C.J. Wilson Named MLB's Mane Man

Lost in all the hullabaloo of last week's Super Bowl was the fact that Head & Shoulders named their MLB "Mane Man" for the upcoming season.

And that guy...none other than Los Angeles Angels pitcher, friend of The Hall, C.J. Wilson.

"Head & Shoulders is an iconic brand that I trust to take care of my hair and scalp so I can concentrate 100 percent on and off the mound," Wilson said.

"Having a guy like C.J., who shows confidence both on and off the field, is a great way to bring scalp and hair care to the forefront for guys everywhere," said Michael Sabbia, Brand Manager for Head & Shoulders, North America, Procter & Gamble.

So, really, what does this mean?

You can bet you'll be seeing the lefty smiling at you both on your TV and in your grocery store.  But, hey, it could have been worse...Head & Shoulders could've named any one of these guys their poster boy.

C.J. Wilson...Tupac Fan?

I've never been much of a "judge a book by its cover" kind of guy...but I would have never thought that pitcher C.J. Wilson was a "Thugluv" kind of guy.

But, as it turns out, the Los Angeles Angels lefty is (or at least "Christopher" Wilson was) just that.

Most high school photos of anyone are pretty embarrassing, but the only thing embarrassing about Wilson's senior pic...the fact that I have no clue what any of that stuff means.

Except for "2PAC lives!" that is.

Some other fun facts about the Wilson's alma mater Fountain Valley High School.

• The FVHS gym was used as a location in the 1997 Academy Award nominated "Wag the Dog"
• In 2005, the school's drumline appeared in Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl' music video
• Other famous alums include...actress Michelle Pfeiffer, Olympic medalists Jack and Shirley Babashoff, "Hustle and Flow" director Craig Brewer and actor David ("Roy" from "The Office") Denman.

Thanks Wikipedia!

 

Straight Edge Worlds Collide!

Newly signed Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson once told me that living drug-free was "the easiest part of (his) life".

WWE Superstar CM Punk lives every day by that same creed.

So, you've gotta wonder what the acronymed athletes talked about when they met up Monday night?  My guess...tattoos.  Or baseball.

The current WWE Champ is a rabid Chicago Cubs fan.  And as for the tattoos?  Both man have "straight edge" tattooed on their torso.

And in case you were wondering.  The dude in the middle is Toby Morse...font man for the hardcore punk band H2O.  Morse tweeted out the picture Tuesday morning.

C.J. Wilson is a Champ

This past week saw some serious cash exchange hands at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.

First off, the Miami Marlins shelled out $191 million for shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell.

Not to be outdone, the Los Angeles Angels broke the bank when they inked lefty C.J. Wilson and three-time MVP Albert Pujols to contracts in excess of $330 million.

Naturally, fans of the players' former teams were none to pleased when they found out their beloved stars had left for seemingly greener pastures.

New York Mets fans hit Twitter to hurl racial slurs at their former batting champ, while in St. Louis, Cardinal faithful took the the streets to burn their Pujols jerseys.

But in Texas, Rangers fans reacted differently to Wilson signing with a divisional rival.

And my guess is it had something to do with this:

I just want to say thank you to all the ranger fans who have supported me, and my efforts in the community the last six years in Texas. Surely it's both hard for some to understand that I left for a different team let alone a division rival- it was bittersweet for me as well. At the end of the day the rangers didn't make a push to keep me on the team. The angels an marlins wanted me on their... teams and proved it. everything written about an asking price etc was media speculation and never had an ounce of truth. The rangers are a great organization with talented front office and players and will be a difficult team to beat and it's very sad to leave such awesome teammates and fans. The last few years in ranger stadium were special- going from a losing team to bankrupt to american league champs was a complete transformation and obviously everyone should be proud of it. The charity will continue even stronger now and we will continue to support North Texas kids as well as SoCal kids. Please keep that spirit of philanthropy alive for your local causes like cooks children's hospital, Scottish rite, dallas children's and the boys and girls club.

You see, instead of thanking the fans via a press conference while wearing the opposing teams' colors or taking out the cliched full-page ad in the local fishwrap...Wilson did what he always does.

He worked his social media channels and thanked his "friends" directly.

So, yeah, it doesn't matter that Wilson didn't get the biggest contract this past week.  Further more, it doesn't matter if dude ever wins a World Series with his new team.

C.J. Wilson is a champ, folks.

Behind-the-Scenes with C.J. Wilson

During the All-Star Game festivities of a few weeks ago, you saw a bunch of players and their buddies documenting the events.

But, I'd wager, a majority of those videos are going to show the Home Run Derby and, possibly, the game itself.

That's where friend of The Hall (and no stranger to the camera), Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson comes in.

You see, the lefty (and his crew) decided to let the camera roll off the field. And what we're left with, is, well...you can see for yourself.

Oh, and that part where Wilson is happy that now he might get a chance to bat in the World Series? Suffice it to say, it reminds me of the time when The Hall interviewed the All-Star two summers ago.

HOVG: Alright, I had to get that out of the way. It seems every interview with you online talks about three things…you being a technology nut, Tommy John surgery and being a “free spirt”. I’d like to try and take it a different direction…if at all possible. In your first game, you give up a single to the only batter you faced…then in the next inning, you get lifted for a pinch hitter. You’re down 12-5…why not let you hit?!? You were quite the hitter in college, right?

CJ: Why not let me hit? It's a puzzling question that I still am upset about five seasons later.

HOVG: Would you ever petition (Rangers manager) Ron Washington to let you hit in some ballgames or, as a reliever, is that a moot point?

CJ: I'm a decent hitter, but realistically, (I won’t hit) until I'm a starter or a National Leaguer. American League closers don't get a lot of at bats, so I'm just going to take my batting practice homers and call it what it is...unfortunate.

Enjoy!

C.J. Wilson is Ready for Opening Day

Prior to the end of its run, Texas Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson exhibited a pretty well documented relationship with the TV show "LOST" and the show's showrunner Carlton Cuse.

Thankfully, the gang at Funny or Die has found a way to keep Cuse relevant and help get Wilson in shape for his Opening Day start April 1 against the Boston Red Sox.

And it's called exercise. 

"Sweep the Yankees.  Sweep the Yankees.  Sweep the Yankees."

Brian Wilson Mentions "The Machine" on National Television...Again

So...San Francisco Giants closer referred to "The Machine" in his postgame interview Saturday night and the internet went nuts.

Alright blogosphere, plenty of you are getting to The Hall of Very Good by hitting up "Brian Wilson The Machine" or "C.J. Wilson The Machine" on the Googles and finding the old interview I did with C.J. Wilson and nothing on "The Machine".

Well, as a public service to you all (and thank you for stopping by), I'm posting this video so you know exactly what he was referring to.



Oh...and while you're stopping by, feel free to check out the afore mentioned interview The Hall did with Texas Rangers hurler C.J. Wilson last year and/or his thoughts on the retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. this past June.

Talkin' Baseball with C.J. Wilson

C.J. Wilson Talks "Junior"

Enjoy!