Here are the first few paragraphs of my Sunday column about the return of Pablo Sandoval:
SAN FRANCISCO
The Panda got fat.
There’s no other way to put it. When he walks into a room, his stomach precedes him. When he buys a suit jacket at the big and tall store, he sneaks into the section marked “Hefty.”
There is nothing wrong with being overweight if you’re a regular person. I myself need to lose a cool 10 pounds. It’s just that Pablo “The Panda” Sandoval (I always want to write Pandoval) is a professional athlete who, on occasion, is required to bend down and pick up a bunted ball, or dart to his right for a sharp liner. That means he must move nimbly and without the encumbrance of what Mike Krukow calls a “boiler.”
To read the full column, please click here.
Kathy
This brings to mind one of my all-time favorite sports headlines, from the SF Chron when Walsh was coaching the Niners and Bubba Paris reported to camp rather, uh, enlarged (even for Bubba): Coach Says Bubba Must Lose Flubba
June 9th, 2012 10:30 pm
Stan
Or blame the Giants for playing him at third -right?..You don’t put Moss on the defensive line either. Look at CC Sabathia,Prince Fielder, or Trevor Cahill. Their weight has no affect on where they play.
Its not hard to figure that Pablo will never be svelte. He can drop 40,and still be Panda shaped.
When Huff is gone..Pablo could go to first..Posey, who won’t now block a plate to save a life..could go to third. Hector is a fine catcher.
Problems solved.
June 10th, 2012 8:23 am
Bob In Beaverton
It’s not Sandoval being chubby that I worry about. It’s that his chubby will get him into trouble.
June 10th, 2012 1:09 pm
Panda
It never hurt jamarcus, no, wait I didn’t mean him, how
do you erase this? Never mind, I meant
the babe
cc sabathia
david wells
kirby puckett
shaq
sir charles
jerome bettis
big baby glen davis
janikowski
george foreman
refrigerator perry
andre the giant
john daly
any sumo wrestler
Pablo Sandoval
I could go on and on
June 11th, 2012 12:54 pm