Into the Sunset

LAS VEGAS--As the 2008 Winter Meetings opened, a great chapter in baseball came to a close. As Greg Maddux took his place in front of the podium to deliver his farewell speech, the world was confronted his by greatness, humility, and humor.

Maddux will retire the greatest right hander of his era, having completed a magnificent career that spanned twenty-three years and three decades. The current active wins leader edges Roger "The Rocket" Clemens by a single win, his 355 wins a feat accomplished under the dark cloud of the steroids era while never having his cleanliness doubted once. Then again, who would've dared insinuated that this wily pitcher who lived on guile, location, and an eighty-five mile-an-hour fastball was juicing? No, Maddux is one of the last of his kind, a true "pitcher" in an age of scouting reports driven by radar-gun readings and not results.

As much as Maddux will be remembered for the scope of his career--the four Cy Youngs, the miniscule ERAs, and his years of dominance with the Atlanta Braves--he'll also be remembered as one of the great personalities of his era. Maddux entertained the fan with his dry humor and down to earth persona as much as he did with his patented back-up two-seamer for strike three. In a time in which baseball was riddled with the dark, no non-sense, anti-media personas of the Kenny Rogers, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds types, Maddux was undeniably a breath of fresh air.

Maddux was a class-act, a living legend, a comedian, and an undoubtable first ballot hall-of-famer. As he rides of into the sunset of the Las Vegas skyline, the magnitude of his accomplishments will only grow as we slip deeper into the era of 5 inning starters and stunning mediocrity.