Randy Johnson may be done for good.

[transplant99]

The Big Unit's days may be numbered according to him.

Simply one of the best LHP's in baseball history when he was healthy and throwing that slider to LH batters...literally unhittable at times.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-diamondbacks-johnson&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Sylvanfan]

It's hard to believe that it's been like 18 years since the Expos traded him and Brian Holman and a couple others to the Mariners for Mark Langston. During his prime he was a very dominant pitcher to be sure. If he had been healthy this year and able to pitch next year he might become the last pitcher to reach the 300 win plateau for what could be decades.

[looooob]

It's hard to believe that it's been like 18 years since the Expos traded him and Brian Holman and a couple others to the Mariners for Mark Langston..
Gene Harris was the other player, he was a roster player for the Expos at the time, middle reliever IIRC

trade went down the same day the Flames won the cup.

[habernac]

remember the all star game when he lost control and sent one really close to Larry Walker's head? I think John Kruk was another who had one come a little too close. Walker I think I recall switched to right handed and just let the next ball go right down the pipe for the strikeout. What a fastball.

[Bobblehead]

It's hard to believe that it's been like 18 years since the Expos traded him and Brian Holman and a couple others to the Mariners for Mark Langston. During his prime he was a very dominant pitcher to be sure. If he had been healthy this year and able to pitch next year he might become the last pitcher to reach the 300 win plateau for what could be decades.

Other than Glavine who may hit it next week (he's going for 299 tonight).

[CaramonLS]

Other than Glavine who may hit it next week (he's going for 299 tonight).

After this next crop of pitchers (anyone who has made their debut after Pedro), it looks rather sparse for possible starting pitchers who may make it to the hall of fame.

Maybe it is time for the hall to reconsider that magical win total to something a little more achievable, especially given the way the game has changed with the number of starts per year these guys throw. Especially given the fact a lot of hitters are blazing past the 500 HR mark (making them a lock for the hall). 5 players could do that this year.

[Sylvanfan]

Other than Glavine who may hit it next week (he's going for 299 tonight).

Yeah, barring something odd Glavine should get to 300 (although not getting 5 innings in vs. the Dodgers with like 9 runs of support last week would qualify)....and after him who else is going to get there?

With the way pitchers are handled today with pitch counts, 5 man rotations and the like, pitchers have a really hard time winning 200 games let alone 300.

Right now Clemens, Maddux, and Glavine are pretty much your 300 game winners and likely going to the hall. Johnson with his 284 I believe is next. After him the active wins leaders would probably be guys like Andy Pettite has had a decent career sits at 192 wins at age 35. Likely can play till age 40 and get to 250 wins. Curt Schilling will be 41 in November, he's at 213 wins. Jaimie Moyer has 224 but he's been around for 20 years and is as old as dirt. 42 year old Kenny Rogers has 210 wins but is up there in years. Pedro Martinez has 206 wins at age 35 but has hit some major health issues. Mike Mussina is 38 and has 243 career wins but has been atrocious so far this season. If he could find a way to pitch 5 more years maybe he'd have an outside shot. I'm sure I missed a couple guys in this list.

Other than those guys I can't foresee any of the current crop of 31 and under guys winning 15 to 20 games a year for the required number of seasons to get to that mark.

[Resolute 14]

I'll never forget an old Mariners commercial - back when they had the really goofy ads - where they had Randy Johnson dressed up as a circus side show performer, acting as a knife thrower. They showed a girl on a spinning wheel, as he whipped knives that hit right around her body. Then, as he throws his last knife, the screen fades to black, and you hear a woman's scream.

Then, the caption: "Aren't you glad he chose baseball?"

[looooob]

Yeah, barring something odd Glavine should get to 300 (although not getting 5 innings in vs. the Dodgers with like 9 runs of support last week would qualify)....and after him who else is going to get there?

With the way pitchers are handled today with pitch counts, 5 man rotations and the like, pitchers have a really hard time winning 200 games let alone 300.

Right now Clemens, Maddux, and Glavine are pretty much your 300 game winners and likely going to the hall. Johnson with his 284 I believe is next. After him the active wins leaders would probably be guys like Andy Pettite has had a decent career sits at 192 wins at age 35. Likely can play till age 40 and get to 250 wins. Curt Schilling will be 41 in November, he's at 213 wins. Jaimie Moyer has 224 but he's been around for 20 years and is as old as dirt. 42 year old Kenny Rogers has 210 wins but is up there in years. Pedro Martinez has 206 wins at age 35 but has hit some major health issues. Mike Mussina is 38 and has 243 career wins but has been atrocious so far this season. If he could find a way to pitch 5 more years maybe he'd have an outside shot. I'm sure I missed a couple guys in this list.

Other than those guys I can't foresee any of the current crop of 31 and under guys winning 15 to 20 games a year for the required number of seasons to get to that mark.
I believe the leader for wins under age 35 is Bartolo Colon, and he's 34 and less than half way to 300. not happening any time soon

[Bobblehead]

After Johnson, it is Mussina at 243, Boomer at 235, Moyer at 224, Schilling at 213, Rogers at 210, Pedro at 206, Smoltz at 203 (with 154 saves).
Then comes Petite at 192.
link (http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/player_stats.jsp?teamPosCode=all&statType=2&timeFrame=3&Submit=Submit&c_id=mlb&sitSplit=&timeSubFrame2=1&venueID=&baseballScope=mlb&timeSubFrame=1&&sortByStat=W)

I don't think any of them will get it. Perhaps Mussina although he would need to go 4 more years at 15 wins/year and he is in his 17th year.

I would have liked to see Johnson make it, but I guess there was only so much torque his body could take.

[looooob]

Right now Clemens, Maddux, and Glavine are pretty much your 300 game winners and likely going to the hall.
the fact that Maddux and Glavine were teammates all those years is just stunning when you think about it. heck throw in Smoltz who has won his share, and that is just a crazy stacked amount of talent on one club. one reason, of several hundred, why the Expos were always doomed:whaa:

[Temporary_User]

I'll never forget an old Mariners commercial - back when they had the really goofy ads - where they had Randy Johnson dressed up as a circus side show performer, acting as a knife thrower. They showed a girl on a spinning wheel, as he whipped knives that hit right around her body. Then, as he throws his last knife, the screen fades to black, and you hear a woman's scream.

Then, the caption: "Aren't you glad he chose baseball?"
haha, I used to live in Seattle. I'm a big M's fan.
I love those commericals. That one isnt on there, but alot of their new and older commercials are on the M's webpage.
http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/sea/fan_forum/commercials_2007.jsp

OT: its commercials like these that the NHL needs to do. They just started doing so for the full NHL, although doesnt seem as personable as these ones.
Does anyone know if other nhl markets has commercials like these for their clubs?

[albertGQ]

I will always remember his non-pitch. When it killed a bird. Man, that bird just exploded!

[CaramonLS]

I believe the leader for wins under age 35 is Bartolo Colon, and he's 34 and less than half way to 300. not happening any time soon

Sabathia who just turned 27, 4 days ago, has 94 wins, and is probably the most likely of anyone to get to 300 - IF anyone does, but in reality he is only there because of how early he started. However, he just doesn't scream "HOF quality pitcher" at me like some other players do. Maybe it is because he is buried in Cleveland or whatever.

I think the new win total should be around 200, with guys like Doc/Santana getting priority just because of how dominating they actually are in their leagues (well, not Roy this year). Just when you think great, current pitchers, those two come up to the top of the list.

[Sylvanfan]

the fact that Maddux and Glavine were teammates all those years is just stunning when you think about it. heck throw in Smoltz who has won his share, and that is just a crazy stacked amount of talent on one club. one reason, of several hundred, why the Expos were always doomed:whaa:

It is astonishing that they only won the one World Series during all those years. with those great pitching staffs.

Sabathia who just turned 27, 4 days ago, has 94 wins, and is probably the most likely of anyone to get to 300 - IF anyone does, but in reality he is only there because of how early he started. However, he just doesn't scream "HOF quality pitcher" at me like some other players do. Maybe it is because he is buried in Cleveland or whatever.

I hadn't realized that Sabathia's already on his 7th season and that he's still that young. I'd say he has a pretty good chance as he should be at 100 wins after this season. Not unfathomable to think he can be half way there by 30. Still he isn't a guy who I view as having outstanding numbers with a career ERA of 3.69, but than again I think Martinez is like the only current active pitcher with 150 or more wins and a career ERA under 3. I suppose a couple of post season appearances might put him more in the limelight.

[BerubeHater]

What is Halladay at?

[habernac]

What is Halladay at?

106 wins according to the ESPN.com website

[JiriHrdina]

All time best Big Unit highlight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1492I4PqwY

[Sylvanfan]

The odds on that happening have to be astronomical. I don't think I'll ever see another similar play like that in my life. The timing, the height of the pitch, the height of the birds flight...the bird being in the stadium. Absolutely crazy.

[Bobblehead]

Dave Winfield killed a gull (http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/sportanimalcruelty.html) in Toronto while he was playing for the Yankees.

On August 4, 1983, Dave Winfield and the Yankees were playing against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Winfield had a great game, driving in two runs as the Yankees won 3-1. Unfortunately, he was arrested after the game. In the middle of the fifth, Winfield finished his warmups and tossed the ball to a batboy. The ball hit a seagull on the head, killing the bird, and Winfield was charged with cruelty to animals.

"They say he hit the gull on purpose," said Yanks manager Billy Martin "They wouldn't say that if they'd seen the throws he'd been making all year. It's the first time he's hit the cutoff man."

The charges were dropped the next day.


I had a friend who was at that game. He says Winfield threw at the bird on purpose - no question. But those gulls are disgusting birds, good riddance.

[Sylvanfan]

Well Exhibition Stadium doesn't count.....what a terrible stadium....in retrospect so is the SkyDome though....not to derail this thread. But given todays stadiums, I can't see it happening again, let alone on a pitch thrown at 95 miles per hour.

[JiriHrdina]

The odds on that happening have to be astronomical. I don't think I'll ever see another similar play like that in my life. The timing, the height of the pitch, the height of the birds flight...the bird being in the stadium. Absolutely crazy.

My question is was it called a ball? Or did they just not count the pitch at all?

[Bobblehead]

My question is was it called a ball? Or did they just not count the pitch at all?

I would imagine it would be a deal ball, no pitch.

Ans as far as Skydome, they just mis-timed that one. SkyDome opened in '89, Camden Yards opened in '92 and ushered in the "traditional ball park". It is still a great park, but definitely looks dated.

[BerubeHater]

106 wins according to the ESPN.com website

I guess he is pretty much out of the running. If he stays healthy, he could end up around 250 which is pretty good.

[habernac]

I would imagine it would be a deal ball, no pitch.

Ans as far as Skydome, they just mis-timed that one. SkyDome opened in '89, Camden Yards opened in '92 and ushered in the "traditional ball park". It is still a great park, but definitely looks dated.

saw a game in Camden 4 years ago, what an amazing stadium. They did absolutely everything right there. I sat through the second longest rain delay in the history of the Orioles, but finally did see the game. It didn't end until just before midnight.

[Bobblehead]

saw a game in Camden 4 years ago, what an amazing stadium. They did absolutely everything right there. I sat through the second longest rain delay in the history of the Orioles, but finally did see the game. It didn't end until just before midnight.

I heard a discussion about this, and the designers said if they had it to do again, there are a few things they would do differently. I can't really comment because I haven't seen a game there, but they mentioned that they would like to have turned the seats a bit. The seats down the lines in the outfield look down into the outfield so most people need to turn their heads to watch most of the game occuring in the infield.

But the styling and so on make most of the newer stadiums look fantastic. Skydome just looks too utilitarian.

[Sylvanfan]

But the styling and so on make most of the newer stadiums look fantastic. Skydome just looks too utilitarian.

The problem with the SkyDome is that it was designed as the ultimate version of those cookie cutter stadiums of the 70's. At it's time it was one of the newer stadiums in North America. The last of a bad breed if you will. To get a bit more on topic.....Randy Johnson will be happy to never have to pitch at that park again, even if it does keep Seagulls out better than the Ex!

[browna]

Too bad if its the case...always had a soft spot for those ex Cannons turned Mariners that I watched at Foothills as a kid growing up.

[Sylvanfan]

Too bad if its the case...always had a soft spot for those ex Cannons turned Mariners that I watched at Foothills as a kid growing up.


I don't think Johnson ever pitched for the Cannons. He came up in the Montreal system and was in the major leagues when he was traded.

[browna]

I don't think Johnson ever pitched for the Cannons. He came up in the Montreal system and was in the major leagues when he was traded.

Correct, not sure why I remember him as a Cannon, as I swear he was on one of the cards in my 1985 Cannons team set..maybe he played against the Cannons in exhibition when the M's visited Calgary on a (semi?) annual basis.

I remember the cup of coffee A-Rod had here too. And Danny Tartabull was the main reason for them doubling up the wall height at Foothills.

[Sylvanfan]

I remember watching a Cannons game back in about 1987 and I know Edgar Martinez was a Cannon, and I think Tartabul was playing too. It's too bad that Triple A ball no longer was feasible in this neck of the woods. Baseball more than any other Pro Sport really does give you a chance to see the stars of tommorrow at the minor league level.

[habernac]

saw A rod hit a grand slam for the Rainiers in 95 here. Also saw Eddie Murray's swan song (he hit one out as well. He was 41 years old I believe). Yeah, I miss AAA ball too.