Random Baseball Frivolities

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

That's pretty sick. And I thought Tampa Bay had rebranded to be a "ray of light" rather than a fish anyhow.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That's the kinda mean humor you don't see much anymore.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I wouldn't be surprised to see that banner being held by a fan, but it's strange to see it being "endorsed" by a mascot. I wouldn't be at all surprised if an apology was forthcoming.

[metirish]

Statement came Thursday

�Last night Rays mascot Raymond was handed an inappropriate sign brought to the game by a fan. Fans are welcome to bring signs into Tropicana Field provided they are not offensive. The Tampa Bay Rays regret that this particular sign was displayed in the ballpark, and we apologize for the lapse in judgment.�

[batmagadanleadoff]

I didn't even get it. I had to google "Steve Irwin". And I still don't get it. I mean I don't get the supposed joke. I get the bad taste part, but only after googling Irwin.

[Benjamin Grimm]

What rays need to do:
1. Kill Steve Irwin
2. Win the World Series

[metirish]

I do wonder how this person got the sign made up, if it were hand written perhaps one could write it off as "spur of the moment", but it's not and either this person has the ability to make this at home or on his job or whoever he paid(if he did pay) to make it didn't know the bad taste involved....

[Frayed Knot]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I didn't even get it. I had to google "Steve Irwin". And I still don't get it. I mean I don't get the supposed joke. I get the bad taste part, but only after googling Irwin.

Irwin was killed by a type of Ray, hence that part being crossed-out as already accomplished leaving only a WS win on their to-do list.
I think it's kinda funny myself. Mean? ... yeah, but still kinda funny.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I didn't even get it. I had to google "Steve Irwin". And I still don't get it. I mean I don't get the supposed joke. I get the bad taste part, but only after googling Irwin.

I don't think reading about Irwin is quite the same as having seen him. He was kind of funny himself, that's part of the joke, also the shock of bad taste, funny. Getting a guy dressed up in a ray outfit to hold the sign as part of a scheme is funny too, since it perverts the whole purpose of the mascot from friendly ambassador to brand-rep-gone-mad. The picture of Irwin is funny. Making a complex joke of a list, with one item crossed out, on a placard is funny.

I give it three thumbs up.

[metirish]

I'm sure Irwin's family will use this as a PR moment....

[seawolf17]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I give it three thumbs up.

I totally agree, although I also see how some people could see it as insensitive. Those people need to lighten up a bit.

[Vic Sage]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: I didn't even get it. I had to google "Steve Irwin". And I still don't get it. I mean I don't get the supposed joke. I get the bad taste part, but only after googling Irwin. I don't think reading about Irwin is quite the same as having seen him. He was kind of funny himself, that's part of the joke, also the shock of bad taste, funny. Getting a guy dressed up in a ray outfit to hold the sign as part of a scheme is funny too, since it perverts the whole purpose of the mascot from friendly ambassador to brand-rep-gone-mad. The picture of Irwin is funny. Making a complex joke of a list, with one item crossed out, on a placard is funny. I give it three thumbs up.

yeah, this.

[nymr83]

I cracked up. Predictable that the team apologized, I'm glad nothing bad seems to have happened to the mascot, likely some teenager who didn't realize the sign a fan had handed him was "offensive"

[Benjamin Grimm]

Sure, it's a bit insensitive, but during his lifetime Steve Irwin pretty much made himself a cartoon character, so if his death is seen as fodder for jokes, it's largely his own fault.

[Guest themetfairy]

Is it in poor taste - of course.

Is it worth getting upset about - of course not.

[Frayed Knot]

This all reminds me of the joke circulating right after Sonny Bono and whichever Kennedy it was were killed on the ski slopes within a short span of each other by running into trees.
The joke came in the form of a ransom note saying:
STOP THE CLEAR CUTTING OR WE'LL CONTINUE TO TAKE YOUR CELEBRITIES ONE BY ONE -- Signed: The Trees

Funny if you're Cher or a Kennedy? Probably not.
But otherwise it was and also right in line with 'The Rays' crossing Irwin off their list for his decision to go swimming in their home turf.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think the joke-maker knowing full well that this stunt would result in the team issuing an official apology is sort of the final punchline of the joke, since it understands that deep down, there's only a tiny handful of people in the universe who could possibly be offended, but today's society demands big humorless businesses frown reflexively no matter how small the slight. It's brilliant I tell you.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Frayed Knot wrote: This all reminds me of the joke circulating right after Sonny Bono and whichever Kennedy it was were killed on the ski slopes within a short span of each other by running into trees. The joke came in the form of a ransom note saying: STOP THE CLEAR CUTTING OR WE'LL CONTINUE TO TAKE YOUR CELEBRITIES ONE BY ONE -- Signed: The Trees

I recall a comic strip of a tree saying "I got you, babe."

[Guest The Second Spitter]

[youtube:bovyf9mm]9Kk8cG33_9E[/youtube:bovyf9mm]

[Ceetar]

Irwin died 7! seasons ago. The joke's just dumb and outdated at this point.

[Ceetar]

Yankees have worst Scrabble roster in the majors.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/34504/ranking-teams-by-best-scrabble-rosters

[batmagadanleadoff]

Sneak peek still from the upcoming Jackie Robinson movie:



"Some day, Jackie, they're gonna name a rotunda after you."

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Sneak peek still from the upcoming Jackie Robinson movie: "Some day, Jackie, they're gonna name a rotunda after you."

This photo needs some Jeff Wilpon.

[dinosaur jesus]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: This photo needs some Jeff Wilpon.

Okay.

or

[Guest The Second Spitter]

^Gold.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Go home, ESPN. You're drunk.

[Ceetar]

question:

Is Baseball-Reference trying to Mets By The Numbers irrelevant?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/2013-uniform-numbers.shtml

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Mets by the Numbers is making mets by the numbers irrelevant. BBR has been doing that for some time, what they don't indicate are switch dates and the like.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Koji Uehara high fives Shane Victorino whether he want to or not.

[Edgy MD]

Wow, that's almost as squirrelly as Adrian Beltre and his head.