"True to the spirit of his astounding longevity, Randy Johnson conducted an exhaustive 43-minute retirement news conference Tuesday, even joking near its conclusion that most people had probably hung up on his long-winded goodbye.

Doubtful, at least among media members who appreciate baseball history and true greatness in their midst, even if it's just over the telephone. Forty-three minutes is nothing when it comes to a player they'll be marveling at long after the last person who actually saw Johnson pitch breathes his last breath.

From an inauspicious start as a gawky 6-foot-10 kid from Livermore who threw the ball hard but didn't have much clue where it was going, Johnson evolved into one of the eternal legends of the game, certainly one of the top dozen pitchers ever and arguably the best to ever throw from the left side. Certainly, he is right there alongside Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton, Lefty Grove and Warren Spahn.

"I just feel there's not a lot left for me to do in this game," said Johnson, 46. who officially concluded his 22-year career on the eve of today's 2010 Hall of Fame announcement, something he'll take part in five years from now as a first-ballot selection and possibly a unanimous one.

What didn't Johnson do? He won 303 games. He threw a perfect game — at age 40. He won three games in one World Series, including a Game 7 against the Yankees in relief after winning Game 6 the previous day as a starter.

He captured five Cy Young Awards and finished second in the voting three times. He struck out 5,007 batters if you count the postseason. He made John Kruk look like he'd never picked up a bat. Even Barry Bonds felt like taking the day off when Johnson was on the mound."