I'm sure he didn't want it to happen this way, but Brian Wilson's injury—he'll require elbow surgery, which means the end of his season—makes the St. Louis Cardinals' Jason Motte the official king of bearded, quirky closers for the time being. Look: I know he's not Brian Wilson. But he's got quirk! He's a converted catcher! He talks to the baseball and his glove is a Twitter novelty account!
↵Most importantly, this photo exists:
↵
He's just happy to be closing, is all. Motte's unlikely to appear in Old Spice ads or create a frightening S&M monster played by Pat Burrell to freak out Chris Rose, but he'll talk to the baseball, grin strangely in his press photos, talk to the baseball, twitch a lot on the mound, and otherwise be just weird and animated to serve as interim Weird Bearded Closer with all the dignity inherent to the office while Wilson rehabs.
↵And personally, I think that's all we can ask for. Oh, that and for him to continue pitching really well. But just both of those things.
↵