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SALT LAKE CITY — Three more stories from the world of sports in this week’s From Left Field.
1. Athletes make Gatorade drinkers earn it
Should people drink Gatorade without actually working up a sweat? That’s the question posed in the brand’s new hilarious advertisement campaign.
In a series of commercials posted Thursday, four athletes from various sports challenged Gatorade drinks to “earn it” by making them compete in various exercises.
In one, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt chases down a man and swats away his beverage, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper catches a man in a rundown in another.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns makes a woman jump for her drink in a “jump ball” exercise, while another pins a man into having to defend a penalty kick from Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez. There’s several other commercials among the four athletes.
Better make sure to work up a sweat before drinking Gatorade because you never know which athlete will chase you down to earn it.
2. Orioles give Ortiz the perfect retirement gift
In recent years, iconic baseball players have received gifts from opposing teams during the final season retirement tour. David Ortiz has been the recipient of that this season and on Thursday, he got perhaps the best gift yet.
In a pregame ceremony, the Baltimore Orioles gifted the Red Sox slugger with the dugout phone he famously smashed in a 2013 tirade.
Ortiz laughed as Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones gave him the phone.
Ortiz also received a donation of $10,000 in his name to charity. The pregame ceremony also included a video “Orioles and Red Sox fans could enjoy” — a slew of Ortiz home runs against the New York Yankees.
3. NBA player throws first pitch, catches home run ball in same game
Miami Heat guard Justise Winslow threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Miami Marlins played Atlanta Thursday night.
Winslow then stuck around, watching the game in the Marlins’ outfield club area. In the fifth inning, Braves outfielder Matt Kemp launched a home run in that direction and sure enough Winslow got it.
It was a good thing Winslow got his arm loosened up earlier, too, because he threw it back onto the field as one does when the opposing team homers.
Overall, a busy day at the ballpark for the hoops star.
