April 14, 2008

Thanks for posting that article Chargdres. Maddux is unbelievable and so under rated in my opinion. What command of the zone, like none other I have seen. This over his entire career, some may have done better for a season, but for the last 22 seasons he has been doing this. The fact that he is not regarded as the best pitcher over the last 20 years is due to the love of power here. He has no flash just gets the job done, over and over. His ERA numbers back in the prime are stunning when you compare them. He threw many complete games under 100 pitches. The most telling thing from the article to me was the quote from his brother about young guys coming up, how they know the drills of the game and how to take instruction, but that he and his brother were taught the game. Great pitcher and an interesting article, thanks Chargdres.

posted by chuck'n'duck at 6:38 PM CDT on April 14

Penny, figuring he'd take advantage of the situation, asked Maddux to call a game for him against the Cubs. And so, on the night of Sept. 13, Penny glanced into the dugout before every delivery and found Maddux, who signaled the next pitch by looking toward different parts of the ballpark. Penny threw seven scoreless innings with no walks and beat the Cubs 6-0.

That might be the single most astonishing bit of baseball information I've ever read.

Thanks for the link.

posted by wfrazerjr at 7:40 PM CDT on April 14

(oh, and awesome link)

posted by Joey Michaels at 8:22 PM CDT on April 14

I have GOT to know what planet you live on where Greg Maddux is considered "underrated" in baseball.

I have to agree with this.

On "America's Team" he was the ace of one of the best staffs in history, had constant TV exposure on TBS (not to mention playoff TV exposure), and he has been featured in National ads ("chicks dig the long ball"). Hard to find anyone that has watched a game that doesn't know who he is, and and I've never heard of ANYONE saying he isn't at least the SECOND best pitcher of his ERA, if not the BEST.

That isn't exactly underrated to me.

I'm a huge Maddux fan (named my son after him...and people accuse me of stealing the name from Angelina Jolie...bah!). I even did a speech on him in college making his case for the best right hander in history (and that was 10 years ago! I think my argument is more solid now :-)

For some reason, my favorite part of the story is

You know," Maddux said, "I really should retire." Bell, unsure if he was entering into a conversation of historical importance, stayed quiet.

I can just completely picture that guy thinking to himself "Oh crap, don't say the wrong thing! You could alter the course of baseball as we know it if you say the wrong thing!" :-)

posted by bdaddy at 7:12 AM CDT on April 15

Maddux's greatest delivery:

"Chicks dig the long ball."

posted by Bill Lumbergh at 10:10 AM CDT on April 15

When Maddux finally does retire, I have to believe that he will instantly become the league's highest paid pitching coach. The Padres are paying him about $10 million this year, and while he is still decent as a pitcher, his real value is to help bring along Jake Peavy, Chris Young, and the Padres' other young pitchers. Peavy had an off year before Maddux's arrival, then Maddux goes to SD, and Peavy wins the Cy Young. I doubt thats a coincidence.

posted by Chargdres at 10:33 AM CDT on April 15

I have to believe that he will instantly become the league's highest paid pitching coach.

Having Maddux as a pitching coach would be like having Rickey Henderson as your base-running coach. You'd listen to every word he'd say, but in the end you get the terrible feeling that even at his advanced age, he could still do it better than you.

posted by grum@work at 12:12 PM CDT on April 15

Great, great story. I remember back in the 90s SI did a similar kind of article about him in which they argued he was the greatest every right hander. It talked about how Smoltz & Glavine, themselves likely HOFers, felt that Maddux was far beyond them.

posted by drumdance at 1:25 PM CDT on April 15

Greg Maddux will go down as the greatest pitcher of this generation. Because he will kill and eat any one who challenges him.

On a serious note, it is interesting to think about how he will be viewed in 20 years vs. Roger Clemens, he of steroid fame.

posted by Bonkers at 6:16 PM CDT on April 15

Maddux reminds be of high school biology and disecting a frog. Only difference is opposing batters.

That's more of a literal connection than you think. I'm a San Diego resident, and my morning commutes are occasionally punctuated by the unpleasant sight of disemboweled corpses littered along the roadside, and torrents of blood flowing into the gutters as if all 9" of our yearly rain fell in one night, brought by a cold front from hell. The exteriors of some buildings downtown look like Jackson Pollock took up graffiti, if only Pollock's favored media were entrails and crushed bone. Occasionally the smears of blood form words, but they're not utterable by any human tongue.

And those are the days after Maddux wins.

posted by LionIndex at 6:46 PM CDT on April 15

+1 LionIndex

posted by yerfatma at 8:36 PM CDT on April 15