Pablo SandoFALL: The Bigger they are, the harder they...land?

Jennifer Warner
Contributing Writer
Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Well, well, well, Red Sox Nation, look who's back! It's me! Your friendly, neighborhood female Red Sox Life writer! I have missed you all, and it is so great to be back. Being back makes me feel like I never left, so please excuse me if this article seems a little stiff... Wait...back...stiff? Is there a theme here? Well, I am glad you asked, because the answer is YES!

It seems Pablo Sandoval decided to test the forces of gravity (and nature for that matter) and left his feet to make a diving stop during a Spring Training game against the Florida Marlins this past Tuesday. You heard that correctly, the 5'11", 240-pounder (yeah, right) decided to try to prove everyone wrong and that he is "in shape" (round is a shape, right?) and able to make these kinds of plays. Why anyone (especially Sandoval) would make a diving stop in a Spring Training game is beyond me, but it may have something to do with Pablo coming to the realization that the mirrors in his house have indeed been lying to him, and he is anything but in shape.

It may also have something to do with the outstanding Spring Showcase of one Travis Shaw, and all the scuttlebutt around the sports world that Pablo may be in jeopardy of losing a starting spot to the Mayor of Ding Dong City

In an interview yesterday morning, Manager John Farrell offered, "Travis is starting today. Pablo is dealing with some low back stiffness on the ball he dove for the other day in Jupiter. He’s going to be down for a couple of days, just trying to get back. He’s going to be unavailable on a day-to-day status right now."
At this point, there is no indication that Sandoval may be looking at a DL stint, but that may change in the near future.

In other news, Sandoval isn't the only one dealing with some back issues at Fenway South. It seems "Koji Time" is also Traction Time as Koji Uehara is dealing with some soreness in his back as well. Right now, it does not appear to be an area of concern for the 40-year-old reliever, but it has kept him out of all but two Spring Training games. In those games, Uehara struck out two, walked one, and allowed five runs in his 1 2/3 innings.

I, for one did not see the alleged "diving stop", but I envision it went something like this.  As someone who also plays and has dealt with back issues her entire life because of it, being in shape and working out religiously really does make a big difference. Sure, we all get a little stiffer (wink wink) when we get older (or wider), but bottom line is this: Sandoval did not show up to Spring Training looking like he gave a s***. He looked more like he was ready to play bar league men's softball.

So, let's all stay tuned and know that more than likely, this was just "Starter Suicide" for Sandoval, and we will be seeing a lot more of Travis Shaw.

Follow Jennifer Warner on Twitter @Soxfan012