theme of the week
(people on my flist will not be surprised about who I write about, lol.)
so, my favorite rookie isn't just my favorite rookie. he's my favorite pitcher on the team right now, period. and that would be the man in my icon, Tommy Hunter.
when he was originally called up last season, he sucked. he was rushed due to injuries, but he sucked. (there's no way to sugarcoat a ~16.00 ERA.) but I loved his attitude. he didn't make excuses about his performance, and I really respected that. he went back down to AA to work on all of his pitches, knowing that there was a chance he could get a shot this season.
so, fast-forward to the last weekend of May. the Rangers had a doubleheader against the A's, and they needed a starter for game one. so Tommy got called up. he pitched decently -- 3 runs in 5 2/3rds innings -- and was sent down immediately afterwards for bullpen help. after his performance, it was pretty certain that the next time there was an open rotation spot, he'd get the first crack at it. that chance came near the end of June, when Brandon McCarthy got hurt. he took his opportunity and ran with it, and has been one of our best pitchers since that time. he's a horse -- even when he struggles, he usually gives the team six or seven innings. a guy like that is huge, especially for a team like the Rangers.
one of my favorite things about him is his toughness. he was a judo champion growing up (I'm waiting for the day when someone charges the mound against him!!), so I guess it's only natural. during a game a few weeks ago, he took one ball off his butt and another off the dead center of his chest. he pitched for two more innings. during his post-game interview, he just said that he was gonna be bruised the next day and winked at the camera when he said that he also got hit in the butt. if I hadn't already loved him, I would have loved him after that.
also, he's hilarious. he's one of those guys that makes random faces at the camera when the interviewer's not looking at him, and makes jokes all the time. he's also got an amazing nickname -- Thunderboy. CJ Wilson gave it to him because he has thunder thighs, and he didn't like the way Big Thunder sounded. I'm also a little in love with his accent, but that's just because it reminds me of mine a little bit.
basically, I just love him to bits and pieces, and I'm so hoping that his performance this year is legit and he can continue to be this awesome in years to come!
...I can't believe I basically just wrote a love letter to Tommy Hunter without mentioning his curveball. when it's working right, that thing is SICK. one of the best I've seen. our announcers compared it to Roy Halladay's curve yet, and while that's a stretch right now, who knows in the future?
I'm going to shut up now :)