Tonight in the other Washington, known as the Nation’s Capitol… The original “BIG UNIT,” a.k.a. former Seattle Mariner pitcher Randy Johnson will attempt to join the very exclusive company of MLB 300 Game winners against the Washington Nationals… Ironically the franchise that originally drafted the 6’ 10” left hander when they were the Montreal Expos, when Johnson was still a diamond in the rough and more of a menace to opponents with his erratic pitching style, as it would be years before he became the dominant left hander of today who won a World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks against his future team the New York Yankees.

And I especially like the story about the Indiana Tribe using a Mannequin for pitching practice when Johnson was rehabilitating from breaking his right hand in frustration early in his career and nobody was willing to go into the batters box and face him.

Although not a Mariner for many years, nevertheless Johnson, now with his sixth Major League Baseball franchise, will join Gaylord Perry who scored his 300^th Game victory as a Mariner.

Arguably, the BIG UNIT was somewhat overshadowed by Ken Griffey Jr. as Safeco Field has been touted as the House Griffey built, while Johnson’s era as an Mariner is linked to a time when they played in the Kingdome, way back when players with names like Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez Dave Valle and Griffey “The Kid” won a mercurial 116 games in a single season, a time before new sensation Ichiro Suzuki became the Mariner’s guiding light.

Thus, if randy is successful tonight, he’ll become only the 24^th player to score 300 victories and only the sixth left hander to do so…

While Diehard Football, Err Soccer enthusiasts wait to see if the USA National Team will retain current coach Bob Bradley for a further four years in order to make another run in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, ironically Bradley & Co. were playing an exhibition match in the Meadowlands recently, being Billed as a “Friendly” vs. Brazil Tuesday night. (August 10th) As Team USA lost 2-0 in front of 77,000+ adoring Fans, while speculation surrounds Bradley’s future, who claimed he’d resume talks with the US Soccer Federation after the Brazilian match, albeit his named has been mentioned and linked as a possible candidate for Aston Villa’s vacant Manager Position for the English Premiere League.Meanwhile in the rush to snap-up National Team members, the Seattle Sounders FC have just acquired two new players, Switzerland National Team member Blaise Nkufo. And Uruguayan National Team Midfielder Alvaro Fernandez, as the MLS squad’s second and third Designated (Franchise) Players (DP’s) before trading away its first Designated Player, Swedish Star Freddie Ljungberg to the Chicago Fire for a future MLS Draft pick, as it appears the Sounders took on the younger Fernandez as his possible replacement.

Thus this acquiring of World Cup National Players has touched all corners of the Major League Soccer pitch, as the New York Red Bulls recently acquired France’s Thierry Henry, Joining Red Bulls other two DP’s Rafa Marquez and Juan Pablo Angel

While the Squad was unable to sell-out its relatively brand new 25,000 seat stadium until the arrival of Landon Donovan’s MLS leading L.A. Galaxy, as L.A. Captain Donovan and David Beckham, who’s still recovering from his torn ACL defeated New York in Red Bull Arena One-Nil, (1-0) being only the Squad’s second ever home defeat…

Meanwhile, apparently Beckham still touches the hearts of his Countrymen, as first AC Milan announced it wouldn’t be taking the Midfielder on loan anymore due to his age. Then somewhat embattled England National Team coach Fabio Capello (Italy) drew the ire of Bloody England by declaring Beckham was too old to play for England anymore…

And prior to the Los Angeles vs. New York match, MLS history was made on August 9th when a record five Designated Player’s took to the pitch, as the Chicago Fire’s Ljungberg and Nery Castillo Played the NY Red Bulls to a scoreless “Nil-Nil” (0-0) draw in front of a record 21,868 attendance at Toyota Park in Chicago, albeit Castillo was the only DP not starting, still recovering fitness-wise, he entered the match in the game’s 55th minute.

Thus the MLS Season rolls on as Teams continue scrapping to make the upcoming Playoffs before the inclusion of the MLS’s newest two Franchises, the Vancouver (BC) Whitecaps and Portland Timbers debut in 2011…