It was exciting to hear that two former-Chicago baseball players were inducted into the Hall of Fame last week, on first ballots, no less. Greg Maddux was one of them, and while he played more seasons for the Braves (11) than the Cubs (7 + 3), I choose to look at him as a Cub. He didn't have a lot of heat on his fastballs, but he had amazing control and man can he make that baseball dance as it approached home plate.
I don't follow the White Sox, as I'm mainly a North Sider fan in Chicago. Still it was exciting that Frank Thomas made it to the Hall. I listened to his press conference on ESPN 1000 Chicago, and he sounded so delighted and grateful. It was clearly special for him to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He knew Maddux would get into easily, but admitted that he wasn't so sure about himself, because he played a number of years as in DH (designated hitter).
In the 1990s, the Braves seemed to own the post-season, and won the World Series in 1995, with Maddux onboard. Tom Glavine was the third HOF inductee last week, and those Braves had such snipers in the pitching staff, John Smoltz being among them. Glavine that had steely look, the kind of look that would kill you with a pitch. He'd remain unmoved and dispassionate in his demeanor, as if he were merely turning the pages of a book.
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
Ron Villejo, PhD
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