Last year, unfortunately due to budgetary setbacks, the Atlanta Braves had to part with 4-time Cy Young award winner, Greg Maddux. I still remember pleasantly reeling from the news that Maddux had been traded FROM the Cubs to the Braves back in 1993, and that Atlanta hitters would never again have to face the wizardry of this pitcher's arm. When, after 11 winning seasons with the Braves, Maddux' contractual demands overshot Atlanta's ability to finance him, he moved back to his old team in Chicago.

While I was legitimately sorry to see him go, I understood why Atlanta made the decision: It just made sense and there was justifably no reason to pay an aging pitcher on the decline the $10 Million salary he wanted. (At this point in the year, Maddux is 11 and 7 with the Cubs and has an un-Maddux-like 3.99 ERA.)The big news, though, is that this past Saturday he became the 22nd pitcher in the history of baseball to get 300 wins. Right now, the only other living pitcher to have 300+ is Roger Clemens. Randy Johnson, 241, and Tom Glavine, 259, may be the only other two in the league with legitimate shots at obtaining this mark anytime in the next 3 to 5 years.

(And consider this, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez, both older, dominant pitchers, only have 176 and 174 wins respectively as of this date. Schilling's got 17 years pitching experience and Pedro, 13. Maddux amassed his 300 in 19 seasons!)

In any event, I'm happy for Maddux, but disappointed that he couldn't get the big three-oh-oh with the team for which he'll have certainly spent the majority of his career pitching.

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Again, more news plagiarized from the Internet. Original post here.

SAN FRANCISCO - Greg Maddux has always been a man of little fanfare, so that’s exactly how he handled his 300th win — with a quiet step into history.

Maddux never returned to the field after the final out was made. Fans hollered as he worked his way down the hallway to a postgame interview, and Maddux practically pursed his lips to keep from reacting. It took a near mugging by a bunch of teammates at his locker to finally make him smile.

“It’s pretty special,” he said. “I like to look ahead. I’ve never really looked back. When I’m done playing I’ll look back. I’m sure I’ll pat myself on the back then.”

Maddux calmly overcame a shaky start to become the 22nd major league pitcher to reach 300 victories, leading the Chicago Cubs over the San Francisco Giants 8-4 on Saturday.