Chris Rattue: 10 top fatties

England's Andy Fordham. Photo / AP

Blues halfback Piri Weepu is copping flak from all of his considerable sides after a roll on, roll off start to the season. Weepu cast a large shadow over his own career by turning up out of shape for his new franchise. But sport should be for all sizes and thinners aren't the only grinners. The buffed brigade need to chill out with a nice jam doughnut. Chris Rattue casts a sympathetic eye over the good, the bad and the cuddly.

Babe Ruth - no slug

The biggest kid in town and definitely not leadership group material. The amazing slugger, also a fine pitcher, ballooned to more than 110kg but even in his prime a barrel-on-chicken-legs physique gave him a chubster look. The New York Yankee legend of the 1920s and 30s had an enormous appetite for everything - a team mate said that rather than rooming with Ruth he roomed with his suitcase. A party lifestyle and portly gate didn't stop him becoming baseball's most revered figure - indeed, those factors served to fuel the legend. He was still good enough to make the first-ever All Stars game in his porky late 30s.

Arthur Beetson - loosehead and feed

The finest league forward of all time, with amazing speed and a superb pass. A skinny kid, Beetson was called "Bones" and spent his life putting that image to rest. Not one for the salad with quinoa wafers, Artie was nicknamed "Meat Pies" and only because "Meat Pies With Chips" didn't roll off the tongue so easily. Balmain signed Queenslander Beetson as an already burly centre who then beefed up so quickly that the club's boss didn't recognise him at the Sydney airport pick-up. Beetson was unmistakable on the field though.

Ferenc Puskas - round (ball) history maker

The Hungarian soccer sensation inspired one of sport's legendary quotes. "Look at that little fat chap - we'll murder this lot," reckoned an English player before the 1953 international at Wembley. Puskas' remarkable skills were heavily responsible for smashing England's standing as the master soccer race in the watershed match. The Magnificent Magyars won 6-3 and repeated the dose with interest in Budapest. A typical description of the Galloping Major was "short, stocky, barrel-chested, overweight, couldn't head and only used one foot". He was also a mighty force in European club soccer when even fatter.

John Daly - get in the hole

The wild child golfer couldn't stop filling his gob after putting down the bottle. Daly and a few others such as Colin Montgomerie were among the large counterbalances to the Gary Player fitness method. Daly's cinderella PGA victory in 1991 is a story for the ages. Four years later, Daly was off the booze but on the bikkies as he scored a 66-1 shock win in the British Open. Daly overhauled a four-shot deficit in the final round then won a playoff - he was fuelled by six chocolate croissants at breakfast and celebrated with a tub of icecream.

Andy Fordham - incapable of darting

Darts isn't known for a fitness bent - put it this way, most players think a barbell means it is time to drink up. Former world champ Fordham was the first darts player to beat 180 - 180kg that is. He retired tired during a showdown with Phil "The Power" Taylor, collapsed at a world championships and was blotto when winning the 2004 BDO world title. Fordham wrestles with addictions but the title win still proves a roundabout point.

William Perry - a pot belly fridge

"The Refrigerator" was an essential part of the glamorous Chicago Bears of the mid-1980s. A defensive lineman who was used as a shock attack weapon from close range, he raised the bar outwardly so to speak in terms of big American football players. Contributed to the pantheon of sports quotes with: "Even when I was little I was big". Perry has done all the classic American sideshow acts since leaving the big show. Life has not always been kind to him but Perry remains an unforgettable character with the XXXXXX factor.

Derek Gibson-Smith - the six yard box

A Wellington club soccer star and my own personal fuller figure favourite because he is a reminder of childhood days when local sport ruled. The net wasn't the only thing that bulged when the hyphen was about. The mind's eye says he was a puffed-up striker with a fine touch and scoring knack. Latter day blogs tend to recall his perspiration rather than inspiration, but D G-S was special. Subsequent generations will find this hard to believe, but national league soccer 1970s style was a magical thing and Wellington came to the party with names like Stop Out, Wellington Diamond United, Waterside and Derek Gibson-Smith.

Jesse Ryder - big in the middle

A heavy roller with talent and calories to burn. The mercurial batsman got knocked out of shape by former international Adam Parore who claimed Ryder was "too fat" to play for New Zealand. Parore apologised during a toilet meeting, a highly unusual chain of events. Rotund wasn't a cricket issue previously - think Mike Gatting, David Boon, Colin Cowdrey or even our own much-loved Jock Edwards. Ryder still averages 40-plus in tests which is better than average for this country.

Eric Esch - better known as ...

Butterbean (left) - a marvellous handle for the human bean bag who used a handy boxing career and look that only a walrus could love to dive triple-chin first into the carnival of life. Only in America. The influence of the nickname can't be underestimated in this flab to riches story. He embraced his physique, even if no one else can.

Pero Cameron - food court

Our most gifted basketballer - Cameron was so good during New Zealand's 2002 world championship run that he made the tournament team, an amazing feat. He also appeared on the Detroit Pistons' radar, which made one heck of a blip. Their head coach Larry Brown described Cameron's shape as "unconventional" and the player had to make do with the Waikato Pistons instead. A former Breakers general manager reckoned Cameron was "one, big, lazy, sack of potatoes". The face of the Breakers didn't fit any more but no one should forget Cameron's world championship performance.