Just how tenacious is Adrian Beltre’s D? The dude doesn’t even wear a cup, all part of his plan to maintain peak “flexibility.”
“I never felt comfortable wearing a cup,” the third baseman said. “I tried when I signed, but I couldn’t use it. I didn’t feel comfortable at all. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t move.”
Not that it hasn’t come back to bite him; the dude suffered a cringe-inducing injury when he took a ground ball off the onions last August. Never ones to miss a chance to laugh at another’s expense, his teammates arranged for The Nutcracker Suite to play on the Safeco sound system before his first post-injury at bat. (There’s even a goddam Mp3 clip of it recorded for posterity.)
As if I’m not keyed up enough watching Sox games, Beltre’s cupless state will add another layer of anxiety to the proceedings. Still, that’s the kind of guy you want in your corner.
Thanks to Kevin for the tip.
