From the 5/2 game story:

A day earlier, Johnson reconnected with a time before his five Cy Young awards, his 4,819 strikeouts and his World Series MVP trophy. Thursday morning, the 6-foot-10 left-hander wandered the Livermore High campus unannounced but not long unrecognized. He visited the police station where his late father, Bud, once had a locker. And he spoke to players who button up the same green Cowboys jersey that he did 27 years ago.

“Even driving past the Donut Wheel on 1st St. brought back memories,” Johnson said. "My dad would take me there. We’d get a donut for me and he’d get a coffee for 10 cents. That dates me right there.

“I was just buzzing on the way home,” he continued. “I’m still buzzing. It was a great off day. I kind of believe it carried over.”

Johnson said he got emotional when he looked into the stands and saw the group of 10 old friends and former high school teammates he invited to the game.

“They’re all wearing Giants hats and they’re all proud of me,” Johnson said. “They’re as excited as I was.”

Livermore baseball coach David Perotti heard a rumor Johnson was on campus during the morning. Then Perotti received a call at 1 p.m. from Sgt. Steve Gallagher, who was Johnson’s high school catcher and has a son on the team.

Would it be OK if the Big Unit came to practice?

“The thing I thought was cool is he showed up by himself,” Perotti said. “It was unbelievable. He stayed for two hours. He signed a billion things. He took any picture anybody wanted. He talked to our varsity for an hour and our JV guys for 45 minutes. It was pretty unbelievable. It just seemed to me like he wanted to come back.”

Perotti waited until the last moment to tell his players. He didn’t want them to send a flood of calls and text messages. When Johnson arrived, it was just the coaches and players.

“He gave the kids the whole ‘work hard’ speech, but he wanted them to ask questions,” Perotti said. “I can tell you, it’s impossible to get a high school kid to be quiet for 20 seconds. And he had them dead silent for over an hour.”

Johnson showed Ryan Helms, a senior pitcher, how he adjusted the grip on his slider over the years. Johnson said he plans to visit again soon, especially after his kids join him this summer. He pledged to supply some equipment for the Livermore team.

Good thing, too. After his visit, they’re in need.

“I’ve gotta buy more game balls,” Perotti said. “The kids grabbed ’em all for him to sign.”

And from Extra Baggs:

Johnson spent the day off touring his hometown of Livermore, which you can read more about in the game story. He drove past every school he attended until college. He went to the police station where his late father, Bud, worked. He saw the gas station where his father took shifts to provide a little extra for his family. He found the two houses he grew up in. At the first one, the 5-foot palm tree in the yard had grown six-fold. At the other house, the lawn his father carefully kept up had turned to dirt.

I’m pretty sure Johnson, all 6-foot-10 of him, has held up traffic before. This time, he slowed down the flow on First St. without ever getting out of his car. He gawked at every shop window to see who had thrived, who had survived and who had not.

The whole time he talked about the experience, there was a magical look in his eyes. We’ve all experienced some version of coming home and steeping ourselves in nostalgia. There are little disappointments, constant surprises, simple pleasures and continual reminders of the passage of time.

He said he’s eager to go back on the next day off. When his wife and kids join him in the summertime, he wants to show them around, too. And I’m certain he will.

I would like a lot more Expos in the HOF. Allez Montréal!

There’s always Scum.