Welcome to our collection of quotes by Greg Maddux. We hope you enjoy pondering them and please share widely.
Wikipedia Summary for Greg Maddux
Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is an American college baseball coach and former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. He is the pitching coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Maddux is best known for his accomplishments while playing for the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs. With the Braves, he won the 1995 World Series over the Cleveland Indians. The first to achieve a number of feats and records, he was the first pitcher in major league history to win the Cy Young Award four consecutive years (1992–1995), matched by only one other pitcher, Randy Johnson. During those four seasons, Maddux had a 75–29 record with a 1.98 earned run average (ERA), while allowing less than one baserunner per inning.
Maddux is the only pitcher in MLB history to win at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons. In addition, he holds the record for most Gold Gloves with 18, and most putouts by a pitcher with 546, including a tied live-ball-era record of 39 putouts in a season (1990, 1991, 1993). A superb control pitcher, Maddux won more games during the 1990s than any other pitcher and is 8th on the all-time career wins list with 355. Since the start of the post-1920 live-ball era, only Warren Spahn (363) recorded more career wins than Maddux. Maddux also has the most wins among pitchers who made their debuts after World War II. He is one of only ten pitchers ever to achieve both 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, and is the only pitcher to record more than 300 wins, more than 3,000 strikeouts, and fewer than 1,000 walks (exactly 999 walks overall).
Since his retirement as a player, Maddux has also served as a special assistant to the general manager for both the Cubs and Texas Rangers. On January 8, 2014, he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility, receiving 97.2% of the votes. In baseball terminology, a situation where a pitcher throws a complete game shutout in fewer than one hundred pitches has since become known as a "Maddux", since Maddux himself completed the feat thirteen times in his career.
There are a lot of shots in golf I can't hit, but I try to hit them anyway. The frustration is not there, because I'm still learning. But I really know how to do this. I'm not just hoping to get it where I want it... Let the other guys do it half-assed.
People judge too much by results. I'm just the opposite. I care about more than results. I'd rather make a good pitch and give up a bloop single than make a bad pitch and get an out.
The key to pitching is to have the ability to throw a strike when they're taking and throw a ball when the hitter is swinging.
I could probably throw harder if I wanted, but why? When they're in a jam, a lot of pitchers...try to throw harder. Me, I try to locate better.
When people say (nice) things you take them as compliments and it's nice, but it won't help you win your next game. The thing I am trying to keep in mind is that relying on my past performance will not make me win my next game, it'll only get in my way.
Oh, poor me (jokingly, after being told that Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez would make more in 2003 than he would). What do I do now? I guess I'll have to get a second job.
The best pitchers have a short term memory and a bullet proof confidence.
If you are content with yourself, you'll stop taking those little steps forward and begin taking big steps backward.
Regardless of where you're pitching, regardless of what goes on before or after your game, you still have to be ready.
I know I don't throw very hard anymore, but I'd like to think I can still hurt a guy who's not looking.
I look forward to another good year next year. It would be nice to win, too.
I don't believe for one second that the eye surgery has helped me on the mound.
I only know one way to pitch. I really do.
I take golf trips with my brother or with friends. We usually go to Pebble or Bandon Dunes. One year we went to Hawaii.
If they want me I'd love to come back. I'm not going to play because I can, I'm going to play because I deserve it.
I was under the impression I had signed a three-year contract. I want to be back. I expect to be back. I will be back.
I don't care if we're out of it or not, if I've got a chance to pitch, I want to.
The dirt was OK, but once you hit the grass... Wet grass is slippery.
The reason I think I'm a good pitcher is I locate my fastball and I change speeds. Period. That's what you do to pitch. That's what pitchers have to do to win games.
I would love to try to win another game. Obviously, it's more fun when you win. I'd rather try and not win than not try at all.
I daydream just like everybody else. I just do it with my body facing the field, so everybody thinks I'm paying attention.