Glavine staying with Mets

I was willing to give Schuerholz the benefit of the doubt in '02. The Braves wouldn't give Glavine that guaranteed fourth year, even when he said he'd accept less money. I accepted that Schuerholz's hands were tied by Time-Warner -- and they still are -- accepted that he made a good-faith effort to sign Glavine within his budget constraints, and forgave them both for the back-biting afterward.

Now I wonder if Schuerholz just didn't want him at all. Why the Braves wouldn't even make Glavine an offer, when he made it clear that he really, really wanted to come back to Atlanta to win his 300th at home, just puzzles the hell out of me ... and as a Braves fan, hugely disappoints me.

 

Disappoints me too. I thought Glavine going home was the lock of the winter. There's no way a pitcher of his caliber should get a 300th win for those Mutts.

And how do you feel if you're the Mets? He clearly wanted to go home.

It's also clear Scherholz took it personally when Glavine left.

Now I've got to root against Glavine getting 10 wins over the next two years. No offense, Tom. Or buckweaver.

 

No problemo.

Trust me, I've had to train myself to root for the Mets every five days. That ain't easy. It's taken me four years, and I'm still not used to it. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do that anymore.

(And even then, I naturally revert back to hating those fuckers the second Glav is taken out or off the hook in a game. Then it takes the rest of the week to gear up for another fifth day.)



Ahh, but my all-time favorite Braves-Mets connection: <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/08/30/bc.bbn.braves.chipper.s.ap/">Chipper names his son Shea</a> because he hits so well there.

 

Upon reading that story, it's even more obvious how much Glavine doesn't want to be in NY.

"After four years it's really grown on me."

Quick, someone sign Tom up for an I Heart NY campaign.

 

I think Glavine had to take the original deal in NYC in the first place because of his position with the union. He had to take the best offer. Besides -starting pitching is not a need for the Braves.

The Braves have a pretty good starting five as it is – Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton (coming back from injury), Horatio Ramirez, and Chuck James (with Kyle Davies available if someone gets hurt). I have a tough time seeing the Braves wrap up close to $70 million in four starting pitchers (Hudson, Smoltz, Hampton and Glavine) plus Andruw and Chipper Jones. It would have been nice for Glavine to go back to Atlanta but common sense said he was going back to the Mets.

I heard him on WFAN with Mike and the Mad Dog and he seemed pretty upbeat. He thinks the Mets lineup give him a better shot at 300 this year.

 

You're partly right, Chris. But I don't think the union situation really had that much to do with it, because if Glavine gets that fourth guaranteed year from the Braves (at the same money they offered him, which was slightly less than the Mets), he takes it. I don't think there's any doubt about that at all.

He made that clear throughout the entire process -- fourth guaranteed year was the main sticking point for him. That's all it was going to take. The Mets gave it to him, the Braves didn't. ... As it was, the Mets also gave him more money. But it was the fourth year that was the clincher.

 

The Mets have had as lousy an offseason as any team in recent memory. Mota suspended for 50 games. Lost Bradford to the O's. Seemingly didn't make an offer for Baez. Signed 400 year old Moises Alou.

 

Maybe you're right. But I'm still convinced he would have accepted a Braves' offer if it had a fourth guaranteed year attached to it back in '02.

 

And how many out-of-wedlock kids to a Hooter's waitress does Chipper have by now? Enough to name one for every N.L. stadium?

 

Great, now Schuerholz has to worry about Glavine and Lonnie Smith. I wonder if he wears Kevlar.

 

Now that the dickhead has once again proven his lack of knowledge, the Braves never even made an offer to Glavine and he actually outsmarted himslef by trying to play the Mets against the Braves.
When they didn't pick uphis $14 mill option for '07, they did discuss a 2-year, $24-25M deal.
As one NY writer told me today... "he came crawling back to the Mets because he had nowhere else to go."