Backstage Balance: beards

Today, my friends, will be a most excellent day. Not only because it's Friday, and Memorial Day weekend (thus beginning a 3-day weekend), but because the Milwaukee Brewers will host the San Francisco Giants this weekend. AWESOME.

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Now, if you're familiar with the blog, you know that I dig San Francisco in general. Having visited last fall for Foodbuzz Festival, eating and drinking my way through town and biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, I kinda love the city.

It just so happens that I am a tad smitten with their baseball team. As you know, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series last year, which made a trip to the city a mere two days after the win VERY exciting!

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Aaaaaaand... as is well-documented on the blog, I am intrigued by the Giants relief pitcher, the phenom known as Brian Wilson.

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Since I last posted about Brian Wilson (ehh - since October 2010?), his unique personality has popped out to mainstream culture. A few examples:

1. He grew a rally beard for the playoffs and World Series, which took on a life of its own with Giants fans coining the slogan "Fear the Beard!"

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It continues to live on his face, and now has its own feature on MLB.com. Check it out, I dare ya.

.2. When fined for wearing bright orange cleats last summer, he told Jim Rome it was because they had "too much awesome." He still wears the cleats, but colored them with a Sharpie to meet uniform regulations.

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3. He appeared on Lopez Tonight dressed as a sailor, with his beard dyed gray. It was very strange, yet hilarity ensued. The Machine made an appearance.

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4. He's been all over the place with ads for MLB 2k11, talking smack to his "digital me" on his Zach Morris phone.

5. And then, on a personal level, there's inspiration in the way he seems to live life with a good sense of humor. As in, he drove an unmarked ex-police vehicle during Spring Training (which I can only imagine is ridiculously fun), complete with a bullhorn to taunt teammates in the lot at the ballpark. At his birthday party, everyone was decked out in 80s gear and he performed with Steel Panther. Awesome.

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Maybe I've got a little crush (he's cute, right?), maybe I'm envious on how much fun it must be to be in his shoes. Perhaps I'm reminded of the goofy antics of BASEketball. Mostly, I think that I am inspired by this dude, probably for the same reason that I am a fan of Andrew W.K: I believe in having FUN, being a little eccentric, and living each day to its fullest.

Side note - I can only imagine what would happen if / when Andrew W.K. and Brian Wilson meet. I do hope that they are aware of each other.

I also think it's pretty rad that the Giants allow their players to express themselves as individuals. Kind of the overall vibe of the city of San Francisco, too.

Anyhow! This weekend, I will attend all three games of the Brewers vs. Giants series. Enlisting the assistance and design skillz of Zak, I've got some fun fan props in the works. Let's just say there may be some bearded ladies in the audience this weekend... photos to follow.

The matchup will be interesting, with both teams at similar stats for the season and some unfortunate injuries. The Brewers also have a kick-ass closer, with eccentric facial hair... John Axford!