Smolts exited about going to Red Sox
January 13, 2009
John Smoltz has done almost everything , from winning a Cy Young Award and a World Series championship, to notching 3,000 strikeouts and having sustained dominance as both a starter and a reliever — he finally did something new on Tuesday.Smoltz got on a podium where he was unveiled as a prized acquisition of a new team. The last introductory news conference Smoltz could remember was when the Tigers drafted him out of high school at the age of 18.
There was clearly no pomp and circumstance back in the summer of 1987, when he was traded as a Minor Leaguer to the Atlanta Braves for Doyle Alexander.
As it turns out, Smoltz stayed in Atlanta for what seemed an eternity — long enough to put together a resume that will likely have him in the Hall of Fame at some point.
Smoltz, 41, demonstrated boyish enthusiasm for baseball and the potential of winning again as he officially started over in a city that that matches his own intensity and passion for winning.
“What you’re getting is a guy who loves to put on a uniform, loves to compete,” said Smoltz. “I think the only thing that held it up was that I can’t hit anymore. Obviously that’s a joke. But I’m excited to be here, and certainly this city is surrounded with a ton of history and a ton of players and a ton of fans. As this week unfolded, as you well know, I’ve been in another city for 22 years and enjoyed every minute of it, and I certainly won’t get into every detail that led me here. But what led me here is an exciting time in my career.”
Sitting in virtually the same spot in a room at Fenway Park where Jim Rice was formally introduced as a Hall of Famer less than 24 hours earlier, Smoltz looked comfortable in that seat.
“Yesterday we had an announcement about a new Hall of Famer. Today, we have an exciting Red Sox announcement about a future Hall of Famer,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. “As you know, we’re here to announce the signing of John Smoltz. It’s a very significant day for the Red Sox to be able to add someone of his caliber and his accomplishments, and his talent, most importantly, as we look for him to make a huge impact on the organization.”
Now that the signing is official — Smoltz agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million pact that includes incentives that could bring the total to $10 million — Epstein can be candid about the fact he was initially skeptical that this signing would occur.
For starters, Smoltz had that deeply loyal relationship with the Braves and was an institution in the city of Atlanta. There was also the fact he had extensive right labrum damage repaired on June 2, limiting Smoltz to just six games last year.
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