If some mad genius ever creates a rodeo for baseball, his or her first call should be to the man in this video, Josh Womack, who currently plays for the Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden Baseball League.
Womack, a second-round pick of the Mariners in 2002, didn't have enough success with them to advance beyond Class A (other than some apparently token at-bats) before being let go in '08.
That he is batting .293/.387/.402 for the Armada this season in a league that features the likes of Jose Lima(notes), Mac Suzuki and Hideki Irabu must be great for Womack. After all, he's still getting paid to play a kid's game.
But it's not Womack's hitting that has the Internet Tubes abuzz. Add a ball to the equation and, sorry Josh, but few care. It's his nimble digits, the lightest fingers this side of a cabal of Times Square pickpockets, that are providing him this 15 minutes.
If you listen to the video, you'll hear Womack say he bruised a palm sliding into home. He's doing magic while injured!
Of course, the first thing one thinks about this video in this cynical society probably is:
Is it fake?
It seems real. No Photoshop or Final Cut Pro kind of sleight of hand here. Steroids? Well, who knows in this day and age. Let's hope not. Click below to view:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Wicked-video-Minor-leaguer-performs-major-leagu?urn=mlb,171207 or this short version: http://tiny.cc/batter
In case you're not convinced, here's another routine caught on tape (VIDEO) that includes Prentice Redman, a former major leaguer.
