The Stephen A. Smith first pitch at Yankee Stadium is already the stuff of legend, and Friday’s First Take was effectively a roast of the show’s proud longtime host.
After calls from Steve Harvey, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, the most hilarious call-in guest of all may have come from Carmen, Smith’s sister.
Carmen posited that based on how terrible the bounced pitch was and the awkward kick of his leg, she wondered if something was off with Smith physically. Then she heard he had a hot dog at the game and immediately came to a conclusion: “bubble guts.”
“I think with that throw, you had to pass gas or something,” Carmen said. “You lifted your leg up. You had bubble guts. You had bubble guts, I know you did.”
“I love you and you tried, but jesus.”
Did a hot dog induced fart during Stephen A's throwing motion play a role in Stephen A's terrible first pitch?
His sister called into First Take to present this theory and Stephen A would later admit to having some bubble guts. pic.twitter.com/ITJnOz92e2
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 22, 2023
After some prodding from host Molly Qerim, Carmen added:
“He had to have bubble guts because when he kicks up that leg, lord have mercy. Oh my god.”
Stephen A.’s pitch induced a biblical reckoning within his own sister. She is at a loss for words.
Of course, it was pretty bad.
Even Smith himself called it “a choke job” on the YES Network after the pitch.
“I was disgusted with myself,” he said on the broadcast.
Well it seems O’Neal, Harvey, Russo and even his own sister were equally if not more disgusted with Smith too. If anything, the bubble guts may be the best excuse rather than having to live down that one-hop embarrassment.
