Glavine Revisited

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Excerpt from John Schuerholz' new book published in the AJC suggest Glavine was as conflicted about becoming a Met as we were, if not more:

http://www.ajc.com/braves/content/sports/braves/stories/0310braves.html

]Glavine revisited Glavine was a career Brave before signing a three-year, $35 million contract with the Mets in December 2002, with a fourth-year option. The Braves offered a three-year, $30 million contract with an option based on innings pitched (Schuerholz didn't include in the book that Glavine was also asked by the Braves to defer $10 million without interest): "They wanted four years [guaranteed] and no [option]," he writes. "Did his agent nudge him into being intractable on that? I don't know for sure, but I do know, from talking to both Tommy and [agent Greg] Clifton much later, that his agent played a large role in Tommy's ultimate choice to leave." Schuerholz wrote that in the interim between telling the Mets on a Thursday that he would take their deal and flying to New York on Sunday to sign the contract, "Tommy went through a purgatory of second thoughts. . . . With all the second thoughts swirling around in his brain, Tommy called Bobby Cox at his farm in Adairsville, Georgia, that Saturday and, as Bobby related to us, said, 'I made a mistake. I don't want to do this.' Bobby called me, concerned about Tommy's well-being. He liked the guy. Tommy was like a son to him. Bobby said: 'John, I think you should call him.' " Schuerholz said he called Glavine and the pitcher invited him to come to his house at the Country Club of the South in Alpharetta. "He and his wife, Chris, and I talked," Schuerholz wrote. "The three of us talked and talked and talked. It was a tough visit. At times, we were all on the verge of tears. Tommy did most of the talking — about what was on his mind, about remaining a Brave. . . . "I said, 'Tommy, we would be happy to have you remain with us if that's what you want." Schuerholz said he and Kasten had decided their initial offer to Glavine was greater than they had hoped to make, and that they would come back to him with a flat two-year offer. "After a lot of soul-searching, Tommy decided he was going to stay," Schuerholz wrote. "Quite obviously, he was relieved. His wife was relieved. And I was bouncing their son on my knee. . . . "Stan alerted TBS that there could be a major news conference the next day. . . ." But when Glavine didn't call him Saturday, Schuerholz called Sunday, and Glavine told him "simply that he had decided to stick with the Mets deal. . . . The issue ended with Clifton, and I suppose the union, persuading Tommy that it would be in everyone's best interest if he did not change his mind about the agreement he made with the Mets."

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[metirish]

WOW,good stuff, it's understanable why he would be so conflicted.

[Willets Point]

Yeah, boo-fucking-hoo. He let greed overule his conscience and thus stabbed in the back the franchise that he'd been with from the beginning, who stood by him after he lost 17 games in his first season, where he won championships and where the fans loved him. I bet he cried all the way to the bank.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I've never actually seen anyone crying their way into a bank.

I'd like to do that some time, because only wealthy people get to cry themselves to the bank.

[Elster88]

]where he won championships

You mean championship.

[Willets Point]

I was refering to division and league championships as well.

[Elster88]

I was breaking balls.

[Willets Point]

I have balls of steel.

[Elster88]

Must be hard to swim.

[Guest KC]

Stainless steel, I hope - it would really suck getting out of the shower every
morning having to worry about rust.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Hey, keep it clean. We have 20 year old kids reading this site.

[Guest KC]

There's a blurb at the end of the daily Mets coverage article in NYT's that
Glavine's kinda pissed off about this.

"It's interesting to me that for somebody who's been so tight-lipped about
everything that goes on in that organization, player trades and this, that and
the other thing, I'm the only player he's ever talked about when it's come to
a negotiation"

[Willets Point]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: Hey, keep it clean. We have 20 year old kids reading this site.

Lighten up, old man.

[Frayed Knot]

"I'm the only player he's ever talked about when it's come to
a negotiation"

Is Glavine really the only person Schurholtz talks about or the only one who was talked about in the released excerpts?

Not surprised that he isn't all that happy that this is all suddenly public knowledge but when someone has to make a mega-bills, life-changing decision like that I'd be surprised if there weren't second thoughts and indecision involved.

The Braves in general and Schurholtz in particular are usually very tight-lipped about things so the existance of a book kinda surprises me too. I believe both him and Cox are on the last year of deals (something that played into Mazzone's decision to get out) so maybe this is his swan song.

[Guest mlbaseballtalk]

I agree about the timing of the book being a little "annoying" as Schurholtz is very much active and material such as this (and others, I doubt the Glavine contract is the only one discussed) could jepordize future transactions

Wouldn't shock me if this was Jon's first hint of retirement at season's end or something

As far as the content goes? Glavine doesn't deny it or anything which is good, nice to see THAT for a change, but come on how many times does that situation happen in sports and real life. It can be a dirty business sometimes, thats the way it goes!

Steve

[Guest mlbaseballtalk]

Also, it does debunk the myth about "The Braves did not want Glavine back" or "The Braves lowballed him" that the Anti-Glavine contingent of the media and fans seem to latch on to. I mean how many times in 2004 did you read or hear "Why did the Braves just LET him go?"

Now that convienent excuse of "Team A knew our accquition was on the downside" can no longer really be justified to the point where the conpiracy theorists would want you to believe! Save it for injuries, not percipitous drops in performance!

[nymr83]

This book probably should have waited until Schurholtz retired but whatever, I hope it hurts his bargaining somewhere, somehow.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Two things about this:

(1) Credit to Glavine for merely complaining that what happened at the negotiating table should have stayed at the negotiating table. A standard-issue denial would have been tiresome. It's not like this story really impugns Glavine in any meaningful way, just embarrasses him a smudge.

(2) It would be nice if this fuels a little motivation fire in the usually cool furnace that is Glavine's belly. When do the Mets face the Braves next?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Home series starting April 17.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Pain.

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

Edgy DC wrote: (2) It would be nice if this fuels a little motivation fire in the usually cool furnace that is Glavine's belly. When do the Mets face the Braves next?

Are you suggesting that he's lacked motivation against the Braves for the past three years?

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

"I'll groove shit down the middle of the plate for the length of my Met contract for yuz, my brothers, but if that Schuerholz ever talks smack about me, all bets are off."

[Elster88]

Bret Sabermetric wrote: ="Edgy DC"](2) It would be nice if this fuels a little motivation fire in the usually cool furnace that is Glavine's belly. When do the Mets face the Braves next? Are you suggesting that he's lacked motivation against the Braves for the past three years?

I think he was mostly fucked because he couldn't get the ball six inched off the corner called a strike anymore. It just showed up more against the Braves because people were looking for it and they're a good team.

I'm hoping he's gotten over crying over Questec and that the second half of last year carries over into 2006.