The lead story on the front page of the Sunday New York Times sports section, April 27, is headed "A Cleanup Hitter Who Leaves Something on His Plate." The article, by Alan Schwarz, is about the newly vegetarian sports star, Milwaukee's first baseman, Prince Fielder.
It tells us:
"One of the most gregarious young stars in the sport, Fielder has begun to feel a bit like a circus seal, balancing the ball of vegetarianism on his nose while, all things being equal, still appreciating a good rack of ribs. Fielder, 23, decided to make the switch over the winter after reading how cattle and chickens were treated and 'was totally grossed out,' he said. His wife, Chanel, preferred a no-meat diet as it was, so he embraced a new approach.
"Fielder had been as carnivorous as your average puma -- pushing 200 pounds since he was 12, he scarfed down a 48-ounce porterhouse as a teenager and had barely slowed down since. (He played last year with 270 pounds on his 5-foot-11 frame, not all of it muscle.) But he figured he could get his protein from beans and shakes instead of meat and fish, leading to conversations since the beginning of spring training that have grown quite tiresome.
"Yes, he eats a lot of black bean burgers. No, he does not sneak chicken fingers behind Chanel's back. Yes, he has all the energy he always did, maybe more. No, his slow start (he entered Saturday batting .241 with just three home runs, but hit a go-ahead solo homer in a 4-3 victory over Florida on Saturday night) has had nothing to do with his diet. Yes, he has lost about five pounds, but is not hungry all the time. No, he does not munch on plain tofu, which still tastes like a wet eraser to him."
The article describes Fielder's meal at a Milwaukee restaurant and ends with:
"Less than 24 hours later, Fielder stood in the batter's box against one of baseball's best young left-handers, Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies. Fielder smoked two home runs in the Brewers' 5-4 win. Less filling, tasted great."
You'll find the whole delightful article on line at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/sports/baseball/27fielder.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
OR
http://tinyurl.com/3thhfv
It presents a perfect opportunity for letters to the editor about the many joys of plant based diets.
The New York Times takes letters at letters@nytimes.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
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