth arm surgery.

"It's a sad day for us in a lot of ways," general manager Frank Wren said, "because we don't know the outcome of the surgery."

Wren was referring to the possibility that Smoltz, a future candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame, might not pitch again. The 1996 Cy Young Award winner, the only pitcher in history with at least 200 wins and 150 saves, holds postseason records for most wins (15) and strikeouts (194).

"Knowing him, I know for a fact this is not going to be it," Braves catcher Brian McCann said. "He's going to get back on the field."

Third baseman Chipper Jones called Wednesday's news "devastating."

"Coming into this season, I said if there's one guy on the club we couldn't do without, it's John Smoltz," Jones said. "The mere speculation [in recent weeks] that he would be able to come back and close for us kind of kept everybody going. If you had asked me in the spring, I would have said we don't have a chance in hell of winning the division without him starting for us. We managed to keep our heads above waters not having him.

"But now, not having him for the rest of the season is just devastating. Flat-out devastating."

Smoltz attempted to come back as a sidearming closer this week but blew a save Monday while giving up two runs and three hits in the ninth inning in his first game back from the disabled list.

His shoulder ached all day Tuesday, and Smoltz said he met with manager Bobby Cox and the training staff about 6 p.m. and decided to have season-ending surgery.

"I love to compete," he said. "But I can't compete against my body anymore."

Cox said: "You can only tolerate so much pain. He always pitched with pain. He's always been the best competitor in the world."

Smoltz said he's "going to try to do everything I possibly can to continue to pitch" after surgery, but the procedure could end up being more about quality of life than getting him back on the mound for a possible 22nd season in the majors.

"I would like to enjoy life a little more than I have been enjoying it," he said. "I use my shoulder a lot. I can't do anything with my kids [because of the aching shoulder]."

After the third of his four elbow surgeries, Smoltz moved from starter to closer midway through the 2001 season because of lingering pain during his recovery.

He dominated in that role for three seasons and converted 154 saves, including a National League-record 55 in 2002.

He returned to his preferred starting role in 2005 and has been 47-26 since, including 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA in five starts before April 29, when shoulder pain forced him to the disabled list.

"We saw him go out there and throw nearly as well as he ever has, at times," Wren said. "But you could also see in his face that it wasn't easy."

He opened the season on the DL after shoulder pain worsened late in spring training. The shoulder problems began in May 2007 when he slipped making a warm-up pitch in a game at Milwaukee.

He has pitched in varying degrees of pain since, worsening to unbearable throbbing in his fifth and final start of the season April 27 at New York.

He said he's barely been able to sleep since spring training because of the pain.

"All year long, he goes out there and gives us everything he's got when he's hurting," McCann said. "It just shows you what kind of guy he is. I look up to him. He's a great teammate and a great friend.

"He couldn't take any more. His pain is so great he could barely pick his arm up."

Smoltz had hoped the lowered arm slot would permit him to pitch with tolerable discomfort —- the way it did when he pitched through elbow pain in 1999.

"Dropping down [sidearm worked] before, I thought maybe I could do it again," he said. "I know I could have been effective, but there were limitations. Had I struck out the side [Monday], I would be having the same press conference. It was too much."

Smoltz is signed only through this season, but the Braves are expected to offer him a contract if he wants to return. It's the only major-league team he's ever pitched for.

The best-case scenario might be an April or May return to the major leagues, Smoltz said. Presumably, that would be if there's only a minor tear or other damage to either the labrum or rotator cuff.

However, anything more than minimally invasive shoulder surgery for pitchers usually requires a rehabilitation period of 12 to 18 months. And there are few, if any, cases of over-40 pitchers coming back to pitch successfully after major shoulder surgery.

Smoltz was asked what he thought his legacy would be with the Braves if his career is over.

"My legacy will be however someone wants to view it," he said. "But I think from within the organization, the players ... certainly, I'm proud of it. I don't even know if I have a word for it. I mean, I literally gave everything I had every single time I went out there.

"I just relished it. I could not wait for the big moment, the big game. ... I followed some great footsteps. I just hope to have honored [the Braves uniform] as much as I possibly can. And I'm proud of it. In life, certainly nothing goes smooth, but this has been the time of my life."

A CAREER TO BE PROUD OF

> Only pitcher in major league history with at least 200 wins (210) and 150 saves (154)

> Played his entire big-league career with the Braves, beginning in 1988

> A Tigers 22nd-round draft pick in 1985; likely headed to the Hall of Fame