Arizona's Randy Johnson gave up three homers to the Brewers as Milwaukee took a 7-1 lead and hung on for an 8-6 triumph.
Johnson has lost six straight starts and is winless in eight.
So this begs the question: Why isn't anyone saying he should just retire? Just go away?
Why is no one saying The Big Unit is selfish, for continuing to pitch in order to chase a personal milestone? (Johnson is 12 wins shy of 300, and is adding to his strikeout totals.)
Wasn't he "selfish" for wanting out of Arizona after the '04 season? Johnson wanted to pitch for a contender, an AL club so that he would have a better chance to join the 300-win club.
And the Diamondbacks did him a favor by bringing him back for the 2007 season, after he'd flopped in the Big Apple (much like Kevin Brown).
The facts are there: The D-Backs, trying to win the NL West for the second straight season, started out on fire in 2008 but now are just a .500 team (42-42 after Tuesday's loss).
- B/R Ticket Guide
Johnson, having lost six straight, appears washed up. He has a 5.46 ERA this season. (Wasn't Shawn Chacon going to the bullpen anyway if he hadn't attacked Ed Wade, because he was slumping?)
In three of the last four starts, including Tuesday, Johnson gave up at least seven runs each time.
So, basically Johnson is taking up a spot in the rotation which could be given to a more effective pitcher out there.
Yet, again, I don't hear people saying he should do everyone a favor and just retire.
But with or without steroids, everyone was bashing Barry Bonds.
People pointed to Bonds' "low" home run total (28) from last year without realizing that the San Francisco Giants offered the home run king very little protection in the lineup. They all laughed at his "low" RBI total (66).
Bonds was thus walked a high number of times (132), so hitting 28 homers in 340 at-bats is actually an awesome feat.
So how could anyone say Bonds is washed up?
The home run king even hit for a .276 average.
(By the way, there's a clown out in Cincinnati who hit .277 with 30 homers last year, almost the same numbers as Bonds, but did so in 528 at-bats and slumped big time in the second half of 2007--yet that Red isn't scrutinized. Go figure.)
Okay, attitude.
Bonds, as most people will say, is a jerk. Selfish. Et cetera.
And Johnson isn't, for wanting out of Arizona because the D-Backs were a non-contender in the mid-2000s?
People will have you believe, Bonds is washed up with those "bad" stats.
And Johnson is having great numbers now?
Bonds is only interested in padding his stats, say the naysayers.
And Johnson isn't?
We've got a lot of hypocritical fans out there, for sure...
So, Johnson should be in the bigs. Oh, okay, I see. I guess if the D-Backs, who are just 2 1/2 games ahead of the sub-.500 Dodgers, miss the playoffs, then I'll appreciate this even more.
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5 months ago
Wow!
Let's see. Bonds is a steroid using jerk who cheated his way to just about every milestone he ever reached.
Randy Johnson is a hard working, hard-throwing jerk who has pitched successfully in both leagues for 20 years.
Ya, I can see why a team would want a guy like Johnson on their team. You can say he flopped in NY but really, he won 17 games each year he was there. The guy eats up innings too! He averages 232 innings a year. That is the type of quality that saves your bullpen. On top of all of that, he still strikes guys out at a much higher rate than most pitchers.
Of course all of that is purely justification as to why Josh Byrnes brings him back to AZ (of course much of this decision was based on pandering to the "old school" Dback fans who were disheartened when Gonzalez and Counsell were forced out). The reality of the situation is that Johnson is old and won't be able to throw 200 innings every year and will probably require a few days off here and there. He's not going to strike out 20 again. All of that being said, in only 56 innings in 2007, he struck out 72 guys! Please tell me where we can find another pitcher who can do that that will come cheap. This season his command has suffered and his WHIP has ballooned by half a point but he still goes out and puts up a decent performance. To say he is struggling would be a criticism of the entire team. Even Webb hasn't been dominant his last few starts.
While Johnson may have been roughed up tonight against Milwaukee, he pitched 6 innings and only allowed 2 runs against the Red Sox, threw a complete game in a 7-run blowout to save the pen in Minnesota, and been the victim of poor defense in 3 of his last 6 losses. The Dbacks put up one of the worst-fielding teams in baseball behind him and they tend to play atrociously when he is on the mound.
You may want to hate on Johnson but it is unfounded. Despite tonight, he will come back after the All Star break and pitch well. He needs some rest and pitching in the number 4 spot with Micah Owings performing so poorly is not providing him with the rest he needs.
from 5 months ago
Glenn...my memory is a little fuzzy, please remind me:
How did Bonds cheat his way to his first 3 MVPs, his 500 stolen bases, and his 8 Gold Gloves?
5 months ago
To be honest, I didn't think Johnson would even come back after last season—I thought he was done because of his back.
I am impressed that he's kept going though, and his strikeout totals have always been astronomical, but I'm not sure how much he has left.
That being said, I think he's kind of getting a bad rap. Yes he's lost six straight (eight straight of his starts have been losses for the team though), but last night was the first time the D'Backs scored more than three runs in support of him. Should they have to score more than three every time? No. But this needs to happen a little more frequently if Arizona hopes to stay in contention.
As far as the slowed production, he may have just had his body give way at the wrong point in the year when he didn't expect it to. He may not be selfish, but more just determined to try and work through his recent struggles and see if it isn't just a phase, or if this really could be the end of the line. I'm interested to see where this goes and whether the problem can amend itself or not, but I do agree that retirement is an option for Johnson—sooner rather than later, win number 300 or not.
BT
5 months ago
KP,
You really seem to be making shit up out of thin air. Who are these "people" that claim Barry Bonds is washed-up and can't hit anymore? Are they credible people? Cite a handful of them for us, please. I've never heard of these "people" before. Yet you seem to imply that they're everywhere.
Ken Griffey Jr. isn't scrutinized? You obviously don't live in Cincinnati.
Oh, and what makes you so certain that Johnson only continues to pitch for "selfish" reasons - namely, to achieve personal milestones? Do you think that maybe the fact that Arizona offered him THIRTEEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR to continue pitching had anything to do with his decision? He'd be more retarded than you to turn down that kind of an offer.
You're full of a lot of shit, buddy.
from 5 months ago
People that post blogs like to bash Barry Bonds, and the media as well - so that's the comment about Bonds. No, they are not credible, so I had to mention Bonds had a good season last year to prove my point.
5 months ago
I like Johnson more than Bonds, personally, fyi. I think there's more demand for a 40+ pitcher than a 40+ hitter. And while Johnson is a shadow of his former self, I'm not sure the D'backs have another impressive pitcher they could throw into that rotation. Isn't Max Scherzer injured??
Do you have another starter who they should use?
4 months ago
I think people are forgetting that Randy is pitching for the Dbacks. Usually he is in the end of the rotation, and with that is our second string fielders. Consistently, for the most part, we see high strike out totals on Randy's part with maybe a few home runs if it's a bad game. The team that plays behind him forgets who he is. They forget that he is a great pitcher and he needs to be backed up by a professional team, not the little league that goes out when he's on the mound. Another reason Randy isn't winning... Robby Hammock. Robby caught his perfect game, so obviously there is some good chemistry going on between the two. Until his last start, on Sunday I believe, Randy had been winless since May 18th. I can understand saying he is a bit washed up at that point. Come Sunday, Robby catches for Randy, and they produce a win. I think we need to start blaming idiot Bob Melvin for Randy's lack of success. Randy is not washed up, he may be padding those strikeout stats, but if you still have it, why not use it.
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