FanHouse Kenny Rogers

I covered Randy Johnson as a beat writer for eight seasons: 1999-2004 with the Diamondbacks and then 2005-06 with the Yankees. (We both moved East the same winter, by coincidence.)

So I figure I saw about 230 of Johnson's starts – hey, I deserved a day off once in a while – and more than 100 of his 300 wins. Off the top of my head, here are the top 10 Randy Johnson moments I witnessed in those eight years:

1. Perfection (May 18, 2004)
Twenty-seven up, 27 down at Atlanta. And after this game, Johnson even smiled. His 117th and final pitch, a called strike to Eddie Perez, was 98 mph. His 14 strikeouts were second-most ever in a perfect game, and at 40, he was the oldest ever to be perfect. "I don't think my stuff has been any better than it was today," Johnson said.

Noah Lowry, once one of the more promising young pitchers in the majors, had surgery on Tuesday to correct a circulatory problem that his agent claims the Giants misdiagnosed 14 months ago.

General manager Brian Sabean did not immediately return a call to FanHouse, but the Giants issued a statement denying any wrongdoing or negligence.

The surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that afflicted Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman, likely means the end of Lowry's tenure with the Giants.

Now, this is a good idea.

From Ruben James at examiner.com:

Roger Goodell said that he was looking forward to the owners meeting in May in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. He was hopeful for a proposal for a expansion of the regular season to 17 or 18 games and dropping two preseason games. Still keeping the 20 game format intact, although it will probably not happen until 2011 or so.

I don't know if you know this or not, but since he's commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig seems to think this gives him special privileges that nobody else in America is entitled to. Why, as commissioner of baseball he's not bound by the ex post facto laws of our society, which means he's allowed to suspend Alex Rodriguez for breaking rules that weren't yet in place.

The Daily Jolt is a dose of baseball reality every weekday morning.

Justin Verlander and the Tigers avoided arbitration Monday, agreeing to a one-year, $3.675 million deal, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. Now the hard work begins for Verlander.

Last year was an unmitigated disaster for the Tigers. They added All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, but instead of returning to the heights they reached in 2006, they slid backwards, finishing behind the Royals and in dead last in the American League Central. Verlander was part of the problem in 2008, but in such a balanced division he can be a big part of the solution in 2009.

If you haven't really been thinking much about Kenny Rogers this offseason, you aren't alone. He's been pretty silent for a long time. He isn't under contract to pitch for anyone, yet the 44-year-old hasn't made a formal announcement concerning his retirement.

The Tigers are moving forward assuming he's not going to play, and no one else has really mentioned him as a serious candidate to round out their rotation. The timing could be right, considering how good a career Rogers has put together and that 2008 was one of the worst statistical seasons in his career.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

The Tigers were the most disappointing team in the majors last year. A preseason pick for the World Series by many, they finished dead last in the AL Central, thanks mostly to a pitching staff that ranked 27th out of 30 teams and a defense that committed the second most errors in the league.

Only the Yankees and Mets spent more money last year, and the Tigers don't have nearly the revenue stream of their Big Apple counterparts. As such, GM Dave Dombrowski is expected to slash and burn the payroll this winter. Can he bring the Tigers back into contention without draining owner Mike Ilitch's pockets? He's facing an uphill battle, for sure, especially considering duds like Dontrelle Willis, Gary Sheffield and Nate Robertson will cost the team $33 million alone.

The 2008 season is one that the Detroit Tigers would like to put behind them as soon as possible. A team that many picked to win the AL Central, and likely go to the World Series with their murderer's row of a lineup, ended up finishing in last place instead. Behind the Kansas City Royals of all people.

Of course, just because his team bombed out this year, manager Jim Leyland wouldn't have minded getting one of them there contract extensions. Now he says he's disappointed, and though he'd like to stay in Detroit, he's not going to stay anywhere he's not wanted.

"I have not been extended," Leyland told Albom, "and I'm not gonna be extended. ... There was some sense of an offer that I did not accept.

"I'm not afraid of anything. I want to manage the Tigers. I have every intention of managing the Tigers. I'm disappointed that I did not get an extension, but I understand. - well, maybe I don't understand, but I can live with that.

"I'm certainly not somebody that's going to sit around and worry about that. I made it perfectly clear that I wanted to manage the Tigers. I think we had a great year (in 2006). I think we had a good year (in 2007) and then we had one disastrous year (in 2008). Overall, we've actually done pretty well."

From the Windup is FanHouse's daily, extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

As the final week of the regular season unfolds, millions of baseball fans across the nation are being treated to several close races.

Except for me, of course. I live near Detroit, and the only race the Tigers are involved in is the race to avoid last place. And after losing 6-2 to the Royals last night, the chances the Tigers might take sole possession of the AL Central's basement by Wednesday is a very real possibility.

This got me thinking: the Tigers have to be the most disappointing team in the majors, right? (It's actually been a recurring thought all year, but now seems like an appropriate time to dwell on it ...) They have the second-highest payroll in baseball and haven't been relevant since opening the year with seven straight losses.

As I see it, no other team comes close.

The Yankees had a disappointing final season in their stadium, but at least they're guaranteed a winning record (and haven't officially been eliminated from the playoffs, though that should happen any day now). The Rockies hoped for a chance to defend their NL pennant, but last year's finish was a little too incredible to be surprised by a let-down this season. I didn't expect the Mariners to be the worst team in the majors, but I also never thought they'd contend. Plus, this year wasn't a complete waste; at least they rid themselves of Bill Bavasi.

If the Tigers have been this year's most disappointing team, who's been the game's most disappointing players? It's a fuzzy question, so let's try to establish some guidelines.

The Tigers officially shut down Kenny Rogers for the rest of the season, much to the dismay of opposing batters. In 10 starts since the All-Star game, Rogers posted a 7.45 ERA while allowing a .336 batting average. Jim Leyland didn't give any reasons for the decision, but do you really need one? He's made every batter over the last two months look like a batting champ -- that should be reason enough.

At 44, Rogers has most likely thrown his last pitch after 20 seasons in the majors. Sure, he may have stayed one season too long, but he's still enjoyed a heck of a career. Hall of Fame worthy? Not a chance, but if they ever build that Hall of Very Good that everyone talks about, he's a candidate.

He was an above average pitcher for the vast majority of his career, finishing with a 4.27 ERA (108 ERA+). Those numbers may not jump out at you at first, but he did it over two full decades, and until this year did it without suffering any sharp decline -- his worst season actually came seven years ago, and he's just two years removed from finishing fifth in the AL Cy Young race.