Ryan Dempster's secret to success
It's about time a media outlet did a hard hitting piece on Ryan Dempster and that's exactly what WEEI.com did this week. In an exclusive break down they found out the true meaning behind Ryan Dempster's glove wiggle before he delivers a pitch.
In all fairness to Dempster the majority of baseball fans have contemplated his action for years, and now that the right hander is in a Red Sox uniform the masses are crying out for the true meaning behind the subtle gesture. Dempster didn't disappoint in his explanations for for why he "giggles it just a little bit."
1. "Keep myself cool"
2. "To wave the catcher out mid-pitch"
3. "To show off my Rawling sponsorship and make sure the carmera sees it"
4. "For timing"
5. "To be able to scuff the ball in my glove as I'm twisting it"
6. "I like the smell of leather. Fresh leather smells really good"
7. "Prevent myself from tipping pitches"
You probably caught on to the fact that those answers don't necessarily add up to a valid reason for his glove wiggle. However Dempster clears things up for us (who really want the truth) regarding his infamous wiggle in a 2011 interview with Baseball Nation.
"Ah my glove wiggle, I think my glove wiggle started just before spring training in 2008. Tyler Colvin was standing in the batter's box and said he could see my hands moving. Kevin Millar suggested I try moving the glove a little and changed my grip. Started wiggling and now I can't stop, you should see me take a casserole out of the oven, and I do the same thing with my oven mitt on"
There you have it folks the real reason is for professional privacy. I'm glad our old friend Kevin Millar gave him some great tips before he reached Beantown. Now we can reap the benefits of a highly sophisticated "poker" glove hand (the glove verse of a poker face and now that stupid Lady GaGa song is stuck in your head, your welcome).
Follow Scott Levesque on Twitter at @scottlevesque.
