Worst. Day. Ever.

Fallout from the John Smoltz disaster took a major toll on my household.

Breaking the news to my 7-year-old son, who has also been to 30-40 Braves games, was a cringe-worthy moment. His favorite pitcher, the only one he can name, is Smoltz.

My initial reaction to the news was expletive-laced. Thank goodness we haven't yet implemented that newsroom swear jar.

How COULD they mess this up sooooo badly? I mean really, the dude came back injury after injury and still could BRING THE HEAT and mow down opposing hitters.

Never mind his rockin' postseason pedigree. Or his gritty determination. Or how The Ted would absolutely go FREAKIN' NUTS when he trotted in from the bullpen to slam the door with some ridiculous heat etc. (And the Atlanta fans don't get excited about ANYTHING! EVER!)

Smoltz was OURS. He is one of us. His financial request wasn't out of line. Team morale was ON the line.

Still the Braves whiffed.

Quite honestly, this is why fans divorce themselves from teams. As much as I love baseball and I love the Braves I can't imagine going to The Ted this year.

Whenever I do make it back to The Ted, I'll be forever racked with thoughts of Smoltzie: What he meant to this team, to this town.

Back to my son. I finally broke the news to him over dinner (he's gonna find out anyway). And so he begins to sob.

It turns into an all-out waterfall. The hysterics only stop occasionally so he can catch his breath. Then he falls to the floor, sprawled out, a full-on monsoon of tears.

It takes him about 15 good minutes to recover.

Unfortunately this is a lesson for all of us. Despite our passion and our significant financial investment in tickets and the like, sports are not about us in the least. We're just another click on the turnstile.

The suits just don't care about us.

I'll say it again. This man was *money* in the postseason and you don't let guys like that slip away. Especially when he might be one of the few bright spots on your team this year.

I wish I had a magic way to travel back in time, take Frank Wren out to dinner and convince him how much a dunderhead this would make him with the fans.

Judging by the initial quotes from Wren in the local media, he still doesn't get it.

If Chipper Jones is lucky, his agent will get him out of this train wreck before Spring Training. Unfortunately the rest of us are stuck on the locomotive, full steam ahead ... with a clueless wonder at the wheel.

The Empire Strikes Back is on TV tonight. Han Solo was just lowered into the CarbonFreeze chamber.

I think I know exactly how he felt. And though my cardiologist can't confirm it, I know deep down that a special part of my heart has died.

Gonna miss you Smoltzie. Thanks for all the good times and the sacrifices you made. For this Braves fan, and his son, it was all worth it.