I am an ex Hall of Fame baseball pitcher but now I have found new passion behind the lens: "Living the retired life one frame at a time"
When pitcher Randy Johnson announced his retirement from MLB in 2009, everyone knew it would be a long time before anyone would be able to rival the mastery seen from the ace over the previous 22 seasons.
When Johnson made his debut for the 1989 Montreal Expos, his 6-foot-10 frame made him the tallest player ever to make an appearance in the league at that point. His size proved key to his ability to overpower opposing hitters with a dominating fastball.
Randy Johnson's 4,875 strikeouts place him first-all time for left-handers, and second overall behind Nolan Ryan. His career included two World Series rings, five Cy Young nods (with four coming in consecutive seasons), as well as the 17th perfect game in MLB history.
"Randy Johnson struck out FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETEEN batters in the 2001 regular season and postseason. It was just completely ridiculous" - Codify
After he retired from MLB in 2009, nobody was quite sure what was next for Johnson. Many thought he would continue to surround himself with the game by virtue of a broadcasting position, while others considered managing as a potential calling.
During a 2011 NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, a photo of a field-side photographer with a striking resemblance to Johnson went viral. In fact, the likeness was so strikingly similar that many began to believe the photographer in question was indeed Randy Johnson.
"Random Fact: Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is now a professional photographer and shoots NFL games." - Dov Kleiman
Funnily enough, the photographer was indeed Johnson. Ever since, fans have become accustomed to periodically seeing the pitching ace's face on the sidelines of NFL games. However, the 59-year old's photography website seems to prioritize nature, travel and concert photography over sports.
"Living the retired life one frame at a time"
Also according to the website, Johnson studied photography in Southern California in the early 1980s. In an attempt at some rather twisted humor, Johnson's photography page features a dead bird as a logo - an homage to the poor creature who lost its life after being zinged with one of Johnson's pitch during a 2001 preseason game for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Randy Johnson is a testament to following your passion
While not many pro athletes take up a post-career career in photography, Johnson appears to have done so with just as much grace as he exemplified when he was pitching. While some stars like Barry Bonds turned to Jiu-Jitsu, Johnson's chosen interest reveals a softer, more in touch side of one of the best pitchers to ever walk the earth.