Maddux still fond of Chicago

But Atlanta ace happier with Braves' playoff runs

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Posted: Friday October 02, 1998 10:03 PM

Maddux had his first 20-game season and won the first of his four Cy Young Awards as a Cub in 1992 AP

CHICAGO (AP) -- Greg Maddux still has friends here, he still roots for the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Bears, and he enjoys coming back to Wrigley Field.

But if you think he'll bring any of that nostalgia with him when he takes the mound Saturday, forget it.

"I turned the page," Maddux said Friday after the Atlanta Braves arrived in Chicago for Game 3 of their NL first-round playoff. The Braves lead the best-of-5 series 2-0.

"When I left, I wasn't fired up about leaving, but I left and I turned the page and I was gone," he said. "I'll [take the] six cracks in a row that I've had in Atlanta as opposed to the one here in Chicago any day of the week. It's a no-brainer."

Maddux spent his first seven seasons in Chicago, and was part of the Cubs' last playoff team in 1989. He had his first 20-game season and won the first of his four Cy Young Awards as a Cub in 1992.

"I made a lot of friends here when I played," he said. "This was a great place to play."

But when Maddux became a free agent at the end of the 1992 season, the Cubs let him go in a move that fans still consider the worst the club has ever made. It wasn't until rookie Kerry Wood came along this season that Chicago found a pitcher whose potential is anywhere close to Maddux-like.

In a bit of irony, Wood faces Maddux on Saturday in a battle of the Cubs' past and future. Wood, who tied a major league record when he struck out 20 batters against Houston in May, hasn't pitched since August 31 because of a sprained ligament in his elbow.

Asked if he'll be the one to finally exorcise the ghost of Maddux in Chicago, Wood smiled.

"I haven't thought about it," said Wood, who beat Maddux in their only head-to-head matchup this season. "But I hope I can."

When the Cubs didn't want him, Maddux signed with the Braves, a move that's worked out well for both him and the team. He's been the most dominant pitcher in the NL in the 1990s and won three more Cy Youngs, the first pitcher ever to win four straight. He's had a spot on the All-Star team since 1994.

The Braves have been to the postseason every year since he's been there, making it to the World Series in 1995 and 1996. Atlanta won the Series in 1995.

Former Cubs teammate Mark Grace looks at what Maddux has accomplished and shakes his head, wondering what might have been. This is the only Cubs' third winning season since Maddux left, and no other pitcher has had a 20-win season.

"It would be nice to have No. 31 here, no question about it," Grace said. "That's 20 more wins and 20 less losses every year, and that's a pretty good swing. I'm sure that would have made some differences over the years."

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