What I Watched Wednesday: Nolan Ryan’s 7th No-Hitter

With sports on an indefinite hiatus, I have taken to YouTube to check out one game every day. On Wednesday, I watched Nolan Ryan throw his seventh and final no-hitter in 1991.

For whatever reason, I have always listed Nolan Ryan as one of my favorite players of all time. I was only nine when he retired, so it's not like I spent my life following him and watching his starts.

There are a few reasons I can think of that would explain it.

The first is the baseball card: a 1969 Topps that my dad got when he was ten years old and still has to this day. Dog-eared and monetarily worthless, we would spend a lot of time discussing how much we could get for the card if it were in presentable condition.

We both knew we would never sell it, even for $1,000.

When I played baseball (poorly), I was the furthest thing from Nolan Ryan you could ever find. I threw soft and was not a big kid. But I admired Ryan's tenacity on the mound and the attitude he carried with him to every start.

Also, who can forget the time he beat the snot out of Robin Ventura? Or the time he took a line drive right off the beak and stayed in the game? Just an all-time badass.