They don't make 'em like Maddux anymore

Throwing is an activity. Pitching is an art. In the 1990s, when the Atlanta Braves came to Cincinnati and Greg Maddux pitched, it was appointment viewing at Riverfront Stadium. Maddux painted corners like Hopper painted loneliness. "Watch this,'' I'd say to whoever was sitting next to me. "Maddux will strike this guy out looking, three pitches, without hitting 90 on the radar gun. Good morning, good afternoon, see you later. And none of the pitches will even scrape the black of the plate.'' At 42, Maddux still feasts on the greed and impatience of hitters. He knows most hitters, past and present, do not think the game the way he does. Craftsmen sweat the details. Hitters hack. They don't make pitchers like Maddux now, kids who pitch instead of throw. They haven't for a long time. In what likely was his last appearance in... [read full story]