In The Presence of Greatness

Bill King - Staff Writer

A French novelist and playwright named Jean Giraudoux was a man of many words. "The secret of success is sincerity" exclaimed Giraudoux, "once you can fake that you've got it made." There is another man who has taken it upon himself to prove Mr. Giraudoux's words are not hot air, by faking every batter he faces into them thinking they have a prayer at the plate. The ace of the Minnesota Twins staff, Johan Alexander Santana, is a truly special individual. So special that you can't find a person whom has any sense of baseball knowledge that will deny he is without a doubt the best pitcher in the entire world today.

Just think about what that statement means for a moment. "The best"... usually a statement of personal opinion and rarely a unanimous decision. At the age of only 28, he has compiled a 78-31 record. No, he does not have the massive support of a powerful lineup like the Yankees. Not until the past year has he had any workable run support. But when you put up 1152-314 K/BB numbers, who needs a lineup to bat for you when the opposition is only making a short visit to the batters box, anyhow?

I remember growing up, sitting next to my father and watching a very special individual named Roger Clemens. We knew we were watching something special every time he painted the outside corner with a heater, and then followed it up with a filthy splitter in the dirt only to watch the batters swing through helplessly. They knew it was coming, but it really didn't matter. Much like Santana, Clemens never had a dominating offense contributing to his more than impressive numbers. I am not here to question the greatness of Roger Clemens, but when I watch Johan Santana completely dominate the more advanced, stronger and intelligent hitters of today I can't help but feel he is briskly stepping up the ladder of greatness. Just watching him constantly come after hitters with a dominating fastball and a change up that is practically unhittable can get any baseball fan sitting on the edge of his or her seat in amazement.

When you have guys like Joel Zumaya throwing 103 MPH fastballs, and guys like Ryan Howard hitting home runs to jaw-dropping distances, it's hard to be bias. So there, maybe I am saying that at the young age of 28, Santana is the best pitcher to ever grace a Major League Baseball uniform. Maybe I am a little premature to stamp his ticket into the Hall of Fame, and to eternal greatness. Statements like mine have been made about many players who looked great and then disappeared due to varying reasons. However, I urge you to join my excitement and utter disbelief while Johan Santana is in his prime. Maybe you will become a believer too, but I doubt that it will be my words that convince you.