[evman150]

My favourite athlete of all time, an early hero of a boy obsessed with baseball at a young age.

One of my most prized possessions is a Maddux photo signed "To Evan, best wishes, Greg Maddux".

It is a sad day to see him retire, but also a happy one. Mad Dog didn't get cheated one bit in his career. He's like your grandpa who accomplished everything in life, finally dying. It's sad, but it's a happy moment as well.

My best memory of Maddux is a game in the mid 90s where he pitched a 76 pitch shutout against the Cubs. It was and still is the most dominating performance I've ever seen by a pitcher. Nobody had the control and the ability to keep a pitch count low like Maddux did.

His performance in game two of the '95 series against the Indians was also outstanding. A two or three hit shutout in the first World Series game of his career.

Even into his last few seasons I loved watching him pitch. He didn't have the stuff he once did, but every once in a while you could catch a glimpse of vintage Mad Dog. That cutter on a two strike count to a left-handed batter that starts about six inches inside and comes back and slices the black of the plate...just outstanding.

One of my regrets in life is never having seen him pitch live.