Which makes it somewhat strange that over all this time I have yet to actually meet the fellow. I've spent the last decade either going around and meeting the other 300-game winners or going to their graves, but our paths had never crossed, just like it had never crossed with Tom Seaver. I am usually too busy to travel the great distances required to go to his public appearances, which are often out of state. The only time I saw that he was in Texas came ten years ago, on January 25, 2010. He was appearing in the Tristar show in Houston, but this was when I was celebrating a birthday with some med school friends, and there was a quiz coming up on the past week. There was no way I'd be able to drive eight hours to get a chance to meet the latest 300-game winner. I was able to get my ticket sent it for a signature complete with a "Win 300" inscription.
Since then I had been checking the Houston lineup every year. There have been plenty of 300-game winners that made appearances there, including Steve Carlton, Don Sutton, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, and Tom Glavine. But Randy Johnson was always missing from the list. That is, until I checked in 2020. There he was, the Big Unit himself, making a scheduled appearance in the Houston Tristar show on February 9, 2020.
But even then there was no guarantee that I'd actually be able to get to Houston. The main obstacle is that I already had plans for February 9. It would be the final day of HarmonyCon, the My Little Pony convention happening in Addison, Texas north of Dallas. With my future up in the air, it could be my last pony convention for a long time, and I'd be missing out on meeting with friends that live out of town. Plus Randy's autograph cost of $200 for a regular item, $250 for a premium item, and $200 for a photo op was a bit hefty. Nevertheless, my sense of history won out in the end. After seeing that Randy would be appearing around 1:00, I decided that I would go to the con for two days, then drive down to Houston to make that trip.
With my mind made up, I had to decide on what package I wanted to purchase. I've gotten the photo op for every 300-game winner I've met, so that was a given. However, I had plenty of possibilities of potential items, given everything I've collected over the years. I did want to get the game-used baseball signed, because while the ball game with a signature, over the previous ten seasons the autograph had faded to where it becomes unreadable. I have also acquired a pitching rubber signed by the 300-game winners from Warren Spahn to Nolan Ryan, and I hadn't added any other signatures since. Plus there was another game-used baseball I bought, and all of those baseball cards and magazines. Then I saw that game-used items count as premium items and would cost $250, even if a regular baseball is a regular item and would cost $200. Plus I was wanting to get a $200 commission of Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash by pony comic artist Tony Fleecs at the convention. With all of that potential financial hit adding up, I decided to just get the ball. However, I decided to bring the case that has the signed ticket and Randy's 2010 Topps card with a picture from the game just in case he'd be willing to hold it during the photo op.
So I was pretty much ready for what could be an iconic weekend. However, there was a part of me that was a little bit worried from what I heard was Randy Johnson's public persona. He was well known to be intense during his playing career, but from what I had seen he seemed to have mellowed out during his retirement. However, I've also heard that he remained pretty surly during autograph shows. Around the time I was trying to decide whether or not to make the trip, I was at a Texas Rangers autograph session, and was talking with another autograph collector. He talked about his experiences meeting Johnson at a card show, and talked about how mean the Big Unit was. I'll admit that made me a little bit nervous.
But eventually the weekend came around. I had my items prepared, and was ready to take the drive to Houston after two days at the convention. I was initially thinking of driving from Addison to Houston, and then back to Addison so I can have supper with friends on Sunday night. However, it takes four hours to get from Addison to Houston, and the drive is pretty boring. Plus I had not been sleeping well in the hotel room. I ultimately decided to drive back to my apartment in Temple, where it was only three hours to Houston. I wouldn't have to wake up quite as early, and I get to sleep in my own bed. I woke up at the time when I normally would get up to go to work, and even with some horrible traffic in Houston I made it to the show with plenty of time to spare, especially as Randy's appearance had been pushed back to 1:30. I spent the time looking at some items, trying to see if there were any Miro Heiskanen Young Guns rookie cards for my friend.
Soon it was time for the photo op, which always happens before the autograph signing. I waited around before Randy Johnson finally came out. There was no mistaking him, with his towering 6'10" height and his face, which appeared to have changed very little from that rainy night in June. There were two people ahead of me, and he was very cordial, shaking hands and being very warm. Soon it was my turn. While I felt calm, Randy must have sensed my nervousness and he asked me if anything was wrong. I admitted I was a little bit nervous, and to my surprise Randy tried to put me at ease with some of his dry sense of humor. I was wearing a Randy Johnson's 300th Win T-shirt, and he asked me if I was there. When I answered that I was, he joked "I was there too." Then he proceeded to take about his memories from that night, from the rainout on June 3 to how the Nationals kept asking him if he wanted to start even as the night grew later. Eventually the game was delayed to the next day and he had to pitch on the first game of a doubleheader. It was things that I already knew, but who was I to interrupt Randy Johnson as he recounted his memories of his 300th win? I kept my mouth shut except when he said he forgot the score and I said "It was 5-1, your number."
Eventually I pulled out my Randy Johnson's 300th Win ticket case. He seemed excited in seeing it, especially at the 2010 Topps card. He joked about his athleticism, and then pulled out his phone to take a picture of the case. When I saw that I told him I liked his photography, and said I hoped to see more on his website. He told me that he posts most of it on Instagram, which I admitted I didn't use. Soon we talked about his USO tours as well as his other trips to southeast Asia. We must have spoke for about three minutes, but it was enough for somebody from Tristar to peek through the curtain to wonder what was taking so long. We took the picture, and Randy was more than happy to hold the case with me. When I picked up the picture later I saw that the Big Unit had a massive smile, probably the best I've ever seen on him. I had also gave my best smile, but it was more awkward than anything else. Still, it was a very pleasant interaction and I was touched by Randy's graciousness.
After the photo op comes the autograph session. In the past the other 300-game-winners that I've met have been very pleasant during the autographs, likely related to remembering me from the photo op. I was hoping that Randy would still remember me and we can maybe talk a little more. There were several fans with VIP passes ahead of me in line, but I was still at a point where I wouldn't have to wait long. As I got closer I noticed that Randy was not interacting with the fans. He signed in relative silence, and when he wasn't signing he was looking away. Originally I thought he was looking at somebody, but instead he was just staring off. When I got to him he didn't acknowledge me at all. I told him it was a game-used ball from his 300th win he didn't really say anything. And then he messed up the inscription, which I paid separately for. I wanted him to write "Win 300" but he just wrote "303 W." It wasn't entirely unpleasant because he wasn't mean or anything, but it was clear that he was disinterested, and that was a dramatic difference from the man I had met with just a few minutes earlier.
Nevertheless, I had a chance to meet the man I had admired for over ten years. There was undoubtedly a dramatic difference in the Randy Johnson I met for the photo op and the Randy from the autograph signing. Is there a way for me to reconcile the two different personas? Not really. The only lesson I learned from this experience is that if you're wanting to meet the Big Unit, do so as a photo op. It worked out for me.
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