Touch 'Em All: A Surprise Fighter Jet Flyover, Grimace Saves The Mets & Barry Bonds Honors Willie Mays
We're Going To Start Touch 'Em All By Being Patriotic
When you think of the word "America," what comes to mind?
Maybe you think of the amazing freedoms we’re given as citizens of this great nation, or maybe you think of some mind-blowing natural landscapes from out West.
(BTW, I went and saw some of those earlier this week. Let me know if you have any fun memories of the West: john.simmons@outkick.com).
For me, there are two things I think, one of which is baseball (duh). What other game - or any other cultural element - has captivated the minds and love of United Staters (that’s a word, right?) for almost 200 years as much as baseball has? There’s a reason it’s called "America’s Pastime," it’s one of the most American things in existence.
But at the same time, I also think of our military. Make no mistake, the life we enjoy in the United States was built on the sacrifices of countless men and women who were willing to protect it for future generations, even if they died in the process. (If you are one of those people, I thank you deeply).
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: A military flyover takes place prior to Game 1 of the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Whether they're planned or unplanned, they are super cool. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB via Getty Images)
Thinking about baseball or the military by themselves would stoke my love for my country. But what if the two of those worlds collided?
The short answer: you get something epic.
Flight Week began on Sunday in Baltimore, which is a week when the military flies fighter jets around to show off some cool stunts for spectators. Out of nowhere, an F-35 fighter jet did a flyover at Camden Yards to create one of the best cultural crossovers we’ve seen in a while. On top of all that, fans started chanting "USA" after the plane appeared.
Can it get more American than that? The only thing that might - might - make it more quintessentially United States is if Lee Greenwood’s "God Bless The USA" on the PA system.
But even so, nothing screams "United States" quite like a fighter jet flyover at a baseball game.
‘MERICA!
Grimace - A Purple Mascot From McDonald's - Might Have Saved The Mets' Season
This year started horribly for the New York Mets, who lost their first five games, and went 9-19 in May. Former reliever Jorge Lopez’s decision to throw his glove into the stands after getting ejected perfectly encapsulated the nightmarish nature of the 2024 campaign.
But don’t look now, the Mets are all of a sudden one of the hottest team in all of the big leagues, having won eight of their last 10 sitting just a half a game out of the NL Wild Card standings. What happened to this squad that couldn’t seem to do anything right for the first two and a half months?
They got a purple taste bud mascot from McDonald’s to bring them good luck.
I’m not kidding.
Meet Grimace, the anthromorphic tastebud character from McDonald’s fictional universe "McDonaldland."
He threw out the first pitch for the Mets on June 12th. New York went on to beat the Miami Marlins that night.
Most people were thinking, "Okay, that’s nice. But the Mets will probably just lose tomorrow."
But they didn’t. They didn’t lose the day after that, either.
For seven straight games after Grimace took the mound, the Mets were simply unbeatable. Need a walk-off win? They got one. Take two out of three against the defending world champions, and pull off a comeback win to extend the streak? You bethca.
Like all good things, the streak finally ended last night with the Rangers beating the Mets, 5-3. But a pattern was established, and Grimace deserves a large chunk of credit for the win streak.
Should the Mets replace their iconic "Mr. and Mrs. Met" mascots with Grimace? Maybe not. But should they keep that gigantic purple blob around for good luck? Most definitely.
As that famous Bud Light commercial would say, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work, right?
Barry Bonds Offers Emotional Tribute For Willie Mays
To say Willie Mays was a baseball legend would be a severe understatement.
The "Say Hey Kid" made an astounding 24 All-Star teams in his career (which is 24 more than I’ve made), won two National League MVP awards and had 12 Gold Gloves. He’s sixth all time in home runs (660), seventh in runs scored (2,068), 10th in RBIs (1,909) and 12th in hits (3,293).
And who could forget his iconic play in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series for the New York Giants? Even if you weren’t alive for that game, baseball fans know far and wide about the play simply known as "The Catch."
He’s widely regarded as the greatest center fielder in history. But unfortunately, he passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93.
Read: On The Night Willie Mays Passed Away, It Was Fitting That Baseball Was Being Played At Rickwood Field
Naturally, a death like that will spark tons of reaction from countless baseball players and celebrities. But perhaps the most touching came from Barry Bonds.
Now I know you might be rolling your eyes at the mention of this guy’s name. He’s a cheater, plain and simple, and his home run record is not legitimate because of it.
But that doesn’t mean the guy can’t have a heart. He showed that with a touching tribute after hearing of Mays’ death, and with good reason.
In addition to both being legends for the San Francisco Giants, Bonds was Mays’ godson. As such, tons of emotion emanated from the tribute that Bonds offered to his godfather.
Yup, that’ll pull at all the heart strings.
Say what you will about Bonds, you have to give him credit for perfectly honoring a man that meant so much to him. I think baseball fans everywhere would agree that we, like Bonds, are keeping the Mays family in our prayers.\
Is This First Pitch A Sign That J.J. McCarthy Will Be A Bust?
Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy was selected 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft. They picked him in large part because they needed a new man under center, and he has an accurate and strong arm for the job.
December 31, 2022; Glendale, Ariz; USA; Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) throws a pass during the pregame before the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Ncaa Fiesta Bowl Game Mandatory credit: © Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK.
But does he actually?
Before the Minnesota Twins played the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, McCarthy had the honor of throwing out the first pitch. I'd be lying if I said it went horribly, because that doesn't quite accurately describe how bad this pitch was.
Maybe he just wasn’t used to throwing an object other than a football. But if I’m Justin Jefferson watching that, I’m worried about whether or not my quarterback can get me the ball.
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That's it for this week! If you have any ideas you want to see me write about, email me at john.simmons@outkick.com. Have a fantastic weekend!
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