If life imitates cinema, then Greg Maddux is Eddie Harris. In "Major League,'' Harris was the creaky pitcher who somehow got by, usually on pure guile though sometimes by rubbing Crisco, Vagisil or fresh snot on the ball. That would be the major difference between them -- there's no reason, despite the voiced suspicions of Mark Buehrle, to think Maddux goos up the baseball.

The man doesn't have to, after all. When need be, he's still the master, even if circles are darkening under his eyes, his chest is sort of shaped like a beer keg and his uniform doesn't exactly form-fit as well as Derrek Lee's.

On the eve of his 40th birthday, normally a time for old ballplayers to mow the grass or enter a broadcast booth, Maddux owns a 2-0 record and 1.46 ERA. It's as important a development as it is surprising, in that the Cubs desperately require solid, consistent results from their future Hall of Famer if they hope to overcome the misfits, kids and celebrated disabled-listers involved in a disheveled starting rotation. No one knew if he had anything left but fumes after last year, when he left gopher balls hanging over the plate and recorded his first losing season and worst ERA since he was a baby-faced rookie in 1987. I privately hoped he'd retire, so Cubdom could avoid the misery of his final season.

Turns out we could be watching one of the rousing baseball stories of 2006. Spinning and twirling his pitches at various mph clockings, Maddux has been magnificent in two outings at Wrigley Field, an artist who isn't ready to give up the game he loves while seeking a dream that many Cubs fans have abandoned. Ask him why he's still pitching into his 40s -- after 19 seasons, 320 victories, 3,060 strikeouts and 4,4182/3innings -- and his pitch is slipping by you and painting the black before you can blink.

"I'd like to get a ring here in Chicago,'' he said. "That's it. That's why I'm playing. Everyone has their reasons to play. I enjoy the game, the competition. I enjoy the city so much. I'd love to do whatever I can do to help this team win.''

Appearances might suggest otherwise, but the secret to Maddux's quick start is his fitness. For the first time, he hired a personal trainer in the offseason to help with his endurance and energy. The old-school hurler downplays the significance of better health, of course, saying, "It's not how you work out. It's how you pitch.'' But even if it's more a matter of better location than reduced body fat, and even if he's making his regular rounds at Gold Coast steakhouses, something is refreshingly different about him. Old Man Maddux is back to being Mad Dog, it seems.

'He's hitting his spots well'

"Some people just get better looking as they get older,'' Cubs manager Dusty Baker said after Maddux held the Cincinnati Reds to a run and three hits in a 4-1 win. "Maybe he's one of those guys.''

"Vintage Maddux,'' said catcher Michael Barrett, whose hot bat has been as vital as Maddux's arm. "He's hitting his spots well. When he struck out Tony Womack, it was as hard a fastball as I've seen him throw in my time here. He just looks like he's in great shape. And we need him to be that way.''

What could be motivating Maddux is the fear of baseball suddenly vanishing from his life. He'll make $9 million in the final season of his Cubs contract, a hefty amount for Jim Hendry or any other general manager to keep paying if Maddux has another humdrum year. There has been talk he'll slip up the interstate highway to sign with the improved Milwaukee Brewers, who have a new owner who spends bucks and a pitching coach who happens to be Mike Maddux, Greg's older brother. Don't kid yourself. When Mad Dog says he wants to win a ring in Chicago, it means he wants to win a ring in Wrigley Field, not under a retractable dome in a town that isn't in his universe. Maddux grasps the full-circle effect of returning to Cubdom as much as anyone. When he re-signed here two years ago, he expressed dismay that Tribune Co. let negotiations fall apart in 1992 and led him to sign with Atlanta, where he became a four-time Cy Young Award winner, won a World Series and pitched in October every year. Having sat in Turner Field with the Braves when Kerry Wood won Game 5 in 2003, Maddux thought he could be the missing piece to the most romantic baseball story ever told. Imagine if the ace who went Cy-onara returned to help the Cubs win it all.

Instead, Maddux has had his heart broken, too. Not only has he missed the playoffs both years, he didn't help matters with a poor start during a fatal final week in 2004. The highlight of last season, other than Lee's Triple Crown flirtation, was Maddux's 3,000th career strikeout. It is highlighted on the cover of this season's media guide, which struck me in spring training as the first hint that this is his swan song. The second hint came at the home opener last Friday, when the sellout throng saluted him with a standing ovation. He gushed about the reception afterward, prompting me to wonder if someone should just announce the farewell tour so he could be saluted similarly in other major-league cities.

It's up to Maddux, Zambrano

But Maddux, apparently, has other ideas. In spring training, he said he still enjoys coming to the park each day and would have difficulty giving up the good life. A whiff of April only has reinforced his passion. "I'd like to play good enough this year so I could play again next year,'' he said. "For now, I'm going to try my best to have a good year. I'll make decisions about next year when I have to.''

If he continues his old-school mastery, Maddux could team with Carlos Zambrano as the scissors and paste for a team that has promise. I repeat: I'll believe any sustained comebacks by Wood and Mark Prior when I see them. But if Maddux can approach 10 victories in the first half and Zambrano can keep his cool and contend for a Cy Young, the Cubs have enough speed and power offensively and an impressive enough bullpen -- my apologies to Ryan Dempster, who is a hell of a closer -- to stay in the playoff hunt in an inferior National League. When Juan Pierre and Lee took off on a DOUBLE STEAL and caused the Cincinnati catcher to throw wildly, I thought the vines were going to shake off the outfield wall. Five years have passed since the Cubs stole four bases in a game, as they did Wednesday. What's next, tasty concession food?

Should Roger Clemens retire, Maddux will join Randy Johnson as the most hailed fortysomething pitchers in the game. "He's the definition of pitching,'' Pierre said. "He doesn't overpower you and doesn't have tremendous stuff, but he gets it done day-in and day-out. I can tell my grandkids that I had the chance to play behind Greg Maddux, a Hall of Famer.''

Next time he starts, he'll be 40. Not that Mad Dog attaches any great significance or worries his arm will fall off. "Hopefully, it'll be the same as the 30s,'' he said. "We'll see. I've never seen 40 before.''

Forty never has seen Greg Maddux, either.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/mario...spt-jay13.html