This kid is tall!

[GhaleonOne]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060821/ap_ ... tle_league

Wow, 12 years old and 6-foot-8. Kid should be playing basketball, not baseball.

[Benevolent_Ghaleon]

When he turns 20 we should have him stand below the earth and hold it on his shoulders like Atlas.

[Mog Dragonheart]

Barring injury and lack of interest, I think we can all agree this kid is guaranteed a career in anything sports related.

[Kizyr]

It's likely a disorder in the pituitary gland (not sure if I'm getting the spelling of that right). Meaning that he'll continue to grow past when most people stop. So, if that continues, his muscles will eventually weaken and he'd be ill-suited for any kind of strenuous physical activity, like sports.

It's kind of sad, but it's unfortunately the most likely outcome. Not saying that he can't have a great life otherwise, just that after he reaches adulthood, sports might not be in his best interest. KF

[Sonic#]

The height isn't an advantage in certain sports which are easier for a compact frame. Gymnastics comes to mind first.

That is tall, though. Especially at his age. There was a guy that went to school with me that was about 6' in the fifth grade, but... even that doesn't quite compare.

Longer limbs mean more muscle along the arm. It also means a longer arc when throwing or batting... essentially, he can get more power out of it. Same if he did bowling...

I only hope that there aren't health-related issues later because of this great growth.

[GhaleonOne]

It's likely a disorder in the pituitary gland (not sure if I'm getting the spelling of that right).

I was thinking along the lines of whatever Andre the Giant had (I don't know offhand, might have been what you mentioned). I had thought the news story would have made a mention of any disorder though.

[phyco126]

Wow, 'tis a tall boy ja. The first thing that comes to mind is Giantism (I honestly don't know the official name, just the nickname.) It's unfortunate, but if that's the case, he could die in a few years. If not, then hey, that kid is gonna be great at sports (perhapes.) I know one of my math teachers in high school was a little taller than 7 feet, and he usually had to duck to get into the classroom. His story was intresting, was about to go pro but his knee blew, so he went and worked for NASA instead. Got board with NASA and decided to become a math teacher, hahaha. He was a cool guy, and was the schools basketball coach.

[Kizyr]

It's likely a disorder in the pituitary gland (not sure if I'm getting the spelling of that right).

I was thinking along the lines of whatever Andre the Giant had (I don't know offhand, might have been what you mentioned). I had thought the news story would have made a mention of any disorder though.

Well, it's not natural for someone who's 13 to be that tall, so ordinarily that's the cause. Like I said, it's not necessarily a bad thing, but there's a potential down side that could definitely keep you out of professional sports. KF

[Mog Dragonheart]

He's got a very good height to weight ratio.

"Dhahran pitcher and outfielder Michael Knight is 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. Five-foot-8, 226-pound, third baseman Andrew Holden is a dangerous hitter, having homered twice in the series, including a three-run blast against Saipan. "

But reading on, there's not just one freak on the team. 5'8" 226lbs? Wow.

[Zophar]

6 foot 8?! Wow... I've heard of and seen people who were big for their age (one person in a lower grade in my school towers above all her classmates.), but that is insane.

[AbsoluteAlex]

I dont remember what its called, i think its like osgar-sclotter's syndrome, prob butchered that. But a lot of guys i work with that are normal tall, like 6'4, and so on had that and said it wasnt fun. I also have a friend that was tall as a kid, and he had a 4" growth spurt over a summer. When he was playing soccer, he tore both hamstrings at once on the opening kickoff of the game, nowhere involved in the play. Im sure this kid will eventually be exposed to something like that. Its a pity though, he would be a great center. Hope for the best

[SpaceFlare]

tall kid...
He should play basketball instead imo. And he migh not even have any pituitary gland disorders. Shaq was 6'5 at 13 years old iirc.

[Mog Dragonheart]

Why the hell would he want to get into Gymnastics? Usually a career in sports involves the big ones like Football, Baseball and Basketball.

I think before the downside of Giantism kicks in he could pull a career off like Yao Ming and Andre the Giant have. Andre being one of the most athletic big men anyone has ever seen in his younger days BTW.

[Kizyr]

Well, soccer is the biggest-name sport around, and height isn't always an advantage there. While it can make defending easier, and you can take longer strides (and hence be faster going down the field), height itself can be a liability with reduced mobility when you're playing offense and trying to get around other players. KF

[GhaleonOne]

Oh yeah, you actually don't see a great deal of super tall professional soccer players. Just a few. Peter Crouch and one of Ukraine's strikers (Jan something) come to mind. But even then, they're not thought of as the best. The medium size with lots of speed and power are preferred usually. In fact, having a tall guy can be bad depending on the coach. At the WC, Englands coach tried to get them to hit Peter Crouch with a high ball since he was so much taller and it just didn't work much. Sure, he scores with a few headers, but having a guy like Wayne Rooney is much more ideal.

i think its like osgar-sclotter's syndrome

Not sure of the spelling, but I know what you're talking about. My bro and dad have it. Luckily, I escaped it, even though I'm half an inch above my brother.

[AbsoluteAlex]

Not sure of the spelling, but I know what you're talking about. My bro and dad have it. Luckily, I escaped it, even though I'm half an inch above my brother.

Lucky that, i hear it can be quite painful

[SpaceFlare]

Well, soccer is the biggest-name sport around, and height isn't always an advantage there. While it can make defending easier, and you can take longer strides (and hence be faster going down the field), height itself can be a liability with reduced mobility when you're playing offense and trying to get around other players. KF

Yeah, which is why a pretty tall guy like me (haven't actually measured but I hang around the 5'11 I think, but my armspan is 6'3 ) plays a defensive role when playing soccer.

Apparently this guy's weight is pretty proportional to his height. From what I now, people with pituitary gland disorders don't have a proper weight-height ratio. Not sure if it's true though as I haven't met people IRL who have such syndromes.

[Kizyr]

Apparently this guy's weight is pretty proportional to his height. From what I now, people with pituitary gland disorders don't have a proper weight-height ratio. Not sure if it's true though as I haven't met people IRL who have such syndromes.

That does sound about right. What I'm worried is that, at a younger age--and especially if he's an athlete with a good amount of muscle mass--then that height-weight ratio might not yet be indicative of a problem. So it might not be apparent until several years on down the road. KF