Short Hops: Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine entering Hall together would be fitting

Like three cherries spinning in a slot machine, John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine whirl toward Cooperstown. The jackpot? For many baseball fans and historians, it's this: The three of them all stopping at about the same time and winding up in the same Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Padres righty Greg Maddux isn't hinting at retirement at age 42. (Getty Images)

The Hall's Class of 2014 remains too far off in the distance to predict. But if Smoltz's latest impending shoulder surgery does, in fact, end his career, and if Maddux and Glavine -- each 42 -- happen to pull the plug after this season ... well, then you can expect an overflowing crowd in Cooperstown then, with several Georgia license plates in the parking lots.

"We've never talked about that," said Maddux, who traded text messages with Smoltz on Friday, sending best wishes to his old mate in a manner that wasn't even available when they first started pitching together all those years ago. "We just worried about our next tee time."

Smoltz says he intends to try to pitch again, and Maddux is on record as saying he'll keep pitching as long as he's having fun, so though Cooperstown is closer to them now than ever before, the talk remains a bit premature. Even at 42, Maddux appears to be having as much fun as your average 12-year-old.

And judging by his most recent outing, Maddux might not be quite as close to the finish line as some might think. He was sensational in beating the Cubs 2-1 Wednesday night, needing only 69 pitches in seven innings. He allowed three hits and one run and didn't walk a batter.

So. The latest odds on a joint Maddux-Smoltz-Glavine retirement and reappearance together on that same Cooperstown stage?

We are getting closer to knowing, but there remain far too many threads to even predict right now. Smoltz's surgery is Tuesday with Dr. James Andrews in Alabama, and how that goes will be a big factor. When I last saw Glavine this spring, he was going to see how this year went -- and it's only June.

And Maddux?

"It's a family decision," he told me this week when I asked whether he planned to play in '09 or whether he was contemplating retirement. "As much as I respect Smoltzy and like him, he's not family.

"It's a personal decision. And whether I still have the ability, that'll help decide it, too."

As of now, the only thing that's on his mind, he says, is "pitching against the Dodgers (on Monday), dude. Then I'll go from there."

And regarding Smoltz?

"He did look like he was dropping (his arm angle) down," Maddux says. "I saw that years ago when he said his arm was hurting. I wish him the best, he's a great dude. He's great for baseball. And he's got no hair, so that makes me feel younger."