Sawin' Wood: A bobblehead gone wrong
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sometimes, the stories write themselves.
I've got to share this one with you, regarding Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher and former Jayhawk Tom Gorzelanny.
The Pirates, quite possibly the worst-run franchise in baseball at the moment, had a bobblehead giveaway last week featuring Gorzelanny, who pitched for KU in 2002. The controversy? Many think the doll, believe it or not, appears to be flashing an obscene gesture.
You can't make this up. A small picture is on your left, and a better shot can be seen here and even examined in high resolution. WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh is running a poll asking if viewers think Gorzo is indeed giving the one-finger salute, and more than 1,100 voters have weighed in as of Monday night ("No" is leading by, uhh, a finger).
Examining the picture closely, it looks to me like Gorzo, a good man I interviewed for a story last year, indeed is telling someone they're number one. Of course, he has nothing to do with the construction of his doll, so I'm not really accusing him of being a jerk. He's actually a pleasant person who I can't imagine would give anyone the New York Hello.
Gorzelanny does pitch with a finger sticking out of the glove. Many baseball players play with their pointer finger outside of the mitt because their strange fathers raised them that way. Or for some other reason.
If you want your own vulgar toy, Ebay has several on sale at reasonable prices. It'd be the most offensive KU collectible you could possibly own, unless someone has a very good story they'd like to share.
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