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I see your point on the longevity. That's why I argue with people who say Ryan was the greatest pitchers who ever lived. Well, that's just one of the issues anyway. Ryan pitched into his late 40's even when it was clear that he wasn't helping his team. I mean you wonder why the guy holds the records for K's. Because he pitched for so god dam long.
Now, to make an argument related to 300 wins. Look at Gaylord Perry. He also pitched well into his 40's and he wound up with 314 wins. See, that's where I can agree with you that 300 is not that big a deal. Phil Niekro is another one. Pitched until he was 48 and wound up with 318 wins. Both Pitchers really didn't help there teams in the ladder part of their careers.
But look what happens when you look at Clemens. 40 years old and he has 310 wins. But the difference here is that he is still helping his team and he is arguably still one of the best pitchers in the game. See here, you have to say that reaching 300 is incredible because he is still producing positive results and helping his team. Same with Maddux. He's been consistent thoughout all his years. Same with Seaver.
So in closing I'll say this. Winning 300 is Great when:
1) You did it while pitching on a bad team throughout most of your career (Johnson)
2) You did it while still maintaining consistency throughout the years.
3) You did it while not being a negative for your team.
4) You did it while retiring before your 20th season.
5) Your Cy Young and win 511 games
Now, keep in mind the specific pitcher doesn't have to have all those things on the list.
So, keeping to that list, 300 games was a GREAT acheivement for these pitchers:
1) Young
2) W. Johnson
3) Clemens
4) Maddux
5) Grove
6) Seaver
7) Matthewson
8) Alexander
The other guys eathier pitched well beyond their good years just to get 300 or pitched in the 1800's and I'm not counting them. Kid Nicholas was a great pitcher though
***And I really shouldn't of said it's not really a big deal for the guys of the early 1900's. Because they still worked 4 man rotations. Some teams (A's) still do today. The late 1800's worked 3 man rotations. And remember, seasons were shorter back then
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