305 wins. 10 time All-Star. 2 Cy Youngs. A five time 20 game winner. Career earned run average of 3.54. What do all of these things have in common? They all belong to Atlanta Braves’ starting pitcher Tom Glavine. After 22 years in the major leagues, Tom Glavine may decide to hang it up and call it a career. Glavine, 43, said the recent problems in his pitching shoulder may push him into retirement. Glavine has not pitched at all this season and hints at the fact that if his shoulder doesn’t improve, then he might decide to retire.

Glavine has been told by Dr. James Andrews, a baseball injury specialist, to receive treatment and rest for his shoulder. According to Andrews, Glavine has inflammation in his left rotator cuff, his pitching shoulder, and should rest for at least two weeks. Glavine had elbow and shoulder surgery last August and said he’s tired and doesn’t want to start rehab all over again.

“I’m willing to put in a little more time but I’m not willing to put in another six weeks or eight weeks because by then, you know what, I’m going to have to start all over again and I’m not interested in doing that,” Glavine said, referring to the timetable for a possible return. Glavine said he felt discomfort in spring training in March, but said the pain he has now is different and lasts longer than the pain in spring training did.  Glavine said retirement is a definite possibility.

“From my own standpoint, it works better for me to kind of have a timetable to say, OK, let’s give it this amount of time, and if we see some progress, then good. We’ll know we’re going in the right direction,” Glavine said. “If we don’t, then I think maybe at that point in time maybe we need to sit down and honestly think about how much more I want to go through this and whether or not anything is going to change.”

Whatever ends of happening, one thing is for sure. Tom Glavine is a definite hall of famer. With the numbers he’s acclumated over the course of his career, he’ll be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. With 300 games won and more than two decades under his belt in the major leagues, Tom Glavine certainly will have a career to look back on should he decide to retire now. Glavine is in the midst of a one year, $1 million contract with the Braves, so ending his career now wouldn’t be the worst thing to do. If Glavine retires now, he’ll certainly be remembered for his accomplishments on the baseball diamond. After all, all hall of famers are.

Photo credited to Ryan Lawrence, blogger.

Quotes credited to Charles Odum, Associated Press.