I've tried to keep sports out of my blog but I'm making an exception for some sad news. It appears that Leo Mazzone will not be returning to the Atlanta Braves but will be joining one of his best friends, Perlozzo, on the Baltimore Orioles coaching staff.
Everyone that knows me just a little bit knows that I am, and have been since I was in middle school, a big Atlanta Braves fan. One of the biggest reasons why is that I was a fan of pitching (not just throwing). Growing up with Glavine, Smoltz, Avery and then Maddux a bit later was amazing and very influential.
When I was on the mound playing baseball as a kid, I never tried throw like any of those guys, persay, because I knew that it was ridiculously futile. I was never going to pitch in the pros. However, I did try to think and pitch like them. Even later as a softball coach, most of the coaching I did for pitchers was centered around the things that I had picked up as a kid watching the Braves or from Leo Mazzone's books (Tales from the Braves Mound and Pitch Like a Pro).
SO, Leo, it was great having you in Atlanta and I truly wish you the best. Thanks for all the great pitching you helped develop and redevelop over the years in Atlanta and I'd say "hope we don't see you in October" but I'm afraid that if we don't meet in October that it's because Atlanta's steak of division titles might be in serioous jeopardy with you gone.