ATLANTA - Tom Glavine isn't sure how he'll be received by the fans at Turner Field Saturday when he faces the Atlanta Braves for the first time as a member of the New York Mets. <br>
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He's more worried about his own emotions. <br>
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Glavine said Friday, ``It's going to be strange. As a pitcher, you always look forward to pitching against good clubs. But I'm leaning now toward just get it over with.'' <br>
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Glavine spent 16 years with the Braves, helping them win eleven straight division titles and the 1995 World Series. He signed as a free agent with the Mets, who gave him a three-year contract with an option for a fourth season that could make the deal worth $42.5 million. <br>
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Atlanta only offered three years. <br>
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His departure was the start of an offseason of retooling for the Braves, who also traded pitcher Kevin Millwood to N.L. East rival Philadelphia for minor league catcher Johnny Estrada. <br>
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Still, Atlanta has the best record in baseball -- 32-15 entering Friday night's game -- and the Mets are eleven games back and in fourth place at 21-26. <br>
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Speaking of the Braves start, Glavine said, ``You can't be surprised by it. I don't think I left this team thinking it was going to fall into disarray. They've got too many good players for that to happen.'' <br>
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Glavine has been solid in his first year in New York, going 5-3 with a 3.41 ERA. The team around him has struggled, though, with injuries decimating the lineup, and Glavine might miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990. <br>
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His first trip back got off to a bit of a rocky start. He's staying at his house in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, so he drove to the ballpark Friday. But he got stuck in some of the city's infamous traffic, arriving about 25 minutes late for a news conference.
