"This picture captures what I've loved to do since I first knew what it was: play baseball. I like baseball because it relies so heavily on teamwork, yet is so full of fundamental one-on-one matchups: pitcher vs. batter. And as a pitcher, there's nothing I love more than watching normally fearless hitters freeze solid at a ball that is more confusing than some home-plate umpires. The title comes from the fact that it is the first depiction of my furry character in action, as well as my first deviation."

Drawn in November 2005 with Crayola colored pencils and a rekindled passion for the tiger inside, this original piece is the first and, so far, only published self-portrait of the depicted character...