ATLANTA Glavine prepares for old mates
The Mets pitcher will face the team he once led to 11 straight division titles.
ATLANTA (AP) -- Tom Glavine isn't sure how he'll be received by the fans at Turner Field today when he faces the Atlanta Braves for the first time as a member of the New York Mets.
He's more worried about his own emotions.
"It's going to be strange," Glavine said Friday. "As a pitcher, you always look forward to pitching against good clubs. But I'm leaning now toward just get it over with."
Glavine spent 16 years with the Braves, helping them win 11 straight division titles and the 1995 World Series. He signed as a free agent with the Mets, who gave him a three-year contract with an option for a fourth season that could make the deal worth $42.5 million.
Atlanta only offered three years.
Braves retooled
His departure was the start of an offseason of retooling for the Braves, who also traded pitcher Kevin Millwood to NL East rival Philadelphia for minor league catcher Johnny Estrada.
Still, Atlanta has the best record in baseball -- 32-15 entering Friday night's game -- and the Mets are 11 games back and in fourth place at 21-26.
"You can't be surprised by it," Glavine said of the Braves' start. "I don't think I left this team thinking it was going to fall into disarray. They've got too many good players for that to happen."
Glavine has been solid in his first year in New York, going 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA. The team around him has struggled, though, with injuries decimating the lineup, and Glavine might miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990.
"It's different, but it doesn't diminish what you try to do," he said. "There's no more desire in the Braves' clubhouse than there is in ours.
"I hate to say it's been a disappointment. When I signed, there was a lot of questions about our club. There were a lot of 'ifs.' "
Delayed arrival
His first trip back got off to a bit of a rocky start. He's staying at his house in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, so he drove to the ballpark Friday. But he got stuck in some of the city's infamous traffic, arriving about 25 minutes late for a news conference.
"If you guys would get your guys off the road, I could get here," he quipped when he finally walked in.
He parked in the visitor's lot, fighting off the urge to pull into the Braves' players lot.
"They probably would've let me park there, but I'm not a member of this team anymore," Glavine said. "So I went across the street."
During batting practice, he appeared to purposely stay away from Atlanta's side of the field, calmly going through stretching exercises with his teammates and then sitting down for a TV interview.
Even though he played with many of the batters he'll face, Glavine plans to prepare for this start just like any other. He'll study video and scouting reports, and go over the lineup with his new coaching staff.
"I'm going to do my best to treat it as any other road start," he said.
Braves' perspective
His old teammates know what to expect.
"I'm sure he'll have the same basic package he's always had, and he'll pitch just like he's always pitched," Atlanta center fielder Andruw Jones said. "I'm sure he won't be doing anything different."
Glavine's counterpart will be Atlanta rookie Horacio Ramirez, who pitched his way onto the roster with a strong spring. Just as he has most of the year, Ramirez was going to study tape of Glavine before taking the mound; only this time, it would be footage of Glavine facing the Mets.