Wade Miley Apparently Had Issues With Diamondbacks Because He Wasn't Gluten Free

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/wade-miley-clashed-with-the-d-backs-about-the-gluten-in-his-diet-214049345.html

Yahoo Sports- Miley says his diet was something he and the organization "head-butted" about at some point in the year."After a while, they left me alone," he said. "But it was always that elephant in the room."

Miley said he didn't want to go into specifics about his diet but did make a passing reference about not being gluten free. He said he wished the team were more willing to tailor its approach toward individuals rather than having everyone doing the same things.

"It might work for some people, but I didn't feel like it worked for me," he said. "I did what I felt like I needed to do to pitch every five days."


Gluten free. All the rage right now. So hot in the streets. Even in sports the gluten free diet and being aware of every single thing you put in your body has become commonplace. Scott Gomez recently said in an interview that the biggest difference between now and his rookie year is that players used to slam 6-packs post game and now they are much more aware of their diet. That along with the progression in training and athletic ability has created a better product amongst professional sports. It is now part of the culture.

Does that really go for a pitcher though? Basically a pitcher is just an arm and a brain, mostly arm though. Pitching is probably the most mentally demanding position in sports. The ability to shake off a bad pitch and a home run is key to being successful. I can't imagine their diet is much of a concern to how much rotation they can get on their curve ball. Look at some of the best pitcher's in MLB history. I am pretty sure David Wells was half in the bag almost every time he took the mound. C.C. Sebathia is about as out of shape as they come. Know what happened when he started to shed pounds? He got noticeably worse at pitching. These guys aren't hunting down shallow line drives or trying to go first-to-third on a single. Let them put whatever makes them comfortable in their body. Should they be grossly obese alcoholics? Preferably not, but if that is what keeps the ERA under 3 then cheers to them. Just let the old southpaw stay in his comfort zone and throw back a burrito or two. A man's stomach isn't just the way to a man's heart, it's a way to a man's mental stability. Have you seen how Verlander pitches when he's got Kate Upton in the crowd? Success directly correlates with how comfortable you are on the mound, and no 220 pound pitcher is comfortable eating eating like a bird.