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Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: Baseball Team Takes the Field in Kilts

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Dan Gartland

Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: Baseball Team Takes the Field in Kilts
Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: Baseball Team Takes the Field in Kilts /

Those old White Sox shorts are nothing compared to this

We’re approaching the 42nd anniversary of the time the White Sox became the first MLB team to wear shorts in a game. What the Savannah Bananas of the Coastal Plains League did last night might even be a step too far for Bill Veeck. 

Their game against the Macon Bacon (still not as good a name as the Macon Whoopee) was part of a “St. Patrick’s Day” promotion, which included green beer at the concession stands and, yes, kilts on the players. 

It wasn’t just a pregame stunt, either—the players actually wore them during the game. 

It looks like a lot of the players (smartly) opted to wear tights underneath their man-skirts to avoid any nasty side effects of a slide, although the pitcher appears to have just let his legs air out. 

And because this is a college summer league where the players act as their own grounds crew, the novelty outfits made for an incredible scene when rain swept over the area. 

The game ended up being called early on account of the rain, so they’ll do the St. Patrick’s Day gimmick again next Wednesday. 

While you were sleeping...

Just as we expected, a massive trade went down the day after the All-Star Game. Well, make that two. 

Yes, Manny Machado appears headed to the Dodgers, but Kawhi Leonard is also on the move, though not to Los Angeles with Machado. 

The Raptors and Spurs are reportedly nearing an agreement on a trade that would swap Leonard and DeMar DeRozan, and neither guy is happy about it. 

So the Raptors are really giving up an elite scorer (and a fan favorite) whose contract has two years and a player option remaining in exchange for a pending free agent who obviously has no intention of remaining in Toronto? They better hope they win the East this year. 

How Luis Severino learned English

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Just as impressive as Severino’s slider is the fact that he picked up English so quickly and so well. And how did he do it? He told Jim Rome a lot of it can be credited to watching Friends. 

Severino is hardly alone in that. As this story in the New York Times last season laid out, tons of MLB players owe their English proficiency to the old NBC show. No one is as big a Friends fan as Wilmer Flores, though, who visited the show’s set in California one summer. He also used the theme song as his walk-up music for a time. 

Bits & Pieces

Brewers reliever Josh Hader had a very bad night after people dug up all his old offensive tweets. (Yahoo’s Jeff Passan went behind the scenes of the situation.) ... My favorite sports story I read yesterday was about this very smart 84-year-old NBA fan. ... Amber Rose, who was previously married to Wiz Khalifa and dated Kanye West and 21 Savage, is now dating a no-name NBA player (Monte Morris). ... The Thai soccer team rescued from a cave has been released from the hospital and addressed the media for the first time. ... Former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla saw his first action with Villareal after missing 636 days with injuries. 

That’s a lot of home runs

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Can you decipher this sports puzzle? 

I figured out like a quarter of it.

Always proofread your tweets

[prayer hand emojis]

This kid can swing it

My 2 year old is better than me. He knows it. He flaunts it. from r/golf

Sean Doolittle explains his ties to Smashmouth

A sign you need to get your life in order

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This isn’t the least bit surprising if you live in New York

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I’ll watch these videos any time

All-Stars guess what aliens look like

I’m pulling for this guy

A good song

Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or ping me on Twitter. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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