Former MLB pitcher Randy Johnson became known for his utter domination on the mound. At 6-foot-10, his size and arm struck fear into opposing batters. But he also remains popular for another reason — and that would be one of his pitches pegging a bird that flew in front of home plate.
That incident happened more than 20 years ago, but Johnson knew it would be talked about forever. So a DirectTv commercial where Johnson celebrates birds ... well, it's only fitting.
"That was a spring training game down in Tuscon in 2001," Johnson said on the Pat McAfee Show. "I think it kind of caught everybody off guard. I'm like, 'What was that that just happened?' I thought initially that maybe someone had thrown something and that the impact of the pitch pushed the bird over to the on-deck circle. Jeff Kent (of the San Francisco Giants) picked it up and at that time, everybody — myself, all the players, everybody in the stands — if you didn't realize what happened then, you did when he was holding up what was left of the bird."
And the legend lives on.
"Twenty-three years later, they're still talking about this," Johnson said, before rattling off some career stats. "Ten All-Star games, won 300 games, close to 5,000 strikeouts, MVP of a World Series ... and I'm recognized and remembered for killing a bird."
But hey, Johnson clearly doesn't mind. Just ask DirecTV, which decided to appeal to Johnson's amazing, uh, "accomplishment" by putting him front and center for its new incredibly creative advertisement.
Even bird brains will tell you that's a pretty cool concept.
You can check out the full commercial directly below. "Here, birds are safe," Johnson promises.
