Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: Felix Hernandez and Adrian Beltre Crack Up After Nasty Pitch
No one has more fun than these guys
I hate when baseball players get all bent out of shape because they perceive their counterparts to be disrespecting the game. They wonder why the game has a hard time marketing itself? Maybe its because so many players think the worst thing you can do is show that you’re having a good time.
What baseball needs is more guys like Felix Hernandez and Adrian Beltre. When Felix absolutely embarrassed Beltre with a nasty curveball in last night’s Mariners-Rangers game, Beltre didn’t slam his bat and stomp back to the dugout. He flashed Felix a wry smile that made Hernandez burst out laughing.
But notice how Felix reacted after giving up a home run to Beltre later in the game. There’s a time to have a laugh and there’s a time to buckle down. I wish all major leaguers had that attitude.
I guess you call this a bicycle
You know how I said yesterday that you see something new every time you go to the ballpark? Here’s something else you’ve never seen before.
Two teammates playing for the Pirates’ Triple A affiliate hit for the cycle—in the same game.
A quick look at MLB’s list of cycles shows this has never happened before at the major league level. And even with so many more teams in the minors, I’m willing to bet it’s never happened down there either.
More details on the most dramatic NBA story ever
I was only 17 when it happened, but the armed locker room confrontation between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton is one of my clearest sports memories. I think it’s safe to say we’ll never see anything like it in sports again, partly because of American society’s evolving views on guns and partly because NBA players are more interested in lauching personal eyewear lines and investing in tech companies.
Now Arenas has shared more details about the confrontation itself and what led to it.
"I was like, 'Javaris, I will burn your car, while you're in it. Then we'll find an extinguisher to help ya ass out,'" Arenas told The Action Network. "And he says, 'Well, I'll just shoot you then.' I said, 'Man, I'll bring you the guns to shoot me!'"
And then they really did bring guns!
Bits & Pieces
I don’t know how TMZ came into possession of these photos of Joakim Noah stripping naked on a Los Angeles street but I’m not going to ask questions. ... People in London watched in horror as a giant boa constrictor ate a pigeon on a sidewalk. ... A Virginia newspaper is suing its former Virginia Tech reporter to take control of his Twitter account. ... Browns rookie Antonio Callaway is using the “my friends left marijuana in my car when it was shipped from Florida” excuse. Classic. ... A sportswriter disappeared on a mountain 30 years ago, now his son set out to find him.
I would quit if this guy was my boss
Kevin Clark told a story on the latest Ringer NFL Show (it starts around the 27:00 mark above) about Cam Cameron’s disasterous one year as head coach of the Dolphins, when they went 1–15, that had to have been so infuriating for his staff.
“I once heard a story about how he, before a season, took some of his position coaches in a room and drew a huge circle and a little dot,” Clark said. “He said, ‘See this huge circle? That’s what I know about football. See this little dot here? That’s what you know about football.’ I’m not sure that’s ever been written. I heard that from a guy who was in the room.”
Jesus, could you imagine? How do you go to work every day knowing your boss thinks so little of you?
That’s just not fair
Father/son holes in 1, 24 hours apart. My son who is 9 years old - 108 yrds - driver. Mine, 116 yrds - PW. August 5th and 6th. from r/golf
That’s not fair either
Come on, KD is way too tall to be a goalie
You could drive a truck through his 5-hole.
I love a good Madden glitch
Luckily they didn’t need a bigger boat
A+ imitation
Don’t do the same calculation about work
(NSFW language.)
Back to back robberies
I don’t know who Adam Engel is but he’s now robbed homers on consecutive days.
Good time to be interviewing the manager
I’ll watch this
There’s a miniseries coming to Showtime about that weeks-long prison escape in Upstate New York two years ago.
It’s a business card and a musical instrument
Best buds
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.
