Being John Smoltz(kovich?)

Pride is an interesting thing. In global history, it has led men to many different extremes. In sports history, it has led men to free agency.

I don’t necessarily think that free agency is good or bad. It just is what it is. In fact, it is simply a replication of everything that free market America stands for. You have the right to establish your own worth and value. If people are willing to see you at that value, then good for you, you have achieved the American dream.

But I wonder if there is such a thing as being too proud. When everyone tells you there is nothing left in the tank, and you just develop such a monster chip on your shoulder that you feel like it is your obligation to get out there and prove people wrong, there may be a problem.

The problem is that a lot of the time, it doesn’t result in a happy ending. In a sporting world where your body is your only instrument, when those around you tell you that you are running on empty, they are usually right. We’ve seen it in every major sport. Your current team thinks you are done, so just to prove them wrong, you go somewhere else.

And now, I have an incredible fear that the newest member of the Red Sox, John Smoltz, may be the next person on the "Death by Pride" list.

I have no idea what the talks in Atlanta have been like, but I’m one hell of a guesser.

After 14 years of NL East dominance, Atlanta needed to go out, grab some younger talent, and do some serious rebuilding. And as tough as it is, Bobby Cox had to tell the elder statesman Smoltz that he didn’t see a spot for him in the rotation.

And you can’t really blame Cox either. Smoltz is a 41-year-old recovering from arm surgery that nearly everyone thought would be the end of his career. There was practically a retirement ceremony for him in the middle of last year.

Keep in mind that the Braves were incredibly patient with him after a series of injuries and Tommy John surgery at the turn of the century.

And now, the pride has kicked in. The John Smoltz that has only ever known Atlanta is ready to show that city why they should never have stopped believing. No one in the universe knows what he can do, but now everyone is waiting to find out.

I urge people not to look at the Smoltz move as a greedy move, or a move where he wanted to squeeze that last bit of dough into his wallet. Smoltz in a Boston jersey may look weird, but this is a matter of a man and his pride—nothing else.

Can pride be enough to make him a serious pitching threat in the toughest division in baseball? Well, I guess that’s for a different post.