Giants closer Brian Wilson’s beard is nearing its 1-year
birthday and full-fledged toddler status. Fans wear replicas of
those black whiskers, and some folks try talking in his quirky,
inventive fashion. So how can a sports writer pull off a Wilson
imitation
—in print? Wilson’s advice:
”
You can try just run-on sentences, choppy sentences, things that
don’t correlate but they do.
”
SAN FRANCISCO
Giants closer Brian Wilson’s beard is nearing its 1-year birthday and full-fledged toddler status. Fans wear replicas of those black whiskers, and some folks try talking in his quirky, inventive fashion.
So how can a sports writer pull off a Wilson imitation—in print?
Wilson’s advice: “You can try just run-on sentences, choppy sentences, things that don’t correlate but they do.”
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In that case: Wilson’s 17th save of this nip-and-tuck season iced the Giants’ 2-1 win Sunday over the reeling Colorado Rockies while also preserving starter Ryan Vogelsong’s eight-inning storybook tale before AT&T Park’s 33rd straight sellout crowd.
(Pause here for dramatic effect.) Awesome, we nailed that last paragraph, per Wilson’s instructions.
But seriously, Wilson’s unmatched style overshadows an essential element of his persona: This guy sure can huck a baseball.
He needed only 10 pitches to retire all three Rockies he faced in the ninth inning. They were merely the Nos. 2-4 hitters: Seth Smith (strikeout after ball one), Carlos Gonzalez (ditto) and Troy Tulowitzki (first-pitch ground out to shortstop).
A 1-2-3, drama-free ninth isn’t Wilson’s norm. It had been a month since the two-time All-Star earned a save by retiring all three batters he faced, last doing so May 4 against the New York Mets in a 2-0 win.
“He does it a lot,” manager Bruce Bochy countered about Wilson’s 1-2-3 shift. “Sure, we see it the other way, too. He had good stuff, really located and had good movement today. Those were three tough hitters to go through, so it was nice to see him go 1-2-3.”
Now look at Wilson’s hot streak: Only run allowed in his past 19 2/3 innings and no runs his past eight outings.
We’ve nearly forgotten about his dalliance with a strained oblique (he missed the season’s first five games) as well as a spring-training visit to Charlie Sheen, the actor-turned-Wilson-wannabe.
He looks as strong as ever. Wilson, that is.
“It doesn’t matter, feeling good or whatever,” Wilson said. “It’s (about) going in and getting three outs. Regardless of how you do it, just go and do your job.”
Wilson went to hum a different tune after Sunday’s game. A moonlighting gig took him to San Francisco’s Irish Cultural Center, where he would play a harmonica while third-base coach Tim Flannery strummed a guitar.
“Just breathing into the apparatus and making noise—it’s basically what I’ll be featuring,” Wilson said. “I’ve done it once before when Flan put me on the spot, and I think I nailed it.”
That is so him—or “heeeem,” as scripted in the Wilson Book of Words. His clutch work is secure in Giants lore after he nailed down the World Series with a final strikeout, after doing the same in the National League Championship Series.
His slider authored Sunday’s save. Fear the beard? Fear the slider.
“I was able to get a lot of downward action on it, make it look like a fastball and dip at the end,” Wilson said. “I don’t know what it looks like from a hitter’s standpoint. If I see certain swings on certain pitches, I store that in the back of my head.”
Good thing he has room back there, considering how much hair occupies the front of his head.
You know, Wilson’s dramatic flair—on and off the mound—perfectly complements a team that just notched its 12th win in 15 home games decided by a run.
“I like winning, and we’re a one-run ballclub,” Wilson added. “So if that’s the case, we’re well versed in holding a one-run or two-run lead. We’ve been in it before. That’s just how we play baseball.”
Wilson was extremely complimentary of Buster Posey’s injury replacements at catcher, Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart, who caught Sunday’s ninth. He also praised “another epic performance” by Vogelsong (4-1, 1.68 ERA and Barry Zito’s entrenched successor in the rotation’s No. 5 spot).
Upon retreating to the clubhouse to watch Wilson close, Vogelsong said his simple expectation was this: “One-two-three, game’s over. Nothing else.”
Wilson returned that compliment: “In spring training you could tell that guy (‘Vogey,’ as he calls him) should be here. Through some tough situations, he ended up getting here and he’s pitched very well.”
What do you call it when Wilson pulls off a 1-2-3 frame in a one-run win over a division rival before an Irish music gig? Answer: A harmonic convergence.
(Pause for applause.) Yep, we nailed it.
— Column by Cam Inman, Contra Costa Times
