Rosenthal: Big Unit excited to be back on the mound

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Johnson, generally moody, seems almost buoyant afterward as he chats with reporters, ice packs covering his shoulder and back. His goals for the day, he says, were, “Have some fun, don’t fall on my face, don’t kill any hitters.” Mission accomplished.

The subject of his stormy two-year tenure with the Yankees is raised, and Johnson says he enjoyed the restaurants. He adds, “Either year I had there, I’d be willing to take. I think the Diamondbacks would be, too.”

Johnson won 17 games in each of those seasons, and another 17 would get him past 300. He deflects questions about the milestone, saying that he only wants to get through his next spring-training start. But Johnson heard all the talk last season about Tom Glavine probably being the last 300-game winner. He didn’t buy it then, and he doesn’t buy it now.