In every game

Today in Pittsburgh, cheap labor with a career ERA of over 5, going by the name of Jeff Karstens, retired the first 23 Diamond Back hitters he faced in what would eventually become a 2-0, 2 hit shutout win over Randy Johnson.

Karstens came over in the Damaso Marte / Xavier Nady trade, and it's not like he was utterly dominating the Snakes; he had only four strikeouts to go with one walk, and threw 72 strikes and 41 balls. This seems to be a case of a guy having a great day against a team that really hasn't played well in a long time, but it should be noted that the ex-Yank also kept the Cubs scoreless in his first start. He throws four pitchers for strikes, and on a day when some deep drives stayed in the park, that was enough.

The bigger point to make about Karstens near-miss is that it's really one of the coolest things about baseball -- that in every game you go to or watch, some part of you is aware of the potential for immortality. If anyone was watching this game beyond simple DBack or Pirate fandom, they were doing so to see if Randy Johnson could keep up his recent hot streak and get closer to 300 wins. But Karstens had other ideas.

Just under 18 years ago, I went to a Phillies game at the old Vet on a whim. They were a below .500 team, facing a second-place Giants club, in yet another season that wasn't going anywhere. (They wound up finishing in fourth place; it was the year that the Reds beat the Pirates and then the A's to win the Series.)

We only went because the seats were free as part of a SEPTA promotion, which bumped up the crowd to reasonable levels. And Terry Mulholland, who seemed like a reasonable option as a low rotation starter but nothing more, was just dominant. He was a Charlie Hayes error away from a perfect game, with Hayes redeeming himself with a diving grab of a Gary Carter line drive for the final out. It was the first and only no-hitter that I've ever seen in person, and something that I'll never forget.

That is, really, what baseball has to offer, that no other sport can deliver: the small but unmistakable chance of seeing something that you can keep forever.

So kudos to Karstens, and baseball, for reminding us of what's possible. Even in Pittsburgh, for a guy that I wouldn't bet on winning 100 games in his career, in yet another year where the home team will lose more games than they win. Shame he couldn't get the last four, too.

Epic Drop: Top 10 Points To Watch in Randy Johnson's First Spring Training Start

Your link is here, and I really do think he's going to get to 300 wins. Even last year, when he was limited to just 10 starts, he was sporting a healthy K/BB ratio and K/9 rate. So long as he doesn't suffer another debilitating back injury, 16 wins isn't much, and he's in the right league to get them.

But more importantly, here is the most meaningful memory any of us will ever have of him. (And I'm told that he's still bent out of shape for people thinking it's funny, but bending the Unit out of shape isn't hard, really.)

Epic Drop: Top 10 Signs The Rockies Are Just A Wee Bit Hot

Your list is here. I started watching the game when it was 5-1 in the seventh, and here's how hot the Rocks are right now... there was no suspense to me, even when the Diamondbacks had two on and no out in the 7th and Francis was starting to look a little shaky. It's absurd that a team with a relief corps of Matt Herges (nomad), Jeremy Affeldt (failed Royal), Brian Fuentes (mid-season arsonist) and Manny Corpas (no name second year reliever) should inspire that kind of feeling, especially on the road against a team that just swept their last series... and yet, they do.

And if they pull it off another 7 times, they'll go down in history as the best stretch run team ever. Right now, it's hard to think they won't do just that. (By the way, sorry for the lack of an image right now; Blogger's on the rag.)

Six Random Observations from Cubs-DBacks Game 3

> There's cool, there's veteran cool, and then there's Might Actually Fall Asleep. Livan Hernandez is in the last part.

> Is it OK to hate Stephen Drew because of who his brother is? I feel like we should spell it Drue or something, to give him a chance.

> HD does Jason Kendall no favors. Let's just say the part where he shaves, he probably shouldn't.

> The Cubs have used six -- six! -- catchers this year. Let's just say that you might not have a great organization when this happens.

> The Cubs starting OF in this game was Soriano in left, Jones in center, and Floyd in right. That might be the worst defensive OF ever that didn't have the name Incaviglia in it.

> I like the water ad where a polite Lou Pinella gets run. Can we make more of those? "Hey, I just came out to say that I'm making a fantastic sum of money to coach a team of unlikable head cases. Can I stay out here for a while and pretend to argue with you, and then get ejected, so that I can avoid having to listen to Zambrano?"