Tom Horrific

"It's over...it's all over."

-Apollo Creed, Rocky III

There's nothing worse than a big name player who gets the benefit of the doubt in the form of getting more playing time than he should. We saw it with Steve Carlton in 1985 and 1986 with the Phillies and the Giants. We saw it with Ron Cey with the Cubs around the same time. Heck the Mets experienced it with George Foster for four years. Now, sadly, we are seeing it with Tom Glavine.

After tonight's game it is now apparent. Tom Glavine is fried. Done. Finished. Get out the rocking chair. Save a place at the dinner table next to Steve Avery and Mark Wohlers. Tom Glavine's hall of fame career is over. And the sad part is, Glavine will continue to get the benefit of the doubt until his arm falls off because he is Tom Glavine. Tom Glavine will get the benefit of the doubt because there are no better options in AAA. Tom Glavine will get the benefit of the doubt because Willie Randolph would rather go to a six man rotation, as he is doing this week with the return of Kris Benson, to get Pedro Martinez extra rest, than take a pitcher out of the rotation. Tom Glavine will get the benefit of the doubt because if 7 earned runs, 6 hits, and 6 walks in 3 and 2/3 innings don't convince anyone, than nothing will.

It's one thing to have a black hole in the rotation as the Mets do with Victor Zambrano. It is quite another to have a Hall of Fame black hole in Glavine. I am personally disappointed because I thought then, as I still do now, that the signing of Glavine in itself was a good move for the Mets at the time. It was just too bad that Glavine was the only real move they made in that off-season.

But it is now official. Tom Horrific is a bust...a bust who's done.

Burrell does it again: Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell may be the biggest Met killer OF ALL TIME! Burrell hit another three run HR to start the Glavine torture in the first inning tonight. In his first 309 AB's vs. the Mets, Burrell is hitting .262 with 26 HR's and 70 RBI's. Burrell was 2 for his first 5 tonight including his three run HR.