The Greatness of Buster Olney

The e-mail says the guy "attended spring training" with the Braves in 2000. My guess is that the guy didn't make the major league club or else he would have talked about the tutoring Maddux gave him throughout the season.

 

The "savvy veterans mentoring younger players" is one of the most persistent crock-of-shit cliches throughout all of sports, trotted out any time any team obtains a washed-up, worn-out, burned-out ole fogey and tries to foist him off on the fan base as a "mentor" for the young kids.

"Savvy veterans" help younger players to get better if they are good enough themselves to keep them out of the lineup, and force them to get better if they want to get any playing time. Greg Maddux helps the teams he's on, because he's still a fairly good pitcher, and any younger pitcher who wants to pitch has to get better, or he ain't gonna play.