The last time Dallas Braden made news here at Brushbackpitch.com I was making fun of him for the degree of venom he spewed toward Alex Rodriguez for crossing “his” pitchers mound after a foul ball.

I still think that got a bit ridiculous, as rumors of threats of a fistfight were coming out two weeks after the incident.

But Braden certainly put an exclamation point on his resume Sunday by throwing just the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history.

SportsIllustrated.com called him one of the least accomplished pitchers to accomplish the feat. Whatever. Now in a matter of three weeks he’s proven that he has guts and that, buried somewhere amidst his mediocre career numbers, he’s also got some game.

The feat was made more touching by the bear hug he shared with his grandmother after the game. He tossed his gem on Mother’s Day and his mother died when he was in high school from skin cancer. Interviewed on the radio – apologies to the network, I think it was ESPN, but I’m not 100 percent certain – Braden acknowledged that the script moved him to tears.

Braden may not be headed to Cooperstown for a Hall of Fame enshrinement when his career ends. He might not win 300 games or win a Cy Young Award.

But he’s got his perfect game and, even if by nothing more than by accident and happenstance, he’s become one of the characters that is making the 2010 Major League Baseball season more interesting and memorable.

Congratulations.