Gabe Kapler’s ice-cream addiction comes with an unforgettable quirk.
The newly appointed Philadelphia Phillies manager has a reputation for being health-conscious, but he has devised a way to enjoy ice cream without worrying about adding calories to his diet. Jon Still, whom Kapler managed in 2007 during his one-year tenure with Boston Red Sox’s Single-A affiliate Greenville Drive, told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Gelb this week about Kapler’s ice-cream balancing act.
“He was so into health,” Still said. “He’s addicted to ice cream. So he would sit there and lick ice cream but have a cup and spit it into it. He would lick it just for the taste but didn’t want to eat it. I told him, ‘Dude, that’s like Unabomber type stuff.’ That’s a thing he did.”
The Phillies unexpectedly hired Kapler on Oct. 30 as Pete Mackanin’s successor. Kapler is just 42 and only has one year of managerial experience. Nevertheless, the Phillies hope his outside-the-box approach might galvanize the franchise. But they’ll first have to overcome the horror of watching him “eat” ice cream in order to effectively receive his messages.
