Michael Phelps can’t be stopped; Emoji jersey night


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SALT LAKE CITY — It’s that time again where the world recognizes swimming as a sport. The Olympics are upon us and history has already been made.

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, qualified for his fifth Olympic Games Wednesday after finishing first at the men’s 200-meter butterfly event in Omaha, Nebraska. At 31-years-old, Phelps has become the first American male swimmer to make five Olympic events.

Phelps finished with a time of 1:54.84, beating out Tom Shields, who finished in second place. Shields will join Phelps in Rio. Phelps has two other events, the 100 fly and 200 individual medley, he’s looking to qualify in this week. He could also be a part of some team relay events.

Emoji is everywhere … even jerseys

You can’t go anywhere without seeing emojis. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, though. t’s a great way to capture your emotions — get it? — and cut down on that burdensome time it takes to text. Let’s just say I’m happy I don’t have to hit the “7” button four times just to type an “S” anymore, but I digress.

In jersey news, the West Michigan Whitecaps, a Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, will be having a “Social Media Night.” The team will wear Emoji jersey and there will be all sorts of giveaways, like a selfie stick (obvs).

Now you can take a selfie with your favorite Single-A player on your selfie stick, who happens to be wearing an all-encompassing Emoji jersey. So Snapchat and IG it up baseball fans, you deserve it.

Michael Phelps can’t be stopped; Emoji jersey night

Female baseball players on the roster

An independent league baseball team, the Sonoma Stompers, has now signed two female players to the roster. Kelsie Whitmore, 17, and Stacy Piagno, 25, signed with the team Wednesday and will be start against the San Rafael Pacifics on Friday.

Whitmore plays in the outfield (left field) and Piagno is a pitcher. The organization told SI.com they’re not sure if they’ll start every game, but will be thrown in the rotation and given playing time on if they earn it, just like their male teammates.

“Both of these girls are on the roster,” Stompers general manager Theo Fightmaster told MLB.com. “They’re gonna play however much they earn. They are not gonna be in the starting lineup every night so we can sell more tickets. It’s a big game on July 1 and they’ll both be in the lineup and after that we’ll see what their performance dictates.”

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Josh Furlong

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