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The San Diego Padres versus the Houston Astros game was delayed for fifty-two minutes in the top of the ninth inning. The game was in San Diego, so no surprise, it wasn't a rain delay! It was insect related. And unlike the midge meltdown Joba Chamberlain suffered in the A.L. playoffs, the game was stopped by the umps.

The Associated Press quoted Padres president Tom Garfinkel, "A few thousand bees attached themselves to a queen bee." They surrounded a ball girl's chair and jacket down the left field line. "The umpires made the right call to stop the game," Garfinkel said. "There's a couple thousand bees there. If they decide to swarm on a person, whether that's a player, an employer or obviously a fan, we could have a real situation."

Fortunately, no kidding, head groundskeeper Luke Yoder has an apiarist on his speed dial. The AP captured a photo of San Diego Padres left fielder Kyle Blanks standing in a swarm of bees just before the game was stopped.

Labels: baseball, Pop Culture, sports