King Felix Pics
JMB · March 5, 2005 at 8:34 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Hey guys and gals — courtesy our good friend Jon Wells of the Grand Salami, who’s down in Arizona, we’ve got a pair of pictures of Felix Hernandez tossing the old horsehide today.
Apparently he tends to lose his hat when throwing his fastball. Said Mike Hargrove after the game, “We’ve gotta figure out a way to keep his hat on. Getting a haircut would be a key move.”
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25 Responses to “King Felix Pics”
Am I the only one who thinks he looks like the bastard stepchild of Pedro Martinez and Bartolo Colon? He’s a good-looking kid, but he just reminds me of them for some reason.
And… it just makes me cringe when I see someone that young uncorking it like that. I’ve been following baseball a long time and trying to rack my memory banks to recall the prototypical career arc of someone that fast and that good that young. The older I get, the more I want to say “go easy on that arm!”
I think Felix’s hat problem directly relates to an increase in his head size, caused by the KOMO on air talent. Before the pregame show was over, I already was weary of hearing how anxious “everyone” was to see Felix pitch in the third. Not to mention by the time he actually took the mound. I think there’s a halo effect in progress, and I hope Hargrover doesn’t fall for it. Dave Niehaus continued to rave about Felix’s performance even after he came out and, IMHO, did OK but it wasn’t obvious hat he was the second coming of anybody. He threw a lot of pitches. If he had struck out the side, he would have lived up to the hype maybe. Otherwise, I think some TLC for that arm and a couple of months in Tacoma is in everybody’s long term best interest…
the othe day Moyer said he’d walked up behind Felix, and thought he was looking at the back view of Freddy– dunno if that means that Felix is sturdy, or if it means he is bow-legged like Freddy & Bosio….
This is quite a common occurence in our society. If a player, band, topic, etc., gains a buzz, it is only a matter of time before the mainstream media picks it up and creates this massive vortex of excitement and impossible expectations. Most people that were in on the King Felix buzz prior to 2005 have a more reasonable outlook – they at least take into consideration that the kid is only 18 years of age and the list of flame-outs of phenoms like him is long and not-so distiguished.
If his hat size is the only complaint Hargrove can come up with, Hernandez must be doing pretty good.
This is A’La former Seattle Pilot Jim Bouton, who used to lose hit hat when he’d throw his heater
http://bremertonians.blogspot.com/2005/02/out-with-old-in-with-new_17.html
Mike Hargrove on the spring training hats (Feb. 17)
“The hat’s killing me,” the new skipper said with a laugh. “The person who designed these hats should be drawn and quartered, but the Seattle colors are nice. That part, I like.”
Anybody who has more than a few strands of hair is going to look silly in those hats. Keep in mind that those spring training hats were designed for 5-year olds. I wish they would get rid of those hats ASAP. But of course, it’s all about the money with Mr. Selig.
Are we talking about those flex fit mesh hats? I don’t have a New Era one, but I have a Nike one for my University and it seems like a much more comfortable baseball hat than any other I’ve worn.
I love the fact that the M’s official roster lists him at 6’3 and 170 lbs. Look at those pictures; there’s no way he’s 170. I’d be stunned if he’s under 200.
I’ve seen a couple of articles describing Felix as “lanky” due to his official listings – clearly people who had never seen him in person.
I think 6’3″ and 170 would be rail-thin. I’m not sure how that would compare to Richie Sexson, though Sexson is pretty much Kevin Garnett to me.
Finnigan, in the recent article, called him a “220 pound horse” (see url below)
I notice that Felix borrowed Mike Cameron’s pants.
Felix admitted that the “hat trick” got distracting, that it broke his rhythm, threw his concentration off. I think it’s the last time we see all that curly hair.
Nolan Ryan uncorked the ball when he was a kid, probably even harder than King Felix. If Felix is throwing No Hitters in his forties…
Maybe one of the proprietor’s has up-to-date research, but the last I heard on the subject, throwing when tired was the easiest way to get hurt. The fatigue causes the motion to get erratic, putting stress on places that aren’t used to it.
I picked up one of those exact new era mesh hats at the team store last weekend, it’s great. I would bet that the players prefer them to the wool models — they wick moisture away much better, and far more comfortable. I’d bet that their use is functional more than it is a marketing ploy. Not everything is a devious scheme by conniving capitalists.
15. “Not everything is a devious scheme by conniving capitalists.”
No…not sunsets, a kiss from your girlfriend, a long nap…but everything called MERCHANDISE is. Don’t be silly.
I agree with the assessments about his weight. Every time I see the 170 listing, I wonder “Is that without his legs?!” Great looking build for a pitcher, though. Can’t wait to see him pitch in the big leagues at some point this year.
Just compare it to a photo of Dan Reichert, who is 6-3 175, for any necessary proof.
I think the 170 lbs is what he weighed when they signed him at 16.
As for the “Not everything is designed by Capitalist comment” Don’t be naive, if they weren’t thinking of marketing they would just wear generic hats in Spring Training. And they woudln’t have alternate jersey’s and unis for every occasion they can think of and new logos every few years and on and on…
Those are some awesome pictures
Dan Reichert is 6-3, 175, and he is this thin: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/statitudes/news/2001/07/22/wib_btn/lg_reichart_ap.html
so Felix must weight 227 ish.
Yeah, Jon does a great job (despite the M’s best efforts, I might add!).
jason
The hats they give us are probably liked by about 5% of the players. Personally I think they are the worst hats I’ve ever seen and the worst hat I’ve ever worn. Felix’s hat may have been falling off a bunch but that won’t happen with a regular hat. Nobody prefers those hats over the wool ones.
It’s funny how everyone is a critic , the guys playing great and doing great , why do people have to critique his appearence?
It’s even funnier sitting in the crowd and hearing some of the things fans say while there is a fence between them and the player. Disrespectful things that they would never say to a players face without anything between them.
The Mariners media guide lists Hernandez as weighing 170 but their daily game notes indicate that that is an error (one of many in the media guide) and that King Felix’s’ real weight is 225…
I’ve never had a problem with the wool hats not wicking the sweat, even in the hottest days of summer. In fact, my game hats are obvious victims of it because there’s tide marks where the salt has reached. It’s because of that I have always assumed the spring training mesh caps and jerseys are just marketing, rather than functional.