Mr. Smoltz, There's Some Writing On this Wall We'd Like You To Read

The Braves in the 1990s were the greatest near-dynasty of all time. The Braves won their division 14-straight times over a 15-year span (1994 was washed out because of the strike), winning five NL pennants and one World Series in the process. Had the Braves taken two or three of those Series, we'd be talking about that Atlanta squad in the same breath as some of the great Yankee teams a generation ago, or even Joe Torre's team just a decade ago.

That Braves team was remembered for one thing – pitching. Well, two if you count Sid Bream chugging down the third-base line, but for now let's stick with the pitching.

While Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux boasted haughtier stats, it was Smoltz who might be considered the most valuable pitcher on that team. Who else would give up a Hall of Fame career as a starter to move to the bullpen because the team needed it, turning himself into one of the top closers in the league? Smoltz came back from career-threatening arm injuries on more than one occasion, and when it came to playoff time, nobody was better than Smoltz, who boasted a 15-4 record with a 2.65 ERA and a 2.90 K/BB ratio in the postseason.

Make no mistake, John Smoltz, even with only 212 career wins, is a Hall of Famer. That's why watching him this season is so hard. It's never good when your own team's website starts the game recap with "In his worst outing as a member of the Red Sox," as Smoltz gave up eight runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings last night – against the Yankees, of all teams.

And while this was his worst outing of the season, Smoltz hasn't pitched past the sixth inning in any outing this year, and has given up seven or more hits in all but two of his eight starts. His ERA is 8.33, five runs higher than his career average. This obviously isn't going according to his plan, as he told MLB.com's Ian Browne:

"I'm pretty humbled right now with the way things have gone," said Smoltz. "I don't like to use the word embarrassed, but I have a lot of pride and I certainly don't like letting somebody down."

Smoltz isn't the only Hall of Fame pitcher who hung on too long, ending his career in a foreign jersey. It happens to greats in every era. Grover Cleveland Alexander pitched for 20 years and never had an ERA over 3.89 until pitching 22 innings in 1930 for the Philadelphia, recording a 9.00 ERA in nine games.

Juan Marichal played in San Francisco for 12 years and boasted a career ERA of 2.89. His last two seasons were in Boston and Los Angeles, and while he went 5-1 with the Red Sox, his ERA was two runs higher than his career average (4.89). Finishing his career somewhat controversially with the Dodgers, he only pitched in two games, giving up 11 hits and nine runs for a 13.50 ERA before calling it quits.

And who can forget the end of Steve Carlton's career? Lefty went 1-8 in his last full year with the Phillies, and after more than 20 years in the majors, refused to give it up. He was eventually released by the Phils during the 1986 season, and pitched in six games for the Giants before getting released and signing with the White Sox. Still unwilling to give up the game, he signed with Cleveland in 1987 before getting traded to Minnesota who eventually released him twice before he finally read the writing on the wall.

The list goes on. As a lefthanded kid growing up near Philadelphia, I'll never forget how hard it was to watch Carlton struggling in another uniform. There's a kid in the suburbs of Atlanta this morning who clicked on the Red Sox box score and feels the same way.

UPDATE: Smoltz has been designated for assignment.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.