Madison Baumgartner: That Dude Better Get Paid

Bumgarner put up a legendary performance on par with anything I've ever seen or heard of. An effort expected of pitcher's in the 1910's, but certainly not in the 2010's. Pitch counts, rest, and excuses were all out the window as Bumgarner had his name called in the 5th inning. He calmly dealt 5 scoreless innings and dominated. He didn't become unraveled when CF Gregor Blanco misplayed a fast-dropping single as badly as a drunken 9-year old would. He settled back in and popped out the next batter. This World Series is the kind of effort that will be talked about for years. A man who simply was unhittable on the largest possible stage. Clutch moments were brushed aside as Bumgarner simply made everything seem as easy as Spring Training. He seems utterly un-shakeable at this point. You'd want him in your foxhole, and you like the cut of his jib, let's be honest. How cool is the shaggy-haired and bearded man walking out to the mound and shutting it down in the World Series? I want to be Madison Bumgarner not just for Halloween, but for the rest of my life. Just the epitome of cool and calm. I'm expecting him to guest star in Sons of Anarchy and crush it on the Late Night TV circuit. I love how he seems to detest interviews and tries to give Belicheck/Popovich-esque answers. I'm currently enjoying and genuinely feeling so HAPPY for Jeremy Affeldt talking about how meaningful it was for him to win this one back in Kansas City, the start of his career and a very tough place for him. It made me wish Erin Andrews would just stand there and look pretty while Ken Rosenthal does the real work. For anyone who has never won something like a Championship in a "team" sport, I can say it's like nothing else. The culmination of hard work with your teammates, who at that point are most likely good friends of yours, is amazing and unlike anything else I've experienced. You don't know how to act because it's the last thing on your mind. I threw my racket across myself in an awkward motion and hugged my doubles partner so enthusiastically I almost threw him over my head, Greco-Roman style. I didn't want this to be about me, I just wanted to talk about the great Series and the incredible efforts of Bumgarner. I look forward to talking about watching Bumgarner own the Series like no pitcher before. Bob Gibson comes to mind, but I'm not certain a World Series has had a performance like Bumgarner's. Just a real pleasure to watch and enjoy.