R.I.P. Dock Ellis, The Original David Wells

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that infamous pitcher Dock Ellis has died of liver disease at the age of 63. Ellis' most notorious moment in the sun came in 1974, when he pitched a no-hitter for the Pirates while under the influence of LSD. Having a strike zone that looks like a field of wildflowers with zebras and hippopotami grazing must really help the focus and determination pitching requires. That unmatched performance paved the way for Yankee David Wells to pitch a perfect game terrifically hungover in the '90s. But nothing could ever knock Dock from the top of the "Unlikely Great Perfomances" heap.

Crasnick notes that since his retirement, Ellis has become a tremendous advocate for getting clean, taking a job with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a counselor for convicts transitioning out of the pen. The California prison system is an incredibly difficult place to work in any capacity, and this was a job Ellis probably didn't have to do. Heckuva legacy, that.

Race issues in Major League Baseball important to Ellis; Crasnick cites a quote from the '70s in which Ellis asserted he wouldn't be named the NL's All-Star Game starter because fellow "soul brother" Vida Blue would be starting for the AL and baseball wouldn't have two of them at the top.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.