Just for Kids

With legendary sports figures such as Emmitt Smith, Keith Hernandez, and now Randy Johnson teaming up to represent graying men everywhere, these guys thought it was time to help out a younger generation. From the guys who brought you the Wiffleball gem, here is "Just for Kids"...

CC Sabathia Enters the Field of Dreams

This new Pepsi Max commercial is pretty great when you consider all of the legendary Hall of Famers hanging out. Together. In Iowa.

Maybe now that guy from the toy store will finally be schooled to who Mike Schmidt and Von Hayes are...



By the way, we are oh-so close to 1,500 Facebook "likes" -- when we reach that milestone, we'll randomly give away a sweet prize, so click that like button and suggest us to your baseball-loving buddies!

We Miss Randy Johnson

The Big Unit: an Oldie But a Goodie

Way to Go, Edwin Jackson!

Edwin Jackson just finished tossing the second no-hitter in Arizona Diamondbacks history, against his former team, the Tampa Bay [Devil] Rays.

It may have taken the right-hander 150 pitches through a sloppy performance that included eight walks and six strikeouts at Tropicana Field, but he shut down a tough Rays line-up by a score of 1-0. Adam LaRoche provided the offense with a solo shot in the top of the second off Jeff Niemann, who threw a two-hitter a couple weeks ago against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Big Unit Says Goodbye

Sure, we've had our fun with Randy Johnson in the past. It's hard not to poke fun at a guy who rocks a mullet, but we're sad to see him go. After 22 years in Major League Baseball, he's ready to hang up his cleats.

Johnson, 46 years old and the last of a dying breed of hurlers, announced his retirement during a conference call Tuesday evening after an injury-ridden season with the San Francisco Giants.

The Big Unit sits 22nd on the All-Time wins list with 303 and is second only to Nolan Ryan in career strikeouts. The five-time Cy Young Award winner -- four came in consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2002 with the Arizona Diamondbacks...

Continue reading and comment on this story at Sports Untapped.

The Big Unit's Bones Are Creaky, Wang Sucks

Randy Johnson is one of those guys with a voice so booming that when he tells a joke, it rarely gets more than a courtesy chuckle.

However, Tuesday night he managed to make a funny regarding his recent accident at the plate:

Obviously the first thing I thought is that I won’t be able to do my instructional hitting video.

zing!

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

VooDoo Sabermetrics: Randy Johnson

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our twelfth edition of VooDoo Sabermetrics. This week's All-Star is San Francisco Giants future Hall-of-Fame lefty Randy Johnson. We figured now was as good a time as any (is any time ever not the time to VooDoo?) considering he just captured his 300th career victory last Thursday.

Sooze, Babes Love Baseball

Jolliness - My goodness. Judging from the incredibly gay (gay as in festive, chipper and carefree) photo to your right, I'd say Randy Johnson is a pretty jolly guy. In fact, he seems down-right gleeful.

And why not? The guy has five Cy Young Awards, a perfect game, a no-hitter, ten strikeout crowns and as many All-Star selections, at least one win against every single big league team ever, and now 300 wins under his belt. If a career like that can't buy happiness, I don't know what would.

The Big Unit gets nine out of ten Billy Ray Cyruses on Sooze's incredibly fashionable Jollity Scale.

Mother Nature Makes Big Unit Wait

Some crappy weather left Nationals Park a sloppy mess Wednesday, with the game being called 3 1/2 hours after it's scheduled start. The make-up will be part of a double-header starting at 4:35pm ET this afternoon.

So, San Francisco Giants veteran Randy Johnson will be pitching on seven days rest when he looks for career victory #300 against youngster Jordan Zimmerman and the 13-36 Washington Nationals in the first of the twin bill.

Also? Check out Curt Schilling's take on The Big Unit's quest for his 300th win. Yeah, he still won't shut up.

Update: Johnson successfully attained victory #300 after spending five innings keeping the Nats to two hits on one unearned run. He threw 50 of his 78 pitches for strikes and faced just four batters above the minimum. Nice work.

[AP] | [Bats] | [With Leather]

Randy Johnson: Last of a Dying Breed

This Wednesday, San Francisco Giants lefty Randy Johnson will attempt to earn career victory #300. He will also land on MLB's endangered species list.

The 45-year-old future Hall of Famer, who's enjoying his 22nd year in the majors, will become just the 24th pitcher in the history of this great game to accomplish the feat. To put that into perspective, this guy has pitched from a big league hill longer than some of you have even been alive.

He began his career with the Montreal Expos, who are all but forgotten at this point. Yeah, it's been that long.

Continue reading this story at Fantasy Pros 911.

Almost There, Big Unit

San Francisco Giants veteran Randy Johnson notched career victory #299 Wednesday night with a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves to complete the three-game sweep.

The 45-year-old future Hall of Famer hurled six solid innings, surrendering just one run on three hits and no walks to even up his record at 4-4 with a 5.71 ERA. Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, fanned five batters, racking up his career total to 4,843 Ks, which just so happens to be the second-most in baseball history. Second only to Nolan Ryan. That's some pretty good company.

Stay tuned for the VooDoo Sabermetrics of The Big Unit, likely coming this June after he reaches #300, which might even happen when the Giants head to Washington for a three-game series against the Nationals on the 2nd. Piece of cake?

[SF Examiner] | [Sports Impact] | [Not the Baseball Pitcher]

Big Unit Returns to Seattle

During the first round of Interleague play this season, San Francisco Giants hurler Randy Johnson gets to face his former Seattle Mariners team (1989-1998) where he enjoyed one of his five Cy Young Awards in 1995.

Sadly, he could have been looking for big career victory #300, except the New York Mets clobbered him for seven runs on 11 hits in just four innings last Saturday in the Giants 9-6 loss.

Spring Fever: Vintage Unit

Randy Johnson looked anything but old on the mound Tuesday.

Wearing a San Francisco Giants uniform for the first time against his former Arizona Diamondbacks team, The Big Unit struck out seven over three scoreless innings, allowing just two singles and a walk. His slider -- a pitch he usually doesn't bust out into much later in exhibition -- seemed to be in tip-top shape, with 6 of his K's recorded with that toss.

Randy Johnson: Old and Full of Crap

Old schooler Randy Johnson, who joined the San Francisco Giants this winter, claims the elusive 300th win is not what made him return to baseball once again for the 2009 season.

"Winning 300 is important, but it is not the [sole] reason I am playing this game," he said.

Bologna.

The Big Unit needs only five more victories to reach the milestone, which only 17 other big leaguers have accomplished in the modern era. Most recently it was Tom Glavine in 2007, and before him Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens in '04 and '03, respectively.

Big Unit Ties Rocket in K's

Arizona Diamondbacks veteran Randy Johnson struck out nine San Francisco Giants to tie Roger Clemens for second-most in career strikeouts during Thursday night's 4-3 loss, but The Big Unit doesn't think it's that impressive.

Maybe that's because he's already been second on the all-time list, but dropped back down to third with The Rocket still pitching last season

"Strikeouts don't win you ballgames," he said after the game, "I can assure you that."


Yeah, but they sure do help.

The 44-year-old lefty retired the first nine batters he faced -- five by strikeout -- before giving up a Randy Winn homer to lead off the fourth. He's fanned 19 over his last two starts for a total of 4,672 strikeouts, exiting last night's game to a standing ovation and a 3-2 lead after seven solid innings.

Johnson trails only Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan's 5,714 career punchouts.

[AZ Snakepit]

Mullets Are Hilarious

Maybe hilarious isn't the word. Frightening...maybe?

Read how the Big Unit did Sunday afternoon during his home debut against the San Diego Padres:

[AZ Snakepit]

The Oldest Mullet in Baseball Returns

After an eight-month rehab-fest, Randy Johnson defied all odds for a man his age Monday night, striking out seven batters in the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

The Big Unit, who is still kicking with 284 career victories, lasted five innings without allowing an earned run, walking four and serving up three hits and three unearned runs before the Giants rallied with a little help from the D'Backs relief corps.

The fact that man can still throw a baseball at any velocity after two back surgeries just blows my mind.

[Associated Press]

Randy Johnson: Get Off My Lawn!

Randy Johnson, feeling better than ever, will make his very first Spring Training start today.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ veteran lefty will pitch two innings against the Colorado Rockies after recovering from his second back operation in as many years. Johnson went 4-3 with a 3.81 ERA in just 10 starts for the D'Backs last season, before undergoing his second back surgery.

Manager Bob Melvin asked the Rockies to use a designated hitter so the 44-year-old Big Unit would’t have to bat, and the team agreed. Sissy.

[SI.com]

Melvin Optimistic on Big Unit's Return

Yes, Randy Johnson still plans on returning for the 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks season. I know. He's older than dirt.

But apparently the 44-year-old veteran lefty has "the arm of a 25-year-old"... or so claims his skipper, Bob Melvin.

After undergoing surgery on his back this past July, it seems Johnson has recovered nicely. He's been playing catch lately and is expected to throw from a mound shortly before pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 15th.

Following a slow start to his 2007 season, the Big Unit had a sweet stretch from May 15th to June 10th, going 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA, fanning 42 batters and walking just four. However, he was limited to just 56.2 innings before his mid-season operation. That Big Unit would be a pretty huge asset to the D'Backs rotation next year.

Strikeout artist Brandon Webb will kick things off on Opening Day, and if Johnson is healthy enough, Melvin may slide him into the #2 spot, followed by newly-acquired right-hander Dan Haren, lefty Doug Davis and 25-year-old righty Micah Owings.

[MLB]

My Achin' Back: Volume Eleventeen

Randy Johnson is having another season-ending back surgery, but says he still plans on returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks staff for Spring Training "when he's healthy."

Which will probably be never?