I’ve quickly realized I don’t have a name for people who take the time to read Just the Sandwich. Do I say, “Hello, my toppings?” Well, because of that, I don’t have an emphatic intro this go-around. I’ve just finished IO Interactive’s “007: First Light” and I’ve spent the majority of the past week watching making of videos of it and how it relates to the greater James Bond Universe. Yeah, I’m a nerd. That said, here’s some of the stories in sport that are tickling my fancy this week:
A Caddie Just Up and Quits Mid Game
People tell me that golf is a sport. These people also tell me that golf is a tough sport. But let me tell you that caddie Cliff Ellis must’ve felt a whole new level of frustration when he quit working alongside golfer Alejandro Tosti in the middle of a game. The absolute bonkers scene was caught on video, giving a whole new meaning to “F You, I Quit!”
And to say that this is what crosses over from golf into mainstream sports. Not the unsustainable prize money, not competitor LIV Golf claiming bankruptcy, but rather a guy not even waiting until the end of the day to pack (throw?) his bags says a lot. As for why, the explanation raises more questions:
According to reports, Tosti believed his caddie was taking a bathroom break at the 18th hole. Ellis never came back, leaving Tosti to finish his second nine without the man who had started the day on his bag.
There may have been some warning signs before Thursday’s unexpected departure. Schupak reported that Tosti and Ellis had clashed during Tuesday’s practice round. Even with that earlier disagreement, Ellis walking away during an official tournament round caught Tosti by surprise. - Yahoo
Whoever the next caddie is, they should probably charge a premium!
Handsome Devil: Tampa Bay Rays Debut Throwback Road Jerseys
The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the more confounding teams in Major League Baseball. They win consistently; the team is well-constructed, but their fans are notorious for having excuses why they don’t go to games. For the record, the team being in St. Petersburg, FL, rather than Tampa usually gets the blame, but even though that’s about 20 miles apart, Atlanta Braves fans are happy to make the same commute to see their Braves at Truist Park. Though the team is relatively young, the Rays have started to lean into their heritage, releasing an alternate road jersey that harkens back to their original moniker as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. And while a Devil Ray is an actual animal, I could only imagine the number of complaints they got with the name back then from people who thought it sounded a bit too…less than heavenly.
That said, I do hope Tampa becomes a staple of southern baseball. MLB needs at least one of its Florida teams to find their footing if the league hope to expand.
“The First Lady” of the WNBA Gets Her Due
Before the days of Caitlin Clark and before Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie was one of the early symbols of the WNBA. As a New York Liberty fan, I was conditioned to roll with Rebecca Lobo, but Leslie was the class of the league. And like the team she played for, she was all about the glam off the court while dominating on the court.
And like many Los Angeles legends who played at Crypto.com Arena (the former Staples Center), Leslie was honored with her very own statue in Star Plaza, joining the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Kobe Bryant. She’s the first woman athlete to achieve that honor, and truthfully it couldn’t happen to a more influential player. But I’ma still be hatin’ in the shadows with my New York Liberty jersey on.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m happy for you…I guess.”
Did you just call me a topping?! 😂 What in the sandwich you talkin’ about?