Cashman's plan? His off season was like watching celebrity Amazing Race with Mr. Magoo. If anything positive comes from it, I'm more apt to give credit to McCann and his mgmt of the staff. No jury here, this is a bench trial....verdict depends on the hardware earned at the end of the season. Prosecution has a strong case and will close once ST is over. Then the defense can present The next 162 days. Running around claiming mistrial is falling on deaf ears. Won't know where CC is until he's facing real batters in real games. Its unrealistic to have any expectations at this point in time. Right now all you have are hopes, wishes and faith.
For a non-Yanx World Series, 68 was by far one of my favorites. Facing Bob Gibson, after his 17 K, game one, did not look promising for the Tigers, yet: (clip from the NY Times of 68) "In ’68, Detroit was in dire straits. Swaths of the city had burned the summer before as it experienced one of the deadliest riots in American history. Tigers outfielder Willie Horton, who had grown up in the Detroit projects, went into the streets and pleaded with his fellow citizens to stop the burning and looting, to no avail. Meanwhile, his teammate Mickey Lolich went from the pitcher’s mound to patrolling downtown Detroit as a member of the National Guard. When the ’68 baseball season was delayed by King’s funeral, the Tigers players and athletes nationwide discovered that more eyes were upon them than they had realized."
Honestly one would think "a pitcher's weight doesn't matter". If a Pitcher can utilize transfer of weight, during his wind up, and delivery, with balance; one would think, a pitcher with a Beach Ball belly, like the Pig Terry Forster did, could then; get even more pop ie, increased speed of the pitch. If he can keep his head behind his hips, and use that semi-truck worth of inertia.
And a key move by mgr Mayo Smith was bringing in Mickey Stanley from the O.F. to play/ provide more offense at SS.
http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/sports-10fattestbaseballplayers/1/ just to name a few current obese players. Unlike the Greg Luzinski's and Terry Forsters of another era.... but please feel free to add retired Hippo's of MLB...... Fielder, both Father and Son Greg Luzinski Terry Forster, et al.
I do believe your on to something Jill......excess weight, excessive strains.....Isn't that why CC lost the weight prior to last year? To help out his ailing Knees??? I thought it was, yet.............!
...some of these guys can get away with being overweight and/or out of shape when they are in their 20s or early 30s but as they mature it puts a lot of strain on their joints and muscles etc. ...I'm also wondering if ARod can still get around the base paths anymore, much less be able to hit worth a damn...he was not running well at all the last time I saw him play.
