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Randy Randy Randy Randy Randy Randy Randy Randy Randy

Says Larry Stone, along with a host of others who aren't as awesome as Larry Stone:

Randy Johnson will throw out first pitch at home opener April 12, the M's just announced

I know the feelings around Randy in Seattle don't quite match up with the feelings around Junior, but these are going to be thirty loud-ass seconds. I would've loved to bring Randy in as a 2010 starting pitcher, but given the circumstances, I'll take anything I can get, and this is just perfect. By giving us all an opportunity to express our appreciation, and by not drawing it out any longer than necessary...I can't think of a better compromise.

1 recs  |  206 comments

Comments

This is going to be amazing.
God I hope i can get tickets

I will always love Randy most of all for ’95 and the one-game playoff.

Mr. Snappy over the head of Kruk was one of the reasons why I loved Randy.

Plus, it was great watching him develop over the years.

Well this almost guarantees that I will be at the game.

When do tickets go on sale?

I finally get to see him throw a pitch in a Mariners uniform!
I wonder what number will be on that jersey.
Me too!
I hope he grows out an especially nasty mullet in time for this.

Don’t let me down, Randy!

That shit takes time yo!
I saw Randy

at the SF Starbucks about 2 weeks ago. He had an exceptionally nasty mullet in effect. He honestly looked like a transient street panhandler.

That would be

The biggest, scariest panhandler I could possibly imagine.

“Real Change? How about some real heat!?

Boom. Dead pigeon.

I want to rec the Mariners for this.
I have goosebumps just reading that story

Go Randy!

Too bad my Mariners hat with sewn-in Randy Johnon mullet doesn't fit me anymore.

:(

This is wonderful news, though.

Quick, procreate!
You can cut the seam in the back and add more hair
Damn smart move by the team. This will get the stadium rocking.
Does this indicate that he will go to the HOF as a Mariner?
I think it's up to the HOF committee.

Dawson said recently he was disappointed he was going in as an Expo. He wanted to go in as a Cub.

I'd be surprised if he didn't go in as a Diamondback

He won a World Series ring and WS MVP with Arizona so I’d be really surprised if the committee wouldn’t put him in as a Diamondback. He won four of his five MVP’s with them. He threw a similar number of games with Arizona. I’m not even sure what argument I’d use to convince someone he should go in as an M…he almost went to he World Series with the Mariners? He learned how to pitch as a Mariner? I loved him more as a Mariner?

I guess the best argument is that he helped save baseball in Seattle. Does the committee considers such things?

I think Junior will be the first player to enter the hall as an M. Then Edgar (unfortunately I think this will take a while). Then Ichiro.

If it was up to him, I imagine he'd want to go in as a Mariner.

Don’t know how much of an influence his opinion will have on the HOF’s decision, but there it is.

None.

The reason the HOF gets to decide what cap a player wears is that in 2001, there were allegations that Wade Boggs was going to be paid by the Devil Rays to “choose” to wear the Devil Rays cap in the HOF. So the HOF took the decision out of the hands of the player.

Which led to Dawson going in as an Expo,

which he is not pleased about.

The Baseball Hall of Fame said it considers the wishes of an inductee but that the choice of the logo on each plaque must be emblematic of where the player made his greatest impact.

“The Hall clearly stated their major concern is the history of the game, and that’s what really played into their decision,” Dawson said. "I’m disappointed. I can probably say that, because Chicago was my preference.
It could be argued that Randy made a considerable impact on Seattle

Though he may not have had the years of dominance, there is no denying is presence here was felt. If he genuinely asks to be in as a Mariner, the chances are not small.

Also

There’s something to be said for where a player establishes himself. Randy rose to dominance in Seattle, and for that reason, many people (even non-Seattle fans) will always remember him as a Mariner.

I feel this was also a factor with the Dawson Hall debate (though he was also better as an Expo).

I thought it was the Dave Winfield thing that got it going.

His feud with George Steinbrenner is what led him to refuse a Yankee cap.

I'm looking at the 2010 schedule,

and trying to figure out who our (home) opening day starter might be. Is it likely going to be our #4 starter? It sucks that we open on the road for the second straight year. A home opener with Felix and Cliff pitching back to back would certainly sell out the stadium two games in a row. :(

Exactly why I'm going to Oakland.
Edgar and Buhner have to be there too!

Get those four together again? Can we finally start fucking retiring jersey numbers soon too? Edgar is due.

My understanding was no number will be retired unless the player is in the Hall of Fame.
Or close to election

I’m pretty sure they’ll retire Edgar’s number once he hits 60% of the ballot or so

I hope they show it on TV

for those of us not cool enough to make it to the game.

I think it's time to plan a trip back to Seattle.
Seriously if I had extra money I'd be doing this right now.
I don't, but am looking up prices anyways.
Hmm, only a 300$ flight + game ticket?

What do I want more, food or this?

Food is common and available every day.

Randy Johnson throwing out the first pitch is not.

You make a compelling argument.
Plus they have food at the ballpark!
You can fill up on relish and chopped onions!
Also, be sure to check under empty seats for leftovers!
You'd be surprised how many people don't even eat the second halves of their hot dogs.

You can get a good two or three chunks off the end without even touching where they bit.

And think of all the leftover nachos.

that ‘cheese’ never goes bad.

Those of us who live in Seattle...

Should start a hostel (is that the word I’m looking for) for people visiting from out of town on low budgets.

Yes

Yes, that is the right word, yes you should do that, and yes you should also provide transportation somehow.

Are there 9 Randy's in the title in order to indicate a CG SHO?
Nine Randys in the mix!
Raaaaaaaaandy
Rkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkndy
Since it won't be Felix or Lee days, maybe they could sign him for a 1 day contract and let him throw the first inning (game)?
Hooray!
He's also throwing out the next 90 pitches of the home opener.....Oh how I wish.
I wish this was last year.

Silva? Uuuuugh…

Maybe he'll throw one

And say, “Hey, this feels pretty good. Just start sending out A’s batters and I’ll let you know when I’m done.” They can sign the contract between innings.

And maybe he won’t be done until October….

Stop intruding on my wet dreams please
I may have to fly out for this
Blasphemy, not driving?
I'm debating driving down to Oakland for Opening Day then heading over to SLC that Saturday for the Sounders game

But I really dont think I can kill 4 days in that area.

There are plenty of amazing places to visit in between Oakland and SLC.
Winnemucca!
Elko!
I was thinking more like Tahoe.
Northern California in itself is amazing.
Elko is actually pretty nice
It's no Ely

but then that’s where my mom was born so I would say that.

I should have added that I have done most of the stuff in that area and the stuff that I haven't would be accessible in Early April.
Go climb this mountain.

Mt Wheeler is a day hike from where you park and it is a beautiful vista.

I've wanted to do Mt Whitney for a while now but seems like a more reasonable alternative.
I thought you wanted to do Mt. Carlson...
I would recommend the Red Iguana, but you don't eat human food.
If you need a place to crash in Oakland let me know.
Thanks I'll keep that in mind.
If you are serious about this, facebook me.
I have class and wouldn't have time for 44 hours of driving

That I would consider flying shows how much I want to go

"If he throws a strike, maybe we'll leave him in there,'' joked team president Chuck Armstrong.

It’s not a joke Chuck!

From the comments section in Larry Stone's post:
Glad to hear this, it will give me an opportunity to BOO him for quiting on the Mariners. He was an incredible pitcher, but not the best of persons. Anybody that absolutely doesn’t try for one team while throwing 91-92 mph tops on his fastball to suddenly throwing 98-99 mph fastballs after his trade to Houston doesn’t deserve to be honored.

I have heard countless stories of his attitude off the field and refusing to autographs or even take pictures. Hope he enters Cooperstown in a Diamondback uniform.

Sigh…

He'll probably be the only person in the stadium booing.
Wont be booing for long

Someone will knock his ass out

I'm guessing this person won't even be at the game.
I'd say that they are probably safer if they aren't.
I sort of get where he's coming from

because it did seem like he dogged it at the beginning of the season for the M’s and then turned it on for the Astros. But I still have love for Randy because of 1995 and his no hitter. He was the most feared pitcher during his time period here. I always enjoyed watching his starts.

There's a USSM post about this

written, I think, by DMZ a long time ago.

It's here

Refuting the Randy Johnson quit on us canard.

there’s no evidence that Randy Johnson tanked in order to get traded, and there’s a preponderance of evidence that he was trying to pitch well but could not manage to do it consistently.

Thansk for the link

Obviously perception is not reality. Plus, as you get farther away from something your perception can change. If he really wanted to be traded, it would have made way more sense for him to pitch consistently well so that teams would be interested in trading for him.

Me too.

I’ve kind of relegated Randy to ex boyfriend status; The one who broke up with me and I was really pissed at him for a while, but now I wish him well and just remember the good stuff and why I loved him in the first place.

Unlike the guys who still boo ARod

Who are the ex-boyfriends who are secretly certain that their ex is now with someone who is richer, better looking, and has a much larger penis. (Which is to say average-sized.)

Screw you.

I’ll boo Rodriguez until the day he’s out of baseball.

I'm sure you will
God damn right, wandergeist.
I still boo Alex because I seem to remember him saying it wasn't about the money, but was about going to a winner.

In a way, 2001 was poetic justice for Alex. And I was more and more happy with every Texas loss.

I felt that way about Griffey for awhile, after he left

I felt a little hurt when he demanded the trade to Cinci, but as the years went by and I got older, I understood where he was coming from better. The sting eventually wore off, and the homecoming ceremony when the Reds came to Safeco in 2008 was very special. I definitely smiled when he signed with the team in 2009, and as long as his playing time is minimal in 2010, the good feelings will remain.

Someone tell him that if it weren't for Randy leaving, we wouldn't have Felix.
The Kid, Randy & ARod

I can’t stand any of these guys and will NEVER go to a game where there is even a chance they may play. If it’s Bone or Edgar… I’d go in a heartbeat. Both were class acts. I don’t forget the way Jr. left Seattle the first time and there is no room for forgiveness. Randy is an ass who left on very bad terms. AFraud is a selfish narcissistic who sets the bar for all others.

Uhh...
Randy is an ass who left on very bad terms.

 After the team told him they didn’t want to re-sign him essentially because he was over the hill and had a bad back.

Wait, he wasn't over the hill when he left the Mariners?

I didn’t really pay attention to him after he left.

You didn't really miss much.
You are not smart
Snappy response Poochie

In this instance, it only matters that I’m right. I remember RJ lobbing crap to force a trade… only to turn into Walter Johnson with the Astros days after the deal. Remember that the great 2001 team set records WITHOUT RJ, the Kid or PayRod. Sorry I value loyalty.

You might remember that.

But you’d be wrong, ergo, you’re not right.

You "value loyalty"

And you follow baseball?

x
RJ lobbing crap to force a trade

It is very hard to run a FIP in the mid 3s if you’re lobbing crap, and it’s counter productive to play poorly if you are trying to force a trade. You may want to check your memory and get your facts correct.

The 2001 Mariners squad was composed of free agents who forewent loyalty to their original teams in order to sign bigger contracts with Seattle.
You know not of which you speak sir
I'm convinced algionfriddo is Chuck Armstrong.
Yes, I hope I can get opening day tickets now!
Baseball makes me so happy.
This is a very, very good way to start a season we are all so hopeful for.
Robin?

It’s Randy..

I'll bet anything Dave Niehaus is going to have so much fun with this.
Chuck Armstrong should catch!
without a mask!
You know what has always pissed me off?

Its when fucking New Yorkers talk about how Randy couldn’t handle pitching for the Yankees. Sure Randy didn’t pitch up to his standards (3.78/4.27 FIP’s in 05 and 06) during his time in the big apple. But jesus christ the 2005 and 2006 yankees came in deadlast in team UZR both years. I’m sorry if his era wasn’t good enough for you assholes. Randy should have just quit in June of 05 when they trotted Gary Sheffield, Matsui, and the corpse of Bernie Williams into the outfield and told him to pitch.

It actually makes me happy that New York fans hate him.

If he succeeded as a Yankee, New York fans would love him and the Yankees would be part of his legacy. Having one of the best pitchers of all time be a Mariner and D-Back through and through is something I take pride in.

And with this post I realized that the moment he retired, I forgot he was ever a Giant.

He was obviously an Astro too, but few people even remember that.

I like this quote from the Seattle Times story about the announcement
Alan called me back immediately and said Randy said yes immediately as well," Armstrong said. "He said Randy was psyched and honored to get the invitation, and was looking forward to connecting with you guys (the Mariners) now that his playing days are over. A very important part of his career was as a Mariner, and he hopes he stays connected the rest of his life.

Here’s the link.

Oh man

Reading this just makes me feel like a kid again.

If only he still felt like pitching I think he totally would have signed here. >:(
I wonder if he would like to work with Mariners the way Buhner does.

I know in the past that Jay would go down and be a spring training consultant/coach. How great would it be to have Randy come in and help our pitchers during spring training.

Randy's always been known as a people person
I dunno.

His spats with the media are well known and he wears his emotions on his sleeve, but he’s always struck me as being misunderstood. I remember a handful of stories growing up about him being pretty cool to fans around here.

I gather that (like many people) he is full of contradictions

good to some, mean to some

That's it I think

Randy was kind of an asshole when I met him, but that was because he had to take a piss.

Which is why

Men with enlarged prostates are the biggest assholes of all.

Me too, well like a 20 year old again.
I was just going to say that nothing that starts from the fact that Randy Johnson is retired will ever make me feel like a kid.

But I get it, you know?
My first vivid memory of Randy was the big brawl against the Brewers in Milwaukee just after the trade; not sure if he’d pitched for the M’s yet or not. KSTW showed the bullpen guys trotting onto the field to take part, with one oversize guy among them. Then it panned back to the action as Dave Valle was trying to kill Bill Spiers or pre-Mariner Chris Bosio… and then another wide shot where you could see Randy with two Brewers in head locks. There are many, many things that I desperately wish I had GIFs of…. but that’s pretty close to #1.

Terry Francona!
Really? He was on the team, but was he involved?

The M’s always used to fight the brewers, for some reason, but one was started when Spiers spiked Valle at the plate. I guess he made the last out, because as the trainers were still tending to Valle, Bosio and his catcher came out and started to warm up, tossing the pitches basically right next to Valle and the trainers. Hilarity ensued.
Yes, that must’ve been it…. that fight happened on May 28th 1989, just three days after the trade. But they had a huge fight the next year, and apparently two fights in one day in spring training in 1989.

Yeah

I’m having trouble finding the link I had a few weeks ago, but Randy came storming out from the bullpen, grabbed Francona, and punched him in the face.

I am amazing

Ellensburg Daily Record!

Don't mess with me. I will take your life.

One of the best quotes from that story. I might have found a new signature.

Ok, I REALLY need a GIF of this.

Such a punchable face.

six teams considering wang

…..opening for Johnson

How difficult would it be to get Dan Wilson to Safeco on April 12?
I dunno .... he'd have to drive all the way from Montlake.

I’m not sure he could make it in time …

He doesn't live there anymore last I heard.
They may have moved from Montlake, but the family is back in Seattle
I didn't realize he ever left the stadium

I’m pretty sure Randy Adamack keeps him in a human-sized birdcage in his office.

He was set free for a brief time

to alight in New Hampshire.

But he flew back.

Has anyone ever figured out Randy Johnson's career WAR yet?

It has to be high like more than a lot.

I'm sure he broke 100 WAR.
+91.8, per one source

http://www.baseballprojection.com/war/top500p.htm

Only?

I just did a super-scientific count by looking at Randy’s ERA+ for each year, and estimating what his corresponding WAR would have been. I had him as being just over 100.

Wow!

More than Nolan Ryan and Christy Mathewson? Amazing.

Bert Blyleven was only worth ~1.7 wins less than Randy Johnson.
Randy Johnson 1995 season: 2.08 FIP.

Zack Greinke put up a 2.33 last year, for reference. The lowest FIP season by Greg Maddux was 2.26. The lowest by Roger Clemens was 2.17.

That being said, dear God, Pedro Martinez’s FIP in 1999 was 1.39.

Yeah and in 1999

You had 29 hitter put up 400+ wOBA’s

Pedro dominated some incredible Mariner offenses during that era.

On the other hand, I remember in 2005 when the Mariners’ motley crew of Jeremy Reed, Mike Morse, Dave Hansen, and Jose Lopez ganged up on him for an M’s victory. I thought with a world-beating nucleus like that, the squad had a very bright future ahead of themselves.

That game was amazing
I was there!
So was I

I arrived late — just in time to see buckets of balls flying out of the dugout. I had to ask people around me what was going on. Once Sexson was ejected, Bloomquist was playing 3rd and Hansen was playing 1st. Not exactly a lineup to inspire confidence against Pedro.

Later, when Morse got an RBI and a run the Mets fans (?) in front of me were asking who the hell he was (he’d just been called up a couple of weeks earlier); I called him “a throw-in in the Freddy Garcia trade.” At the time (with Reed also looking good) that made it sound like even the small parts in that trade had paid off big-time, but as it turns out that’s pretty much Morse in his entirety.

I was late too!

I-5 was down to one lane!!

On my way to finding out when I can buy tickets for this game...

… I ran across what might be the most ridiculously terrifying/awesome thing I’ve ever seen:

... sorry, here it is.

Amazing

If I were still in college I'd be all about using this as a phone board for a crank call.
Screw it I'm calling Robert.
I think the Smiles one is the best/worst.
What
You don't remember this from the epic 1/7 off topic post?

msb found this gem.

I rarely get to keep up with the offtops

To me, this is fresh!

Is there away to keep these in the sidebar?
So you're not reading everything we say in those?

My god…it’s both liberating and terrifying.

We’re making fools of ourselves on the Internet for you.

I will eventually read everything

I just can’t keep up-to-date in real time.

This is so two weeks ago
This is the greatest/worse thing ever.
Unbelievable

There’s something hugely appropriate about Rick Rizzs faking interest in your well-being.

If you're feeling down, there's nothing better to pick you up than a great plate of pasta!

NOTHING

This is by far the best one on there.

Smiles are like an investment. Pass ‘em on, and you’ll be the richest person on the face of the Earth!

I meant the pasta one.
Ichiro should take off his 51 jersey and loan it to Randy for the pitch

Not that the jersey would fit, but it would make for a sappy moment.

Randy should just wear

51 first bitches! jersey.

Ichiro's jersey on RJ

Would look like a trailer trash tube top.

That's just disturbing.
I am surprised no one here out of all places have mentioned the pun that is Randy Johnson's name.
There's a pun?

In his name? That we didn’t exhaust fifteen years ago?

Can’t we move on from prepubescent humor and just talk about pitchers? Because I understand several teams have expressed an interest in Wang.

Sexual puns using the names of MLB players is the lowest form of humor.
But...but...

Fister!

I think people are just irked they didn't think of it first.
I don't even know her!
So can we get a whole section somewhere in the stands

To all arrive wearing rally mullets?

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