Josh Booty is Back in Baseball

After being out of professional baseball for 15 years, former first round draft pick (and NFL prospect) Josh Booty is back in the game.

As a 37-year-old knuckleballer.

Booty, who was taken fifth overall by the then-Florida Marlins in 1994, saw his Major League career fizzle after just 13 big league games from 1996-1998.  Now, after winning the MLB Network's reality series "The Next Knuckler"...he's hoping to latch on with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I think that there's a chance, even if it's small," Booty told Arizona Sports 620.  "If you can throw that knuckleball for strikes; it's such a change of pace on what everybody else is doing it will throw people for a loop."

"I'll be following it very close," Booty's mentor, and knuckleball legend Tim Wakefield said following Booty's reality show victory Thursday night, "and I think he's got a real chance of making the team out of spring training." 


"I've got a long way to go," Booty said, "but my wildest dream is to have the chance to take the mound in a Major League Baseball game."

And, really, why couldn't he have a chance.  Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey throws a knuckleball, and not only did he win the 2012 National League Cy Young Award...but he's also just inked a two-year, $25 million extension to do so.

"We don't want to put him out there as some gimmick," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. "My job is to give him an opportunity to show what he can do."

To win the contest, Booty, a former quarterback at LSU, had to beat out four other signal callers...brother John David Booty, Doug Flutie, David Greene and Ryan Perrilloux.  And as the winner, not only does he get a shot at making the Diamondbacks as a non-roster invitee, but he'll earn $179.43 per day to cover food, housing and other expenses.

A far cry from the reported $1.6 million he pocketed as a 19-year-old with the Marlins organization.

Arizona Does the Harlem Shake

I was really, really hoping we'd have more time between crazy internet video memes, but, well...move over "Gangnam Style".

Unless you've seen otherwise, it looks like the Arizona Diamondbacks are the first team in the Majors to jump on the "Harlem Shake" train.

Enjoy.

And, yeah, the best part...Kirk Gibson re-enacting his famous 1988 World Series home run trot at the end, followed closely by Baxter the Bobcat going all Teen Wolf on that golf cart.

Diamondbacks Bullpen to Auction off Bieber Card

I think we can officially say the Arizona Diamondbacks have "Bieber Fever".

Remember last week, when Brad Ziegler tweeted the picture of teammate J.J. Putz and his prized Justin Bieber card?

Well, now, a week later, the duo (and fellow reliever Craig Breslow) are auctioning off the autographed card to benefit two great charities...Breslow's Strike 3 Foundation and Ziegler's Pastime for Patriots.

But here's the best part, the three pitchers, along with the Diamondbacks Foundation will match the winning bid for the card up to $2,500.

"It started out with [Ziegler] having a little fun at my expense that I enjoy Bieber's music and now we decided to raise money for two outstanding causes," Putz said Tuesday. "Hopefully we can help out a lot of people."
 
And hopefully, the Bieber hysteria doesn't end with the auction.
 
The popstar is scheduled to perform in Phoenix in September and the D-backs bullpen is hoping they can convince the singer to make a visit to Chase Field while in town.

J.J. Putz Likes Him Some Justin Bieber

If the fact that he's always wearing a baseball cap is any indication...pop superstar Justin Bieber is obviously a baseball fan.

So, naturally, it's gotta be the other way around as well, right?

Well, if the picture Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Brad Ziegler tweeted of his teammate J.J. Putz on Wednesday is any indication, there's definitely some Biebs love going on in the snakes' lockerroom.

Dan Majerle Makes a Spectacular Grab

When Arizona Diamondbacks centerfielder Gerardo Parra ripped a Matt Cain pitch deep to right center Saturday afternoon...we might have witnessed one of the best catches of the year so far.

But, it wasn't made by anyone on the San Francisco Giants.

It was made (casually) by former NBA star "Thunder" Dan Majerle. The current Phoenix Suns assistant coach was, wait for it...barbecuing with friends at Chase Field.

Take that Matt Geiger!

Ryan Braun "Juiced"? Here's an Idea

With this weekend's revelation that Ryan Braun was found guilty (not guilty?) of using performance-enhancing drugs, the interwebs were abuzz as to whether or not to strip the 2011 National League MVP of his award.

While that would probably make the Matt Kemp fans out there happy, it's probably not likely to happen.

Less likely to happen...the suggestion by Arizona Senator John McCain via Twitter.

Ryan Braun juiced - can we do the playoffs over again?

The one-time anti-steroids crusader might be on to something, though.

I mean, if it wasn't for Braun batting .500 (9-for-18) in the Milwaukee Brewers' best-of-five series against the Arizona Diamondbacks...there's no telling how the rest of the season would have played out.  Heck, if they could have gone on to beat the eventual World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, it could have meant another trophy for the snakes.

You remember the last time McCain's beloved Diamondbacks hoisted the trophy, right?  It was 2001 and on that team...current coach Matt Williams and team favorite Luis Gonzalez who were both suspected of, wait, nevermind.

Ugh.  Steroids.  Next topic please.

Mark Grace...Busted for DUI

It appears as though 2011 is, again, the "Year of the Pitcher"...the BEER pitcher that is!

Bing bong.

Lame attempt at an even lamer joke aside, this current epidemic of baseball players (past and present) getting busting for driving drunk is getting old. 

The latest...former Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks firstbaseman Mark Grace. 

This is what azcentral.com had to say:

Grace, 46, was stopped by Scottsdale police at 64th Street and Cochise Road shortly after 1 a.m. May 30, after he made a wide right turn and police observed him weaving within his lane, according to the report.

Grace, who did not have his wallet or license with him at the time of the arrest, admitted to "having a few drinks," police said.

Grace was arrested on suspicion of driving with a blood-alcohol of more than the legal limit of 0.08 percent and being DUI-impaired to the slightest degree, according to police reports.  Grace was taken to a command post to have his blood drawn and results were pending, police said.

Seriously guys...hire a driver! Or at the very least, tell the cops you spent your day in a mascot costume.

2011 Milestone Preview: National League West

For a number of teams, it isn't really as much what goes on on the field...but, rather, what goes on off of it.

Such is the case with the 2010 World Series champion San Francisco Giants.

The Giants transformed from a bunch of misfits to the team everyone was talking about.  They appeared on magazine covers, talk shows and, soon, will have their own series on Showtime (you can check out the preview below).

And with that…here’s the NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST.


ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

A glance up and down the Diamondbacks roster looks like a journey through the Land of Misfit Toys.  Seriously, their pick ups this past off season included Melvin Mora, Geoff Blum, J.J. Putz and, ugh...Mike Hampton.

Pretty much the only thing Arizona has going for them is hope that newly acquired pitcher Armando Galarraga can get screwed out of a perfect game and they are front page fodder for a week.  Until then...all they've got is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their World Series championship in 2001

COLORADO ROCKIES

Former American League MVP Jason Giambi is, again, hoping for one last gasp with the Colorado Rockies.  Provided he can break camp with the team (and it is looking good that he will), dude is going to need to double his 2010 output in order to get to 2000 hits for his career.

You see, "The Giambino" enters 2011 86 hits shy of the milestone...he finished last season with 43.

While Todd Helton isn't knocking on the door of any milestones (this season), it's pretty cool to point out that only Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig and "The Toddfather" have put up career numbers of 525 (or more) doubles, 300 home runs and a .320 batting average.  Now, I've seen all the "black ink" arguments against Helton...but dude is a Hall of Famer, right?  Right?!?

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Prior to last season, all the milestone talk in Los Angeles was about manager Joe Torre and outfielder Manny Ramirez.

This season...not so much.

The big story, of course, is new manager Don Mattingly.  The former New York Yankees star is the team's ninth manager since moving west and unlike some of his predecessors...has zero managerial experience.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

Alright, I'm going to be the guy that says it...how in the world did the Padres almost win the West last season?  I mean, have you looked at their roster?  They've got no huge names (outside of Heath Bell), no one approaching any marquee milestones and the best thing to pay attention to on a daily basis...the Twitter feed of the newly acquired Pat Neshek.

Seriously...the guy is a good follow.  Check him out.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Without even mentioning Brian Wilson's beard, "Kung Fu Panda" or the rally thong...it's safe to say that the Giants have become one of the most exciting teams in all of baseball.  Not since the 2004 Boston Red Sox have a cast of characters taken over the world like San Francisco did following their World Series win last fall.

The guys are everywhere.

As far as milestones are concerned...fans haven't had too much to look forward to since Barry Bonds was chasing the home run record and Randy Johnson came on board to nail down his 300th win.  But do you think they care?  That said, outfielder Pat Burrell is 15 long flies away from 300 for his career.

So there you have it, gang…all six divisions and a preview of their upcoming milestones.

Check them out here:
American League East
American League Central
American League West
National League East
National League Central

Wipe Your Tears...Clay Zavada Has Reported to Camp

When presented with the news that Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Clay Zavada might be hanging it up, The American Mustache Institute responded as succinctly as one would expect.

"This would be a horrific development," was the message left on their Facebook page.

Thankfully, Mustached Americans and fans of the 2009 Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year Award don't have to worry any longer.

Their hero is in the fold.

“It was just a personal matter with my family,” Zavada said to reporters. “It had nothing, really, to do with baseball. I was going through some things and I needed some time. I came in and I talked to (manager Kirk Gibson) and straightened everything out. I’m here now and ready to play. It’s a personal matter that wasn’t related to baseball at all. I had to take some time and get everything cleared up.”

Now...the comments over at azcentral.com suggest that Zavada is, unfortuantely, sans 'stache.  While I can't confirm this (the photo above was from 2010), it it encouraging that the Diamondbacks are running a lip sweater friendly Spring Training.

In their Salt River Fields media room hangs the "Parks and Recreation" inspired Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness.

Glorious.

Clay Zavada Might be Hanging it Up

The mustache ride might be over for Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Clay Zavada.

Depending on what you read...the recipient of the 2009 Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year Award is either going to show up to camp Wednesday or contemplating retirement.

Sure, it's hard to think of a world where the owner of one of baseball's finest lip sweaters, might hang it up, but according to azcentral.com...that's exactly what might happen.

Left-hander Clay Zavada, who was invited to big-league camp after signing a minor-league deal, appears to be contemplating retirement.  Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers said Zavada, who did not undergo a scheduled physical Sunday and missed Monday's workout, told the club's training staff he was "having some doubts on wanting to go through this again."

But, according to if you take what MLB.com's Steve Gilbert says as gospel...Zavada will be in camp soon.

Zavada's agent, Barry Meister, said that Zavada experienced some discomfort in his shoulder and that was the reason for his absence.  "He just needed a couple of days to figure out what was going on with his shoulder," Meister said.

Meister said that Zavada was going to see either the team's training staff or team physician Michael Lee about his shoulder Tuesday and that he had talked to manager Kirk Gibson about his situation.

Walking away from baseball wouldn't be new for Zavada.

He missed the entire 2007 season after the death of his father and was forced to sit out all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.  The Streator, Illinois native, and former 30th round draft pick, appeared in 49 games in 2009...striking out 52 batters in 51 innings.  He finished the season with a 3-3 record and a 3.35 ERA.

So...will he or won't he?

Granted, it isn't the same level of drama that surrounded New York Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte, but to Mustached Americans...Zavada is a hero.  In October 2009, he took home the afore mentioned American Mustache Institute's coveted Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year Award. 
 
Shortly after receiving the honor...sat down with the organization's leader, the esteemed Dr. Aaron Perlut.

The Zavstache is Back!

When Clay Zavada hit the scene in 2009, he won over the hearts of many with both his ability and that beautiful Rollie Fingers-esque mustache.

Last year, an arm injury (and subsequent Tommy John surgery) sidelined the reliever for the season.

Well, prepare to cheer again, gang...the Zavstache is back!

According to Nick Piecoro from azcentral.com...the Arizona Diamondbacks have re-signed the 26 year-old Streator (Illinois) native to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Zavada was 3-3 with a 3.35 ERA in 49 games in 2009.  Following the season, he even took home the top prize at The American Mustache Institute's annual Stache Bash.

"As a proud person of Mustached American heritage and 2009 winner of the Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year," Dr. Aaron Perlut, Chairman of the Board of the American Mustache Institute said of Zavada's return to baseball, "we anticipate Mr. Zavada's transition from Tommy John surgery to be seamless and impressive, and demonstrate once again that in sports, there is no greater performance enhancer than a mustache."

 

The wonderfully follicled lefty is currently assigned to the Diamondback's AAA affiliate, the Reno Aces.

Robinson Cano vs. Mark Reynolds

Somewhere, somebody had to have had money on it, right?

What was going to happen first...Robinson Cano was going to collect his 100th hit of the season or Mark Reynolds was going to go down swinging for the 100th time?

Both are their respective league leaders in each category and both are, seemingly, looking to get to the 100 mark earlier than in previous years.

Last season, Cano didn't get his 100th hit until the Bronx Bombers' 82nd game...a July 6 contest against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was his 351st plate appearance.

He would finish the season third in the American League with 204.

The all-time leader in strikeouts in a season, Reynolds, hit the century mark last year on June 26. It was his 307th plate appearance and his team's 74th game of the season...coincidentally, an interleague affair against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Monday night, both entered the 2001 World Series rematch stuck at 99.

Cano has done little wrong this season. His .367 batting average entering Monday night's game is nearly 30 points higher than his closest competitor and on the mound for the Diamondbacks was a pitcher he had seen 21 times before...Rodrigo Lopez.

Head to head, Cano came in batting .286 lifetime against Lopez and in his fourth at bat, he would get the base knock he needed in the top of the eighth...his 302nd plate appearance of the year.

Across the diamond, the free swinging Reynolds had never faced Yankees starter A.J. Burnett, so it was unknown how the two would match up. After hitting a home run off the righty in the first, it was clear that the bullpen might have to come into to play.

First out of the pen was Chad Gaudin, a pitcher who has K'd Reynolds six times in eleven plate appearances...but the best he could do was walk the slugger.

In the bottom of the seventh, facing Chan Ho Park, the Diamondbacks third baseman struck out. And if you're keeping track, it was Reynolds' first ever strikeout against Park and his 282nd plate appearance of the season.

Now, I'm not sure what the payout would have been (we'll leave that up to the eggheads over at bodog.com), but if you picked Mark Reynolds...you won.

If you have either one on your fantasy team, odds are it is a different story.

2010 Milestone Preview: National League West

Every year, there is at least one unconventional story in the Majors that is a fun one to follow.

For me, it’s the saga of Matt Stairs.

You see, I first became aware of Stairs in 1989 when he played A-ball for the Rockford Expos…Montreal’s Midwest League affiliate. He was a long way from grizzled veteran that he is now, but the dude could already hit.

When Stairs hits the field for San Diego this season, it’ll be his twelfth Major League team…a record he would share with former reliever Mike Morgan and current National Ron Villone.

Also interesting to me, will be that first time that Stairs goes yard for his new team.

You see, when he hits that first home run (number 260 for his career), he’ll be doing something no one else has done…hit a home run for 11 Major League franchises.

Add to that, this nugget…the first time he goes deep as a pinch hitter, the 18-year vet will tie Cliff Johnson as the all-time leader with 20 pinch hit home runs.

Oh, and in case you were wondering what time he didn’t hit a home run with…it would be that same team that drafted him.

The Montreal Expos.

And with that…here’s the NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST.


ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

If “best mustache” was a milestone, Diamondbacks reliever Clay Zavada would already have surpassed many on the all-time list.

Last year’s Robert Goulet Mustached American Award recipient (it’s a real thing…read all about it HERE), begins his second season with Arizona and first full season with the league’s fanciest lip sweater.

Across the diamond is third baseman Mark Reynolds and his penchant for striking out. He set a record in 2008 when he became the first Major Leaguer to strikeout more than 200 times (2004!) in a season.

Last year, he shattered his own mark by going down swinging 223 times and, in the process, set the record for the most strikeouts by a player in their first three seasons with 556.

Here’s to a wonderful 2010, Mark!


COLORADO ROCKIES

Colorado resigned Jason Giambi in the off season and the 2000 American League MVP will be looking to provide a spark off the Rockies bench and pad his career stats.

Giambi is 129 hits away from 2000 for his career, but, unfortunately, he hasn’t had anything near that total since his second year with the Yankees in 2003.

Out of the bullpen, veteran lefty Alan Embree is a mere 25 appearances away from tying Cy Young on the all-time games pitched list with 907. Over the span of Embree’s 17-year career, he hasn’t pitched in LESS than 25 games since 1996, when he got the call from the pen only 24 times.


LOS ANGELES DODGERS

With 2246 wins, Dodgers skipper Joe Torre ranks fifth all-time among all managers. Right ahead of him on that list is Bobby Cox with 2413 victories. The two managers also are tied all-time with 15 playoff appearances.

But, with Cox already having announced that this will be his last season in the dugout, Torre looks to be poised to have the last laugh.

Also of interest with Torre…keep your eye on the Dodgers-Yankees interleague matchup June 25-27. This will be the first time Torre has faced off against his former team in his nearly 30 years as a big league skipper.

In what he says will already be his last in Los Angeles, slugger Manny Ramirez is either (A) plyaing for a bigger contract elsewhere or (B) looking to pad his stats so he can start preparing his Hall of Fame speech.

Oh…and there’s always that pesky (C) he is just going to go out there, and fulfill all the hackneyed “Manny Being Manny” predictions.

Either way, here’s what he stands to do in 2010.

First out of the gate, Ramirez is just six hits (2494) away from getting to 2500 for his career and four home runs (546) away from 550. When he surpasses 2500 and 550, he’ll be one of just a handful of players to have done so.

There are three players ahead of Ramirez on the all-time list that he stands a chance to catch this season…Mike Schmidt (548), Reggie Jackson (563) and Rafael Palmeiro (569).

If Ramirez plays the entire season (always a big “IF”), he stands a chance of becoming only the eleventh player in Major League history to surpass 1900 RBI for his career. With 1788 now, he is a mere 115 away from tying Willie Mays (1903) on the all-time list.


SAN DIEGO PADRES

Check out the lead, gang…until Hall of Very Good contributor Matt Antonelli lands on the team, there is only one thing I’ll be watching the Padres for.


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Willie Mays’ former club could make a splash…but we’ll have to wait until the end of the season to find out.

All-world starter Tim Lincecum is looking to become just the ninth pitcher to win three or more Cy Young Awards and if he does do it, he’ll be the youngest ever (by a few years) to take home the hardware thrice.

And from the “do they really keep track of that” department, Edgar Renteria is 15 hits and 13 stolen bases away from being just the fifth active player with 2200 hits and 300 steals.

So there you have it, gang…all six divisions and a preview of their upcoming milestones.

Check them out here:American League East
American League Central
American League West
National League East
National League Central

Clay Zavada wins “Mustached American of the Year”

Thanks in part to the endorsement of The Hall of Very Good, Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Clay Zavada took home The American Mustache Institute's coveted "Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year".

Other people finished behind the Streator, IL native Zavada, but let's be honest...it doesn't matter. Feel free to read what the AMI had to say HERE!

Clay Zavada among Goulet Award Finalists

I was going to start this one with something catchy like "do you like mustaches" but I was once taught that you never, ever open up anything with a "yes" or "no" question.

Basically, you give people the chance to respond "no" and move on. But, since the answer is always "yes"...let's continue on.

From now until October 20, The American Mustache Institute (AMI) is looking for you, yes...YOU to help name the 2009 "Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year". You can check out all the rules and other candidates over at the AMI site, or just do what I did...vote for Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Clay Zavada.

Why Clay?

It's simple...this is a baseball site and he exemplifies everything that The Hall celebrated back in May during the annual Mustache May celebration. He started his with nothing and let the follicles grow!

None of this hair one day, gone tomorrow and back the next month nonsense of the St. Louis Cardinals. Once the Streator, Illinois native put his mind to it...he didn't look back.

Also, anyone who emulates (and celebrates) friend of The Hall Rollie Fingers is a winner in my book. Now, let's make it official!

So, here's the deal. Head over to the AMI site and vote for Zavada. Then...tell your friends and repeat.

It's kinda like the old "wash, rinse, repeat" thing from the shampoo ads...but with mustaches, rookie relief pitchers and Robert Goulet looking down from heaven with an angel on each arm smiling.

Is this what passes for baseball these days?

One of the milestones that I have yet to expound upon in length is the setting of a new seasonal strikeout record.

Sure, I briefly mentioned it earlier in the week…but good friend of The Hall, E, has taken it about eighteen steps further.

Enjoy.

Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks has broken the old record of 204 strikeouts, set way back in...well, last year by Mark Reynolds.

At 208 Ks with nine games left, he appears poised to make it very difficult for himself to break this record again next year. And, while it was bound to happen, as every record is made to be broken, I think the strikeout record getting topped twice in as many years points towards a disturbing trend in baseball.

The seasonal strikeout record was held for a loooong time by Bobby Bonds. He broke the previous mark of 175 in 1969 with 187, and then broke his own record with 189 the following year.

189 was the record for close to 35 years!

Prior to the turn of the millennium, the closet anyone ever got to the record was when Rob Deer, who sometimes had twice as many strikeouts as hits in a season, got within three in 1987.

In fact, up until 1997, Dave Nicholson's old 1963 mark of 175 was only surpassed five other times, and two of those were Deer! No one wanted that record.

And rightly so, as it expresses a level of ineptitude that not many players want to achieve.

But, as we approached Y2K, a lot of players started closing in.

As the new millennium proceeded, someone (specifically, Adam Dunn) jerked around and managed to break that strikeout record. In just the past five years, it has been reset three more times…most recently by Reynolds.

More than thirty years, and the closest anyone got to Bonds' mark was within three. In the past six years, it's been topped seven times. That old 175 mark has been bested 19 more times in the past 10 years.

Apparently, it's all right to be a strikeout overachiever.

Funny thing, though…over that same 10-12 year time period, the same thing happened to home runs.

When Albert Belle hit 50 homers in 1995, that was the first time someone had done that since Cecil Fielder did it five years earlier. Prior to Fielder…George Foster in 1977.

In the first 126 years of baseball, 50 home runs in a season had happened only 17 times. Since '95, it's happened 21 more times. It's no big deal to hit 50, even 60, homers now.

Coincidentally enough, wasn't that same time period when the whole steroid thing kinda took off?

I'm sure someone could easily blame steroids for the rise in homers and strikeouts, but, seeing as there's little correlation between the home run and strikeout numbers, this assumption would lead one to believe that steroids grant the user one of two abilities: (1) hitting lots of homers, or (2) striking out an irrational number of times.

The easier conclusion to reach is that, because of the recent increased importance of the home run, batters aren't even attempting to put the ball in play anymore, opting to merely swing so hard that they corkscrew themselves into the ground like a Looney Tunes character every time they miss.
I think that, if more emphasis was placed on just making contact with the ball instead of trying to knock its cover off, strikeouts would go down.

Sure, homers would go down, too, but I'd rather watch someone get 200 hits than watch them not hit anything 200 times.

As for Reynolds and his dubious mark, he might want to focus more on contact and less on power.

The career strikeout mark is 2597, held by Reggie Jackson. Only four players (including Jackson) have topped 2000 Ks in their careers, and no one in the history of baseball has gotten within 250 of Jackson's record.

That being said, at his current place, Reynolds will break Jackson's record within 10 years…a mark it took Jackson 21 years to set, and this dope, in three season, is already a quarter of the way there.

No wonder I can barely be bothered to pay attention to baseball anymore.

10 units about Johnson's 300

That sound you heard Thursday was a gorilla of monster proportions finally getting removed from the back of Randy Johnson.

That’s right.

As it was first mentioned back in April here at The Hall, Johnson achieved the Grand Daddy of all pitching milestones…300 wins. With a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals, the five-time Cy Young award winner became the 24th player to notch 300 wins.

Here are ten things you might not have known about Johnson’s 300 victories.


7566
From his first victory (a 9-4 win on September 15, 1988 against Pittsburgh) to his latest…7566 days have passed. In that time, baseball went from having 26 teams to 30. The Angels went from California to Anaheim to Los Angeles (by way of Anaheim) and most notably…the Montreal Expos (Johnson’s first team) packed up and moved to Washington DC (Johnson’s latest victim). Incidentally, DC not only welcomed a baseball in that time, but they also welcomed four different presidents.

2709
Sure, we all know that with 4845 strikeouts, Johnson is second all-time. But did you know, that in his 300 victories, he struck out 2709 batters? All-time, that total alone would rank him 21st all-time…ahead of such notables as Tom Glavine (2607), Warren Spahn (2583), Bob Feller (2581) and Sandy Koufax (2396).

300
Sure…300 stands for the number of victories thrown by Johnson. 164 of them were home victories, while 136 were achieved on the road. Two victories came out of the bullpen. On July 20, 2001, Johnson stepped in and finished a game that had been postponed from the day before. He chalked up 16 strikeouts in 7 innings, technically setting the record for the most strikeouts in a relief stint. It should be pointed out that in those 300 victories…Johnson has startling 1.84 ERA. By comparison, Greg Maddux has a 1.82 ERA in his 355 wins.

102
In a July 9, 2004 game against his current team the Giants, Johnson hit 102 miles per hour on the radar gun. For the record…this is the fastest pitch recorded in a regular season baseball game. The fastest pitch recorded by a Major Leaguer (103 mph) was by Mark Wohlers in a 1995 Spring Training contest. Wohlers, coincidentally, is NOT one of 560 players that has shared a clubhouse with Johnson.

82
At 82 inches tall (or 6’10”), Johnson is the tallest 300 game winner in history. Before him, Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens and Gaylord Perry shared the distinction at 6’4”. During batting practice in 1988, Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines. Because of his height, Raines exclaimed, "you're a big unit!" The nickname stuck.

41
With his first win at Nationals Park, Johnson now has victories in 41 different ballparks against all 30 MLB teams. The only parks he is winless in are Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (0-1), Memorial Stadium (0-2), New Busch Stadium (0-1) and Citi Field (0-1). With some time, he should be able to knock two off that list. With a time machine…he might be able to get the others.

36
With the 36th pick overall in the 1985 draft, the Montreal Expos selected Johnson from the University of Southern California. Some notables that were drafted before him…Will Clark (2), Barry Larkin (4), Barry Bonds (6) and Rafael Palmeiro (22).

20
On May 8, 2001, Johnson became only the third pitcher to record 20 strikeouts in a game when he squared off against the Cincinnati Reds. But because the game went into extra innings, it was not categorized by MLB as an "official" 20-strikeout game.

2
“The Big Unit” holds the honor of being one of five pitchers (Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan and Hideo Nomo are the others) to have thrown a no-hitter in both the American and National League. Of his two “no nos”, one is a perfect game…a feat only 16 other pitchers have accomplished. In case you were wondering…Young and Bunning each have a perfect game, whereas Ryan and Nomo do not.

1 (tie)
A career .128 hitter, the lanky “Unit” has hit only one home run. It happened September 19, 2003 against the Brewers and came off of future teammate Doug Davis.

1 (tie)
In what can only be termed “a freak accident”, Johnson struck and killed a dove in a Spring Training game on March 24, 2001. The unlucky bird swooped across the infield just as Johnson was releasing the ball and ended up dead amid a "sea of feathers". The official call was "no pitch”. Check out the video on YouTube HERE.

Milestone Preview: National League West

Remember a couple of years back when, trying to mesh with his teammates, Barry Bonds donned a wig, dressed in drag and took part in an American Idol spoof?

Well, here we are, three years and one Taylor Hicks later and outside of the Manny Ramirez sideshow in Los Angeles, I don’t know that I heard much about baseball west of the Rocky Mountains. That being said…we will be.

Ladies and gentleman…your NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST.


ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Arizona made more news this off season when FORMER Diamondback Curt Schilling called it quits then they did with their own players. Outside of Tom Gordon climbing up the all-time games list (he enters 2009 with 887, but could have easily been up over 1000 had he never toed the rubber as a starter), there isn’t much to watch out for on the milestone front.


COLORADO ROCKIES
The Colorado milestone discussion begins and ends at first base. Outside of a colossal collapse, Todd Helton is a shoe-in to be inducted to the Hall once he retires. The Knoxville native is closing in on 2000 hits (he’s currently at 1957) and, more impressive given he’s only played 10 COMPLETE seasons, he’s within 29 doubles of 500 for his career.

By comparison, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Manny Ramirez are sitting at 503 and 507 respectively. Quietly one of the league’s best since 1998, Helton always brings the fans in Denver something to watch for.


LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Last year, Ramirez came into the season needing 10 home runs to get to 500. This season, Manny comes in with 527 and looks to pass up Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt and Reggie Jackson on the all-time list.

Factor in his 2392 hits and, by season’s end, you’ll be looking at just the sixth player to have more than 2500 hits, 500 doubles, 550 home runs and 1800 RBI! The others: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, Frank Robinson and Babe Ruth.

Off the field (or more specifically, in the dugout), manager Joe Torre is 44 wins away from leapfrogging Sparky Anderson (2194) and Bucky Harris (2157) and moving into fifth place on the all-time list.


SAN DIEGO PADRES
Brian Giles entering the season with 1854 hits is about the only thing worth mentioning until All-World pitcher Jack Peavy starts getting more years under his belt.

And yes, I realize that when Giles gets hit number 2000, he’ll have more base knocks than a slew of Hall of Famers (including recent inductee Joe Gordon), but he’ll also have fewer than Ray Durham and Edgar Renteria.

‘nuff said.


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Not since Bonds was knocking on the door of every home run milestone have the Giants had a milestone (or two) to watch for. Randy Johnson brought with him to the Bay a number of things worth noting.

First and foremost, “The Big Unit” is five victories away from 300 wins. Only 24 pitchers have accomplished the feat, and after Johnson…Jamie Moyer (246), Kenny Rogers (219) and Andy Pettite (215) are the closest on the active list.

And while he hasn’t hit 200 or more strikeouts since 2005, it’s worth mentioning that Johnson is 211 Ks away from becoming the second player to strike out 5000 batters. He won’t touch Nolan Ryan’s 5714, but burying his closest active competition Pedro Martinez (3117) and John Smoltz (3011) has to be a little gratifying.

Also within reach for “Unit”…he is 15 hit batsmen away from surpassing all-time leader Walter Johnson. He probably won’t get there (he has only 10 in the last two seasons), but passing up Eddie Plank (196) is a possibility. Something tells me that, deep down, Johnson wishes that hit by pitch magnet and former teammate Craig Biggio (who, ironically, “Unit” NEVER hit in 16 plate appearances) was still out there swinging a bat.

So there you have it…all six divisions and a preview of their upcoming milestones.

Check them out here:
American League East
American League Central
American League West
National League East
National League Central

"Zero regrets"...Schilling officially done

"This party has officially ended. After being blessed to experience 23 years of playing professional baseball in front of the world's best fans in so many different places, it is with zero regrets that I am making my retirement official."

THAT is what greeted Red Sox Nation when they logged on to Curt Schilling's website this morning.

When I read last June that Schill's rehab had reached a "plateau"...I was optimistic. I mean, here's a guy who seemingly has looked career ending injuries in the face and much like how he treated the 2001 (or 2004 for that matter) Yankees, did what he always has done...he threw the ball.

Hard.

Schilling has met nearly every challenge put in front of him and I had no reason to think that this one would be any different. I wrote the following in October 2007...PRIOR to Game Two of the Red Sox-Rockies game.

Curt Schilling was scheduled to take the bump. Prior to the 2004 season, Schill was brought in to do EXACTLY what Josh Beckett was brought in to do a couple years later. HOWEVER…the media, for some reason, was pretty much writing him off. Apparently his blood soaked star had fallen.

Memo to newswriters...Schilling was Josh Beckett BEFORE Beckett was Beckett.

He was the NLCS MVP in 1993 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Almost ten years later (in 2001), he followed it up by being named the World Series Co-MVP alongside Randy Johnson. I won’t even mention the “bloody sock” (maybe) or his postseason winning percentage.

Curt is good…DAMN good.

That being said, is he Hall of Fame good?

My buddy E talks about the “smell test”. Does a player pass the Hall of Fame smell test? If so, you look deeper and see whether or not he is worthy. EXAMPLE: a guy like Tim Raines smelled like a Hall of Famer at one point…now he smells of Kenny Lofton. Since we’re talking lead off hitters (for some reason) a Rickey Henderson smells like fine wine aged to perfection.

That being said…Schilling smells like a rose.

216 victories, 3116 strikeouts, FOUR top five finishes in the Cy Young voting, six All-Star games…not too shabby for a kid out of Anchorage, Alaska. When it comes to his strikeout to walk ratio…only one pitcher was better and he last toed the rubber in 1884. He died, ironically enough, in Boston.

All that said…if you look closer, Schilling, like Raines, doesn’t smell as good as you would initially think.

True, his postseason stats are phenomenal…but you can’t induct him on that alone. Sure, they warrant mention, but induction based SOLELY on that…um, no. If so…open the doors to Bernie Williams, Cooperstown!

216 wins, while impressive, only ranks him eighth among all active pitchers. Four of the seven ahead of him on the list (Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson) are WAY ahead and certain Hall of Famers. The other three (Mike Mussina, David Wells and Jamie Moyer) couldn’t pass the “smell test” if they carried Pedro Martinez around in a headlock.

Add to the 216 wins that Schilling’s win percentage is .597 and you’ve got, over the span of his career, a very good pitcher…not a great one.

Strikeouts. Schilling’s four years of 290-plus Ks are crazy good. Of the 13 pitchers with MORE than Schilling’s 3116, only Bert Blyleven is not in the Hall, while Unit, Clemens and Maddux will surely go in when the time comes. Consider that 1228 of his strikeouts came in the afore mentioned four 290-plus years, and that he’s only got ONE 200 K season outside of that…the 3116 seems kinda suspect.

What I’m saying is this…give me 12 to 15 years of 200 or more strikeouts and I’d be MORE impressed than Curt’s five years of 200-plus scattered over a twenty year span.

I liken to Schilling to Sandy Koufax…kinda. Both of their legend has been based on a handful of select years. Koufax, however, did his in consecutive years at the end of his career before he fell victim to an arthritic wing.

Schilling spread his out over a couple of decades.

He was a stud in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2004 (an 83-30 record and 1031 Ks)…but that was about it. You COULD make an argument that outside of the win/loss record (8-9), Schilling was on his way to a GREAT 2003 season before he got injured...which happened WAY too often.

Curt was, undoubtedly, MUCH better over the second half of his career compared to the first. Hell, he’d even agree to that and he doesn’t like ANY of the unfavorable press he gets!

Koufax, over his last four seasons, notched a 97-27 record and 1228 strikeouts. So, yeah, not EXACTLY the same, but Sandy had nearly 200 more innings pitched than Curt.

Watching Curt Schilling work, he carries himself like a sure-bet Hall of Famer who is winding down a great career…but so did Jack Morris. Putting him into perspective, he starts to come across like many of the pitchers that have made it into the Hall over the last 20 years…he’s a guy with some longevity, a handful of years of greatness and some postseason success. And that's not a TERRIBLE thing...just ask Don Sutton, Phil Niekro or Gaylord Perry.

Arguably, he wasn’t always the best pitcher on his staff and only a few times would he have been considered one of the most dominant pitchers in the league. He never brought home the hardware that Cooperstown LOVES to look at (a la Robin Yount’s TWO MVP awards), but he was solid. He has a respectable ERA (3.46) a couple of World Series rings and is a great character.

First ballot guy? Probably not. He’ll be competing with the likes of fellow fireballer Clemens as far as starting pitchers go. Take into account that there will be a slew of position players (Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Sammy Sosa and Mike Piazza) also vying for their enshrinement and it might take Schilling a while to get through the doors.

Let me know what you think…how does Schilling smell? Does he pass the test or just get tossed aside like some bloody, old sweatsock?!?