Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow should know he's arrived. He now has a bobblehead in his likeness, complete with the mop of hair and retro 1982 uniform.

Fans at the May 13 game against the Mets will receive the bobblehead. The Brewers recently shot a promo for the giveaway, with pitchers in the bullpen wearing mop-hair wigs.

"It's pretty exciting," Turnbow said with a tongue-in-cheek grin. "It's real special."

Turnbow looks a little like Ringo Starr with a baseball cap on. Some think he looks more like former Detroit pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidyrch. His pitching coach, Mike Maddux, calls him "Gomer." His catcher refers to him as "Mongo." Bob Uecker calls him "D-Bow."

By today's short-cropped styles, Turnbow has a mop of hair. He wears his cap pulled down, so parts of that mop stick out on either side. He has some facial features of the famous ex-Beatles drummer and Fidyrch. His Tennessee accent can sound somewhat like Gomer Pyle on certain words.

His looks might draw a lot of comparisons, and he might take some good-natured kidding and be prone to nicknames at times. But, when the 28-year-old righthander has pitched the past two seasons, he has been taken very seriously.

"Derrick has made the most of an opportunity," said manager Ned Yost. "He's worked hard with Mike (Maddux, pitching coach) and Billy (Castro, bullpen coach). He's earned his spot."

Okay, but before we get any further into the baseball staff; why the hair and hat?

"My fiancée (Rebecca) told me she liked my hair long, so I grew it like this," said Turnbow, who married Becca in November. "I wear my hat like this so it doesn't blow off."

So, now we know about Turnbow's look. But, what about his style of pitching?

"I've always thrown hard," said Turnbow, who has reached 99 miles per hour with some of his fast balls. "In fact, that probably hurt me at times. I think I've learned to be more of a pitcher here."

Turnbow, who was claimed off waivers from Anaheim in October 2004, gives Maddux and Castro a great deal of credit for his success. "They've helped me clean up my mechanics," Turnbow said. "I had a lot of things going on with my delivery, but now I'm more under control, smoother.

"I had other pitching coaches tell me similar things, but when Mike tells you it's understandable. Billy is like a second pitching coach in the bullpen."

Maddux says Turnbow has been a good student. "He's a shy guy, quiet by nature," Maddux said. "But, he's listened and improved. I think as he has more success and feels more comfortable, you will see the real Gomer come out."

Turnbow dipped and drove too much in his delivery. Maddux has had him simplify his delivery, which has led to better command.

"His raw stuff can be eye-popping," Maddux said. "When he maintains his command in the strike zone, he can be very effective."

Turnbow also thinks the change of scenery meant a lot to him. "It was a fresh start, with a new organization," he said. "That can mean a lot."

A product of Franklin High School in Tennessee, Turnbow's first organization was Philadelphia. The Phillies drafted him in the fifth round in 1997.

Turnbow spent the first two seasons in rookie ball, and in 1999 moved up to A ball with Piedmont. He was named the Phillies' Minor League Pitcher of the Week in July of that year and went 12-8 as a starter with four complete games, one shutout and a 3.35 ERA.

The Angels took Turnbow in the Rule Five draft in 2000. He remained with Anaheim for the entire season, appearing in 24 games as a reliever.

On April 19, 2001, Turnbow's career took a turn for the worse. While throwing a fast ball, he suffered a displaced fracture of the ulna bone in his right forearm. He had pins put into his arm.

Over the next two seasons, Turnbow pitched in a total of six games, as he tried to come back from the injury.

"It was tough," he now says. "You're not sure what will happen. There is a lot of rehab work."

Turnbow pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2002 and went 4-0 with two saves and a 2.22 ERA. The Angels assigned him to AA Arkansas in 2003. He split time between there and AAA Salt Lake and the Angels.

He went 2-0 for the Angels and was picked the team's Player of the Month for September. Turnbow looked to be in the Angels' plans for 2004.

But, he started the season at Salt Lake and appeared in only four games for the Angels. They put him on waivers, and the Brewers signed him.

"I left there (the Angels organization) on good terms," Turnbow said. "I'm not sure what happened last year, but they went with some other pitchers. I own those guys a lot. They took care of me and helped me develop."

Turnbow came into the Brewers' spring training camp as a virtual unknown. The Brewers knew he could throw hard, but wondered about his control and whether he would fit into the bullpen.

When Mike Adams struggled a bit in the closer role, Yost went to Turnbow. He finished the 2005 season with 39 saves, which tied the Brewers' record, a 7-1 won-loss record and a 1.74 earned run average.

"Once I was in the closer role, I had some success and my confidence started to build, Turnbow said of last season. "So much of this game is mental and confidence. You have to believe you can do the job."

The Brewers rewarded him with a three-year contract on April 2 of this year. He promptly earned saves in the first four Brewers' games, the first reliever to ever do that in baseball history.

Turnbow's success has not gone un-noticed. National and local media became interested in him after his two week stretch in May.

"It's exciting, to have the kind of success where they even want to talk to you," Turnbow said. "But, that's not why I'm doing this. I'm just glad to get the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues and do what I can to help this team."

Brewers' fans definitely have noticed Turnbow's work. When he comes into a game, the fans go wild. All that's needed is a chorus of "Wild Thing," and Turnbows entrances into games could be scenes from the movie, "Major League."

"The fans here have been great," Turnbow said. "The way they have embraced me has made me feel great and gives me motivation. People recognize me on the street now, but always are friendly and polite. This has really worked out great here."