A Brave at Heart

Tom Glavine made his major league debut August 17, 1987. And in his first season and a half he wasn't too good posting a 4.76 ERA over 245 2/3 IP. The start of a new decade brought good results to Glavine and a new contract. In the '90's he was a Gold Glover, a Cy Young award winner and he started the ALL-STAR game a few times. In 2003 Tom Glavine signed a 3 year $35 million dollar contract with the Mets. Why sign a 37 year old to a 3 year deal? I don't know.

The year before the Mets signed him, he had a 2.96 ERA in 224 2/3 IP. Glavine's first year with the Mets, he had a 4.52 ERA in 183 1/3 IP. That's the difference between Roger Clemens in his prime and Jason Marquis. How do you explain someone having their worst season since their 2nd pro season? Easy, the two teams trying to sign Tommy were the Phillies and the Mets. After 5 mediocre years with the Mets, Mr. Glavine returned to the Braves.....with answers.

I believe the Braves used Tom Glavine as a spy, to go to New York, make some money and then return to the Braves with answers. The Brave didn't care if it was the Mets or the Phillies he signed with as long as one of them wouldn't be able to compete with them. Every important game that Tom Galvine has pitched in the past two years for the Mets, he's blown. Not everyone remembers but Tom Glavine pitched against jeff Weaver in game 3 of the NLCS and Glavine faltered(along with Guillermo Mota) to cost the Mets the game and of course the series which went to 7 games. Last year he let up the most runs in a game in his career twice. Once against the Tigers in the summer and then again on the last day of the season he had to let up 7 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

I truly believe that Tom Glavine was never really on the Mets and only came to help out his buddy's down in Atlanta. Once Glavine put on that Braves jersey this offseason it felt as if he had never left the Braves. And that's the way it should be.