As far as that author's implication about Cabrera's weight leading to all these injuries, they're flukey things, today's happened on the back end of a double header, an injury that has happened just this year to two of the fittest players on our team (Mitre, Hanley). The oblique is just a normal baseball injury, and if I'm not mistaken, the oblique is what led to the weight issue because Miggy didn't do anything after suffering that injury.

 

The weight does not help and Miggy needs to figure that out soon. He is a third baseman, he hits, he runs and getting his butt in shape is not something I can see being as argueable. He has been getting growing at an alarming rate.

 

No, it's alarming because we have grown accostomed to Miggy showing up out of shape and playing his way into shape.

 

This year, he showed up in shape, by all accounts seriously hurt his oblique and was severly limited in what he could do (read: nothing) and got out of shape. Now he tweaks his hammy, on the back end of a double header, when 2 incredibly fit players had already done so previously, and we want to blame Miggy's weight for all the injuries?

 

Come on. The oblique begat the weight and the hammy is a fluke baseball injury.

 

If, come July, Miggy's still large, it's a problem, but you can't blame the chicken for the egg, or the egg for hatching a chicken.

True, you dont really know if any injuries would have happened or if the severity would be different if he was not as heavy. Look, Uggie was out last yr with a hammy, Lo Duca had a severe one two years ago-but they didnt gain 15 lbs. If you can't work out as much, you need to modify your intake. The oblique is tough, but you can still ride a stationary bike (first hand knowledge) and burn some calories. It is the turning and twisting that causes a problem.

 

The hammy happened because the field was all torn up after two games being played there in one day. If it happened in the first game, before the rain, maybe I'd see your point, but the situation certainly was there (double header, rain) to suggest that injury isn't all that unexpected.

 

As for the exercise, I think it's splitting hairs at this point, but Miggy's lower half is tremendous, always has been, it's his upper half that's gained girth lately. As most professional athletes show/say, when they're in "game shape" any lack of focus to the area gets them out of shape fast. If Miggy can't work his upper body, he's going to add weight.

 

Again, I realize it's probably special treatment, but as a coach/GM you can't tell an injured Cabrera "dammit, get in shape" because you risk further injury.

I've been running, playing basketball, soccer, and baseball, as well as some football from time to time for nearly ten years and have never once tweaked my hamstring. Forgot something, I'm 145 pounds while overweight and unfit Cabrera weighs a whopping 260 pounds. Get in the gym, run, and condition yourself if you want a long career Cabs.

I've been running, playing basketball, soccer, and baseball, as well as some football from time to time for nearly ten years and have never once tweaked my hamstring. Forgot something, I'm 145 pounds while overweight and unfit Cabrera weighs a whopping 260 pounds. Get in the gym, run, and condition yourself if you want a long career Cabs.

 

 

 

I agree and disagree with you at the same time (is this even possible?).

 

I run 4 times a week and do weight training 4 times a week and played basketball, track and baseball in high school/college. I, as you, never tweaked a hammy.

 

But, I didnt play 162 baseball games over the span of 6 months either so I can't say my body went through as much rigor as Cabs has. I'm in full agreement with you that no matter how you spin it, his weight is ONLY a detriment to him staying healthy.

I've been running, playing basketball, soccer, and baseball, as well as some football from time to time for nearly ten years and have never once tweaked my hamstring. Forgot something, I'm 145 pounds while overweight and unfit Cabrera weighs a whopping 260 pounds. Get in the gym, run, and condition yourself if you want a long career Cabs.

 

 

 

I agree and disagree with you at the same time (is this even possible?).

 

I run 4 times a week and do weight training 4 times a week and played basketball, track and baseball in high school/college. I, as you, never tweaked a hammy.

 

But, I didnt play 162 baseball games over the span of 6 months either so I can't say my body went through as much rigor as Cabs has. I'm in full agreement with you that no matter how you spin it, his weight is ONLY a detriment to him staying healthy.

 

See, here is how we differ. I run 6 times a week ALL YEAR LONG (that is 320 days out of the year) for at least 45 minutes and am now training for half marathons and marathons down the road. I have kept a record of how many miles I have logged over the past 3 years alone and it totals to be 3,685 miles (basically the distance from Washington DC to San Francisco). Sure I've had problems with rolled ankles and chronic knee tendonitis as well as completely dislocating my knee cap after getting my foot caught in a two foot deep hole, but those are accidents while running. Tweaking a hamstring means one of two things or a combination of them. One, you are not stretching properly or efficiently enough to provide flexibility to the hamstring or two, excess weight puts stress on the knee and hamstring to keep the body up, which would be a result of poor nutrition and/or lack of cardiovascular activity. So, nonetheless, his hamstring tweak is a result of poor conditioning.

I'm not in peak physical condition, yet I played baseball through high-school and college and never once had a hammy injury.

 

Does my out of shape baseball career therefore make my argument as credible as yours?

 

Here's where you're wrong HE'S A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. Sergio Mitre pulled a hammy, Hanley Ramirez pulled a hammy, they're lean, skinny workout machines. No matter how much you'd like to believe that all the miles you run or all the innings you play put you in the same category...you're not.

 

David Wells is one of the most overweight people in any sport, yet he's playing into his 40's...ditto Roger Clemens who's one of the most fit people in any sport. Surely that juxtaposition discredits any argument that a career can only be extended by 6'4'' 180 pound athletes.

 

Hammy pulls are part of baseball and there's absolutely no credible argument you can make that says that his weight had everything to do with the injury yesterday. It was the combination of 18 innings on his body and the field, and rain, that set the stage for injuries, quite frankly, I'm surprised there weren't more.

Good news about Miggy. From Floridamarlins.com:

 

Cabrera OK: Gonzalez said Miguel Cabrera felt no ill-effects from the minor right hamstring injury the All-Star third baseman suffered on Tuesday.

 

Cabrera struggled out of the box on a single, but stayed in the game momentarily. He came out after moving from first to third on a double by Josh Willingham. Gonzalez said he was going to give Cabrera a rest on Wednesday anyway, and Cabrera will get another day to rest his hamstring during Florida's off-day Thursday.

 

"He fought me a little bit today about getting in the lineup," Gonzalez said. "I said no, but those type of guys want to play. It's big when they want to get in the lineup and play."

 

Fortunately for the Marlins, they have a backup plan in Alfredo Amezaga. Usually in center field for Florida, Amezaga is a valuable utility player who Gonzalez can put nearly anywhere on the diamond.

 

"[He's our] secret weapon at third base," Gonzalez said. "It's unbelievable how valuable he is. There's not very many guys who can do that, to play a corner infield position and also play center field. He plays the middle of the diamond, can play third, and he plays a pretty good center field, too."

I'm a long time runner too. Baseball is a lot different though. I have never pulled a hammy on any kind of run or race, but I have playing baseball. It may be caused in some part by his weight, but with all of the pauses, especially on a double header day. It is real easy to tighten up, and as a result pull something.