wiry

The place I grew up, once ringing with songs and laughter, had mutated into a black abyss strewn with the wiry corpses of oak trees.

At the time, YG was an up-and-coming wiry truth-teller, a fellow Compton rapper who turned into a superstar and provided Shy with a blueprint of how to succeed.

In a black jacket, shirt and tie, sporting a bushy haircut and a full, wiry beard, he looked like an MMA fighter ready to attend a Johnny Cash convention.

To get the most out of his wiry 6-foot-2 frame, he learned to throw with maximum effort on every pitch.

His long, wiry white hair — pulled back in a ponytail — contrasted nicely with his black-framed glasses.