Randy Johnson and His Forgotten Legacy

Sitting in Section 141 of Chase Field last night, I got the opportunity to see, firsthand, just how the Big Unit has fallen.

After giving up seven runs to the Brewers' offense in three-and-two-thirds innings, manager Bob Melvin pulled the Big Unit from the game. As Randy Johnson was walking off the field with his head down, fans were applauding the future Hall of Famer.

At least some people remember his legacy and choose to recognize it.

Randy Johnson is one of the greatest strikeout pitchers of all time. He has a career total of 4,698 strikeouts, which ranks second all time to Nolan Ryan. Johnson also has the most strikeouts in a game by a left-hander. In both June and August of 1998, Johnson fanned 19 batters in a single game.

The Big Unit is known for his spectacular velocity. In his prime, most notably his 2001 World Series Championship with the Diamondbacks, Johnson consistently clocked his pitches at 100 mph. Even now, at age 44, his fastball has been clocked at 96-98 mph. Last night, though, his fastball was clocked in the mid-80s.

As Johnson said in his postgame interview, "Velocity is a luxury. I don't have the same velocity. But location is a necessity in pitching, and I haven't had any of that."

It goes without saying that Johnson has struggled recently.

The Big Unit's ERA has crept up to a bloated 5.46 after last night's debacle. It was the third time in Johnson's last four starts that he has given up seven earned runs or more. Johnson has also lost six straight decisions.

I hear the loud argument against Johnson. He's old. He's ineffective. He's not helping his team. I hear it, and I understand.

Randy Johnson is frustrated. As he was leaving to the applauding crowd last night he tossed his glove over the dugout to a kid in the front row. It was a very unusual move, but I can feel his aggravation.

If anybody wants to be a pitcher at the major-league level, they need to be able to contribute and be effective. Who would want a pitcher to come out once every five days just to surrender five runs in five innings?

Recently, Randy Johnson has neither contributed nor been effective. It may seem to some that he is simply kept on the team to increase ticket sales.

That may be the case, but the Big Unit deserves more respect than he is getting.

The next time you feel yourself tempted to call Johnson out and criticize him for being "selfish" and not retiring, put yourself in his shoes. He is frustrated and he knows his career is almost over. He just wants to end it on a good note.

Who knows? Maybe a new glove is all he needs to get back on track.