Is Brian Wilson for Real?

The beard, the antics on the mound, and the cryptic answers are all part of the Brian Wilson show. That is why the San Francisco Giants closer is one of the most interesting people in sports today and why I would like to meet him.

Let me get one thing out of the way right off the bat, excuse the pun, Wilson is one of the best relief pitchers in Major League Baseball. He was a huge part of the Giants World Series run last season and seems to be on his game again early in the 2011 season.

The reason I would love to interview him is to find out if he is really as goofy as he seems to be. From the outside looking in it seems to be all an act, one that is actually getting kind of tiresome. The ads that feature what is going on in his beard are just silly and lame.

On the mound I don't have as much of a problem with Wilson. His arm cross pales in comparison to the antics of Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde or Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees. If I was a hitter against the last two and they did their act on the mound I would want to line a ball right up the middle next time and hope that is caught their shin. Wilson's arm cross is in honor of his father who died when Brian was just a teenager. You can't have a problem with that.

Wilson's quotes are just plain bizarre. They rarely have anything to do with the question he was asked. Rather it is just one big rambling statement in the mold of Charlie Sheen. Or maybe Wilson is trying to act just as strange as Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys?

If I had the chance I would just like to have dinner with him and see what he is really like. Maybe he is just as loony as he appears to be. Or maybe he likes the attention he gets when he acts the way he does, like a sports version of Lady Gaga or Ke$ha.