Columnist Dean Juipe: For Maddux, pitching is an art form

Dean Juipe

Monday, Aug. 13, 2001 | 10:18 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

He was down 4-0 in the third inning when the crowd came to the realization that it was witnessing a bit of historical minutiae, so it rose to its collective feet and mustered a round of applause.

Greg Maddux's streak of walk-free innings was over, victimized by an intentional pass to Steve Finley with one out in the third inning of Sunday's game in Atlanta between the Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks. It took a second to register -- "Does this walk count against him?" fans had to be asking -- but Maddux, a control freak in more ways than one, had finally seen the streak snapped at a National League record 72 1/3 innings.

Predictably, the fact that he gave up six runs in six innings in a game the Braves would eventually lose 9-1 mattered far more to Maddux than adding his name -- once again -- to baseball's record book. After all, he's already in there for such items as most years leading a league in putouts by a pitcher, chances accepted by a pitcher, double plays by a pitcher and assists by a pitcher.

But what the walk-free streak did do for Maddux was remind the nation, once again, that when it comes to a well-rounded pitcher he's the best of his generation. The Las Vegan has honestly earned his nickname, "The Professor."

I've talked to Maddux a couple of times and read an untold number of articles on him, and he's among the dullest interviews in the history of modern sports. Yet, conversely, that's part of the attraction.

While he's protective and there's more to his life than bedazzling opposing hitters with an array of off-speed and trick pitches, Maddux prefers to keep the public out of his private life. He neither brags, boasts nor invites speculation about his feelings, beliefs or pastimes beyond the diamond.

As such, he appeals more to those who judge an athlete solely on performance and who aren't swayed by colorful shenanigans. The down-to-earth quality that Maddux exhibits is real and reflects his earnest, competitive values.

I remember writing a few years ago -- and thinking I was ahead of my time -- that Maddux was en route to a Hall of Fame career. Now, that's a given.

While Sunday's loss in a game that was regionally televised to Las Vegas on the D-Backs' network dropped him to 15-7, Maddux remains a candidate to win a fifth Cy Young Award. He ranks first in shutouts, second in innings pitched, third in ERA and seventh in strikeouts among NL hurlers.

"He's one of the most frustrating pitchers to hit against of all time," said Arizona broadcaster Rod Allen. "He prides himself on out-thinking the opposition."

No pitcher has won more games in the last 11 years than Maddux's 195, but typical of his reaction to such successes was his response when he was named the league's Pitcher of the Month in both June and July. "Cool," he deadpanned.

What's really cool is that the 35-year-old Maddux has won at least 15 games a season for the past 14 years -- a record surpassed only by Cy Young himself -- and that he has done it without even a hint of beating his own chest.

It's a clinical approach that can come across as antiseptic or drab, but it's who he really is.

He's unpretentious to a fault, if there is such a thing.