CINCINNATI — Greg Maddux had been a Dodger all of one day and he'd already set up his first hitter, luring rookie Russell Martin into a poker game.
Martin didn't know Maddux's father was a longtime card dealer in Las Vegas. He suspected, though, that the 40-year-old future Hall of Fame pitcher would possess every attribute necessary to win.
"He's analytical, he's deceptive and he's a veteran," Martin said. "I'm going to have to be careful."
Expect Maddux to invite a gullible Derek Lowe for 18 holes in the near future. Although Lowe is close to a scratch golfer, don't count out the shorter guy with lines in his face and the build of a financial advisor.
Maddux, acquired from the Chicago Cubs in a trade Monday, is becoming familiar with his new teammates in time-tested ways, putting them at ease and cementing friendships that could be invaluable in a pennant race. But poker and golf also feed a competitive nature that remains as sharp as it was during his debut as a 20-year-old in 1986.
"I'm here because I want to pitch and I want to help the team win," he said. "I still love to compete. The challenge of going out there every five days and matching up mentally and physically against a lineup of major league hitters is something I enjoy."
The World Series of Poker can wait. So can Riviera or Sherwood or wherever he decides to tee it up on an off day.
To the Dodgers' delight, Maddux will pitch tonight.
For them.
"I still can't believe we have him, it's like a miracle," said coach Rich Donnelly, who has watched from the third base coach's box of four National League teams repeatedly carved up by Maddux.
He might be slightly built and his fastball may top out at 87 mph, but Maddux ranks second to Roger Clemens among active pitchers with 327 victories and third behind Clemens and Randy Johnson with 3,133 strikeouts. He has won four Cy Young Awards and 15 Gold Gloves while playing for the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs.
He can't take any of those accomplishments to the mound tonight against the Cincinnati Reds, though. There are legitimate questions about how much he has left. Maddux has gone 4-11 after beginning the season 5-0.
Now he's expected to stabilize a Dodgers starting rotation that has been inconsistent for weeks. He's just glad to be pitching for a team that believes it can make the playoffs -- something the Cubs gave up on months ago.
