It’s almost hard to believe that San Francisco Giants pitcher Randy Johnson is on his sixth major league team, and almost harder to believe that the Big Unit is still commissioned for service. Johnson, who has gone six innings or more in only 3 of his 10 starts this season, might be doing little more than to secure 300 wins and 5,000 strikeouts, the de facto magic numbers to secure enshrinement in Cooperstown. He could hit that former milestone tonight in DC with a win against the Nationals (if it ever stops raining). Just don’t expect any of his old teammates from Arizona to care. From Yahoo! Sports:

“I think he’s respected, certainly, in there,” said former Diamondbacks player, current television analyst and one-time Johnson teammate Mark Grace. “But I don’t think he’s going to get a big congratulatory card from these guys when he wins 300.”

When asked about Johnson, starting pitcher Dan Haren shook his head. “I don’t really have anything for you,” he said. “I didn’t really know him. Wish I did.” Haren shared a clubhouse and a rotation with Johnson for seven months.

When asked about Johnson, third baseman Mark Reynolds stumbled. “Uh, you know, it was just like playing behind any other pitcher,” he said. Except, of course, if a ball got by you. “Well, the way he reacts sometimes, it could irk guys, irritate guys,” he said. “You can’t take what he does or says to heart, though. That’s just Randy.”

I’m shocked that a 6-foot-9-inch guy with that mug didn’t do a better job of networking. I’m always impressed that athletes tend to be apathetic toward other athletes in the same way that I’m apathetic toward athletes in general. I can only imagine the reaction from San Fran, where Johnson has been for all of two months; but notching his 300th win might be good enough to help Giants fans forget about this guy: Read the rest of this entry »

Not that it's surprising at this point, but the Rockies won yet again last night to sweep the Diamondbacks and earn their first-ever ticket to the World Series.  As you surely know, the Rox have now won 21 of their last 22, and sometime over the next week before the World Series begins, you can expect God to change that one loss to a win just because it's easier to say they've won 22 straight.

Game details: All the damage was done with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.  Rookie Seth Smith placed a dying bloop double just inside the left field line to score two, then an error by first baseman Conor Jackson kept the inning alive for Kaz Matsui to get an RBI single.  The next time I looked up, series MVP Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer to make it 6-1, and Coors Field was going apeshit.  I'm not really sure why Arizona bothered playing another five innings.

Oh yeah, and the Indians beat the Red Sox 4-2 last night, too.  Dice-K got the loss, so Rocky Fan Jesus got image priority for the baseball round-up.  Nevertheless, if you need a Yoko picture to complete your morning, here ya go.  NOTE: Rocky Fan Jesus does not approve of that photo.

Because there simply aren't enough rebuses on sports blogs, With Leather brings you the above image in honor of the NLCS's Game 3 hero.  Game 4 is tonight at delicious frost-brewed Coors Field, and I really don't see the point of the Diamondbacks even showing up.  Even if they win, they still have to face God's appointed team for three more games… and Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson are not walking through that door.

Elsewhere in baseball playoff news, Daisuke Matsuzaka gets the start against Jake Westbrook in Game 3 of the ALCS, the first game in Cleveland since Midgefest '07 did in Joba Chamberlain.  You can catch all the Dane Cook-hyped excitement on TBS, the only station that gives you the critical information of how far someone is leading off of first base.

There is, after all, only one October.  Unless you count October Gonzalez or have one of those defective calendars (lousy Smarch weather!).

The Colorado Rockies won their 19th game out of 20 last night, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 2 of the NLCS 3-2.  It appeared that the Mountains had finally lost their momentum when the Serpents tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, but D-Backs closer Jose Valverde walked in the winning run in the top of the 11th, thus informing us all that the geological process of flat subduction cannot be stopped by a split-finger fastball. 19 out of 20 - wow!  Do you realize that the last time the Rockies lost 2 games in a row a gallon of gasoline cost $2.89?  And milk didn't even come in gallons back then, you had to buy it by the gill or the firkin.  Sliced bread?!? Ha, don't make me laugh.

In ALCS action, Boston pounded C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indians 10-3.  Serves that condescending hurler right.  Who does he think he is, a Madison Avenue vice president?  If the Red Sox can win this series, they can finally avenge their loss in the 1948 one-game playoff that decided the AL pennant.  The can also avenge their idea to dress up like Native Americans.  It's called the Boston Tea Party people - look it up! -KD 

Despite a four-game break between series, the Rockies won yet a-fucking-gain last night, taking Game 1 of the NLCS from Arizona by a 5-1 score.  Lefty Jeff Francis earned the win, while Colorado got through to D-Backs ace Brandon Webb by stringing a bunch of singles together.

Hey, did anyone watch the game?  Could you just leave a long comment that recaps the entire game for me?  Because there was something about a disputed interference call that resulted in the fans going batshit and throwing water bottles onto the field, and it seems like a lot of effort to make it sound like I know what went on with that.  But hey, I found a picture of it.  That counts for something, right?

But still: an angry Arizona crowd.  I like that.  You don't often see that from fan bases who can't even sell out a playoff game in advance.  Kudos, Arizona.  I didn't know you cared.

Surprise!  The Chicago Cubs will not make it to the World Series as the Arizona Diamondbacks completed the sweep in the NLDS last night.  It's a shame because I haven't talked to my North Side relations this much since I called them with pleasant greetings at the end of October 2005.  Anyway, the deck was stacked against the Cubbies because look what the Chase Field Kiss Cam caught in Game 2:

The Rockies also completed their sweep of the Phillies, so the NLCS will match God's team against the serpents.  It will surely be more exciting than Paradise Lost - John Milton was a hack.  A hack, I say! (Cubs fans can wallow in misery to this lonesome loser's tune if they wish.) -KD

{AZSportsHub.com}