‘Chicago just felt right’

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004 | 10:12 a.m.

Greg Maddux admitted that there is room for sentimentality in a game that so often involves men squabbling like boys, if you're whiny actor Ben Affleck or any of his Boston pals, and tens of millions of dollars is mere Monopoly money.

If you're Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Maddux ensured the round trip of such a sentimental journey late Tuesday night, when he agreed to return to the Chicago Cubs for a potential three-year deal worth $24 million.

"I think so," Maddux said Wednesday night, via his cell phone at the Cubs' spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz. "You know, Chicago is a great place to play. I've always liked going there as a visiting player, and I liked it when I played there.

"I just had to make up my mind -- Chicago, the West Coast or go back to the East Coast, or getting a better contract, or whatever. But Chicago just felt right, you know?"

And Cubs fans can be grateful that this Valley High graduate chose to cap his Hall of Fame-bound career where he started it.

Maddux was chosen by the Cubs in the second round of the 1984 draft, and he first appeared for the parent club on Sept. 3, 1986.

He was thrown into that game as a pinch-runner for Jody Davis in the 17th inning, failed to score and then remained in it as the pitcher, eventually losing it by yielding a home run to Billy Hatcher.

Maddux settled into the Cubs' rotation the following year, and his 18-8 record in 1988 began a major league-record streak in which he has won at least 15 games in 16 consecutive seasons.

He went 20-11 in 1992, winning the first of his four National League Cy Young awards. But when the Tribune Co., which owns the Cubs, failed to meet his contract demands, Maddux left as a free agent to Atlanta.

Until Tuesday, Cubs fans forever rued Maddux's departure. He went 11-3, with a 2.38 earned-run average, against Chicago in 20 starts against the team that drafted him.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry initially offered Maddux agent Scott Boras a two-year contract, worth about $11 million, on Jan. 13.

The deal Maddux inked late Tuesday is worth $6 million in 2004, $9 million in 2005 and another $9 million in 2006, if he combines to total 400 innings during the '04 and '05 seasons.

Only once during his record 16-season streak has he failed to log at least 200 innings in one year, and that was two years ago when he fell two-thirds of an inning shy of the standard.

"I wanted to make up my mind, to be here for the first day of spring training," Maddux said. "Obviously, I would have liked to have done it sooner, but it all worked out."

Cubs pitchers and catchers had been scheduled to report to Mesa on Wednesday, with workouts slated to start today. After a press conference in Arizona on Wednesday night, Maddux told the Sun that he could not be more eager to don a Cubs No. 31 jersey today.

Boras had been busy, too, tinkering on deals for clients Pudge Rodriguez (Detroit) and Alex Rodriguez (dealt from Texas to the New York Yankees last weekend).

Maddux won a World Series title with the Braves in 1995, but his 11-year relationship with Atlanta ended after last season. He cherished playing for Braves manager Bobby Cox.

However, Cubs lefty Mike Remlinger, a former teammate, told Maddux in a few offseason telephone conversations that playing for Chicago manager Dusty Baker would be a similar experience.

"We can use his knowledge and wisdom, as well as his on-the-field presence and the way he can pitch," Baker told the Associated Press about Maddux. "This is a guy who's going to go down as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

"I'm just glad he's on our team."

Maddux, 38, has also won 13 Gold Gloves, and he is 289-163 in his career.

On Oct. 3, 2003, Maddux lost a 3-1 game to the Cubs and starter Mark Prior in the playoffs. Maddux gave up six hits, a walk and two earned runs over six innings, while Prior limited the Braves to only one earned run and two hits.

Industry sources have noted for a month that Maddux will be invaluable to Prior and Kerry Wood, the Cubs' pair of aces.

"Not really," Maddux said. "Those guys are good. They know what they're doing on the mound. Maybe I'll learn from them, you know, open new ideas, new things. Who knows?"

The Cubs' rotation will also include Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano, giving Chicago one of the game's top group of starting pitchers. With an offense that will be sparked by Sammy Sosa and Derrek Lee, the Cubs might not have a weakness.

Remembering his past days in a Cubs uniform, Maddux said the highlight that sticks out was winning the NL East in 1989, and then losing the NL Championship Series, in five games, to San Francisco.

"Winning (the division) in '89 was the best," Maddux said. "I know we got crushed in the playoffs, but that was the first time I'd been on a major league team that actually won something. It felt good."

Cubs followers undoubtedly believe it will feel even better this time around.