NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki brought the Dallas Mavericks' victory tour to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington Friday night, throwing out the first pitch before the Texas Rangers opened their weekend series with the New York Mets.
Before stepping onto the rubber, however, Nowitzki had to bring some of his game to the diamond. He walked out of the dugout cradling a basketball and shot one of his signature fadeaway jumpers from the front of the mound.
Then Nowitzki took the mound and channeled his inner Nuke LaLoosh. Dirk brought the high heat, almost throwing his first pitch over Michael Young's(notes) head and into the face of the Rangers Captain mascot.
As it turns out, Nowitzki wasn't showing his wild side when he almost threw his pitch to the backstop. No, he just wanted to make sure he didn't pull a John Wall.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
"The only thing I wanted to do on the pitch was not keep it low," said Nowitzki, who followed up his first pitch by proudly flexing his right biceps. "Everybody was making fun of me. I can't do the John Wall, who obviously kept it very low. I kept it a little high, but it was better than a bounce, I guess. I brought the heat and it was good."
Nowitzki also joked afterwards that his first pitch probably would've looked better with a few practice tosses. Note how smooth the fadeaway looked with the work he's put in on that. (Perhaps some more opportunities would've helped, as well. The last time he threw out the first pitch before a Rangers game was 2003.)
Next stop for Dirk? A triumphant return home to Germany.
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