Greg Maddux, the pro's pro

It appears that Greg Maddux, the greatest pitcher of this generation, plans to retire. Quietly, of course.

Hard to believe I was in high school in 1986 when he made his MLB debut for the Chicago Cubs.

Maddux's record: 355 victories and 18 Gold Gloves. He's also the only pitcher ever to win at least 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons. More important, he was a pro's pro. Bob Verdi from the Chicago Tribune writes a great summation of Maddux's career and his approach to the game:

[Maddux] amassed a fortune without ever making money his raison d'etre, raised the bar for contemporaries without raising his voice, and he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer who treated the uniform as a privilege, not a right. He didn't strut, complain or ask for anything except the ball every fourth or fifth day. So a gala farewell tour is out of the question.

For those of you who follow the Money Players blog or read my book, you know I am all for players getting paid what they deserve and what the market calls for. I am not a big fan, however, of diva-like contract provisions, which Verdi points out was never Maddux's style:

Maddux's contracts never included provisions for special treatment, like private jets, in-season sabbaticals or staged signing celebrations in owner's boxes. Spring training was not optional for Maddux either, only the trappings of celebrity. If he was accused of anything, it was of getting the benefit of the doubt from awed plate umpires.

--Marc Isenberg