Freddy Adu: the soccer version of Danny Almonte?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/06/1s6socpage/

A columnists raises some questions.
Very little proof, but it is at least plausible.

 

Very little proof? More like no proof.

 

We've talked about this on other threads, everyone has seen a dominant junior high player who doesn't grow and by the time other people are the same size, he's not as good. Has the columnist never seen the kid with a mustache who is 6-2 in 8th grade and looks like Wilt, and is then 6-2 in 12th grade and never plays? His proof is that he hasn't grown and he's not dominant. There are thousands of athletes then who must have false birth certificates. I was our 8th grade quarterback and we had a kid who had to have been one of the most dominant 8th grade football players in the country. 6-1, 180, strong, fast, ran over, nearly killed many of our opponents and must have averaged about 20 yards a carry as a running back. He was the exact same size as a 12th grader and was a backup defensive end on a 3-5 football team.

 

The guy was 5-8, 140 when he was 14 and now he's 5-8, 140 at age 20. That's some pretty damning evidence. Were any of us the same height and weight at 20 as we were at 14? Um, no.

 

Most likely.

 

But what's the guy saying? He was 18 when he said he was 14, or what? So, how many people are the same size when they're 18 as they are when they're 24? The same incredulity should apply, since most people do get taller or gain weight between those ages. But countless people are the same age when they're 14 as when they're 20. I went to school with probably four people who qualify and that was in a graduating class of 60.

In what six-year period would it be normal for someone to have the same height or weight? Was Adu 26 when he said he was 14 and is now the same at 32?

 

Most people, at the time, thought the SI article saying the kid is 5'8" was an exaggeration. They also think his current height of 5'8" is an exaggeration as well.

It is likely that he has grown an inch or two over that time. It is also possible that he is a couple years older. Either way, I don't think it matters all that much.

 

Starting at the age of 14, was he ever playing soccer on a team or league where age mattered, like it does in Little League? If not, who cares.

 

The standard:

 

I absolutely know people who stopped growing, except for maybe an inch or so, from eighth grade on. The problem is they gained weight because of poor eating habits, etc. A good point was raised in that there is no proof what his height was then, and now, either.

Not saying it's not true. Without proof, it's pretty lousy to write that.

 

I was 14 when I reached my current height and I gained maybe 10 pounds from ages 14 to 20 (from being out of shape, not muscle mass), so I don't think it is impossible. Certainly not solid evidence of anything.

 

Oops. I posted before I read the link.

I thought you just meant a highly touted youngster who turned out to be a bust.