Congrats, Smoltzie!

This man is a machine!!!!!!

It's not like the DL is a total stranger to John Smoltz, so when you look at his career stats...crazy! To say the least, he's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, fo sho!

210 wins (15 in the postseason, the most in history)
154 saves
3.25 ERA

And last but not least: 3,006 strikeouts!

Congratulations to you, Mr. Smoltz. Welcome to the 3,000 SO club!

I was listenin' to the game on XM tonight when I was comin' home from a PTO meeting (yes, you're lookin' at the newly-inducted Secretary of the PTO, thank you very much). Anyhoobs, Skip Caray & Pete Van Wieren threw out a stat that shocked me: Smoltz is only 1 of 4 pitchers to reach 3,000 strikeouts while wearin' only 1 uniform.

Walter Johnson (Washington Senators), Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals) and Steve Carlton (Philadelphia Phillies) each struck out 3,000+ hitters while with only 1 team.

That stat amazed me! I can see how Johnson was with the same club way, waaaay back in the day (1907-1927), because then it wasn't all about money-grubbin' hos, and teams didn't trade folks around like crazy. And even in the Gibson/Carlton days, players stayed put most of the time.

But NOWADAYS, dayum! Errbody's movin' all over the place -- team to team, league to league.

That is quite an accomplishment, and I commend you, Atlanta Braves. I commend you for not bein' complete f*ck ups and tradin' this gem that is known as John Smoltz. Ever. Thank you.

I just wanted to share this little tidbit that I found on wikipedia. If Ty Cobb really did, in fact, speak these words about Johnson, then bitch shoulda been a Harlequin romance novelist after he retired. Such attention to detail! Hot, hot, H-O-T!!!

Ty Cobb recalled his first encounter with the rookie fastballer:

"On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington.

Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us...

He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance...

One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: 'Get the pitchfork ready, Joe-- your hayseed's on his way back to the barn.'...

The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him...every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."

Awesome! Tall, shambling GALOOT! I fuckin' lovez it!

Again, congrats, John Smoltz.

You. Are. A. Gawd!