Big Unit Ready for Action

It took a while, but Randy Johnson looks like he's ready to start the season. In his final Spring Training start, Johnson pitched six scoreless innings on Thursday. He allowed one hit, one walk and picked up eight strikeouts against the regulars for the Atlanta Braves.

While Johnson would normally have started next Tuesday's pre-season game against the Red Sox, he will throw against Yankee farmhands instead. Johnson is scheduled to pitch in the Opening Night match-up against David Wells and the Red Sox and Joe Torre didn't want Boston to get a preview of his pitching.

Mmm...baseball, coming so soon.

Photo by Kathy Willens/AP

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By tien mao on March 25, 2005 9:21 AM

Comments [rss]

sp

hey joe, methinks the fact that youre drawing a particular meaning from the Big Unit's nickname shows YOUR latent desires more than anyone else's. not that theres anything wrong with that ;)

heres the origin of his nickname:

During batting practice one day in 1988, 6'10" Montreal Expos pitcher Randy Johnson collided head-first with Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim: "You're a big unit!" The nickname stuck.

Some time later, however, Johnson was apprised of the fact that his new moniker was often misconstrued. "I've had people say, 'Maybe it's not such a good nickname for kids to be wondering about,'" he once explained. "Come on, get your mind out of the gutter!"

well said, Unit.

ed209

Let's show some love for the other 28 or whatever number teams that are not named the Yankees or Red Sox. Sheesh man, I just hope a team liek the Devil Rays give you big market teams a nice spanking...on the field, that is.

Tim N.

Your lips are moving, I cannot hear

Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear

See you in October, RSN

joe

i've said it before and i'll say it again – is it me, or is there something unbelievably gay about calling this guy "the big unit"? sports fans and writers, in their never-ending desire to sound tough, cool, and "very inside", have unwittingly come up with a real homoerotic nickname. me thinks thou showeth their latent desires.

King Hippo

I think there's a difference between just going over scouting reports and actually facing his pitching a week before a game.

oh please

Yes, because nobody on the Red Sox has ever faced Johnson before and no scouts for the Red Sox have been following Johnson this spring. Also Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson were never before on the same team and know nothing about each other's pitching.

Torre and the rest of the Yankee brass are such asshats. I can't wait for the ceiling to start caving in on the Bronx Geriatric Society.