Friday’s Hot Clicks: Bill Walton Apparently Delayed the Padres Game

Bill Walton was just living his best life.

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

He was just living his best life

The Padres hosted a Grateful Dead Night on Thursday, which was actually more like Bill Walton Night. 

Walton, the San Diego native and world’s biggest Dead fan, was on hand to participate in all sorts of activities. He kicked off the night by banging around on the bongos with a Dead tribute band. 

Bill Walton and The Electric Waste Band warming up the crowd at Petco Park for #Padres Grateful Dead Night. pic.twitter.com/SLXCONPcKk

— Troy Hirsch (@troyhirschfox5) August 9, 2019

Then he threw out the first pitch, which, even with some coaching from Bud Black, went rather poorly. (He did, however, manage to convince the Padres to let him throw a ceremonial second pitch, which was right over the plate.) 

Bill & Baseball’s Excellent Adventure pic.twitter.com/40wl6gG0Ne

— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 9, 2019

That’s where most celebrities’ nights would end. They would walk off the field, retreat to their sweet seats and enjoy the game. Not Walton.

Walton stuck around to help his old pal Black out with the lineup card exchange. It’s usually a perfunctory affair, consisting of nothing more than a few brief handshakes. Walton turned it into a minutes-long production that apparently ended up pushing back the start of the game. 

Tonight‘s game will not start on time, almost entirely due to the fact that after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch, Bill Walton joined in the exchange of lineup cards — and proceeded to talk for three full minutes without interruption. It was an awesome sight. pic.twitter.com/dvzIcOYcFE

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) August 9, 2019

First pitch, 7:14 p.m.
So that's a four-minute Bill Walton delay.
But worth it.#padres

— Bernie Wilson (@berniewilson) August 9, 2019

That’s the risk you run with Walton. Just ask Dave Pasch. Walton is going to do what he wants, when he wants to, and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s what makes him great. 

What a moment for this guy

Remember Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi? He’s the guy who landed a tryout with the Browns by pretending to know a scout. His gambit worked, and he’s one step closer to making the team after housing a punt return in his preseason debut. 

Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi takes it to the house!#WASvsCLE pic.twitter.com/iEbWQk0fHR

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 9, 2019

The best of SI

The stories of two minor leaguers to hit .400 after Ted Williams. ... Blue Jays rookie Bo Bichette didn’t have the hype of Vlad Guerrero Jr. but he’s been absolutely mashing. ... Will Liverpool’s quiet summer transfer window widen the gap with Manchester City?

Around the sports world

An LSU football player has been walking around campus with bricks in his backpack to bulk up. ... Bayern Munich played an amateur team in a friendly and won 23–0. ... The Georgia Southern quarterback who went viral after police accused him of having cocaine on the hood of his car but insisted it was bird poop had all charges dropped after it turned out it really was bird poop. 

He thought he was just throwing out the first pitch. He got a scholarship too. 

Thanks to the @Twins for helping create a SPECIAL moment for Clay Geary and our WHOLE team!! You’ve TRULY earned this Clay!! I’m proud of ya & I love ya!! #RTB #HYPRR #SkiUMah #OneMN pic.twitter.com/ZSsGuTia9z

— P.J. Fleck (@Coach_Fleck) August 7, 2019

Peter King got pulled over during a live interview with Dan Patrick

Are you kidding me?

Even Red Sox fans showed love for Kole Calhoun's diving catch in right field 😳

(via @FoxSportsWest) pic.twitter.com/7RN7QKmKsj

— SI MLB (@si_mlb) August 9, 2019

Is this hit a little stiff for the preseason?

😱😱 KENNY@KennyYounggg pic.twitter.com/fStHSNEnwy

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 9, 2019

Baker loves Freddie

Find something that makes you as excited as @BakerMayfield when Freddie Kitchens challenges a play 😂 pic.twitter.com/C4JElDcUSa

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 9, 2019

Let’s overreact positively to Daniel Jones now

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First play of his first football game and this rugby player scored a TD

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A post shared by Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills)

A simple gesture, but a meaningful one

This man does not need any more stimulants

Did Adam Gase just take smelling salts before a preseason game? pic.twitter.com/gVINzrkcjW

— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) August 8, 2019

Just for kicks

The new street mode in FIFA looks pretty cool

This goal is unreal

I like this guy’s Tony Batista batting stance

Not sports

Arizona Iced Tea is going to start making weed-infused drinks. ... There’s a new vodka made with grains grown in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. ... The Game of Thrones showrunners signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix. ... This Twitter thread about the remains of a Vietnam pilot is incredible. ... A meeting of the Kenyan legislature was forced into recess after a senator farted. 

John Mayer gives a post-show press conference

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A post shared by John Mayer (@johnmayer)

This is a horror movie

I love when New York looks like the apocalypse

Making gourmet Pop Tarts

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.