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Later this month I will turn 20 years old. I'll be halfway to 40.
June 4 marked the first day of my life where Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux or John Smoltz (or some combination of the three) were not members of the Atlanta Braves.
With Tom Glavine's release due to recurring injury problems, the Atlanta Braves officially ended an era that defined almost two decades of baseball in the southeast.
The Braves, as we all know, are the official team of all things Southern. Being the only professional baseball team below Washington, DC, above Florida, and as far west as Texas, will certainly do that.
I grew up on the Braves. I feel like we all grew up on the Braves. Even if you didn't like the Braves, you at least respected them. And we all watched the most dominant pitching trio in baseball.
They have combined for 870 total wins and 154 saves (thanks Smoltz).
They won six straight Cy Young Awards (one of Maddux's was with the Cubs). The trio won seven of baseball's most prestigious pitching honors in the 1990s.
They brought the only professional championship to the city of Atlanta in 1995.
They fueled an era of unprecedented dominance, winning 14 consecutive National League East Titles.
Most importantly these guys did it "the right way." In an era in which recent baseball headlines have been fraught with steroid controversies, and some of the greatest players of the past generation have been given a black mark, these three have kept their names blemish free. Although baseball players seem to be guilty until proven innocent, I have a very hard time believing any of these three have ever used a performance enhancing drug. Which makes their combined dominance even more astonishing.
Right now I am somewhat at a loss for words. Although the luster of their greatness has waned over the past few years as the three have battled injuries consistent with being over 40 years old and pitching, having at least one of them on the Braves was always comforting.
The day Glavine was released also coincided with the call up of a new Tommy, heralded prospect Tommy Hanson. And with Jair Jurrejens already establishing himself as a reliable No. 1 starter, the Braves again have the making of a solid rotation. Hanson is only 22 and Jurrejens is 23, so the Braves are again setting themselves up for another decade of pitching dominance.
I knew that one day the three men would no longer be pitching for the Braves, but now that day has come, and I simply don't know whether or not I was ready.
But for now at least they still have Chipper, who turned 37 in April. What will I do when he retires?
I shudder at the thought.
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