Baseball in 2020 just can’t catch a break.
Play ball! (Eventually.)
Can you smell that, drifting across the Pacific Ocean? It’s the smell of fresh baseball in the air—and some smoke.
Today is Opening Day for the Korea Baseball Organization, which means we’re finally getting closer to seeing high-level professional baseball. The four-team Chinese Professional Baseball League has already been playing and now the 10-team KBO, which regularly sends players to MLB, is in action. Hopefully soon we’ll have games in Japan and, eventually, MLB.
ESPN even reached a deal with the KBO to
air games live six times per week because fans are that eager to see baseball. Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez even stayed up to call the first game of the season from their homes, beginning at 1 a.m. ET.And how did the season start? With a rain delay.
After everything we’ve gone through, Mother Nature had to come through and derail the game. It was just a brief delay, though, and the Lions and Dinos were eventually able to get underway.
Incredibly, the Kia Tigers and Kiwoom Heroes had even worse luck in their game later in the day. That game was delayed after a building across the street from the stadium caught fire and blanketed the field in thick, black smoke.
They were delayed for about 20 minutes before the fire was controlled and the smoke subsided.
Can we please just have a baseball game go off without a hitch in 2020? We just need one thing to go as planned this year.
So that’s what MJ is drinking
One thing people keep remarking on during The Last Dance is the fluctuating level of liquor in Michael Jordan’s glass.
The clips of Jordan speaking are sometimes edited to look like Jordan took a big sip of whatever booze he had in between lines of trash talk. As funny as that would be, director Jason Hehir explained that what you’re usually seeing is Jordan discussing similar topics multiple times over the course of an hours-long interview session. (In addition to the level of liquid in the glass changing, the light outside Jordan’s house changes from day to night.)
But Jordan is drinking something, and would it shock you to learn that it’s product placement for a brand he co-founded? Jordan’s a billionaire for a reason.
The stuff in the glass is Cincoro tequila, a brand of small-batch tequila he launched with fellow NBA owners Jeanie Buss (Lakers), Wes Edens (Bucks) and Wyc Grousbeck and Emilia Fazzalari (Celtics).
While Cincoro is enjoying its moment in the sun, the company is asking people to share virtual toasts on Sunday evenings with hashtag #ToastYourTeam. For each toast, the company will donate $10 to restaurant workers and bartenders out of work due to the pandemic.
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Around the sports world
Here’s what Harvey Gantt has to say now about Michael Jordan not supporting him in his bid for Senate 30 years ago. ... Meet MJ’s former security guard who became a sensation during The Last Dance. ... ESPN will air six games per week from Korea’s KBO baseball league, the first of which already aired by the time you’re reading this. ... A soccer player declared dead after a 2016 car crash was reportedly found alive and well in Germany. ... The NAIA is going to sponsor college women’s flag football with help from the NFL.
Love this dad’s energy
Dan Marino on Don Shula trusted his players
This thread is a public service
When’s the three-hour TV special to announce when the games will be rescheduled for?
Johnny Damon is sick of this quarantine stuff already
Uhhh, why did you say the second part out loud
Not sports
Taika Waititi is making a new Star Wars movie. ... Carnival Cruises is getting ready to set sail again in August, in case anybody wants to sail the seven seas in a floating petri dish. ... Nic Cage is going to play Tiger King subject Joe Exotic in a scripted series.
Monkeys are MEAN
Apparently this is what bacon looks like in Belarus
I’d rather eat the plastic bacon than “Altoona Style” pizza
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
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