The rivalry between Mississippi State and Ole Miss has boiled over to the baseball diamond. And in college baseball, if a player hits a home run, well, he’s going to let you know about it.
The NCAA enforces regulations on celebrations to manage unsportsmanlike conduct. This rule outlines limitations on props, signs, and bat flips near opponents to minimize potentially perceived disrespectful actions.
Players are subject to ejection if they are deemed to cross the line, but that’s also up to the umpire’s discretion. So when Mississippi State catcher Johnny Long hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the 11th inning, ran down the first base line, and gave his bat a twirl, he was merely warned, not ejected.
And with his team down 9-8, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco took matters into his own hands with an f-bomb filled tirade of his own.
An ESPN2 hot mic caught the veteran manager telling home plate umpire Scott Cline, “You’re supposed to ******* throw him out,” regarding Long’s actions being what he perceived to be unsportsmanlike.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco caught on the hot mic telling the umpire "You're supposed to f***ing throw him out" and after being told "we warned him" Bianco gets tossed pic.twitter.com/o4RgHswRkX
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 14, 2024
Whether you agree with Bianco or not, you can also make out Cline on the hot mic telling the Ole Miss coach that they “warned” Long for his bat flip. And if that’s the case, clearly they viewed his actions as being unsportmanlike.
But that didn’t sit well with Bianco, who got himself rung.
Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said Long’s bat flip after his first home run for the Bulldogs might have been a bit excessive.
“That’s all that was,” Lemonis said via The Clarion Ledger. “First home run, I think of his career here, and it was a big one. Like the umpire said, kids are excited and everything else.”
And the bat flip — and Bianco’s NSFW-filled ejection, for that matter — may have sparked something in Ole Miss, who walked off the Bulldogs in 12 innings, 10-9.
“Maybe we needed me out of the dugout,” Bianco joked. “Maybe that’s it.”
While Bianco’s fiery post-game comments weren’t needed on ESPN’s broadcast, they certainly provided an entertaining moment for viewers. Whether his passion translated to the field remains to be seen, but Ole Miss did manage to tie the series at 1-1.
[CJ Zero on X, The Clarion Ledger]
