Off-Topic » It is understandable that casual sports fans would expec

National Football League player would be in top physical condition. Part of the job of a NFL player http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/mike-edwards-jersey , of course, is to be able to make it through an entire contest without getting winded or gassed before the final whistle blows. Logic would suggest that a player who is carrying excess weight in the wrong places would probably be prone to injuries, particularly in a sport such as the NFL where guys are downed for an entire season all because they take one wrong step during a game or even during a practice session.One might automatically assume upon seeing a list of the “fattest NFL players” that each of those athletes would have been letdowns or even busts for their teams. That has not, throughout history, always been the case. Some of the NFL players mentioned in this piece found ways to not only carry those extra pounds during a season, but use that weight as an advantage. In fact, a quarterback who is certainly headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame not long after he calls time on his playing days could http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/matt-gay-jersey , in some circles, be considered to be fat. One has to wonder what he will look like a decade or so after he retires, but that's another story for another day.Then, of course, there are the cases of the fattest NFL players who never made it as mainstays on rosters. Some likely would never have evolved into All-Pro players even if they had managed to lay off of certain foods and remained in shape. Others, however, have to feel as if they let themselves down and wasted what should have been golden opportunities. The first name that may come to mind could be that belonging to a quarterback who was a first overall draft pick http://www.tennesseetitansteamonline.com/a.j.-brown-jersey , a man who didn't do enough to be a good player and who failed his team and also himself.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will be trying to win three games in a row after a rough month and the Cincinnati Reds will be looking to avoid the start of a skid when the teams play the middle game of a series Saturday at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh (34-35) won the series opener 3-2, posting back-to-back wins for the first time since winning three straight May 15-17 to reach a season-best nine games above .500.

In the interim before Friday’s win, the Pirates were 6-18 and entered the weekend as close to the last-place Reds (eight games) as they were to first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central.

“It’s a long season. There’s going to be times where stuff like that happens,” Pittsburgh third baseman Colin Moran said of the poor stretch. “It’s more important that we bounce back like we did.”

Cincinnati (23-44) had won three in a row before Friday.

Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova (3-5, 4.68 ERA) is scheduled to face Reds right-hander Luis Castillo (4-7, 5.79) on Saturday.

Nova on Sunday returned from the disabled list (sprained right ring finger) without having made any rehab starts. No matter. He struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run and four hits in a 7-1 win over the Cubs in Chicago.

It showed the Pirates that the veteran can still be highly effective. It showed Nova that it is better to be forthcoming about nagging injuries and be willing to step away and heal.

“Just the way that the ball was coming out of my hand http://www.tennesseetitansteamonline.com/amani-hooker-jersey , I could tell the difference right away,” Nova said. “To be able to pitch a game like (that) … I think that’s kind of a lesson for you. Don’t force it.”

He had not had any sort of organized outing since his last appearance before May 24 when he went on the DL.

“He was ready to pitch,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “At the end of the day, he showed you he was ready to pitch.”

Nova also impressed the opposition.

“He was hitting the corners all day, keeping the ball down,” Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo told MLB.com. “It’s tough to do anything when he’s on like that.”

Nova is 3-7 with a 4.67 ERA in 10 career starts against Cincinnati.

Castillo’s last start was much more mixed than Nova’s.

In a 6-4 loss to St. Louis, Castillo had a career-high 10 strikeouts but also a career-high two homers allowed as Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna smacked back-to-back dingers in the first inning after Castillo struck out the first two hitters on six pitches. He also gave up a first-pitch Taylor Rapp Jersey , bases-loaded triple to Yadier Molina in the third.

“You just have to be strong mentally, more than physically,” Castillo said through an interpreter.

He gave up five runs and four hits in six innings that game. Despite the rocky start and the loss, Castillo, 25, managed an in-game turnaround, allowing just one batter to reach base in his final three innings.

“You saw the talent of Castillo Shareef Miller Jersey ,” Cincinnati manager Jim Riggleman said. “The last three innings that he threw were outstanding, and it’s exciting to know that this guy has got a chance to be around here for a very long time. He’s just going to get better and better once he gets past these growing pains.”

Castillo is 1-2 with a 3.68 ERA in four career starts against Pittsburgh, with 22 strikeouts in 22 innings.