Reflecting on the Big Unit going into the Hall of Fame

One of the players whom I covered with the Arizona Diamondbacks was enshrined into Hall of Fame on Sunday, and since players get to pick which team logo is on their plaque Randy Johnson goes down as the franchises's first inductee.

"The Big Unit" was definitely deserving, and every time he pitched I wondered if I was going to see something special. Quite often I did. He was nothing short of dominating.

Something that we quickly learned after Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field) opened was that when a left-handed pitcher threw a fastball and a right-handed batter couldn't get around on it the ball could shoot straight up into the press box. 

I actually had my laptop nailed by a line shot off the bat of Angel Echevarria of the Colorado Rockies (off a pitch by Omar Daal), which broke the screen. I still have the ball. A PR person from the San Diego Padres had the same thing happen when he leaned down to get something out of his bag on the floor -- BAM! After the Diamondbacks signed Johnson, though, well let's just say some of the holes in the press box wall were pretty impressive. 

One of my favorite moments regarding Johnson was when Diamondbacks outfielder David Dellucci was visited by wrestler Kevin Nash in the locker room. I lingered until Johnson walked by because I wanted to see who was taller (It was Johnson, but barely, 6-10 to 6-9). 

My last year there I was asked to be a judge for the inaugural Arizona Sports Awards, which was like a junior version of the ESPYs. For athlete of the year, which was was supposed to go to someone who made a big difference in the community, I backed emotional pitcher Todd Stottlemyre for making a $1 million donation toward the fight of cancer, and all the things he did behind the scenes when the cameras weren't on -- especially for sick kids. He had a brother die of leukemia at age 11. 

I'll never forget a TV reporter saying "Well anyone could do that, that's no big deal," and I was outvoted in favor of Jason Kidd. I was still annoyed at the awards banquet, but purchased some raffle tickets for the event charity. One of them won an autographed baseball and I had to choose between three singed by Diamondbacks players. Since I covered the team I asked if I could trade prizes and avoid any potential conflict on interest. The person in charge of prizes had no idea what I was talking about so I selected the one of the player who I thought might be in the Hall of Fame someday. 

P.S. A few months later Kidd was arrested for a domestic issue. He and his wife eventually got divorced and he's now the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. ... Stottlemyre's career ended shorty after that due to arm/shoulder issues. His father Mel Stottlemyre, known mostly for his years with the New York Yankees, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2000. The cancer re-appeared in 2011 and he's still fighting it. ... If there was ever a second Arizona Sports Awards I never heard of it.