From a childhood memory that stretches to San Diego and the times he would accompany his dad to the ballpark, Tony Gwynn Jr. carries a certain image of Trevor Hoffman.
"Four or five hours before the game, there he was, running the warning track in scrubs," Gwynn said. Paging Dr. Closer.
From the hole at the back of the bullpen to the undeniable need for a veteran presence in a clubhouse dominated by gifted 20-somethings who still might not have a complete grasp of the overall score, this Hoffman guy just might be the strongest relief available to the Milwaukee Brewers without a prescription.
Beyond the fact that he's got more saves than a tent revivalist working the midnight shift in south Alabama, Hoffman's suitability for this particular franchise at this particular time was made apparent Saturday morning inside a building made for hawking.
At the Midwest Airlines Center as their "On Deck" headliner, the Brewers were shrewd enough to make Hoffman's introductory presser open to the public. That way, the people who made Baseball's smallest market a top-10 draw last season got to see up close and personal what they were getting for their $6 million. And what they got was someone who can command an audience as well as his signature knee-buckling changeup.
Although Hoffman has lived and worked in maybe America's most desirable climate for the last 16 years, he made you believe that there was no other place he wanted to be than right here, right now in the 5-degree deep freezer.
Taking the microphone and talking up the Brewers' young talent better than Mark Attanasio on a good Wall Street day, the 41-year-old who has pitched in a World Series and has made himself Hall of Fame-worthy said, "Getting to be the new kid on the block again is invigorating."
That was also the word he used, invigorating, for the conditions that greeted him to his new professional home. "My wife is from Buffalo, N.Y., so we're used to single-digit temperatures," Hoffman said.
If his young teammates were smart, they were watching how Hoffman worked the room, how he looked everyone in the eye while spreading eloquence, earnestness and gratefulness. He is one of the pro athletes who actually get it, the symbiotic relationship between entertainers and customers. More of that is needed everywhere, but especially here in a self-conscious market that needs to feel its players want to be here.
Of course, more than anything the Brewers need Hoffman to throw strikes and finish games. That question will always be there given his age, but Hoffman is in superb shape and his workout habits, as Gwynn recalled, are legendary. Already, the new manager has noticed.
Ken Macha gathered his staff at Miller Park for an organizational meeting early Friday morning. The only player he saw at that hour in the weight room was the new closer just off the plane from California. "It's not a coincidence he's pitching at the age of 41," Macha said.
The fact that Hoffman has done it on one kidney is of little relevance, he believes, because the bad one was removed when he was 6 weeks old. "They always told me to drink a lot of water and stay away from contact sports," he said. "You're not going to see me up north in the Packers' camp."
But you will see him emerging from the Miller Park bullpen to the ominous tolling of "Hell's Bells," the AC/DC anthem that first became synonymous with Baseball's all-time saves leader during the Padres' 1998 World Series run. He's bringing his theatrical theme music, along with a sound arm and the right attitude for this town.
"Miller Time and Trevor Time," he said, "sound pretty good together."
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