Reports of the 300-Game Winner's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

With Randy Johnson’s 300th win on Thursday night, sports columns and radio shows are rampart with the speculation that he may be the last 300 game winner for the foreseeable future, if ever. At first glance, they seem correct – 46 year old Jamie Moyer is the next closest with 250 wins. Other prime pitchers seem too old with too few wins: Andy Pettitte (220 wins; 37 years old); Pedro Martinez (214; 37); Roy Halladay (140; 32); Roy Oswalt (131; 31); CC Sabathia (122; 28)

But, when looking at the history of 300 game winners since 1982, when Gaylord Perry became the first to reach the mark in nearly 20 years, hope begins to emerge. Even Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez, who may seem near the end of their careers at 37, has more wins than Randy Johnson did at that age, and also more than Phil Niekro.

To be sure, Randy Johnson and Phil Niekro were quite a bit behind the power curve compared to other 300 game winners of the era, but they made it. Their careers also started later than other 300 game winners, perhaps allowing for them to pitch further into their 40s as well. But, when one looks at some of the younger pitchers, there are a few promising candidates. Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt both are on pace with at least 3 other 300 game winners, as are Mark Buehrle, Johan Santana and Barry Zito.

Just from the perspective of wins vs. age, the best candidate is CC Sabathia, who has 122 wins at 28 years of age. That would put him ahead of the pace for Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro and Gaylord Perry. Indeed, the only recent 300 game winners he is not ahead of are Greg Maddux and Tom Seaver.

To be sure, he, and any of the others are still a long way away from the mark, need to stay healthy and need continued success. It may seem like a long shot for any of these pitchers to reach that mark. But it most have seemed like a long shot in 2000 when 36 year old Randy Johnson wrapped up his 13th major league season still more than 20 games short of 200 wins.

Trivia for the Night

Going into tonight's game, the Cubs and Dodgers have met 2,024 times. The series is tied 1,012 - 1,012. They had never met in a post season game.

BoooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggggg!

For baseball fans, this is the most boring day of the season. The only day from opening day to the playoffs when there is no baseball going on. (ok, the day before the All-Star Game doesn't have a game either, but it has the home run derby and the general anticipation of the All-Star Game)

So, for those bored baseball fans, you might want to check out the "UniWatch" column over at ESPN.com. This is an interesting column if you haven't seen it before, going into all sorts of interesting history of uniforms and noticing minute details that no one else ever would. They go a bit overboard today in their description of seemingly every single incident in All-Star games where someone wears the wrong team's helmet to bat, but overall it's an interesting and fun column.

Great Story and a Bad Format

Every time I'm ready to give up on the Home Run Derby something like this happens. For those who didn't catch the action Monday, I recommend reading accounts from those more eloquent than me (like Jayson Stark or Peter Gammons), but here is the reader's digest version:

- Josh Hamilton, derailed from a baseball career by drug and alcohol addiction, gets himself straightened out and re-instated in baseball. His second year back, he makes the All-Star game and is invited to hit in the home run derby

- Each player brings their own person to pitch to them. Josh decides to bring a volunteer coach Craig Council from his home town who pitched batting practice to him in his hometown. Josh had told him when he was a teenager that if he made it to the home run derby he'd have Council be his pitcher. Council is now 71. (and by the way, the one other time in his life Council was at Yankee stadium, it was for Don Larsen's perfect game in the World series)

- Josh then proceeds to hit 28 home runs in the first round alone, including 3 500ft+. He hits 35 home runs total, but loses out in the final round.

It is a great story and was fantastic to watch. But that last sentence highlights what is so annoying about the home run derby. Hamilton hit 13 more home runs than the winner, but lost because he tired out hitting so many in the first round and the total is wiped clean for the final round.

This three-round set up has got to stop. I imagine the score is reset going into the finals is meant to build the tension, but I've never seen tension build. The best part of the derby is the first round when everyone is fresh. By the time the final round comes, everyone knows the guys are tired and someone who can squeak out 5 home runs will win. Since 2000, only half the time is the person who hits the most home runs actually the winner.

Perhaps the format is also supposed to introduce some "strategy" into the competition. Please. This is a home run derby - people want to see it belted out and belted often and far. Fans don't want to see players ease up in the first round so they can hit more later. If Josh had stopped at 15 when he was safely in the next round, he would have gotten booed.

So, Baseball: split it up however you like, different rounds based on outs or number of home runs hit, eliminate players as you go along or don't. I don't care. Just make one rule very simple: He who hits the most home runs wins.


P.S. - Oh, and get rid of the State Farm people injecting themselves into the middle of the thing. I'm glad they're sponsoring it and helping the Boys and Girls Clubs out. Plaster the logo, hand out the trophy, whatever, but don't have a State Farm guy "hand out the first ball" to Reggie Jackson to "throw out the first pitch" (of a home run derby???) and don't have a dippy fan-participation promotion before the final round. OK, I'm done. Really.