It's been a roller coaster few years for Dmitri Young. He was released by the Detroit Tigers in 2006 after being charged with domestic abuse, found out he had diabetes, won Comeback Player of the Year in 2007 with the Nats, gained a ton of weight and then lost his starting job to Nick Johnson. The final twist was a back injury that landed him on the disabled list this Tuesday. The dramatic weight gain, he's listed at 298 pounds, has been caused by an ongoing effort to manage his disease with proper diet, lifestyle and insulin. Despite the reasons behind it, it didn't please the Nationals and there's been a lot of talk about his girth and the effect it has on his work on the diamond. Da' Meat Hook has heard about enough of it.
"I don't necessarily need to lose the weight. That's what everybody is stressing on. Why does that have to be the key point of diabetes? Health is the issue, and insulin is a big part of it. You have to find the right mixture. Everybody is stressing on the weight, weight, weight. And that is what is wrong with the world today. Everybody has to be a beanpole. If everybody looked like that, it would be a weird-looking place. Everybody would look the same."
I sympathize with Young's diabetes battle but the beanpole stuff is ridiculous. No one wants Young to show up with the sunken cheeks of a Ukranian supermodel.
The Nationals are paying him a nice sum to play baseball for them and it's quite reasonable to think that his weight will keep him from fulfilling his obligation to the team. During camp he had a few muscle strains which, like the current back injury, may be exacerbated by his general physical condition. Losing weight will help Young live with his diabetes, will help him stay on the field and help the Nationals. It is his health, then, that concerns people and not his appearance.
