Round of applause

Randy Johnson is retiring from baseball (most recently as a San Francisco Giant) at the age of 46, with 303 wins and the most strikeouts of any lefthanded pitcher in history. Once called too tall to play the game, the 6'10" incher known as The Big Unit is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Meanwhile: A day before the real Hall of Fame announces whether it will take new members this year, the upstart Internet Baseball Writers Association of America has elected its first Hall of Famer: ex-Angel Bert Byleven. He was the only candidate to get 75% of the vote. The IBWAA was started by Howard Cole of BaseballSavvy.com and includes several local media writers.