NCAA Tournament Umpire Chides Player Who Admired Clutch Grand Slam

In Tuesday’s Hot Clicks: a very sensitive college ump, two monster dunks by Blake Griffin and more.

Lighten up, Blue

Dallas Baptist third baseman Andrew Benefield hit the biggest home run of his life on Monday, so, of course, he took his sweet time getting out of the box.

DBU faced Oregon State in a winner-take-all game to determine who would advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. The Beavers got out to an early 5–0 lead, but the Patriots cut it to 5–2 in the sixth on a home run by Ryan Wrobleski. After OSU’s Nathan Burns walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Benefield stepped to plate representing the go-ahead run. He turned on an inside pitch and crushed a no-doubt grand slam to give his team the lead.

That was long gone. A ball hit that far at such a crucial point in the game is worthy of being admired, and that’s what Benefield did. As it flew, he stared it down and nodded his head while the bench went wild. Home plate umpire Scott Cline didn’t appreciate Benefield’s showboating and took off his mask to yell at Benefield and tell him to start running to first.

Isn’t the umpire’s job to enforce the written rules of baseball? Why did Cline feel compelled to chastise Benefield for taking a couple of seconds to bask in the triumph of his monster dinger? It’s not like he was refusing to run to first and holding up the game. The celebration wasn’t even that ostentatious. There was no big bat flip, no comments directed at the pitcher or opposing dugout. He just took a beat to watch the ball fly. It’s ridiculous for an umpire to step in and yell at a player so aggressively for anything within the rules, forget something that has become a normal part of the game.

The Patriots extended their lead in the next inning on a home run by River Town (who started his trip around the bases very promptly) and went on to win, 8–5. It’s their first appearance in the Super Regional in program history. They’ll face the winner of Tuesday morning’s Virginia–Old Dominion game. 

The best of SI

The Bucks had no answer for Kevin Durant as the Nets cruised to victory in Game 2. ...  MLB’s current trouble with pitch doctoring is nothing new. ... What’s next for the USMNT after its triumph in the Nations League?

Around the sports world

MLB is allowing vaccinated media members to conduct one-on-one interviews with players on the field again. ... Undrafted Buccaneers rookie Cameron Kinley has been denied permission by the Navy to defer his service. ... The fan who threw a bottle at Gio Reyna during the USA-Mexico game has been arrested. ... Tyler Zombro, the Rays prospect who was hit in the head with a line drive, had “major brain surgery” but is expected to be out of the hospital in about a week. ... Indigenous Australian rules football player Adam Goodes, who retired after crowds constantly showered him with boos, has declined induction into the Australia Football Hall of Fame following his unanimous election. 

Blake turned back the clock with these dunks

Imagine how many people would ironically buy shirts that say “Naps”

These are better than 95% of minor league uniforms

What a run for JMU

So about five more national titles

I don’t think he’s getting that framed

Not sports

This creepy-looking “blood snow” is actually a sign of a healthy ecosystem. ... Jeff Bezos is flying to space next month. ... Germany is flying 6,000 gallons of beer back from Afghanistan as NATO troops prepare to withdraw. ... Microscopic creatures frozen in Siberian permafrost for 24,000 years have come back to life and started reproducing. 

These glasses translate speech into sign language

That’s too many bugs

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.