Greg Maddux, Wise Man In The Clubhouse

Earlier, we talked about new Dodgers pitcher Greg Maddux's pretty debut for Los Angeles, tossing a no-hitter for six innings and generally showing why it's always a pleasure to have a Greg Maddux on your team.

Of course, one musn't forget the team that Maddux left, the Chicago Cubs, which has dealt with decades of futility and now must deal without the calming, adult, mature nature of a Hall of Famer in their dugout every night. It's about class; it's about dignity.

But don't just take it from us; listen to former teammate Ryan Dempster:

"We've been sharing locker space for three years," [Dempster] said. "It's kind of weird not having him there to talk about golf or talk about pitching, farting on each other, whatever it is."

We'll confess: It has many years since we played organized sports — high school, of course, four-year backup catcher in baseball and freshman year backup strong safety in football; our presence on the team was the equivalent of having a third-string kicker who's a girl — but we very much remember farting on our teammates before games. Of course, they didn't have greenies back then, so we needed something.

By the way, that photo is of Dempster spraying Cardinals fans with a hose at Wrigley Field last week. Jerk.

Ex-Mates Feel Void Left By Maddux, The Clubhouse Sage [Chicago Sun-Times]