The end of an era in Atlanta with John Smoltz signing a free agent deal to pitch for the Boston Red Sox. Smoltz has been with the Braves organization since 1987, when he was acquired from the Detroit Tigers for Doyle Alexander.
I'll spare you the often repeated rant of old school baseball fans about when players were actually loyal... (the rant is bs anyways, the players had no choice but to be loyal- pre free agency)
I venture to say tenures the length of Smoltz with Atlanta are a thing of the past.
Take Mark Teixeira for example, an excellent player, is now with his 4th team in less than 2 years. His looming free agency led to him being traded twice by teams who knew they couldn't meet his demands.
Where does Teixeira end up? Yankees of course.
Smoltz will always be one of my favorite baseball players, he was unbelievable money in the post season, even when pitching with a damaged elbow.
At different times during his years with the Braves, Smoltz was both the best starter and best closer in the MLB. A first ballot hall of famer- no doubt.
Only disappointment is that he couldn't finish out his career in Atlanta.
The Foreman: About the Author
- Nate Schaps
- Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, I was a few months past my 4th birthday as I remember my eldest brother's disgust in watching the St Louis Cardinals take an 11-0 beating. A night earlier in game 6, first base umpire Don Denkinger infamously choked an easy 9th inning call, costing the Red Birds the potential clinching game of the "I-70 series". This is not only my farthest back sports memory, its my farthest back memory of any sort. A native of Naples, FL, I spent my collegiate years as a Trojan at the University of Southern California where I earned a B.A. in Public Relations from the Annenberg School for Communications. Full Disclosure, my favorite teams are the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Lightning, Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, and of course, my alma mater, the Men of Troy.
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