Here's the baseball question of the day: Who is the more obscure pitcher to throw a perfect game: Dallas Braden or Phil Humber?
Discuss among yourselves.
The perfect game is by far the least likely thing to happen in a Major League Baseball game - except to see not a single player on the two teams without a plug of chewing tobacco jammed into their cheek.
The perfect game has happened only 20 times in the modern era of MLB regular-season play, and once in the World Series (Don Larsen, 1956).
Twenty-seven batters up, 27 batters retired. No walks. No player reaches base on an error. Not only does the pitcher have to be perfect, but the fielders behind him must handle every ball without a flub as well.
Lately, it seems, perfect games have become almost ... well, commonplace. Three in the 1980s, four in the '90s, four more in the first decade of the 2000s. While they have been pitched by immortals of the game (Cy Young and Sandy Koufax), some greats (Catfish Hunter, Roy Halladay, David Cone and Randy Johnson) and some ordinary players (Len Barker, Tom Browning), they have also been pitched by no-names (Braden of Oakland in 2010 and the most recent, Humber of the White Sox in mid-April).
"I don't know what Phil Humber is doing in this list," the perfect pitcher told reporters after the game. "No idea what my name is doing there, but thankful it's there."
Braden had a career record of 14-21 going into the 2010 season, but he tossed his perfecto in early May against Tampa Bay. Humber's career record was 11-10 before he was perfect against Seattle a couple of Saturdays ago.
So what has become of Dallas Braden since his perfect game? He has improved his career record to 26-36 and is currently on the Oakland injury list while recovering from surgery.
He will never be a Hall of Famer, but he will always be a footnote in the annals of baseball lore.
Humber's future remains to be seen. As far as we know, he's no Koufax or Halladay, but he's in that exclusive "Perfect" club with them. Forever.
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "At 49, the Rockies' Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher ever to win a game. Moyer is so old he remembers when 'roids meant hemorrhoids."
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: "Pudge Rodriguez has called it quits on a 21-year big-league career. So just what is a fitting fan send-off for an all-star catcher? A squatting ovation?
Perry again: "A brush fire forced a shutdown of the New Jersey Turnpike near the Jets' Met Life Stadium. Alas, it was just Tim Tebow, standing next to a burning bush."
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Dwyane Wade had the right idea, but the wrong words. Wade said U.S. NBA Olympians should get paid. Jesse Owens was spinning in his grave, and Bruce Jenner on his tanning bed."
Norman Chad, Washington Post: "For every hour I watch CNN, I watch at least 10 hours of NBA TV; to be honest, this should disqualify me from voting."
Chad again: "When Tiger Woods withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship last month, I still can't believe the helicopter didn't follow him all the way to Perkins restaurant."
Headline at SportsPickle.com: "Canucks too disappointing to even riot over."
Another one from Perry: "The Canucks got eliminated so early from the playoffs, rioters complained that they didn't even get a chance to finish training camp."
Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly, on Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton now going by his given first name, Giancarlo: "Being as he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 245 pounds, I'll certainly call him anything he wants to be called."
Perry again: "The NBA has hit the unfortunately renamed Metta World Peace with a seven-game suspension. Two games for the flagrant elbow, and the other five for false advertising."
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: "Los Angeles Laker, Metta World Peace, has been suspended after knocking out an Oklahoma player, James Harden, with a vicious elbow to the head. Good thing he is named Metta World Peace, if he was Metta World War, this Harden guy would be dead."
Another one from Cote, on the qualifications needed to become a Dolphins cheerleader: "Be good dancers, have vivacious personalities and think field goals are awesome."
R.J. Currie of sportsdeke.com: "A U.S. man says he accidentally shot himself by dropping a dumbbell on a bullet. He is not to be confused with Plaxico Buress, who was a dumbbell."
Cote again: "The only way LeBron James does not win the MVP award is if Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is put in charge of counting the votes."
Care to comment? E-mail brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
