Pablo Sandoval

[Northern Star]

Before the season started, would you have taken Ellsbury for Sandoval straight up, even money with us picking up half of Ellsbury's last year?

[Kimmi]

Kimmi, I think you need to come around to the fact that this was an epically STUPID contract, any way you slice it.

 

After the ridiculously moronic contract, Pablo shoved it up our arsses by not giving a rip. This is not even arguable. The only conclusion anyone could make us that after getting the payday of his LIFE, Panda did what Pandas do. EAT, & not give a shyte about anybody else.

 

JF not keeping tabs on him was a mistake of epic proportions! Again, not even a question about it. THE CONTRACT? Ridiculous on it's face! Not Panda's fault, other than being a sneaky little POS who will diet & work out to get a contract from a DS GM who needs to make a splash with a name, then eat to his heart's content. Sorry! To me, th a t's the definition of a taker! Not sure what you've seen that leads you to believe that he has put out for his team & teammates here in Boston? If that's bias, so be it. Of COURSE It is! You were expecting what from Boston fans?

 

AGAIN.... The irony is????? I actually am VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS YEAR!!!! I didn't ever want to see the guy again! Did me & all of RS Nation a HUGE favor!

 

I do not disagree that Pablo's contract was a bad one.

 

I do not believe that Pablo does not care. Honestly. I think he has a serious eating disorder. Is he at fault for not getting help for it? OK, I can agree with that. But calling him a POS and such is unwarranted.

[Kimmi]

This is the same stuff people were saying about Lackey and Lester after the debacle of a season that was 2012. If you recall, the following year, both of them played a somewhat important role in the World Series championship. I'm not saying Sandoval hasn't sucked so far. I'm not even saying that he might come back and be worthy of his contract, because I honestly don't believe he will. But I also think we can complain about the signing, his poor performance on the field, or his poor performance in the batter's box without resorting to attacking Sandoval as a person. Accusing him of being high or anything like that isn't exactly a strong foundation on which to build an opinion.

 

A+ post YOTN.

[Kimmi]

See this is where you're wrong. We're not making assumptions about his character based merely on the fact that he is fat.

 

We are making assumptions on his character based on:

 

-- the fact that he is too fat to defend his position

-- the fact that the team asked him to lose weight over the offseason and instead he came into camp heavier than ever

-- the fact that this is not the first time there has been a disconnect between what Sandoval promised his team he would weigh, and what he did weigh when he made it to camp

-- and the fact that this comes in the wake of a season in which he was absolutely wretched on both sides of the ball, and if he'd had any professional pride that would be an incentive to work all the harder, which clearly doesn't seem to be the case in Pablo's head at the moment.

 

I for one don't have any problem with fat players. I do have problems with deceptive, lazy players who treat a career crisis like ho hum, c'est la vie and don't do what is necessary to improve their situation. He thought he could just play his way back into shape on the field this year, with the resulting drag on the team's performance from a player being out on the field who doesn't belong there. I'm sure he's a perfectly nice guy in his behavior and comportment but even so, that was a dick move.

 

Pablob was in no condition whatever to save his own job when Travis Shaw mounted a surprise challenge and took it from him to the point that when he tried to up his game earlier than he seems to have expected he'd have to, he got hurt at least twice, once a back strain, and once either creating or exacerbating his shoulder injury. The guy didn't do his job in the offseason, so he couldn't do his job when he needed to in the preseason or the regular season, and when a guy's being paid 8 figures and turns in an "effort" like that I don't think I'm alone in finding that incredibly disgusting.

 

One of the #1 jobs of any athlete in the offseason is to maintain their condition so that they can play effectively the following year and Pablo clearly did not even come close to accomplishing this.

 

The parts that I bolded above are speculation on your part.

 

Saying he didn't do his job this offseason to get into condition is one thing. Once you call him lazy, deceptive, etc., you are attacking his character based on your perception.

 

By all accounts from people who actually know him, he's a very hard worker.

 

I don't believe that he doesn't care or that he has no professional pride. Losing weight and keeping it off is much easier said than done. If it were that easy, I don't think anyone would choose to endure the ridicule and the stigma of being fat.

[Northern Star]

I do not disagree that Pablo's contract was a bad one.

 

I do not believe that Pablo does not care. Honestly. I think he has a serious eating disorder. Is he at fault for not getting help for it? OK, I can agree with that. But calling him a POS and such is unwarranted.

 

I read that his personal trainer ignored the plan put forth by the Sox. Don't know if that's true, but that's what I heard.

[redsoxdirtdog]

I do not disagree that Pablo's contract was a bad one.

 

I do not believe that Pablo does not care. Honestly. I think he has a serious eating disorder. Is he at fault for not getting help for it? OK, I can agree with that. But calling him a POS and such is unwarranted.

 

 

Pardon me if it's unwarrented, but I think he owes the Sox SOMETHING for 90 MILLION. Honestly.... i'm tempted to say your defensive opinions are...... "emotional," as oposed to business. No! They are flat out emotional as oposed to someone who is flat out pissed off about being ripped off to the tune of 90 million, by the seller who knew that he was just about to blow up the damn holding back the flood waters that would deluge the house he just sold.

 

Sorry Kimmi! SO FAR the guy has been a complete and utter POS. MAYBE a 90 million investment is chump change to you, but it is not to the Red Sox organization or RSN.

[devildavid]

The problem with Sandoval is that he is good enough to be a major league baseball player despite being overweight. If you made it to the majors and were part of a team that won three championships, in addition to being a key player in winning two of them, would you feel a need to radically change yourself or your eating habits? The story of Pablo's weight is not new and Farrell is not the first manager to defend him. This is just more of Pablo being Pablo. If he has a real weakness as a player, it's that he can be too much of a free swinger. The real mistake might have been bringing a fun-loving, laid back player to a an intense baseball town like Boston.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/sports/baseball/14giants.html?_r=0

[redsoxdirtdog]

I forgot about all the great HOF fat 3rd basemen in mlb history.

 

My bad!

[SoxHop]

The problem with Sandoval is that he is good enough to be a major league baseball player despite being overweight. If you made it to the majors and were part of a team that won three championships, in addition to being a key player in winning two of them, would you feel a need to radically change yourself or your eating habits? The story of Pablo's weight is not new and Farrell is not the first manager to defend him. This is just more of Pablo being Pablo. If he has a real weakness as a player, it's that he can be too much of a free swinger. The real mistake might have been bringing a fun-loving, laid back player to a an intense baseball town like Boston.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/sports/baseball/14giants.html?_r=0

 

His previous trainer made him lose weight. His current one didn't.

 

I think most fans dig fun loving and free swinging when doing well. It's the too fat to play in the majors we don't dig.

 

He's a fun loving, personable guy that is a positive person who always has something good to say that works out hard or harder than most that actually cares who just can't stop eating is what I've read about the guy over and over again.

 

Wire his jaw shut for a year....... blammo......... starts third next year........

[Northern Star]

but it is not to the Red Sox organization or RSN.

 

Clearly it is because they didn't even bother insuring the contract to protect their investment. Easy to lay out big bucks when you are charging what they're charging for seats.

[devildavid]

His previous trainer made him lose weight. His current one didn't.

 

I think most fans dig fun loving and free swinging when doing well. It's the too fat to play in the majors we don't dig.

 

He's a fun loving, personable guy that is a positive person who always has something good to say that works out hard or harder than most that actually cares who just can't stop eating is what I've read about the guy over and over again.

 

Wire his jaw shut for a year....... blammo......... starts third next year........

 

He lost weight before the 2010 season and did not perform as well as he did in 2009. Sandoval was always overweight. Yet he made it to the major leagues, and was successful. Many thinner, talented players never made it as far as he did or enjoyed as much success. The connection between his weight and his performance is not that straightforward. His issue now is injury, just as it was with Hanley last season.

 

https://dubsism.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/the-all-fat-guy-baseball-team/

 

"I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player." - John Kruk

[redsoxdirtdog]

I honest to god haven't the faintest idea why some of you feel such a need to defend Pablo? Are you guys afraid we might hurt his 90 million $ feelings? Maybe us mean Boston fans are the reason these overpriced fat free agents don't make it in Boston?

 

LOL

[SoxHop]

He lost weight before the 2010 season and did not perform as well as he did in 2009. Sandoval was always overweight. Yet he made it to the major leagues, and was successful. Many thinner, talented players never made it as far as he did or enjoyed as much success. The connection between his weight and his performance is not that straightforward. His issue now is injury, just as it was with Hanley last season.

 

https://dubsism.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/the-all-fat-guy-baseball-team/

 

"I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player." - John Kruk

 

2009 and 2010 is a long time ago in pro baseball years. He's six years older now....... and probably much heavier.

 

Yes. His injury is now the issue. Before that he lost his starting position due to not playing good D, which mostly looked like the issue was the body fat percentage jumped from 17 percent to about 32 in an hour or so after the Sox tested him.

 

And spring training he was hitting, but as most people said, was just too fat to play third. And from what I saw he stunk at it. He rarely threw a good throw to first.

 

He eats to much....... it's as simple as that. He's probably a guy that we would all love to come to a party and hang out. But he eats too much.

 

I hope he doesn't eat so much for a while to see what we get.

[StephenCurry30]

When Pablo played in those years, he was productive, could field his position and wasn't a huge liability everywhere. At this point, he was horrible last year, couldn't field his position and hurt the team. He was always fat, but at this point, he definitely looks fatter. I could care less if he's fat, there have been plenty of productive fat guys. CC Sabathia, Prince Fielder, Mo Vaughn, and so on. But if you are fat and don't produce, you are going to be made fun of, whether it be fair or not, this is Boston, when Carl Crawford was struggling, there was numerous idiots at the game using the "n-word". Its a tough city, but Pablo doesn't deserve much sympathy when he is making that much money and playing at such a low level.

[a700hitter]

At this point, Sandoval is a $90 million bag of garbage. That is not a personal attack on him, but commentary on his performance. He will have three years to turn things around, but as of now he is a bag of garbage.

[SoxHop]

How's this.

 

He's either a total piece of s*** who just flat out robbed the Sox and their fans that works out two sessions a day during the offseason......... or has an eating disorder ...........

[SoxHop]

At this point, Sandoval is a $90 million bag of garbage. That is not a personal attack on him, but commentary on his performance. He will have three years to turn things around, but as of now he is a bag of garbage.

 

Summed it up perfectly...

[S5Dewey]

At this point, Sandoval is a $90 million bag of garbage. That is not a personal attack on him, but commentary on his performance. He will have three years to turn things around, but as of now he is a bag of garbage.

 

No. See, right now he doesn't have three years to turn himself around as far as his contract is concerned. He needs to play in order to prove that he's turned himself around and given his history no GM in his right mind (and I hope DD is in his right mind) is going to pay for his contract in order to give him what amounts to a chance. That leaves the Sox in the position of either unloading his contract for pennies on the dollar or allowing him to displace Travis Shaw - which IMO would be a huge mistake. Shaw is playing up to our (my?) expectations from Sandoval and a lower cost, so why bother?

 

While I have an opinion as to what Sandoval's problem is I don't have knowledge of it. Maybe it's his weight that's the problem, maybe it's his shoulder, or maybe he's just "aged out"early. I don't know and it doesn't matter. What matters is that we've got the salary of a #2-3 pitcher tied up in this guy and I see no way we get any decent return on it.

 

(And I know DD isn't the GM, but ... isn't he?)

[Bellhorn04]

I honest to god haven't the faintest idea why some of you feel such a need to defend Pablo? Are you guys afraid we might hurt his 90 million $ feelings? Maybe us mean Boston fans are the reason these overpriced fat free agents don't make it in Boston?

LOL

 

And I don't understand why some people need to keep beating the dead horse. There's nothing else that can be said on the subject but some people have an odd need to keep saying it anyway.

[CliffKlowers]

Kimmi seems to be aware that character assasination should not be based on lost revenue only. It's fine to cry over zero performance return on a huge contract and we all feel that way. I just don't know the personal details well enough to blame the character and integrity of Pablo for the situation.

 

Contract wasn't insured - a bad business decision but I believe that MLB tax laws allow a depletion allowance in such situations.

Edited May 8, 2016 by CliffKlowers

[Michfan]

MLB should allow teams to dump guys like this fat ass and cancel his contract.

[Kimmi]

I read that his personal trainer ignored the plan put forth by the Sox. Don't know if that's true, but that's what I heard.

 

I had not heard that, but the point is we really don't know what is going on with Pablo. I am not going to assume the worst about him.

[a700hitter]

I had not heard that, but the point is we really don't know what is going on with Pablo. I am not going to assume the worst about him.

So, poor Pablo had no idea that he was gaining weight and getting out of shape. Wasn't it a clue that he kept having to loosen his belt and buy bigger clothes or that he could no longer see his feet? He might have even busted a belt buckle or two. Absolving him of fault is irrational. Then again maybe he never wore anything but sweat pants and never looked for his feet.

[Kimmi]

I honest to god haven't the faintest idea why some of you feel such a need to defend Pablo? Are you guys afraid we might hurt his 90 million $ feelings? Maybe us mean Boston fans are the reason these overpriced fat free agents don't make it in Boston?

 

LOL

 

Pablo made a good point in one of his statements yesterday about fat kids being bullied. I think for me, that's the crux of my issues with all the ridicule and bullying of Pablo.

[Kimmi]

Kimmi seems to be aware that character assasination should not be based on lost revenue only. It's fine to cry over zero performance return on a huge contract and we all feel that way. I just don't know the personal details well enough to blame the character and integrity of Pablo for the situation.

 

Contract wasn't insured - a bad business decision but I believe that MLB tax laws allow a depletion allowance in such situations.

 

Here are some quotes from someone who specializes in eating disorders:

 

Seda Ebrahimi, the founder and director of the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center, was told by a reporter of the episode in which Banning said Sandoval gained 21 pounds in 21 days.

 

Ebrahimi, who has neither evaluated nor talked to Sandoval, suggested that the player could suffer from binge eating disorder.

 

“It clearly is out of control, the amount of weight gain in a short period of time,” Ebrahimi said. “He has a serious problem it sounds like.”

 

Among eating disorders, binge eating is one that men are more likely to have, Ebrahimi explained. But they are more likely to seek treatment for alcohol or drug abuse. It’s very difficult for them to ask for psychiatric help for depression, anxiety or eating disorders.

 

Food can be a coping mechanism.

 

“(Food is) soothing, it’s comforting, it’s numbing,” she said. “There are other psychiatric co-morbidities associated with the binge eating disorder, and the most common one is depression, major depression. Anxiety is also associated with it.”

 

Ebrahimi said binge eaters want to stop but can’t. Not everyone who overeats is a binge eater, however.

 

 

Pablo may or may not be a binge order, but the fact is, none of knows for sure.

[Kimmi]

So, poor Pablo had no idea that he was gaining weight and getting out of shape. Wasn't it a clue that he kept having to loosen his belt and buy bigger clothes or that he could no longer see his feet? He might have even busted a belt buckle or two. Absolving him of fault is irrational. Then again maybe he never wore anything but sweat pants and never looked for his feet.

 

Is it quite possible that he really can't help himself?

 

Do you blame people with depression for being depressed?

[Bellhorn04]

The Pablo bashing has become boring because there's nothing left to say. Every possible fat joke and condemnation of his character has been used. Time to let it go for a while. He's not part of the 2016 team.

[Spudboy]

I honest to god haven't the faintest idea why some of you feel such a need to defend Pablo? Are you guys afraid we might hurt his 90 million $ feelings? Maybe us mean Boston fans are the reason these overpriced fat free agents don't make it in Boston?

 

LOL

 

Not me. Had I been given two chances to do my job and had failed badly at both, I would no longer have that job. That is the real world.

 

Pablo is privileged to be playing a child's game for a living. He was fortunate to land a huge contract to play that game. He has not been earning his pay at all.

 

The real problem is that the Sox signed this guy.

[a700hitter]

Is it quite possible that he really can't help himself?

 

Do you blame people with depression for being depressed?

And he waited until he secured his financial future before he let himself go completely. That suggests to me that he had some control. People can't time their depressions.

 

I am so sick of everything being called a disorder. The one that really kills me is sex addiction. A friend of mine made a great point. You will never find a single guy in rehab for sex addiction. There isn't a single guy who will ever go to rehab because he is having too much sex with too many women. He might write a book, but he isn't going to rehab. In rehab, you will find married or engaged guys that got caught. For married and engaged guys, it is a condition... an addiction, but single guys are ladies men?

 

As for eating addictions, there are plenty of ways to enjoy food but eat healthy. If self-control is an issue, he had plenty of means and opportunity to hire people to look after his needs at a very small cost. I don't equate being fat with a mental disorder beyond someone's control. He clearly kept it under control until the ink was on the contract. There is no such control with depression or other mental conditions.

[a700hitter]

The Pablo bashing has become boring because there's nothing left to say. Every possible fat joke and condemnation of his character has been used. Time to let it go for a while. He's not part of the 2016 team.

But absolving Pablo of responsibility is irrational, and it needs to be called out every time it is stated.