We’ve heard of the dog days of summer, but … the prairie dog days of spring?
A few of the frisky critters ran around the field during a high school baseball game in North Dakota, KXMB-TV reported, delaying the contest between Grafton and Rugby.
Play eventually resumed — presumably with a pitcher instead of a prairie dog atop the mound — and Rugby won, 4-1.
Headlines
— At TheOnion.com: “Yankees attribute offensive slump to terrified hitters closing eyes during swing.”
— From @LeighEllis: “Sources: Ben Simmons targeting a Game 5 return.”
That was then …
It was bound to happen: University of Miami basketball star Isaiah Wong will enter the transfer portal if his Name, Image and Likeness compensation isn’t increased, his NIL agent said.
It wasn’t that long ago — OK, 2011 — that Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor traded signed memorabilia for tattoos at a local tattoo parlor, earning him a five-game NCAA suspension.
Net loss
Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in an English prison for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt.
Sounds like Boris had quite a racket going.
Poetry in motion
Talk about overload: Thursday was both the start of the NFL draft and National Great Poetry Reading Day.
Alas, there wasn’t a nose tackle from Nantucket …
It’s never too early
The NFL draft is over.
Which can only mean the first mock draft for 2023 will be posted in 3 … 2 … 1 …
Get a whiff of this
Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez has been called out on strikes 17 times this season — at least 10 of the third strikes not touching any part of the strike zone, according to Statcast. That’s twice as much as any other player.
Umpires: This is what’s known as not passing the eye test.
Get there early
The NFL is considering a Black Friday game to the schedule.
So, will fans storm the stadium gates at 6 a.m. looking to buy bargain tickets?
Hawking homes
Now Tyler Lockett can take it to the house 12 months a year.
The Seahawks’ star receiver has become a licensed real estate broker, selling fancy homes on Seattle’s Eastside.
Talking the talk
— Janice Hough of LeftCoastSportsBabe.com, on why immediately evaluating NFL draft picks is like a great Tinder first date: “Some do result in long-term relationships. Some in short-term relationships. And some … well, maybe it was a great night.”
— Charles Barkley, to the Dan Patrick Show, on what fellow TNT host Shaquille O’Neal’s weight: “If he gets on the scale it’s gonna be saying, ‘One person at a time, please.’ ”
Fishing in Anaheim
Mike Trout caught Tim Salmon as the Angels’ all-time home-run leader at Angels Stadium, with his 160th.
“Why couldn’t I have been an Angel?” moaned A.J. Pollock.
Quote marks
— Nick Canepa of The San Diego Union-Tribune, on why Mike Tyson isn’t on his shortlist of people he’d harass on an airplane: “My ears are not what they used to be, but they remain important for facial balance.”
— Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on trying to box out Nuggets center Nikola Jokic from the offensive boards: “I’ve seen grizzly bears who are more polite when barging into a cabin full of snacks.”
— Greg Cote of The Miami Herald: “NBA playoffs with no LeBron. Is that even legal?”
Nobody’s perfect
The Suns’ Chris Paul made NBA playoff history by going 14 for 14 from the field Thursday night and 4 for 4 at the foul line in a 33-point effort.
OK, he did have three turnovers.
Quote, end quote
— Mike Bianchi of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, on the Jaguars’ questionable draft acumen: “If NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had a sense of humor, he’d step up to the podium and declare: “With the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select … The Wrong Guy!”
— Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News, via Twitter, on Georgia’s DC moving west to Oregon: “Dan Lanning’s former defense had more first-round picks than Dan Lanning’s new conference.”
— RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, about the dad in Cincinnati who made a one-handed catch of a foul ball while bottle-feeding his baby with the other hand. “He earned a rookie jersey for his infant son and a contract offer from the Reds.”
