Greg Maddux grew up with the same weekend ritual as so many other American kids.

Tagging along with his big brother, he would run down to the park to play ball against the older guys from the neighborhood in regular Sunday scrimmages.

He met a pitching coach who preached movement over velocity, and pretty soon Maddux was striking out those stronger teenagers. Nearly three decades later, he walked away from baseball yesterday as one of the greatest pitchers to put on a uniform.

After 355 wins and 23 major league seasons, Maddux held a 30-minute news conference to announce his retirement on the opening day of the winter meetings — just minutes from his Las Vegas home.

"I really just came out here today to say thank you," he said in a ballroom at the swanky Bellagio hotel. "I appreciate everything this game has given me. It's going to be hard to walk away obviously, but it's time. I have a family now that I need to spend some more time with. I still think I can play the game, but not as well as I would like to, so it's time to say goodbye."

Next stop, the Hall of Fame.

Wearing a casual shirt and slacks, Maddux spoke softly on stage and never lost his composure. His parents and family — including brother Mike Maddux, the Texas Rangers pitching coach and a former big leaguer himself — sat in the front row.

"Mad Dog threw a shutout today," said Bobby Cox, who managed Maddux during his dominant years with Atlanta.

Maddux leaves with four consecutive NL Cy Young Awards (1992-95) and a 3.16 ERA. He ranks eighth on the career wins list.

"I never changed," said Maddux, who turns 43 in April. "I think, hey, you locate your fastball and you change speeds no matter who is hitting."

An eight-time All-Star, Maddux won 13 or more games in 20 straight seasons — a streak that ended this year. He spent his final season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing 355-227. His remarkable resume includes a record 18 Gold Gloves, including one this year.

Maddux broke into the majors in 1986 with the Cubs and pitched for Chicago again from 2004-06. The right-hander helped the Braves win the 1995 World Series and went 8-13 with a 4.22 ERA during his final season.

HALL OF FAME

FORMER YANKEE, INDIAN GORDON ELECTED

Joe Gordon joined former teammates Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Bob Feller in the Hall of Fame.

For the likes of Joe Torre, Jim Kaat and Ron Santo, it was another shutout.

Gordon was elected yesterday by a 12-member Veterans Committee composed of Hall members and historians that studied pre-1943 players. A nine-time All-Star, the late second baseman won five World Series titles with the New York Yankees and Cleveland.

But another panel made up of the living 64 Hall of Famers didn't come close to picking anyone who started after World War II. Santo fell short, followed by Kaat, Tony Oliva, Gil Hodges and Torre.

This marked the fourth straight time that nobody was chosen from the newer group.

It took 75 percent — 48 votes — for election and Santo did the best with 39. The former Cubs slugger led Kaat (38), Oliva (33), Hodges (28) and Torre (19).

Rickey Henderson is the leading candidate in the upcoming Hall election by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Results will be announced Jan. 12.

Induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y., are July 26.

Gordon was the 1942 AL MVP, beating out Triple Crown winner Ted Williams, and hit .268 overall with 253 home runs and 975 RBIs, big power numbers for second basemen in that era. He died in 1978.

TRADE

RANGERS DEAL LAIRD TO TIGERS FOR 2 PROSPECTS

The Texas Rangers traded catcher Gerald Laird to the Detroit Tigers yesterday for right-handed pitching prospects Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo.

Laird hit .276 with six home runs and 41 RBIs in 95 games for the Rangers this season. The Tigers traded starting catcher Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees in July.

The 29-year-old Laird is expected to make about $3 million next season — fellow catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez combined will make about half of that.