Tom Glavine was released by the Atlanta Braves yesterday. Glavine, a 22-year veteran of major league baseball, has won 305 games over the course of his career, including five 20-win seasons. He can also point to eight all-star games, two Cy Young Awards, and a World Series most valuable player award on his resume. He is, by any definition of the term, one of the all time greats in major league baseball history. He responded to his release by texting, “I’m surprised and disappointed. I’m ready to pitch.”
But as any hockey fan probably knows, baseball wasn't the only thing in which Glavine had talent. Glavine was a fourth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 1984 (69th overall) after putting up 47 goals and earning the Merrimack Valley Conference most valuable player trophy with Billerica (MA) Memorial High School.
Glavine was drafted ahead of such notables as Brett Hull (6th round/117th overall), Luc Robitaille (9/171), and Gary Suter (9/180) in the 1984 draft.
Glavine, although he is 43 years old, might be "surprised and disappointed" over his release from the Braves, but he doesn't sound like a guy ready to hang up his spikes. Sounds like a hockey player.
Maybe the Nats can pick him up - don't think it would hurt to have a vet in our rookie-filled bullpen. I had no idea he had been drafted by the NHL early in his career. Thanks for the interesting post. It underscores what a great athlete he is.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about Glavine as a hockey player. I recall that his emergence as a star with the Atlanta Braves baseball team coincided with the year the Braves when from worst to first (and stayed in first place for many years afterwards.)
ReplyDeleteBefore he got good, I recall my husband referring to Glavine and two of the other Braves starters as "The Three Stooges" when they were doing really poorly. He thought it was appropriate that Turner owned the old "Three Stooges" films and the Braves at the same time.