San Francisco Giants Actually Banned Pablo Sandoval From Ordering Room Service

On the heels of reporting to spring training overweight, an unfortunate belt incident last weekend and being placed on the disabled list with what looks like a phantom shoulder injury, the dirt digging on Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval has begun.

Sandoval’s former trainer, Ethan Banning, told the Boston Herald about the trouble he had getting Sandoval to monitor his weight. A specific anecdote about Sandoval once gaining 21 pounds in 21 days makes a story told by Comcast Sports Net’s Sean McAdam easier to believe.

While he was with the San Francisco Giants, the team apparently had to ban Sandoval from getting room service on the road so he wouldn’t overeat. That feels like an extreme measure, but Sandoval’s waistline has also been a nearly constant issue and point of public discussion during his career.

During spring training, Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow suggested Sandoval has an eating disorder. That still seems like an overstatement, but Banning did point toward an overeating issue as being like an alcoholic not admitting they have a problem. Food can obviously be every bit as addictive as other things, and what is clear is that Sandoval’s relationship with food is now causing problems in his career that will be hard to rebound from without a change being made.

I find this recent digging into Sandoval’s eating problem by the media to be disconcerting, though his former trainer seems to be coming from a perspective of concern. That’s not to say Sandoval doesn’t have a problem to address, since he clearly does if he wants to live a healthier life and become a productive player again. But I assume others would join me in not caring all that much about the specific nugget suggesting the Giants had to ban Sandoval from ordering room service.