Of Tom Glavine’s tenure in Flushing, Tim Marchman once wrote, “the sight of Glavine in a Mets uniform is only slightly less bizarre than the sight of Reggie Miller in a Knicks uniform.” Presumably, the Braves organization would concur, and despite some harsh words prior to Glavine’s retirement, the Massachusetts native will have his number retired at Turned Field next Friday night. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Steve Hummer provides some of the historical perspective :
A loyal union man during the baseball strike of 1994, Glavine played an out-front role in that season-killing ordeal. In 2003, he signed with the division rival New York Mets. The combination proved too much for those fans who booed him heartily whenever he returned to Atlanta with the Mets.
œI™m sure I haven™t won everybody back. But for the most part, people, the greater majority of people in Atlanta, either like me or appreciate what I did as an Atlanta Brave. That™s the best you can hope for, that a majority of people appreciate who you are and what you do, Glavine said.
There were raw feelings between player and management as well. Glavine and the Braves went through two difficult divorces: the signing with New York; then, after a comeback season with the Braves was cut short in 2008 by shoulder surgery, Glavine suddenly was axed by the team early in 2009.
As recently as June 2009, after a rehab outing in Rome had failed to convince the Braves to keep him, Glavine was informing Atlanta radio listeners that he had been œmisled and mistreated by the team. The Braves had instead opted to go with rookie Tommy Hanson, a move few argued against.
By the end of the season, Glavine said many of the wounds had scabbed over.
He figured his career œwould be over by then anyway and it was kind of useless to carry this baggage around, harbor these feelings that I had. At that point, John (Shuerholz) and I were able to talk and we were able to hash some things out.