Although many of his Twins spring training teammates drive luxury vehicles to Hammond Stadium, Loek Van Mil, a 7-foot-1, 230-pound right-handed fastballer, rides a bicycle nearly five miles each way to and from the ballpark.
"I don't have a license to drive a car," said Van Mil, 25, who is from Utrecht, Holland. "And I don't care for cars. If I ever get a car, it will be a rundown one."
Nothing like a little extra cardio after a long day at spring training.
The story reminded me of a rumor about another tall pitcher. Apparently Randy Johnson occasionally chose his bicycle as his preferred mode of transportation in San Francisco last season. The 6-foot-10 future Hall of Famer could at times be spotted strolling up to the gates of AT&T Park, helmet firmly strapped to his head.
Unlike Van Mil, something tells me Randy actually owned a car or two, and I doubt they were of the rundown variety.
Here's to tall guys on bikes:
6 comments:
In his home country, travelling by bike is very common. They don't use helmets, cause kids learn how to ride bikes from the moment they can walk. Maybe a strange story to most of you, but very normal once you've been to the Netherlands.
BTW Loek is a great guy, and I wish him all the best.
A trip to the Netherlands is on the list of things to do! Apparently there's still a Broshuis farm lying around somewhere. I'll be disappointed if there's no wooden windmill with my last name on it.
And yeah, without our urban sprawl and reliance on highways, I've heard bikes are much, much more common. Still, if you've seen data comparing TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) with helmets versus without helmets, I think you would agree that helmets are useful.
No matter the skill of the rider, accidents happen. I'm not saying he shouldn't be riding. I think it's really cool actually. But when I bike, I wear a helmet just like I wear a seatbelt while driving.
Thank you for your stance on helmets. I have a 16 year old who had a TBI at 12 because he thought he was "too cool" to wear one. It took 3 years before he released by his neurologist to play baseball. He just made his high school JV team after a lot of hard work to come back. I'm posting this in his room so he gets the reminder that even you wear yours! We loved watching you in San Jose and it's been fun keeping up with you via your blog. Thanks for the great writing!
gb,
even though you are leaving the game, i hope you keep your writing up in some capacity, even if you get into law school and find your time limited
hey, now you and the missus can get to work full time on giving your parents some grandkids
Garrett,
Thanks for your fantastic writing, and I'm sad to read your last BA article. Best of luck to you.
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