Twins at Cleveland. Weekend Round-up.
Friday. Twins 14, Indigenous Peoples 6.
Saturday. IPs 11, Twins 0.
Sunday. Twins 3, IPs 1.
It hasn't taken long for Pat Neshek to become something of a folk hero around Twins Territory. How can you not love a guy who has his own blog? (Because blogging, as we know, is the key to lovability.) Whenever he gets interviewed, he acts roughly as excited to be in the bigs as your average 11 year old Little League star, with about the same amout of voice cracking. And he's got the most crazy-ass delivery Batgirl has ever seen. It's sort of like an epileptic trying to do the Robot--except that robot sure can pitch. Below, for your edification: Neshek's delivery, a reenactment. Kids, for god's sakes, don't try this at home.
With boyish good looks that belie his gee whiz charm, Neshek surveys the batter.
As if offering a last prayer to the baseball gods, Neshek holds his glove out to the batter and bows.
He then yanks the ball back and, while jerking it up and down, bobs up and down a few times as if readying his entry for the 2006 Twins Mime Competition: "Boy, Who Left That Banana Peel Right There?" I think he'll win!
When will he release the ball? No one knows!
Oh, there it goes! Wheeee!
Neshek freezes, using the force of his will to urge the ball over the plate.
Then, as the ball approaches the plate, he begins to wave his pitching arm in the air until--
--he ends in the "Neshek Salute!" raising his hand to the ball to thank it for all it has done for him and wish it well on its travels, wherever they may take it. Good-bye ball! I'll miss you! Adieu! Adieu!
As the ball lands in Mike Redmond's mitt, the batter's face registers confusion, then rage, then something very like arousal.