By TERRY NAU

Sports editor

Some things I think I think:
John Smoltz spent some time over the past few days blasting his former employer – the Atlanta Braves – for harshly releasing ex-teammate Tommy Glavine one day before a $1 million salary incentive was due to kick in on his 2009 contract.
Smoltz’s bitterness over his own departure from the Braves last winter seemed apparent in his words. So it was good to see Braves’ icon Henry Aaron weigh in on the subject of aging players who can’t look past their own competitive nature to see the handwriting on the wall.
Aaron spoke with Terence Moore, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist, on Sunday.  Here’s what the last legitimate home run king, who works for the Braves in a front office capacity, had to say:
"I mean, Glavine got paid very well through the years to play here, and there's never a good way to handle these situations. But if you're the Braves, you've got to throw those kids out there and let them pitch. If you're Glavine, you have to be gracious enough to step aside."
Aaron points out that if a great athlete refuses to retire when his skills have faded, then something ugly usually happens.
"Believe me, I was ready to retire, and the game went on, just like it did after Babe Ruth retired and when Willie Mays retired, and it's going to continue that way whether folks realize it or not,” Aaron said.
"A lot of players believe their careers can go on and on and on and on. They believe that it won't end at some point, and that is not the case. Your legs get worn out. Your arm that used to throw balls 90 mph. Hey, those balls don't get to the plate as fast. The bases you used to steal, they're just not there."
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Listen, I have all the respect in the world for Glavine and Smoltz, who are both destined for the Hall of Fame along with their former pitching pal, Greg Maddux. But don’t these guys get it? Glavine is 43 years old. Smoltz is 42. There are kids in the minors waiting to take their place. We’ve got one in Pawtucket right now, cooling his heels with a 4-0 record and 1.74 ERA because John Smoltz signed with Boston last November.
Glavine took things one step farther on Sunday by threatening to file a grievance over his dismissal from the Braves. Seems there’s a clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that prohibits a team from cutting a player solely for financial reasons. The Braves claim their decision was based on baseball issues.
Braves’ President John Schuerholz has already admitted the team handled the manner of Glavine’s release badly. But as Hank Aaron said, these things rarely end well.
In this era of bloated salaries, you might think 20-year veterans like Glavine and Smoltz would at least understand the process. If their competitive nature won’t let them quit, that’s one thing. To blame an organization for turning its back on a 43-year-old pitcher is the type of egotistical behavior we should probably expect from athletes who have been coddled all of their lives.
Smoltz and Glavine should look out into the real world and see how ordinary people are losing their jobs, their homes, their health insurance, on a daily basis. They could even look around the minor league clubhouse where they are rehabilitating their aging bodies and observe the young men striving to make it to the big leagues, the same way they were doing more than 20 years ago.
And speaking of loyalty, how does Glavine explain his own actions after the 2002 season? Coming off an 18-11 campaign, he took the money and ran to Atlanta’s hated rival, signing a four-year deal with the Mets worth $42.5M. He dazzled Mets fans with seasons of 9-14, 11-14, 13-13 and then 15-7 in his contract “walk” year. Funny how these guys always outdo themselves when money is on the line.
Of course, Glavine was also chasing 300 victories, a personal goal not connected to the team game, not when you’re 40 years old and struggling to survive. Glavine signed a one-year deal with the Mets in 2007, went 13-8 and won his 300th game. In a Mets uniform! How wrong was that? How loyal was that?
Glavine’s final start as a Met came on the last day of the 2007 season.  The Mets were tied for first place with the Phillies and needed a win to keep playing. Glavine gave up 7 runs while getting one out in the first inning.
In the offseason, Glavine decided it was time to ring up the Braves. He turned down a $13M option with the Mets (accepting a $3M buyout in return). Then he signed for $8M with the Braves and rewarded them with a 2-4 record, going on the disabled list for the first time in his career and making only 13 starts all season.
Refusing to take the hint, both sides negotiated a new contract, this one filled with incentives. Glavine would get $1M with a chance to make another $3.5M in incentives. The Braves finally pulled the plug last week, even though Glavine threw 11 scoreless innings in the minor leagues. Like that means anything. The Braves decided to fill the roster spot with Tommy Hanson, one of the top young pitchers in the International League this season.
How dare the Braves choose a 22-year-old kid with 90 strikeouts and a 1.49 earned run average in 66 innings over a 43-year-old lefthander who throws 85 miles per hour?  What big league team would keep a prime prospect down on the farm so that an aging veteran might take his place? Just asking.