Give it a rest, Mr. Hall of Famer!

Cardinals pitcher, John Smoltz gave up six runs, six hits and walked five in four innings of work in the Cardinals 6-1 loss to the Reds yesterday.

He was not happy with the baseballs which were presented to him throughout the game by the umpires; balls that are supposed to be rubbed with special mud before each game by the home team's (in this case, the Reds) clubhouse crew.

Per AP: "I've been pitching a long time," Smoltz said. "It's the worst baseballs I've ever pitched with in my life. The other guy was pitching with them too. He did a nice job. It was part of the battle. I went out and battled. I had no feel for the baseball. That's about the worst thing you can have as a pitcher. They were brand new. They were absolutely not rubbed up. You can blame it on the weather but the balls were not rubbed up."

Responded Bronson Arroyo who was the "other guy": "They were fine for me. They don't mud them up as much here as they do at other places. It was a cool night, and it's hard to hold on sometimes."

In other words, "Quit your complaining, Mr. Hall of Famer. You lost!"

"Oh and by the way, the minimum wage employee who rubs the balls was not in today. His dog was sick but thanks for letting us know that you do not like the balls that way. Let's see how much mud will be on the balls the next time you pitch here. Don't blame us. Maybe the mud truck will break down on the way to the park that day. Those things happen, you know. "