Verdi: When Maddux says goodbye, he’ll do it quietly

How long before Verdi starts writing a Murray non-blog blog?

He 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.

...Did we say greatest pitcher of his generation? There was more than mere symbolism attached to Maddux’s 355th career victory in his final September start for the Dodgers. That moved him to eighth place in history, just eight behind Warren Spahn, the most prolific modern day arm.

Also, it put Maddux one ahead of Roger Clemens, who generally held that designation until his body of work gave way to suspicions about work on his body. Maddux never had to testify before Congress, nor has his name ever been linked to terms such as HGH, syringe, perjury or diva. Clemens did it his way, not the Maddux or Mike Mussina way.

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.