Ryan was so much fun to watch live. The old Arlington stadium had a ramp that sunk down behind home plate, so you could go down there and be basically at the level of Ryan's pitches. It was quite a rush. We would go to every game he pitched after he had won #299, but he just could not pull off #300 at Arlington. I lived in Houston when he and Carlton were trying to break Johnson's all-time strikeout record. I believe Carlton broke it first, and then the two of them went back and forth for the lead until Carlton broke down - Ryan, of course, kept plugging away. If I dug around I could probably find 20-30 ticket stubs from games I saw him pitch with the Astros and Rangers.
Point I'm making - Ryan provided his fans with tremendous entertainment. You knew when you went to his games that there was a real chance you could witness a no-hitter. I was lucky enough to be at his last one, and was also at a 1-hitter where he lost it in the ninth. I also saw him get pounded a few times.
But I have to agree that Seaver and Carlton were of more value to their teams.
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