Pitching

by Jimmy Angell

There is no greater feeling than getting the ball before a big game. When the coach looks to you to hold the other team down and win the game. When you know the team and everyone is counting on you. The pressure, boy, I love pressure. There is nothing better because it’s up to you. When you are pitching you are the center of attention. It is you on that little mound in the middle of a big diamond, you against the hitter in that little box. Once you’re there, it is all you. No one else can throw the pitch. The first pitch strike is the hardest to get. Once you get that first strike, you take off; you have all the confidence in the world. Not even Albert Pujols could hit me. And that is how your attitude has to be.

Some people think I am cocky when it comes to pitching. But you have to be to succeed. You have to have that swagger, the feeling of he can’t touch me, and like what you got kid, just try to hit this. And then once you have those two strikes on a hitter, you paint the corner, or they swing and miss at the curve in the dirt, or chase the high cheese. Oh, it’s the best; trust me when I say there is nothing better. That feeling when you overpower someone with a fastball is just like yeah swing faster buddy. And when they swing at that curve in the dirt, ha that’s the best. They just look like a fool and you just feel like saying yeah bet you’ve never seen that before. And then when they look at that third strike, you are just like yeah, I am too much for you. And I know I sound cocky and conceded and like a show off but, like I said, you have to be. You have to be like that; I am like that. When you are pitching, and pitching well, you are the boss. You own that mound, its yours, no one else is even worthy of towing the rubber but you. And when your fielder makes a great play it just gets you even more pumped. Just to know that the people in the field have your back is great. What more could you want.

And nothing compares to the feeling after you get that beg win. You feel like yeah I am the best I am on top of the world. And you just can’t wait for your next start so that you can go do it again. During a season, the time in between starts feels like forever. A win is better than anything; it is why I love pitching, that end result. To get the credit for your team's win. But losing oh that sucks a lot. You feel as though everyone hates you and that they don’t trust you to ever pitch again. I become the biggest failure in the world after a loss. That is honestly how I feels. It is like all the talent I ever had goes down the drain in one game and it will never come back. I will be bad forever. This makes the wait between starts even more excruciating and long.

It’s really quite simple: I love to pitch. I want to pitch forever. Before a game when someone asks me hey are you going to win today my response is immediate, hell (or something else) yeah. And that is how I feel.