Expectations are high this year for Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb. It remains to be seen what the starting pitcher is able to accomplish on the mound, but as a citizen and well-known dog lover, Cobb is off to a great start.
Earlier this week, Cobb managed to rescue a lost dog that was running through traffic in Port Charlotte, Florida, close to the rental home he's using for the team's Spring Training. Cobb told the Tampa Bay Times that the dog was "very close to getting hit by a car" before he was able to chase it down.
The pitcher said it took about 20 minutes to get ahold of the dog, who was skittish and fled directly into traffic. Cobb said he backed off when the dog kept getting onto the roadway, hoping a more relaxed approach would keep him away from oncoming traffic.
"I went down some neighborhood streets and into some back yards," Cobb said. "You could tell he was a little scared, eventually he just kind of finally cowered down and let me pick him up."
The rescue, which Cobb planned on bringing in to the Human Society for an inspection, is a male weighing around 20 pounds. No collar was found, and the dog does not have any distinct features. He does, however, look very similar to Baxter, the fictional dog made famous in the Will Ferrell comedy "Anchorman."
Cobb has informed the local Humane Society of his find and is trying to spread the word in hopes of reaching the dog's owner. The Tampa Bay Rays are also encouraging anyone with information -- or the dog's owners -- to email the team at lostdog@raysbaseball.com.
In the meantime, the rescue was able to spend time playing with Cobb's own dog, an American bulldog named Axel. But the pitcher is hopeful that the dog he found on a busy highway can be returned home soon.
