FIERCE COMPETITOR.(Atlanta Braves third baseman Eddie Matthews)

Eddie Mathews Overlooked As One of the Game's Greats

Braves third baseman became the seventh player in major league history to club 500 lifetime home runs

TOUGH. FIERCE. COMPETITIVE. When you talk to those who played baseball with Eddie Mathews, the same adjectives are repeated over and over.

"Eddie was a tough competitor and a tough guy," said Hall of Fame left-hander Warren Spahn, a teammate for 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Braves. "He didn't back down from anybody.

"I remember the day he got into a fight with (Cincinnati's) Frank Robinson at third base. Eddie hit him with three punches that not even Muhammed Ali could have stopped."

That fierce spirit was sorely tested in recent years as Mathews' health slowly deteriorated. He died February 18 from complications of pneumonia and respiratory failure in La Jolla, California. He was 69.

"It's a sad day," said baseball commissioner Bud Selig, a huge Braves fan when they played in Milwaukee. "I loved Eddie. When you saw him play, you knew you were seeing greatness.