Q: With Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine up for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, what’s the situation with John Smoltz?
— Joe Johnson, Marietta
A: Smoltz retired after the 2009 season, one year after Maddux and Glavine, and will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Maddux and Glavine, who each won more than 300 games in their careers, are on the ballot for the first time in 2014, and could join former Braves manager Bobby Cox, who will be inducted on July 27. Smoltz, another member of the Braves' pitching staff that included Maddux and Glavine, won 213 games and saved 154 games in his 22-year career. Maddux won 355 games in 23 years, and Glavine won 305 in 22 years. Players must be retired for five seasons before they are eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Q: Much has been made that Nelson Mandela was in prison for more than 20 years. What was his crime and under what circumstances was he released?
— William Fletcher, Peachtree City
A: Mandela, who died at the age of 95 on Dec. 5, was arrested in 1962 and charged with sabotage and conspiracy to violently overthrow the South African government, which were capital crimes. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1964. Mandela was 71 in 1990, when he was released by President F.W. de Klerk as the South African government began to do away with apartheid. Mandela was elected the country's first black president in 1994, serving one term.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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