Nolan Ryan States Mint produced a $1 commemorative coin honoring Olympic baseball depicting a pitcher in a USA Baseball uniform, but in a pose nearly identical to Ryan's photo on his 1991 Fleer baseball card. The numismatic community subsequently referred to the coin as the "Nolan Ryan dollar." In 1995 the Texas State Legislature declared State Highway 288, which passes near Alvin, as the Nolan Ryan Expressway. The Alvin Independent School District opened Nolan Ryan Junior High School, located at 11500 Shadow Creek Parkway (FM 2234) in Pearland, Texas, just a few hundred yards away from the Nolan Ryan Expressway. Ryan married
Joel Hanrahan radar gun at Great American Ball Park once clocked him at 102 mph during a Reds game. His fastball was his primary pitch and the one he threw most often in every count except 1–2. Hanrahan's pitching style changed dramatically following the transition to the bullpen. In 2007, his velocity was about five miles per hour lower across the board. He also made frequent use of a changeup in the low 80s against left-handed hitters. His fastball speed grew considerably in 2008, and by 2010, he stopped throwing the changeup altogether. Joel Hanrahan Joel Ryan Hanrahan (born October 6, 1981)