I remember where I was when the Braves traded Doyle Alexander to the Detroit Tigers for John Smoltz. It was August 12, 1987, and I was filling in for Luther Masingill on WDEF radio’s morning show. The Braves obtained Smoltz, just a year out of high school, for the 37-year-old Alexander. The Tigers had a shot at the American League pennant, and the Braves had no hope in the National League. Alexander was a stud, so as I read the news on the air, my initial reaction was disappointment. Smoltz had a dreadful minor league record of 11 wins and 19 losses, and a high earned run average. Obviously the Braves were building for the future, as they always seemed to be doing back then. Alexander promptly went on to win all nine of his decisions with the Tigers after that trade, while we Braves fans didn’t know what we were getting with young Smoltz.
Well, the rest is history. Alexander was only in baseball for two more years, while Smoltz turned out quite well for the Braves. He became the only pitcher in MLB history to rack up more than 200 wins along with more than 150 saves as a relief pitcher. Today, in his first year of eligibility, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
On top of all that, he’s a genuinely nice guy. On January 22, 1992, he visited Chattanooga as part of the Braves caravan, and stopped in for an appearance on our “Live at Noon” show on WRCB. My son Chris, then four years old, was a huge Braves fan, and had memorized the jersey numbers of every Brave. After the show, I asked John to challenge Chris by calling out a Braves’ player’s name, and asking Chris to identify his jersey number. John started out with some easy ones. “Terry Pendleton?” Chris shouted out, “Number nine!” “Ron Gant?” “Five!” shouted Chris. “Bobby Cox?” “Number six!” And so on. I asked John to give Chris a hard one. John thought for a few seconds, and remembered a long-relief pitcher, seldom used, and certainly not a big-name player. “Randy St. Claire?” John asked. “He’s number forty-six!” Chris replied. “Wow, he’s good,” John said. “I didn’t even know Randy’s number.”
David and Chris Carroll with John Smoltz at WRCB in 1992.
After the show, John posed for pictures, and although I somehow failed to save the video tape that day, I’ve always loved this picture. After looking at it closely today, I think John Smoltz should be elected to the Sweater Hall of Fame too! One piece of video from that day is in our archives. John and his catcher, Greg Olson (“Number ten!”) visited T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga, bringing some smiles to ailing kids. He was still wearing that magic sweater!
John has been a frequent visitor to children’s hospitals over the years, and I appreciate that. Here’s a photo that was tweeted by Braves fan Rhett Delk, who said John visited him ten years ago, when he needed a boost.
Rhett Delk and John Smoltz, 2005
It’s great to know that John Smoltz will join his Braves pitching mates Tom Glavine (“Number forty-seven”) and Greg Maddux (“Number thirty-one”) in Cooperstown. They, along with manager Bobby Cox were also inducted in their first year of eligibility last year. Their jerseys, along with John’s (“Number twenty-nine”) were retired by the team, never to be worn again by another Atlanta Brave. Soon, Chipper Jones (“Number ten”) will be joining this special group.
John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux
We Braves fans enjoyed a long run of great teams, thanks to these and other very special players. It looks like we may be in for a dry spell as the team rebuilds its roster, while building a new ball park in Cobb County. It sure is great to see our “Big 3” pitchers of the dynasty years achieve baseball immortality. Long live Glav, Mad Dog, and Smoltzie. You made us proud.
