John Smoltz, former major league pitcher, now is at a crossroads to greatness. Mr. Smoltz after a brilliant career with Atlanta, Boston and St. Louis, is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time ever. John Smoltz, to me, is one of the toughest competitors that ever pitched in the Bigs.

John Smoltz grew up here in Lansing, Michigan, next to "Magic" Johnson. He is one of the greatest pro athletes from our area. Smoltz, first began High School at Lansing Catholic High school, but ended up transferring to Lansing Waverly. He had a stellar career there and defied all odds and was drafted low by the Detroit Tigers. After a short while he was traded to the Atlanta Braves organization for another pitcher, Doyle Alexander.

John Smoltz began at Triple A Greenville with the Braves and moved up quickly to the parent team. Smoltz, pitched in World Series games, won one World Championship, was a Cy Young Winner. This man has won and accumulated a lot of hardware in his great career. But, he did something only a handful of pitchers ever have accomplished. He was a great starter, then injuries made him a very potent closer, then he came back as a starter. John Smoltz left Atlanta for Boston, and St. Louis.

He will be a Hall of Famer sooner or a later and join his manager Bobby Cox and two rotation teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. That's a lock!

 

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