20 animal-human matchups we’d like to see besides Michael Phelps vs. a shark

KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 29: Pablo Sandoval

19. Pablo Sandoval vs. a panda

Pablo Sandoval has had a tough year in the MLB with some injuries hindering his performance on the field, and it led him to get released by the Boston Red Sox last week after a struggle of a season.

Sandoval couldn’t recapture the success he had back when he was with the San Francisco Giants, and when people loved him for his “Panda” nickname. The name got a bit of a negative connotation in Boston with fans making fun of his weight and lost its satisfaction towards the end of his run with the Red Sox.

Now, Sandoval is reportedly heading back to the Giants, and it’s time to get back to his roots as the “Panda” as he returns to San Francisco. It’s obviously going to be a big deal if/when he gets back onto the field at the major league level with the Giants, given how important Sandoval was to the team’s World Series runs in 2010, 2012, and 2014, with a World Series MVP in 2012.

The only logical thing to do here is to hold a promotional event when Sandoval makes it back onto the field for the Giants, and have him go against a real panda in a home run derby. It probably won’t go well, as a panda is probably too lazy to generate any swing at the ball, but imagine the butts that would get put in the seats at AT&T Park if they did it.

It’s the simple things in life that keep us going, and I think we all need to see a panda try and clobber some homers every now and then.