Former pitcher Woodie Fryman dies at 70

R.I.P.: Former pitcher Woodie Fryman, age 70

He came very close to pitching a perfect game when he was a rookie. He gave up a leadoff hit, then caught that guy stealing and retired the next 26, thus facing the minimum number of opposing batters.

His life was less exciting after that. In a long major league career, he was sometimes a spot starter, sometimes a reliever, sometimes a regular starter. He had his moments, but in general was never really good enough or bad enough to get noticed. If he was on your team, he wouldn't embarrass you, but he wouldn't dazzle you either. In the four years when he made 30 or more starts, his records were 12-14, 12-15, 14-13, and 13-13. His inconspicuous records were matched by his appearance. If you faced a police line-up consisting of Woody and four 40ish plumbers, your chances of picking him out would be dictated entirely by the law of averages. If you look up "nondescript" in the dictionary, you'll probably see his picture. Hell, I barely remember him, and was shocked just now to read that he was in the majors for 18 years.