Randy Johnson looks like a rugged marine on a mission somewhere in the Middle East. He has that craggy face, a lethal left arm that can still pitch at close to 100 mph. From the plate he must look scary and overwhelming as he leans from the mound.

 
In full flight the 6ft. 5in. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher appears as though he is only a few feet away from the plate as he stretches from the mound and releases the ball as if it was a fireball. In the end it is almost an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation between him and the batter.

But the other night Johnson, a five-time Cy Young award winner, bought a smile to those of us who watched him pitch a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves.

It was a great sight as Arizona's rookie catcher Robby Hammock raced from the plate jumping up and down in excitement for Johnson. At first glance one would have thought that Hammock had set some sort of a record.
He surely would have been proud to have had the honor of catching a perfect game in his first season in the majors from one of the game's all-time great pitchers.

It was also a welcome relief in these troubled times with the investigations and court martials following Iraqi prisoner abuse, the 9/11 hearings in New York and Washington, and the Middle East conflict.
We need something to get away from the downside of life and a perfect game can certainly do that.

Johnson, who is just four months short of his 41st. birthday wrote himself into the history books as the oldest to pitch a perfect game - no hits and zero walks and baserunners - as he retired all 27 Braves who walked to the plate.
For the record, Arizona won 2-0, but the night belonged to Johnson, who is a certainty to enter the Hall of Fame when his distinguished career comes to an end.

The perfect game came 14 years after he threw a no-hitter for the Seattle Mariners when he walked seven. Baseball statistics make wonderful conversation when the mood is not positive and you are looking for distraction.
Johnson's perfect game was the 17th. in history and he became only the fifth to throw no-hitters in the American League and the National League, joining an elite club of Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan and Hideo Nomo.
He struck out 13 and had delivered only three balls once, to catcher Johnny Estrada as the Braves were left hitless for the time in 25 years.
Johnson is only one behind Roger Clemens with six Cy Young awards. He clearly dominated the National League when he won four straight Cy Young awards from 1999 to 2002. He also won the award in 1995 when he pitched in the American League with Seattle.

Clemens has won all his six awards in the American League so far. This season he is 7-0 with the Houston Astros in the National League and, at this early time of the season, is a contender for his seventh  Cy Young.
Now that would be something that 40-ish men would just love to see. Clemens and Bonds are 40-ish and still playing at the highest level and setting records that should stay for a very long time.