Good news for Braves fans but bad news for my dream of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz all retiring together. Smoltz would be the closer for the Braves next year if he comes back.John Smoltz threw off a mound Friday for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in June.
And, according to manager Bobby Cox, Smoltz was quite impressive. "It was just a terrific performance for the first time, after undergoing what he did," said Cox. "John’s on Cloud 9. No pain at all. None. Zero pain. Man, he’s way ahead of schedule." The Smoltz comeback effort appears to be full speed ahead, though counting on him to contribute positively in '09 might be wishful thinking.