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Quick caveat: I’m a big Braves fan. Also: a big Tom Glavine fan. But the fact that Tommy is getting his unmentionables in a wad over being cut by the Braves is just flat out ridiculous — does he even remember that he left Atlanta for the New York F**king Mets because they offered him more money??? So, yeah, of course the Braves shouldn’t feel bad about making a financial move to get rid of a 90 year old soft-tosser that was going to cost upwards of $3.5 million to play this year. Sorry for the rant, but seriously, guy, get over it and move on. Yes, Glavine was a great pitcher in Atlanta and yes, the Braves screwed over John Smoltz, and YES, Frank Wren has done some stupid stuff. But just like Glavine proved when he hit up the Big Apple for cash, this is a bid-ness. And, like my boys RZA and ODB said: “cash rules everything around me.” Grow up, Tommy.
On his stuff being gone:
Well, I’ve listened for the last day and a half about how terrible I am … and I hear the logic but I question the logic. Because what I keep hearing is that over the last three rehab starts I haven’t improved, that the stuff isn’t there. And the question I have is, “Based on what?” My numbers in spring training were 78, 79 MPH and I pitched really well, I located really well in spring training … So my last three rehab starts … I’ve been anywhere from 82 to 83 so my velocity is just as good or better than it was in spring training and certainly last year. And the results speak for themselves.
On the decision to cut Glavine being a financial one:
Absolutely. No question in my mind. Because they can argue all they want, but the only way we’ll ever know whether or not I was good enough to get hitters out is if I went out there and did it, but it would have cost money to go out there and do that and they didn’t want to do it.
On getting respect from Atlanta:
That’s the thing in my mind — I’ve been very mindful about not sounding like a bitter athlete, because I’m not bitter. I’m disappointed in how things went, I feel betrayed to a certain extent on how things went because I don’t think everyone was honest to be about what the expectations were. But you’re absolutely right — there were a hundred ways things could have gone down differently to where I could have at least gone out there and either found out what I could do or couldn’t do. And believe me, Leo, you know me, if I didn’t think I could pitch, I would walk off the mound and go to Bobby and say “thank you very much, I can’t help you anymore, I’m out of here.”
On being angry when he got the news and being blindsided:
Well, of course I did. Thank God I got a phone call Wednesday morning that kind of [alerted] me to what was going on so I kind of knew when I got the ballpark on Wednesday … I was blindsided from the sense that the discussion was taking place and there was a chance that it was going to happen …
On being led on:
I don’t know. That’s the part I don’t understand. I think that everyone who knows me knows that I’m an honest person, I appreciate people being honest with me and me being honest with them. Look, I’m a grown man — I can handle whatever it is you’re telling me. I might not agree with it, but I can handle it.
On his relationship with the Braves being “tainted” forever:
I hate to use the word ‘forever.’ There’s no question it has tainted it for now — I don’t think you’re going to see me running out anytime soon trumpeting the organization or anything like that. But hey, things happen, things change, I’m not going to sit here and say I’ll never, ever do anything for the organization ever again, I’m not going to be hypocritical in that regard. But yeah, there’s a sour taste in my mouth right now.
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