Smoltz as a Cardinal? A lot better than Favre as a Viking

(Note: in the mock GABA for 2009, we would have seen Syracuse beat Buffalo 1-0 Tuesday night. Scoreless game for 8 1/2 innings before the Chiefs string together 4 straight hits in the 9th to win it. Daryle Ward was on base when the winning run scored. Yes, Daryle Ward still plays baseball. Wednesday's mock destination? Manchester, NH... New Hampshire Fisher Cats host Connecticut Defenders.)

So John Smoltz isn't done after all.

Really, we shouldn't be shocked. These days, being over (or near) 40 seems to give a pro athlete reason to think he can stay in the spotlight for five or ten more years. In some cases, it turns out like Steve Carlton (five teams over his last two full seasons) or Rickey Henderson (probably still playing at a semipro field near you). Other times, it's Curt Schilling or Randy Johnson, defying the laws of bodily breakdown well into their 40s.

To be honest, I was starting to see John Smoltz fall into that Carlton/Rickey/Joe Namath category. You know, the club that has Brett Favre pounding on the front door, begging to be let in?

But the more I stare at this picture, the better it starts to look.

Smoltz is expected to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals once he clears waivers around noon Eastern on Wednesday. This comes after Smoltz struggled through a month or so with the Boston Red Sox, trying to prove he could come back after a shoulder surgery and a one-year hiatus.

The memory that's going to stick out in fans' minds was the night we saw Smoltz implode against the Yankees, setting up the momentum for the Bombers' four-game sweep. And believe me, that wasn't the only subpar start Smoltz turned in for the boys from Beantown. But baseball experts, and even Smoltz's own coaches in Boston, said he had strong stuff throughout. The slider was vintage Smoltz. The fastball hit 93 on the gun, even if it was in the hitting zone far too often. And the strikeout totals were there.

I know this may feel like we're trying to pick out all the good parts in Gigli. (Oh wait, there were no good parts in Gigli.) But Smoltz may have something left in the tank after all, and the move to the 'Lou makes sense for a lot of reasons.

Smoltz will try to be the Redbirds' 5th starter, but that stay may be temporary. I live with a Cardinal fan, and when I ask her the one thing she's like to change the most about her beloved birds, she mumbles two words back to me: Jason Motte. Followed by several words I won't repeat on this blog.

So the scenario plays out like this: Smoltz gets a couple of starts under his belt, settles back into the National League. Then, Motte literally implodes on the diamond one night. After they clean up all the Jason Motte guts, Smoltz takes over 8th inning duties. He saves his arm, still throws good stuff one inning at a time (or even one time through the batting order), and preps himself for an October wearing white and red.

Ah yes, October. The month Smoltz owns and keeps on his mantle at the house. Smoltz is one of baseball's all-time best in October, and while it's not 1992 anymore, the adrenaline will still be pumping with the world's spotlight on the mound in St. Louis.

And that might be just enough to make Smoltz a valuable piece of the playoff puzzle. My wife would be thrilled. And I'm seeing a picture-in-picture image on my TV... Smoltz throwing Ks on one screen, and Favre throwing INTs on the other.