It’s somewhat irresponsible that, for as little as we cover baseball around here, we’ve now done three posts on Randy Johnson (four if you count this one). Yes, Randy got that 300th win against the mighty Washington Nationals, allowing one run over six innings yesterday afternoon. And there’s nothing really new that I can say about it, except maybe give you some kinda blockquotage on the matter. This is from Rob Iracane at Walkoff Walk, who refuses to honor Johnson’s legacy because, well, Johnson is taller than he is:
He’s really tall: Life isn’t fair, I get it. But at six foot ten, Randy Johnson is almost a foot and a half taller than me and every time I see him on television, the announcers banter about his height and I am reminded that I stopped growing at age thirteen. Not down there though, ladies. I meant my belly.
Don’t fret, Rob. You just described every sportswriter in North America. Congratulations to Randy Johnson, who is still uglier today than you’ll ever be in your life. Hey, that Zack Greinke fellow’s rather handsome. And not in a gay Zack Efron sort of way, either.
When baseball’s version of Halley’s Comet is happening in your backyard, you go to see it. Period. And so when Randy Johnson was set to pitch for his 300th win last night against the Nationals — a 40-minute train ride from my apartment — I went. One problem. It rained like a motherf-cker for five whole hours, and only then, after five hours of rain, did The Powers That Be decide to call the game. No 300-game winner for me, which many people were saying could be the last 300-game winner ever. Thanks for wasting five hours of my life, Washington Nationals. Pricks. From Y! Sports:
The weather was ominous from mid-afternoon, when the tarp was placed on the field before batting practice. It was removed during a break in the storms around 8 p.m., but it was soon put back on when weather radar accurately predicted the imminent arrival of another line of lightning, thunder and rain so dense that the Capitol dome was no longer visible from the upper deck.
Still, Kasten consulted with Giants president Larry Baer and announced at 10 p.m.: “We are going to play this game”—in part because of the history at stake. They had to recant less than an hour later.
Also ditching an opportunity to have a 300-game winner on staff: the Atlanta Braves, who cut Tom Glavine last night before their game with the Cubs last night (they lost in 11). Glavine was scheduled to make $1 million upon returning to the active roster from a rehab assignment while on the DL, recovering from shoulder surgery. I guess the Braves felt better calling up Tommy Hanson from AAA Gwinnett, who will be putting on the foil in Glavine’s old spot in the rotation.
In closing, rain blows. But Randy’s gonna pitch tomorrow in the front end of a “traditional doubleheader” starting at 4:35 pm ET today. And then I guess he’ll eat a sandwich or something afterwards, because I’d imagine he burns a lot of calories being so tall.
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 »
