"Judging from his mood, lefthander Tom Glavine's comeback is going quite well.

Asked how things went today in his second throwing session on a mound since August elbow and shoulder surgeries, Glavine joked, "My arm fell off - it disconnected from my body."

Then, the 42-year-old turned serious and said he's becoming convinced that he'll pitch in 2009, and could be ready when the season begins. Glavine threw 30 pain-free pitches off a mound in his basement this morning, under the supervision of Braves physical therapist Lloyd VanPamelen.

Glavine was asked if he felt better now about his chances of resuming his career than he did before he began his offseason rehab and throwing program.

"I think I do," he said. "Before I started throwing I was very iffy about it, probably 50-50, and I think as I progress through this thing, I'm moving more toward 100 percent thinking I'm going to pitch."

The 305-game winner is an unsigned free agent and doesn't expect to discuss a contract with the Braves until he and team officials are convinced he'll pitch in 2009."