Fat Guys We Love

The Fridge paved the way for rotund athletes everywhere

We appreciate the work of the fat man pro athlete here. If there is a portly chap making a living in pro sports out there, he can probably be considered a Legend favorite. The fat gentlemen of sports are out there fighting the good fight in a thin man’s world. We’re not the first to give them props, and hopefully not the last. The Bench Warmers and Afraid of Ed Hochuli, have their favorites and we have ours.

These guys need some love. In their place of work, 99% of the people are in much better shape than they are. Any time they get traded or sign a new contract, they get asked countless questions about their girth in front of TV cameras (and these guys all seem to change teams frequently). Plus, they have to work ten times as hard as everybody else because they tire so easily.

Well, I think these under appreciated big men deserve their due in the form of a little recognition on the blogoshpere. They have given us so much, let’s repay the favor.

Ted Washington/Sam Adams: Two big, interior D-linemen who I always thought were pretty much the same player. They’re both old and huge and have played for a bunch of teams. Washington is older, bigger and has been with more teams. Big Ted is listed at 375 and is with his 7th NFL team in Cleveland, while the football brewer Sam Adams is listed at a mere 350 and has been with 6 NFL teams. These guys used to eat and play with the best of them, now they just eat.

Rich Garces: No ode to the fat men of sports would be right without mentioning “El Guapo.” The Guapo was a decent reliever in his 10 year major league stint, and was one of the most recognizable fat men in professional sports. Unfortunately, he retired from the majors after a disastrous 2002, but the memories will never fade. From the moment he waddled through the bullpen gate, El Guapo was pure, unadulterated entertainment.

Grady Jackson: This guy tops both Washington and Adams. Jacksonville has him listed at 345lbs., but I’ll go with his Wikipedia page that has him at 460 lbs. Go get ‘em big fella.

Bob Wickman: Wicky looks like a softball pitcher, not a major leaguer. Despite the fact that Wicky enjoys putting a couple of runners on base and making every save opportunity an adventure, you gotta love him. Doesn’t he look like a guy you’d like to drink 5 to 10 beers with?

John Kruk: Speaking of guys you could knock back 5 to 20 beers with…. In his day, Kruk took disheveled to new heights, and before it was even cool to look disheveled. He even manages to look fairly unkempt while wearing suits in Baseball Tonight. I don’t blame him for ducking a Randy Johnshon fastball in the all-star game. Self preservation is a mark of all the great big boned athletes.


John Daly: Speaking of guys you’d want to drink 5 to 35 beers with…. The big fella is a hard hitting, hard drinking, and hard living man. He’s managed to rise above it, though, and win two Majors. And imagine the stories he could tell.


Oliver Miller: It takes a special sort of fat athlete to run on the courts, there’s nowhere to hide in a basketball jersey. The “Big O” found that out the hard way. Miller roamed the paint and post game spreads for 8 years in the NBA. Oliver’s been the butt of many a joke over the years, but his highlights always brought great joy to the staff at The Legend. Thanks for the memories Big O, it won’t be soon enough until we see another like you.