The two guys who amazed me in 1982 when I discovered baseball were JR Richard and Joe Charbonneau. In a time before the internet, I couldn't understand how a guy could go from striking out 300 guys in a year -- or hit 20 home runs, win Rookie of the Year -- and then just suddenly not be in baseball any more. I actually assumed as a kid that they must have died, because that's the only thing that could stop you from playing baseball. JR Richard was something of a legend to me.