Perfect

I remember him when he was a twenty-one year old call-up during the 2000 division-winning season. A not-so hard throwing pitcher, he doesn't exactly intimdate the hitters. He works quickly, and in many ways, he is the stereotypical "crafty" lefthander. You could see this when he took over a spot in the starting rotation for the White Sox in 2001 and went 16-8 with a 3.29 ERA while only striking out 126 in 221 1/3 innings.

His rise has followed a bit of my own returning interest in the game. I was a baseball fan. You used throw a rubber ball off the front porch steps for hours, making up players and games. There were a lot of big moments...World Series clinchers. But things changed as I got the older, even the game. New faces seemingly appeared every year and I couldn't keep track of who was on what team. Then the big strike came, shut down the World Series, and I didn't become disenchanted. I just didn't follow the games as much.

Then 2000 arrived. The first division winner since 1993, the year before the strike. It was good to be back at the park, the new park, and watch baseball. I can't say I'm a "die-hard", but on warm lazy summer days (or even cold spring nights), it's nice to sit and watch some good ball being played. It's good to see the double play turned, the nice catch made, the hitter moving the man over. Very few sports things beat a play at the plate even when it's your team who is out.

Mark Buerhle has done something pretty amazing on the baseball diamond. He threw a no-hitter two years ago. On Thursday, he threw a perfect game. Only 18 men have thrown perfect games in the history and he's one of them....not Roy Halladay or Johann Santana. Nor Kerry Wood or Pedro Martinez (though Pedro Martinez did go nine innings once without a hit only to give up one in the 10th). And Mark has two no-hitters. You wouldn't expect from a man who tosses ball to the plate and it's usually hit somewhere in the field of play.

Sometimes great moments happen in baseball because not only because the happenings are rare but because their source is surprising. Buehrle is a good pitcher, but two no-hitters? That's a little bit of goodness that is true.