10. Jerome Bettis – He was still effective as a goal line back late in his career, but I’m sure the coaches wouldn’t have minded him getting a little svelter.

9. Babe Ruth – You could have called him the Sultan of Salt, too. He loved to eat and drink and it showed.

8. Charles Barkley – He was an athletic freak in his prime. In the twilight of his career, he was slowed considerably by his fat.

7. Lendale White – Lendale actually lost 20 lbs this past summer but prior to that he was so slow, he was ineffective for the Titans on everything except short yardage power plays.

6. Jamarcus Russell – Russell’s work ethic is always questioned and for good reason. Not only is he not improving as a QB but he repeatedly shows up to camp out of shape.

5. Vin Baker – You’d never know it by watching his last years play out but Baker was a superstar power forward for the Bucks for a handful of years. Then, he hit the bottle and one too many buffets and lost all of the strength and athletic ability that made him a star.

4. Shaquille O’Neal – O’Neal is a difficult pick because even when he was at his heaviest, he was still a dominant force in the NBA. Quite simply he was too tall, too heavy, and too aggressive to guard. Still, when you hit the nether regions of the 350-400 club playing in the NBA, you belong on this list.

3. David Ortiz – Big Papi translates roughly to fat father. He can sure hit the baseball, but don’t ask him to leg out a triple. In fact, this guy makes an automatic double a close call.

2. Jared Lorenzen – Lorenzen isn’t particularly well known but he was Eli Manning’s backup at one point. I’m not sure how Lorenzen ever made the squad because he was so out of shape and slow, he could barely run fast enough just to throw the ball away.

1. Cecil Fielder – This guy was the epitome of fat in sports. Even though he hit 95 home runs in 1990 and 1991, it would be hard to suggest steroids were the culprit. 1) The guy probably had enough power in his massive stomach to belt those homers. 2) He looked like he was made of goo.

Image: Cecil Fielder (Zuma Press)

Worthy of mention are Shawn Kemp, Patrick Ewing, Manny Ramirez, David Wells, John Kruk, Sebastian Janikowski, many NFL lineman, and other players who I couldn’t remember when making this list. I avoided golfers, race car drivers, bowlers, and other less physically demanding sports. I also tried to list more well known players.

This post goes to show that even pro athletes succumb to getting out of shape. It’s a lot easier to stay out of shape than to get in shape so keep that in mind as you stay motivated and strive to reach your goals.

Post from: EveryJoe

Top Ten Out of Shape Athletes of All Time

In the bottom of the second inning, Ortiz hit a solo shot to tie the game at 1-1. With the ballgame tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Ortiz twisted a homer around the Pesky Pole to give Boston a 3-2 win.

On the mound for the Red Sox was Tim Wakefield — who hadn’t pitched since July 8th due to a back injury. In his return, the knuckleballer was very good. He allowed only one earned run on six hits in seven innings of work.

The win was an important one for the Red Sox. They remain within 6 games of the New York Yankees in the AL East and continue to sport a lead of 2.5 games in the AL Wild Card race.

David Ortiz Hits a Walk Off Home Run (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

David Ortiz Hits Walk Off Homer for Red Sox

Although Ortiz says he has always had good vision, he has suffered from dry eyes lately. On Monday, he’ll head to the doc to make sure he can see the big E on the eye chart.

David Ortiz - Can You See Me Now? (Image: Zuma Press)

The Red Sox would love for Ortiz’s struggles to be vision related. Right now, he’s hitting .188 with one homer and 21 RBIs. That is a far cry from a player who hit 54 homers in 2006, batted .332 in 2007 and knocked in 148 RBis in 2005.

In April, Ortiz hit just .230 and Red Sox fans were worried. But after the 33-year-old hit just .143 in June, those worries turned into panic.

Post from: EveryJoe

David Ortiz to Check his Vision

David Ortiz Struggling (Image: Zuma Press)

The hefty designated hitter is batting .195 and has one homer, 18 RBI, 15 runs and 39 strikeouts. Last season, Ortiz was slowed by injury but wasn’t anywhere this bad. Right now, he’s one of the worst hitters in the American League.

There have been whispers of lowering Ortiz in the batting order to get him out of the three spot. Those whispers are now getting louder. The Red Sox have a lot of capable hitters and Ortiz has become a liability in the middle of the lineup.

According to a few sources close to the team, it sounds like Ortiz could see himself hitting in the fifth or sixth spot starting as soon as Monday.

Despite Ortiz’s struggles, the Red Sox have been able to keep their place atop the AL West with a 26-18 record. However, with the rival New York Yankees streaking up the standings, Boston’s time on top of the division could be ending if Ortiz doesn’t start hitting — or if the Red Sox don’t at least move him down the batting order.

Post from: EveryJoe

David Ortiz Continues to Struggle

David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

In the three games without Ortiz, the Red Sox went 1-2 against the Seattle Mariners. Their lone win was a 5-3 victory on Saturday when Josh Beckett picked up his fourth win and Jonathan Papelbon picked up his tenth save.

Boston only managed 11 runs in those three games so taking Ortiz out of the lineup didn’t exactly open up the floodgates. When the native of the Dominican Republic returns, the Red Sox are hopeful that he can find the power that has made him one of the most feared hitters in the game over the last half decade. Currently, Ortiz is hitting .208 with no homers and 15 RBIs.

One interesting note is that manager Terry Francona didn’t guarantee Ortiz would return to his customary spot in the batting order. Ortiz usually bats third but that could apparently change when he returns against the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

On Monday, Boston has the day off.

Post from: EveryJoe

David Ortiz to Return Against Blue Jays

The 33-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is hitting .208 with no homers and 15 RBI in 34 games this season. Perhaps his worst game came on Thursday when he was 0-for-7 at the plate.

Ortiz doesn’t have a homer in 144 at-bats — the longest stretch of his career without a long ball in more than eight years. Between 2004 and 2006, Ortiz had at least 41 homers in each season, including 54 home runs in 2006. Prior to last year, he had at least 100 RBIs in each of his five seasons with the Red Sox.

When Ortiz eventually returns to the lineup, Francona said that he will still bat third in the lineup.

David Ortiz, Red Sox

Post from: EveryJoe

Slumping David Ortiz Given Time Off

Speaking of that Ortiz home-run, I also have to thank the stereotype fulfilling Massholes in our section. Thank you for turning around and drawing attention to yourself after every Red Sox run. Thank you for standing and trying to get the attention of the Tiger dugout girls who were throwing out free t-shirts, even though we were a full section away and those girls couldn’t throw farther than 20 feet. Thanks for making it that much easier to keep up my irrational hatred for you and your brethren.

On that note, thank you fan who threw peanuts at the aforementioned Red Sox fans, which, in a convoluted turn of events, led to their eventual dismissal from their seats. And thanks to you, overzealous seating attendant. You may have prevented my group from upgrading to the Tiger Den, but you taking your job so seriously was the catalyst in expelling the Sox fans. Great work.

Big Poopie, ha ha, great stuff.

Post from: EveryJoe

Many Thanks for the Fans Who Surrounded Me at Last Night’s Tigers Game