Call To The Bullpen

He'd throw 11 pitches minimum and pronounce himself ready. He wouldn't throw any more than 21 pitches for fear of gassing himself too early. And the bullpen catcher had to yell out numbers as soon as Billy got to 8. Just the catcher could do it. Anyone else and he'd get thrown off.

Then there was his music. His theme song was/is "Eruption" by Van Halen. It had to begin being played in his home stadium (this goes all the way back to 1997), the moment his right foot touched the outfield warning track. He had to make it to the infield by a certain point in the song, skipping over the edge of the grass that separates infield dirt from the outfield, then make it to the mound by another particular point of the song.

I could go on. It involves shaking hands after a save, the way he disrobed after a game on the road vs. at home, the length of time in the shower, etc. It gets a little much.

So when I got back up to the bigs and started spending my time in the bullpen, I was in shock to the inhabitants of this space. I'm not a real superstition guy. I have certain quirks, like what I will and won't eat before a game and what time I need to get to bed the night before, but my ways aren't as colorful as Billy's.

The music, now that's apparently a big deal. Fans really want to get pumped up when their closer comes onto the field. That means the team is ahead and merely three outs from victory. The last season and one-sixth (because we're one-sixth of the way through this year), there have been few opportunities for a closer to come out because we haven't won too many games.

But that seems to be changing since my call up from the rehab assignment.

In the nine games that we've played since I've been back, I've pitched six times. Considering we were 12-23 back then and are now 20-24, we've made some good progress. We were 11 games back and now we're only seven.

Seven games from first with five-sixths of the season to go is not too big a mountain to climb.

Especially when you're closer (that's me) is 6 for 6 in save opportunities and hasn't given up a run yet. Especially when your closer has struck out eight batters in six innings. Especially when your closer runs in from the outfield to"Working For A Living" by Huey Lewis & The News.

Huey Lewis & The News? They're supposed to pump the crowd up?

Well, I don't know. I was asked what song did I want and this one popped into my head. I always liked the band and liked this version of the song. It kind of pumps me up. It's upbeat and fun and I like how the harmonica solo leads into a cool guitar solo.

So, is it the coolest song for a closer to come in with? Is it "Hells Bells" or "Eruption?? Nope. It's Huey. I like it. It's what I want to hear when that call comes for me to head out and pitch the bottom of the ninth.

And as long as the song finishes between the time I release my seventh warm-up pitch and when the catcher catches it, less than a second later, I'm happy. But don't end it early or late. That'll screw up my whole day.

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