A fan of the stars he fanned.(Randy Johnson on pitching to Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield)(Brief Article)

Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield go into the Hall of Fame this weekend. I could try to sum up their careers myself, but I know someone who can do it better. I asked Randy Johnson, another future Hall of Famer, to reminisce about pitching to them.

"Boy, Kirby was a scary batter to face" Johnson says. "He had a tendency to hit a lot of balls right back up the middle. He swung hard. What a great competitor he was.

"When I was coming up in the major leagues in Montreal, and then when I was traded over to Seattle, there were still a lot of Hall of Fame-caliber hitters playing--Robin Yount, Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, George Brett, Paul Molitor (who isn't in the Hall yet). I had an opportunity to face all those guys, and that was such a thrill for me.

"I grew up watching those guys on television. And now there are none of them around anymore. They're all gone.

"I remember being impressed with how well Kirby knew the game. He hustled all the time. He was an extremely tough out. He could hit a fastball with the best of them.

"I don't remember ...