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Congressional Record—Senate S10824

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Congressional Record—Senate S10824 S10824 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 9, 2008 his retirement yesterday after 23 sea- of pitchers, but his accuracy was near- RECESS sons in the big leagues. Greg Maddux ly perfect. Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent announced his retirement. He is such a Of the seven men in front of him on that the Senate stand in recess until the victory list, only Warren Spahn fine person, unassuming. We see all of 2:30 today. pitched in the second half of the last the negative things about athletes There being no objection, the Senate, century. He is the only 300 game win- today, their taking steroids and fight- at 12:54 p.m., recessed until 2:30 p.m. ner to have more than 3,000 strikeouts ing at bars and carrying guns into bars and reassembled when called to order and less than 1,000 walks. He averaged and shooting themselves in the leg and by the Presiding Officer (Mr. CARPER). less than 30 walks per year. That is a having dogs fight each other, not set- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who ting good examples for kids as to how remarkable accomplishment; the first player in the history of baseball to win seeks recognition? they treat women. Greg Maddux stood The majority leader is recognized. for everything that they didn’t—a won- at least 15 games in 17 straight years; derful family man, beautiful children, the only player in the history of base- f who prizes his family. ball to win 13 games over 20 years. He won four straight Cy Young AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY This is not a speech about some guy LEGISLATION who played baseball in Las Vegas. This awards. He won a World Series with the is a statement about one of the great- Atlanta Braves. He won 18 Gold Gloves. Mr. REID. Mr. President, I just fin- est baseball players of all time. You What is a Gold Glove? That means you ished a meeting with my staff rep- take the thousands of people who have are the best fielder in baseball at that resentative who has been working with pitched in the big leagues, Greg position. He won 18 of them. No one the two Banking Committees and the Maddux, this small man, relatively will ever match that. That is for his White House on the Detroit situation small man, who never lifted a weight in fielding excellence. That is the most of that we are trying to work out. I think his life, is eighth on the all-time list of any player ever, 18 Gold Gloves. there has been a whole lot of progress pitchers, Cy Young, go down the list, How did he do this, a man who didn’t made. I hope the White House will be throw that hard, wasn’t a monster on Warren Spahn, Greg Maddux; he is 10 meeting with Senator MCCONNELL in the mound being 6 foot 9? He was about games away from being in the top four the near future and we can start mov- my size, a little heavier than I am. He or five—10 wins. ing forward. Another reason it is so important is was able to do that because of his con- We very much want to complete this that Greg Maddux is from Las Vegas. sistency, his control, and his mental as soon as possible. I have had calls He never left. He went away for 23 acuity. He studied those batters. He from lots of different Senators, all hav- years, spent half the year playing base- knew their weaknesses and their ing very important things to do and ball, sometimes more than that, but he strengths, and everyone marveled at places to go dealing with their service how he could throw that baseball. always came home. Las Vegas is home. as a Senator. I think it is going to be The stories will go on and on about That is where his kids go to school. very difficult to get a vote today. The Greg Maddux, but one story is not leg- So this is a statement about a won- legislation is not drafted yet. Most of end. It is true. For a sportswriter’s en- derful man who is a role model for any- it is, but there are a couple provisions tertainment, he said: Have the catcher one who participates in athletics but they are working on. So I think it is hold up his glove and then we will also someone Nevada is very proud of. very unlikely there will be votes make sure the catcher can’t see so he He went to Valley High School, a high today—not impossible but unlikely. It can’t move his hand. Let’s see if you school that is still there. There are is more likely there will be something can hit that glove. wonderful stories about this boy who tomorrow. Think about that. The catcher is, in But everyone should understand, if went to that high school. A columnist effect, blindfolded. He didn’t do it once. we have a number of Senators who are from a prominent newspaper—I think He did it three times. Think about objecting, who want to slow this that is where it was—a few years ago that. For those of us who have ever down—they have a right to do that; I wrote a story, a column about Greg thrown a baseball, to hit that target is understand that—we are going to com- Maddux. He was a senior in high pretty significant. He is a man of hu- plete the process. That being the case— school. They had this skinny little mility. I just am so proud of Greg everyone knows the rules around here; sophomore who was going to pitch Maddux. I don’t know what team I am and I do—it may be necessary, if we get against him and his team. And he going to root for now, because when he some push back from some of our Sen- looked forward to batting against this was with the Cubs, I was a Cub fan. ators, where we have to go through the skinny little sophomore who was pitch- When he was with the Atlanta Braves, ing for Valley High School. And he de- I was a Braves fan. As difficult as it process of moving to proceed and filing scribes in the column he wrote, he was playing for those losers, the Pa- cloture and all that kind of stuff—if struck out every time he got up dres; they wouldn’t get him any runs, I that is the case, everyone should un- against this guy and they were, of followed them because I knew Greg derstand we are going to work until we course, beaten. Stories like that are all Maddux was on that team. And then he complete this. over Nevada about what he did in his went with the Dodgers, and I became a The American people want us to youth. Dodger fan. I don’t know who I am make a decision. I am fairly confident Greg will soon be 43 years old. Yes- going to cheer for. I really don’t know. that all the work that has gone into terday he held a press conference. In ef- His brother is a wonderful man. He this is going to bear fruit, that we will fect what he said is: Thank you to ev- was a long-time pitching coach for the be able to pass legislation that will be erybody in baseball. He said: I still Milwaukee Brewers. He has now, I un- good legislation. It will help the work- think I could play this game but not as derstand, gone with the Texas Rangers. ers. When I say ‘‘the workers,’’ not well as I would like to, so it is time to Whenever he came to town, I tried to only those people who are directly em- say goodbye. And that is what he did. visit with him. He was also a major ployed by the automobile manufactur- His accomplishments are legendary; league pitcher, 5 or 6 years older than ers, but the suppliers, the bondholders, 355 games he won. He won more games his little brother Greg, but always and on and on down the road. A lot of than Roger Clemens, and he did it looked out for him and was always so people are dependent on our doing without taking any supplements of any proud of him. something that is appropriate, and I kind. I repeat what he told me. He said: I want the record to reflect that think that can be done. You know, I have never lifted a weight. America lost from baseball a great We are going to have a vote on this He said: When I was in high school, a human being yesterday. But for us in sometime. We can either have it sooner physical therapist said: Don’t mess Nevada, the place of his home, we still or we can have it later. But everyone with your body. And Gregg may have have Greg Maddux. His ties to Las should understand there will be no pushed a few weights with his legs, but Vegas make us all so very proud. Local stalling us from doing this. We are no way did he touch his arm, not be- historians will say—and rightfully so— going to complete this legislation. cause his arm had such great power, that Greg Maddux is the greatest ath- That may mean—and people have because he didn’t throw as hard as a lot lete in the history of our State.
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