Miami Marlins

Don Mattingly had a cinderblock smashed on his chest by a very buff preacher

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, Dan Gartland/Sports Illustrated via Extra Mustard

This is apparently the part of spring training where teams are using feats of strength to inspire their players.

We already saw Kenta Maeda’s interpreter deadlift 405 pounds in the clubhouse with the entire Dodgers squad looking on. Now, Marlins manager Don Mattingly invited a dude with a sledgehammer to smash a cinderblock on his chest.

Yes, this is a little weird, but what’s even stranger is that the dude with the sledgehammer is a preacher. Donnie Moore does more typical church services but has inspirational speaking engagements where he smashes stuff to rope the crowd in.

He’s been working with athletes for about 30 years, including a longstanding arrangement with the A’s—Eric Chavez is a fan—and met with two other teams down in Florida this week.

I’m trying to remember which letter of St. Paul had all the stuff about sledgehammers.