Harry Reid: “I rise today to salute a great Nevadan, a great human being and a great athlete . . . my friend, Greg Maddux. Mr. Maddux…”

“I rise today to salute a great Nevadan, a great human being and a great athlete . . . my friend, Greg Maddux. Mr. Maddux pitches for the Atlanta Braves baseball club. Since he went to Atlanta almost 11 years ago, the Braves have won their division every single season. This is no coincidence. Greg Maddux has been the heart and soul of the Atlanta Braves and the key to their remarkable string of success. From 1992 through 1995, he won the Cy Young award as the best pitcher in baseball--4 years in a row. No other pitcher has ever accomplished that--and I doubt anyone else ever will. He finished the 1990s with a 2.54 earned run average for the decade. Only two pitchers had posted a better ERA over a decade since 1910-- Hoyt Wilhelm and Sandy Koufax. That's pretty good company. And in 1995, Maddux became the first pitcher to log back-to-back seasons with an ERA under 1.80. From 1990 through 2001--12 consecutive years--Greg won the National League Gold Glove as the league's best-fielding pitcher. He pitched nine scoreless innings in game one of the 1995 World Series, leading the Braves over the Cleveland Indians. Greg could have retired years ago, and he would still be assured of entering the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first day he is eligible. But he keeps pitching, and he keeps setting a new standard of excellence. Sunday, he broke a record that had been held by the great Cy Young himself, winning at least 15 games for the 16th consecutive season.”