Randy Johnson is a dude who needs absolutely no introduction. World champion, ten time all star, five time Cy Young award winner, Johnson was absolutely one of the most beastly pitchers of the modern era. And as if there was any doubt, he was named on 97.3% of ballots in 2015 and made the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try. Johnson was clearly an all time great on the mound.
Something I overlooked for most of his career, however, was his all time great name. I mean, Randy Johnson. When I hear randy I think Austin Powers, and when I hear Johnson...more immaturity. Put them together, and that's a chuckle worthy name.
Johnson, however, gets a little more credit for his classic nickname - The Big Unit.
Now it's easy to continue down that lane of immaturity and continue the gigglefest, but the true story behind his nickname, which I just read today, is actually even funnier to me. Allow me to share from Wikipedia:
"During batting practice in 1988, the 6'10" Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines, prompting his teammate to exclaim, 'You're a big unit!'[63] The nickname stuck."
Such a goofy story, and I like that it led to the creation of one of the most iconic nicknames of the 1990's. It's crazy how a name as long lasting as that can come from one simple moment. Go figure.
So Randy Johnson was incredibly successful in his first time on a Baseball Hall of Fame ballot - will he be as successful on Ballot Nine of the GSNHOF? I can't wait to find out!
To see the best sports names of all time, visit the Truly Great Names page.
To see some good sports names that were voted out, visit the Good Names page.
To see the current voting ballot, visit the Ballot page.
Never thought of his name in that way. Now I won't be able to not think of it in that way.
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