Thursday’s Hot Clicks: Another Kid Fought Gritty and Whacked Him With His Stick

Good thing that suit is padded.

NBC Sports Philadelphia

Good thing that suit is padded

Flyers mascot Gritty is making his fair share of enemies. 

Back in November, not long after Gritty was introduced, a kid tried twice to fight the big orange mascot and got hauled off to the penalty box. That kid at least was a good sport and dropped his gloves. The same can’t be said for the kid who attacked Gritty last night. He went after him with his goalie stick and got a few good whacks in before Gritty was able to confiscate it. 

Looking for you to step in here, @NHLPlayerSafety. @AAAMidAtlantic | #TORvsPHI pic.twitter.com/Vcmox4KiJR

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 28, 2019

While the November troublemaker got a simple five-minute penalty for fighting and served his time in the penalty box, this latest attacker was handed a game-misconduct and carried right off the ice back to the locker room. 

We interrupt your Wednesday night for some important Gritty content 😂 pic.twitter.com/EOgHpwJfCI

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 28, 2019

It’s fitting that this happened on the same day we learned that Eli Manning’s least-favorite road venue at which to play is Philadelphia. That city is something else. 

It’s baseball season

Ignoring that weird soft launch in Tokyo, the MLB season gets underway for real across the country with all 30 teams in action. Our season preview has everything you need to know as play starts, with predictions and scouting reports on every team. I might as well put my predictions on the record here:

World Series: Yankees over Brewers
AL MVP: Mookie Betts
NL MVP: Juan Soto
AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole
NL Cy Young: Noah Syndergaard
AL Rookie of the Year: Vlad Guerrero Jr.
NL Rookie of the Year: Pete Alonso

The best of SI

A man was serving a life sentence for a murder he didn’t commit until he was saved by his passion for drawing golf courses. ... The Sweet 16 starts tonight and we have bold predictions and expert picks. ... Everybody loves NFL mock drafts and we have a new one. ... Here are the best NBA prospects left playing in the NCAA tournament. 

Around the sports world

The majority owner of the AAF is threatening that the league could fold in a matter of days if it doesn’t get a partnership with the NFL. ... Some golfers in Georgia stumbled upon a truly enormous alligator. ... More people than you think are trying to see every minor league baseball stadium in America. ... Tanzania qualified for the African soccer championships for the first time in 39 years and the president rewarded the players by giving them all plots of land. 

Presented without comment

If Jerry had not made that call never got to know your ass or Ed! Always thought you guys were pretty fair! Only eat Ed’s ass out one time let him tell you about it! Hope all is well with you two! https://t.co/0XYvwefb73

— Barry Switzer (@Barry_Switzer) March 28, 2019

Devin Booker is the youngest player to ever score 50 in back-to-back games

How can you not love Luka?

Luka playing rock-paper-scissors with a fan during the Kings-Mavs game 😂 pic.twitter.com/twultWzht6

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 27, 2019

Check out this absurd hand-eye coordination

Check out the mitts on this guy 👀

📽️: scott_theo pic.twitter.com/WtKfWuf1RD

— GONGSHOW® Hockey (@GongshowGear) March 27, 2019

Very clever, 35-year-old Joey Votto

While we're here, let's take a closer look at Joey's shirt. 😂#NationalJoeDay pic.twitter.com/UiHy7XBtIh

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 27, 2019

The ’86 Mets were a total circus

From Ron Darling's new book 108 Stitches:

In '86, Mets announcer Bob Murphy passes out drunk on a trainer's table before a playoff game against the Astros. The Mets gather around him and have their team meeting. Davey Johnson tells the team Murphy had a "stroke." pic.twitter.com/m1wXXSkPOc

— Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) March 28, 2019

Par save from a jungle

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour)

Geometry lesson from Auston Matthews

Just an unreal trick shot

This is part of Infiniti’s partnership with the NCAA and Coaches vs. Cancer. Infiniti donated $1 million to the American Cancer Society and the winners of the trick shot contest (these guys, obviously) won a trip to the Final Four in Minneapolis. 

Not sports

A naked man was found walking on the tarmac at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. ... 7-Eleven opened up a sit-down restaurant. ... HBO is airing a documentary about Game of Thrones after the series finale.

The Midwest cannot be trusted with bagels

Today I introduced my coworkers to the St Louis secret of ordering bagels bread sliced. It was a hit! pic.twitter.com/XNGbljtpYz

— Alek Krautmann (@AlekKrautmann) March 26, 2019

That’s an atrocity but at least it sparked these hilarious responses:

nothing reminds me more of the summer than a st louis style hot dog pic.twitter.com/i43OCNCjrr

— Trey Smith (@SlimiHendrix) March 27, 2019

Steak and bananas (St. Louis style) pic.twitter.com/uOpaWeslz7

— 𝒅𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒕 (@melip0ne) March 27, 2019

This ice cream is made with animal fat and weed

VICE's @SlimiHendrix shows you how to make Alaskan weed ice cream. 🍨 🌿 pic.twitter.com/WPBK2sulOU

— VICE (@VICE) March 27, 2019

Try not to cringe

The guy from Slipknot sings the SpongeBob theme

A good song

Email dan.gartland@simail.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.