From: Metro Sports / Baseball Tuesday, July 20, 1999

Lasers Clear Up Maddux

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Greg Maddux, the Atlanta Braves' four-time Cy Young Award winner, has discarded his contact lenses and glasses after having laser eye surgery.

"It flat-out fixed them," Maddux said. "I see good now. I think I'm better than 20-20. Incredible. It's like I'm seeing better than I ever saw. It's wild." Maddux told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he had the surgery on July 9 at the Emory Vision Correction Center less than 48 hours before he allowed one run in eight innings during a win over the Boston Red Sox.

"Guys I was playing golf with had it done and they were bragging," he said.

He said he brought up the idea of the surgery during spring training, but the Braves told him they wanted him to wait until after the season to have it done. The Braves, after apparently researching the procedure, told Maddux a few weeks ago he could go ahead with the surgery.

"I wanted to do it as soon as possible," he said. "I totally understood if the club didn't want me to do it during the season." Maddux said he never thought having the procedure would make him a better pitcher.

"I did it more for personal reasons than anything else," he said. "I'd rather go get my eyes done again than go to the dentist."