Jonathan Papelbon's “Stare” and MLB's 8 Weirdest Pitching Mannerisms

There's something about pitchers and weird mannerisms. More than any other player on the diamond, they are under the microscope. So perhaps it's that, as fans, we always notice when they do strange or quirky things.

Intense glares, odd celebrations, funny windups and goofy dugout antics are some of the behaviors that crop up on this list of MLB's eight weirdest pitching mannerisms.

1. Jonathan Papelbon's "Stare"

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NEW YORK - JULY 04: Jonathan Papelbon #58 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the New York Yankees on July 4, 2008 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Jonathan Papelbon's intense stare from the set is the quintessential visage of any closer that is looking to intimidate the opposing batters. "The stare" is almost too good though; it looks a little forced, maybe a little fake.

Papelbon's glare didn't work out so well for him last year. 2010 was easily Paps' worst year in the majors, as he finished with 3.90 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP—both career highs.

So far, so good for Papelbon in 2011 though. He's converted both of his two save opportunities and has made five appearances overall. His 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 4.00 K/BB ratio are all numbers consistent with his career figures.

2. Brian Wilson's "Arm Cross"

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 05: Brian Wilson #38 of the San Francisco Giants gestures after earning a save against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 5, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 3-0. (Photo by

Pretty much everything that Giants closer Brian Wilson does could be characterized as weird. On the mound though, it is Wilson's celebratory "arm cross" that is the most eye-catching and unique.

The story behind Wilson's arm cross? Let's just turn to the authoritative source on all knowledge, Wikipedia:

"

Wilson has adopted a mixed martial arts gesture of crossing his arms, with his left hand in a fist and his right hand underneath pointing with the index finger while looking at the sky, which both honors God as well as his late father who died of cancer when Wilson was 17.

"

So there you have it. Wilson never fails to follow through with all of the gestures of his arm crossing act. Even after closing out the winning game of last year's World Series, Wilson went through his routine as he always does before turning back toward home plate just in time to catch an exuberant Buster Posey in his arms.

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka's "Butt Wiggle"

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 14: Starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka #18 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on September 14, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Red Sox won 9-6. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Get

Pitching from the wind-up, Daisuke Matsuzaka takes a halting step back toward the rubber that results, as easily detected from the classic centerfield TV angle, a noticeable wiggling of his derrière.

Dice-K's "butt wiggle" was, like all of his eccentricities, endearing at the beginning of his Major League career. And, accordingly, with the struggles of his more recent seasons, the butt wiggle is just a laughable quirk to a pitcher who is increasingly mediocre if not plain bad.

Maybe Matsuzaka and his wiggling cheeks have turned a corner, however. After a rough start to the season he pitched seven scoreless inning while picking up the win versus Toronto on Monday, Patriots' Day.

4. Rod Beck's "Arm Swing"

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16 Apr 1998: Pitcher Rod Beck of the Chicago Cubs in action during a game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Cubs defeated the Mets 8-4. Mandatory Credit: David Seelig /Allsport

Beyond today's players, some pitchers from MLB's not-so-distant past are fine examples of strange. Rod Beck, the late Rod Beck, is a pitcher who jumps to mind.

Beck, with his mullet flying in the breeze, had a knack for swinging his arm back and forth as he peered into his catcher for signs. Beck's arm swing exuded a feeling of cool laziness, which seemed to be right on par with his mullet and mustache.

5. Hideo Nomo's "Tornado"

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8 Sep 1997: Pitcher Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during a game against the Florida Marlins at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Rockies won the game 8-4.

Hideo Nomo made a big splash in 1995 when he crossed over from his native to Japan to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the first Japanese star in American baseball.

Nomo's performance alone would have likely been enough to earn his stardom; however his spectacular windup, which helped him pick up the nickname "The Tornado," helped add to his luster.

Nomo's "Tornado" windup involved raising his arms high above his head and curling his body up and away from home plate, to the point that he would be essentially facing out toward center field.

Nomo eased off on the Tornado windup later in his career; however, during his 1990s heyday with the Dodgers there was arguably not a more spectacular and stranger sight on the pitcher's mound.

6. Turk Wendell's "Teeth Brushing"

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12 Apr 1999: Pitcher Turk Wendell #99 of the New York Mets holds the ball and pionts from the mound during the game against the Florida Marlins at the Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York. The Mets defeated the Marlins 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Ezra O

There's superstitious players, and then there's Turk Wendell. It's safe to say this guy had many strange mannerisms.

The long-time New York Mets reliever's strangest superstition had to his habit of brushing his teeth between innings.

(Wendell pokes fun at his dental meticulousness with this ad he did for the National Honey Board [I know, right?] back in 2008. The NHB ran a summer-long promotion that year with Minor League Baseball)

7. Mark Fidrych's "Manicuring the Mound"

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27 Sep 1999: Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers scoops up dirt after the last game played at the Tiger Stadium against the Kansas City Royals in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Royals 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, may he rest in peace, had many, many quirky mannerisms on full display when he pitched. Among his antics, Fidrych would talk to himself, talk to the ball and throw back balls he thought had "too many hits" in them.

The guy just looked goofy too. And his windup, with its big leg kick, would have made The Bird a peculiar one regardless.

Of all of his quirks, however, Fidrych's strangest mannerism has to be his elaborate "manicuring of the mound," which he is shown doing here while taking part in pre-game ceremonies in the final game at Tiger Stadium in 1999. 

Fidyrch would meticulously rake out cleat marks and level things out to his liking at any given time during the game. Many pitchers certainly care about having good footing out on the mound, but few, if any, were as compulsive about this as Fidyrch was. 

8. Bill Lee's... Everything

Bill "Spaceman" Lee puts Brian Wilson and all of his oddities to shame. As for his various antics on the field, Lee is probably best remembered for his Eephus pitch, which is known as his "Leephus pitch," or, even more appropriately, the "spaceball."

Lee infamously retired Tony Perez with the Eephus in Perez' first tow at-bats in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series with the the Red Sox up 3-0 in the seventh inning. In his third at-bat Perez hit a mammoth two-run homer on the Eephus, and Boston went on to lose both that game and, obviously, the series.