Don't mess with Texas: Hall-of-Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan meets every definition of the word tough

Muscle & Fitness, August, 2009 by Mike Carlson

Screw Chuck Norris. If you're looking for the toughest Texas Ranger who ever lived, meet Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. Often referred to as "The Ryan Express," he played in 27 Major League Baseball seasons--more than any player in history.

Modern baseball players have about as much opportunity to exhibit toughness as golfers do to show off their vertical leaps. Examples of baseball's grit include a bloody sock courtesy of a Curt Schilling surgery scar and Cal Ripken Jr. showing up to work every day; obviously, neither is the Thrilla in Manila.

Yet Ryan had two epic instances of toughness on the mound. On Sept. 8,1990, Bo Jackson's thunderous swing sent a hot grounder right into Ryan's grill. The pitcher, 43 at the time, made the throw to first and continued to pitch despite pleas from the dugout. Ryan didn't even take a moment to wipe his mouth; he simply rubbed his face on his shoulder. He took stitches between innings and came back to pitch the rest of the game.

A native of Texas--which isn't a prerequisite for being tough, but it never hurts--Ryan was an old-school brush-back pitcher who made it clear he owned the plate and the mound. That was never more evident than on Aug. 4,1993. In a lose-lose maneuver, 26-year-old Chicago White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura charged the mound after being hit by one of Ryan's pitches (no surprise; Ryan is ninth on the list of all-time hit batters, with 158 welts to his credit). As Ventura made his move, it was hard to imagine a single person rooting for him. I'm sure even Ventura's father was thinking, Beat this little punk's ass, Nolan!

Ryan was 46 years old and possessed three of four legendary strengths: dad strength, old-guy strength and farmer strength. Ventura didn't have a chance. Ryan snaked one wiry arm around Ventura's neck and delivered six uppercuts to the youngster's face, helping him swallow that generous serving of pride that was already in the back of his mouth. Ryan later said the headlock was a move he used when branding cattle on his ranch. It's safe to assume that veal probably put up more of a fight.

You can have Walker and his roundhouse kick. I'd rather have a Ranger with a searing fastball, a strong headlock and no quit in him.