Baseball: Maddux to LA

Greg Maddux is now a member of the LA Dodgers, a team I'm sworn to hate for life because I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Giants fan. The Dodgers are in last place, but they're also only 5 games out of first place, so they've obviously got a shot at winning their mediocre division. And if anybody's a veteran with experience in division stretch runs, he's it.

I believe Maddux is one of the 2 or 3 greatest right-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball history, possibly the greatest. He still has an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he's not giving up tons of hits, but he's giving up a few too many (153 in 136-1/3 innings), and he's given up 14 HR's in less than 2/3 of a season. Then again, that was in Wrigley Field. Dodger Stadium is a lot more pitcher-friendly.

It's beyond dispute that he can help the younger pitchers on LA's staff, and perhaps ALL the other pitchers there. Whether he can get a second wind at age 40, and improve on his uncharacteristic E.R.A. of 4.69, is another question. It will be interesting to learn the answer.

Baseball History Nut

The guy's an awesome fielder. I hated to see the Cubs give him up, but they're going nowhere fast, anyway. There really isn't a NL West team I can pull for. I used to be a big Willie Mays fan when I was a kid. And Bobby Bonds, too. McCovey. But Barry's soured me on the Giants.

At this point, for NL I'm a Cards fan. It's a regional thing.

Yeah, nobody needs to convince me what a puke Bonds is... as you know. And I sure wouldn't expect anyone who wasn't already a firm, dyed-in-the-wool Giants fan--like me--to become one while he's on the team.

I don't really see the Dodgers getting Maddux as something that will get them to the playoffs... it'll just give them hope. I still think the Padres or the Giants will end up as the NL West Champ, hopefully it being the Giants... as the way my Braves have been playing, I wouldn't be surprised to see them miss the playoffs.

Yeah, the Braves are just about going to have to relive 1914 to get there this year. Of course, if they do relive that year, they'll win it all.