Picture of Greg Maddux from Sports Illustrated

So I love this article on Greg Maddux from ESPN:

It was truly not hard to like the guy.  He wasn’t the ace, but he was a great addition to the Dodgers twice.  As much as Ned Colletti receives flak, I do like his philosophy of bringing in the known veterans for the young players, as well as for the fans.  I and others went to the game, just to see Greg Maddux in a Dodgers uniform when he first came.  Players like him, and Nomar Garciaparra, and even Jeff Kent, are just strong players that people like to see.  I’m convinced that the Dodgers will be a strong player for Randy Johnson this year too, for that same reason.  He brings in the fans, helps the young pups, and can put up solid numbers.  The price is lower and it’s a short term good deal.

My favorite memory of Maddux as a Dodger will forever be him pitching in relief in the playoffs.  The Dodgers were trying to finally go somewhere and knowing he was available in the pen was a cool relief as a fan.  It was just cool to know you had a future hall of famer to help button it up.  He was classy and everyone one agrees on it.

Tip #1 for the Dodgers:  Hire Maddux as a consultant for Billingsley and the young pitchers.  He was a great help for them last year in the playoffs.

Tip #2 for Derek Lowe:  Put Maddux on retainer to watch every game you pitch and then call talk about it.  Derek’s numbers got better both times Maddux was on the bench with him, and he shouldn’t miss part of the reason.

Maddux knew the game and has a great legacy.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Offseason Dodger News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.