5:00pm: Smoltz's contract with TBS contains outs if wants to resume his baseball career, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. No surprise there. Rosenthal notes that the Phillies "have shown a strong interest in Smoltz as a possible midseason addition."
THURSDAY, 12:24pm: Smoltz put the odds of pitching again at 50-1, talking to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday.
TUESDAY, 12:31pm: Free agent pitcher John Smoltz will join TBS as a regular season and playoff analyst, according to a press release. Smoltz's statement on the career move: "Joining Turner Sports' Major League Baseball coverage is a great opportunity for me to stay immersed in the game that I love and I'm really looking forward to this experience."
Smoltz told the AP he is not officially retired, though ESPN's Buster Olney talked to some club execs who read his career move that way. Smoltz was still able to demonstrate strikeout and control skills in his 78 big league innings last year and generated interest from ten teams as a free agent. A few days ago, Smoltz told Murray Chass he hasn't ruled out pitching but hasn't made any decisions.
Good for him!
Smoltz is a likable guy and may have what it takes to keep this gig long term. But there will always be fresh candidates, so it wouldn’t be smart to antagonize his corporate bosses by signing then going back to play mid-season.
Smart career move, I’d say.
Peachtree TV and/or FSN South/SportsSouth needs to sign him NOW for Braves telecasts. From the brief time he’s spent in the booth, he’s fantastic, and would work very well with Joe Simpson (Chip Caray notwithstanding).
Great career, Smoltzy. My only wish is that you’d done it a year earlier so that you would’ve retired a Brave and gone to the HOF with Glavine and Maddux.
I was hoping he would come back. I still do, he’s too good to retire yet. There’s a guy that can still help a ball club.
man the mets are really screwed.
Damn man….I don’t know why the Cards won’t sign him.
Smoltz should join the MLB Network when he hangs them up.
Good move.
I hate to see a guy I admire stick around longer than he should.
he showed he is still more than capable of still pitching when he was with the cardinals, so i think that if a team comes at him hard enough mid season he just might sign but he is suited for national league
Real real real shame he left the braves last yr to go with the sox/cards for that one year.. should have been a Brave for life.. you never see players anymore stick with just one team.. Im a yankee fan but Im also a Baseball Fan.. would have liked to see him with the braves his whole career.
A Yankee and a baseball fan?? Ohh the irony…
Smoltz was great and wasn’t too bad last year, hopefully he still tries to sign.
the braves left him, he didn’t leave the braves.
He might have one year in the minor league left in him i.e. National League.
TBS – very funny.