Baseball is a game of unwritten rules, weird traditions, and inside jokes, but the storyline of Nick Castellanos is one that needs to be studied by sports and history scholars alike. Nick has been in the MLB since 2013, but he became known by the masses for a now iconic moment during a game that took place four years ago today between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals. It all started when a hot-mic picked up Reds announcer Thom Brennaman using a homophobic slur before the game, which made its way onto the internet and obviously wasn't well received. He was eventually relieved of his duties but before he exited the booth, he made an apology directly to the camera while the game was still going on. Little did he know that apology was going to go down as one of the most memorable moments in baseball history, not because of what he said, but because of what Nick Castellanos did in the middle of it. In case you don't know about it or just want to relive the glory, here's the transcript:
"Um, I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can't tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart I'm so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith – as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run. And so that will make it a 4–0 ballgame. – I don't know if I'm gonna be putting on this headset again. I don't know if it's gonna be for the Reds, I don't know if it's gonna be for my bosses at Fox. I want to apologize for the people who sign my paycheck – for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I've offended here tonight. I can't begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am." https://twitter.com/LeBatardShow/status/1825530000528839080 The line "And there's a drive into deep left left field by Castellanos" is honestly one of the funniest things I've ever heard and became a staple of online sports discourse. But the story didn't end there. It turns out, Castellanos has a thing for homering in the midst of bad news... A bunch of lists began going viral online listing negative events that happened on days where Castellanos homered, and while some of those were embellished, the
Philadelphia Inquirer did some digging and found 10 major events that coincided with a Nicky C dinger.
- May 1, 2011 - Osama bin Laden killed by Seal Team 6
- July 5, 2021 - Broadcast booth was eulogizing a WWII vet and father of a Royals clubhouse employee
- September 11, 2021 - The 20th anniversary of 9/11
- March 28, 2022 - First at-bat following Will Smith slapping Chris Rock
- April 9, 2022 - Day of Steelers' quarterback Dwayne Haskins death
- May 30, 2022 - On Memorial Day weekend, while broadcaster was paying tribute to those who made "the ultimate sacrifice"
- June 11, 2023 - Same day of a major bridge collapse in Philadelphia
- October 11, 2023 - While broadcasters were paying tribute to former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who just suffered a stroke
- July 13, 2024 - Day of attempted assassination of Donald Trump
- July 21, 2024 - Day Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Thom Brennaman returned to the booth for the first time
And that list doesn't include one while the announcers were talking about a potential career ending injury to Fernando Tatis Jr., a single while the announcers were telling of a Blue Jays coach getting a DUI, a walk-off double on the day Willie Mays' death was announced, and a homer after the death of Vin Scully. What at first looked like a strange event was actually just one of many in a string of oddly-timed longballs. Tragically, the Phillies don't play today because I'd love to toss a few bucks on a Castellanos anytime home run, but maybe he'll crack one against the Braves tomorrow. How can you not be romantic about baseball? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFpxZgs6wqQ
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