Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw and Cody Bellinger appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night as part of their victory tour after winning the World Series.
For the sake of entertainment, Kimmel wasn’t afraid to ask some questions that sportswriters and broadcasters probably wouldn’t, such as “Was it easier to win a World Series where the other team wasn’t cheating?” (Bellinger’s response shouldn’t have been a surprise since he was outspoken about the Astros’ “cheating.”)
On behalf of his daughter, Kimmel also asked Kershaw about the filthy, sweat-stained cap he wore during games which prompted an amusingly serious response.
“I wear one hat a year,” explained Kershaw. “I don’t know why people think they won’t give me another one. They will. I just choose one hat a year.”
But Kimmel eventually got to the question sports fans have been wanting to ask Bellinger for weeks, if not months.
“Hey Cody, do people tell you you’re high all the time, you look like you’re high?”
Bellinger’s stream froze as Kimmel asked that question, which was perfect timing. Or maybe it was just his expression that froze as he was contemplating whether or not to address what Pablo Torre described on the ESPN Daily podcast as “edible-induced placidity” and spawned the “Deep Thoughts by Cody Bellinger” meme on Twitter.
Why's it called the foul pole if balls that hit it are fair pic.twitter.com/uFxfy2PygJ
— Richard Staff (@RichardStaff) October 9, 2020
Even better was when the stream froze again while Bellinger was laughing at Kimmel’s “Spicody Bellinger” nickname for him. That one should stick.
“I am not high during the games, OK?” said Bellinger. “If you look at me in the Little League World Series at 12 years old, I look faded. I was not smokin’ when I was 12 either, all right? I’m not high; that’s just how my face looks.”
Based on footage from the 2007 Little League World Series, that checks out.
Some will surely point out that Bellinger said he wasn’t high “during the games,” as opposed to when he’s not on the field. But that’s probably just splitting hairs, right? Actually, the thought of splitting a hair is something Bellinger might contemplate in a future quiet moment, whether at home or in the dugout.
About Ian Casselberry
Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.