It has been widely reported, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez reported to spring training 22 pounds lighter than last season. In the steroid suspicion era, any significant weight loss will raise eyebrows. Combine the weight loss with an impending new drug policy, and allegations of steroid use by ex-teammate Jose Canseco and it’s pretty easy to see why people are pointing to this as potential proof of Rodriguez’s use of performance enhancers.
Quotes of Rodgriguez in the News, Free Press, and Booth Newspapers indicate that he altered his offseason workout routine to emphasize more running and less lifting. His explanation did little to quell suspicions as he was implying that the byproducts of his routine would be a less muscled physique. Also, skeptical folks might ask how a hard working, well conditioned athlete could lose 20 pounds in a couple of months. Afterall, it’s not like Joe Sedentary decided to get off the couch and start excercising to lose his beer gut.
Rodriguez most likely lost the bulk of his weight through the other component of his offseason regimine – he changed his diet. There is a Miami based nutrionist Sari Mellman, who has many professional athletes as clients. Some of those clients lost 20lbs. following her guidance. Her program involves taking a blood sample to see how the blood reacts with 150-200 different types of food. Apparently, food requirements vary from person to person. This blood test identifies the foods that are most beneficial and most harmful to the individual. If your body has an inability to properly process a type of food, it causes an inflammatory response. Mellman’s program claims to adjust your diet so that your body can learn to properly process these problem foods. The positive results, in addition to weight loss, are supposed to include an improved immune system, more energy, and better recovery time.
Here is a listing of some of her more prominent clients and their successes:
Ricky Williams goes from 250 to 229 (2002)
Vernon Wells goes from 245 to 225 during offseason (2004)
Jack Nicklaus loses 20lbs
She also lists Junior Seau, David Boston, and Dwight Freeney among her NFL clients. Other MLB clients include Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey, and Brad Penney.
I don’t know that Pudge’s change in diet resulted in the substantial weight loss, but seeing the effects that a nutrionist had on other well conditioned athletes leads me to believe it is possible. My main point is that there are other ways to explain the weight loss than suspecting that he went off steroids.
I think that Pudge is clean. He has the typical catchers body. Thick trunk and legs, and solid upper body. He has played the game by the rules, and he has excelled at the game. No one should stereo-type a guy that works on getting himself in shape for the sake of prolonging his career.
Jose Canseco is spouting off about the best players in the game because he’s become a bitter, bitter man. I think it’s a futile swing at a business that passed him by, and now he’s trying to make a few bucks by giving baseball a blackeye. Baseball is an easy target, and yes, there have been steroid-using cheaters in the game. There have also been Vaseline using cheaters, cork using cheaters, guys who doctor the ball, and even pine tar misuses (not all intentional, though). Canseco may have some inside info about certain players, but I highly doubt that all of the “named” guys are dirty. If you were doing something that you knew was wrong, you would do it privately or secretly, not out in the open, where anyone and everyone could see.
I hope that I’m right about everything I’ve said. I would hate to have the harsh, cold reality of a dirty game that I have cherished, smack me in the face.
I agree, pudge doesn’t fit the profile of a steroid user at all. He has power, but he’s not a huge home run hitter and he’s more interested in batting for average and hitting doubles. Steroids aren’t going to give you a better eye at the plate or make your ability to block pitches any better.
Canseco’s allegations about palmeiro are utterly ridiculous. The guy has one of the most perfect swings i’ve ever seen…
Oh come on, Billfer – when it comes to steroids, the American public doesn’t need facts! All it needs is images and conjecture from writers.
Happily, we can now explain any weight issue (loss or gain) associated with professional baseball players with a clean explanation: steroids.
My goodness look what Jose “nutcase” Canseco has done. 22lbs over 5-6 months is normal. He’s still pudgy, he still has all his muscle mass, he just doesn’t have much or any of his pudgy baby fat. He’s getting along in years, and was probably advised to trim up for the later years. Let’s try not to take this whole steroids thing to far.
We don’t know what steroids do, the fact that Pudge doesn’t fit our idea of the effects doesn’t mean he hasn’t done them. Losing that kind of weight in 4 months is a bit preposterous, I’ve heard he lost more like 35 pounds than 22. It’s funny how you’ll here fans from every town where one of “their” guys is accused defending them to the hilt. Why exactly?
KS
Just another note about Jose: I read somewhere that his book refers to a spring training incident in which he slides into second base against Seattle and makes a comment to Bret Boone about his improved physique. Boone supposedly winks and says “Don’t tell anyone.” Great stuff, except research revealed that Jose never reached second base against Seattle in a preseason game that year.