Davey Rootbeer
08-26-2005, 07:20 AM
so, i'm flipping through the channels this morning, and i happen to turn to ESPN just as they're talking about yet another suspension.
"oh, someone got busted for steriods again", i think to myself.
Then i listen closely.
Turns out, all the ruckus is about a nameless Marlin's BATBOY, who was dared by a pitcher to drink a gallon of milk in under an hour, for 500 dollars.
YES, A GALLON OF MILK.
(he drank the milk, but couldn't keep it down- and the marlins had him suspended for 6 days. no one's sure yet whether it was for accepting the bet, or for puking afterwards.)
Now, normally, something like this would just go by in passing without even being mentioned. But, the pitcher who offered this was rather upset about the whole deal, and went public with it, berating the team for doing such.
Somewhere in Fort Meyers, the son of Bill Veek (nortorious for being the finest promoter in the early history of baseball..he was truly ahead of his time in attracting audiences, providing promotions, and sending a midget up to the plate during the 1944 season when he owned the St. Lous Browns. The midget took 4 balls, walked, and was replaced by a pinch-runner.) saw an opportunity to continue the family history of playing into the fans, and sent down word to the manager of the Minnetota Twins' affiliate out of Ft. meyers to go on the air (on ESPN, no less) with an attempt to contact this batboy and "hire him", as well as tie in a numerous amount of promotions to the event.
Single-A team wants to hire Marlins' `suspended' batboy
BY CLARK SPENCER
Knight Ridder Newspapers
MILWAUKEE - (KRT) - A minor-league baseball team is hopping on the milk wagon.
The Fort Myers Miracle of the Single A Florida State League is trying to locate the unidentified batboy who was suspended by the Marlins and put him back to work.
``Similar to a rehab stint, we want to help this kid stay on top of his game,'' Miracle general manager Steve Gliner said. ``Instead of crying over spilled milk, we decided to offer him the honorary post.''
The Marlins suspended the batboy after finding out he had accepted a dare from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny - with a $500 reward attached - to drink a gallon of milk in less than an hour without throwing up. The batboy drank the gallon, but he couldn't hold it down.
The batboy was suspended for the upcoming homestand at Dolphins Stadium that runs from Monday through Sept. 4
The Miracle, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, wants to have him pick up their bats during Monday's game against the Tampa Yankees in Fort Myers.
As part of the promotion, all children 14 and under will receive a pint of milk when entering the stadium, a cow will be stationed at the front gates, and empty milk cartons will be placed throughout the stadium so fans can make monetary donations to the batboy.
The Miracle is owned by a group that includes Mike Veeck, actor Bill Murray and musician Jimmy Buffett.
ESPN.com reported that the Milk Processor Education Program offered the batboy $500 and any lost wages from the suspension if he promises to drink the recommended three glasses of milk a day.
In addition, Penny, who was angered by the suspension, told The Miami Herald on Thursday that he intends to compensate the batboy.
Promotions galore!
it's not so much as to help the batboy, but to generate publicity for the teams, the players, and the people involved.
so , in the end?
Brilliant PR for an unheard-of-until-now-pretty-much minor league team, and bad PR for the Marlins, who are in the thick of a 6-team wild-card race in the NL east.
no one's going to reply to this thread, but if they did, i would be happy and thankful. In any such case, the punishment for steriod use at a major league level is a 10-game suspension, while puking up a gallon of milk is only 3/5 as bad.
"oh, someone got busted for steriods again", i think to myself.
Then i listen closely.
Turns out, all the ruckus is about a nameless Marlin's BATBOY, who was dared by a pitcher to drink a gallon of milk in under an hour, for 500 dollars.
YES, A GALLON OF MILK.
(he drank the milk, but couldn't keep it down- and the marlins had him suspended for 6 days. no one's sure yet whether it was for accepting the bet, or for puking afterwards.)
Now, normally, something like this would just go by in passing without even being mentioned. But, the pitcher who offered this was rather upset about the whole deal, and went public with it, berating the team for doing such.
Somewhere in Fort Meyers, the son of Bill Veek (nortorious for being the finest promoter in the early history of baseball..he was truly ahead of his time in attracting audiences, providing promotions, and sending a midget up to the plate during the 1944 season when he owned the St. Lous Browns. The midget took 4 balls, walked, and was replaced by a pinch-runner.) saw an opportunity to continue the family history of playing into the fans, and sent down word to the manager of the Minnetota Twins' affiliate out of Ft. meyers to go on the air (on ESPN, no less) with an attempt to contact this batboy and "hire him", as well as tie in a numerous amount of promotions to the event.
Single-A team wants to hire Marlins' `suspended' batboy
BY CLARK SPENCER
Knight Ridder Newspapers
MILWAUKEE - (KRT) - A minor-league baseball team is hopping on the milk wagon.
The Fort Myers Miracle of the Single A Florida State League is trying to locate the unidentified batboy who was suspended by the Marlins and put him back to work.
``Similar to a rehab stint, we want to help this kid stay on top of his game,'' Miracle general manager Steve Gliner said. ``Instead of crying over spilled milk, we decided to offer him the honorary post.''
The Marlins suspended the batboy after finding out he had accepted a dare from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny - with a $500 reward attached - to drink a gallon of milk in less than an hour without throwing up. The batboy drank the gallon, but he couldn't hold it down.
The batboy was suspended for the upcoming homestand at Dolphins Stadium that runs from Monday through Sept. 4
The Miracle, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, wants to have him pick up their bats during Monday's game against the Tampa Yankees in Fort Myers.
As part of the promotion, all children 14 and under will receive a pint of milk when entering the stadium, a cow will be stationed at the front gates, and empty milk cartons will be placed throughout the stadium so fans can make monetary donations to the batboy.
The Miracle is owned by a group that includes Mike Veeck, actor Bill Murray and musician Jimmy Buffett.
ESPN.com reported that the Milk Processor Education Program offered the batboy $500 and any lost wages from the suspension if he promises to drink the recommended three glasses of milk a day.
In addition, Penny, who was angered by the suspension, told The Miami Herald on Thursday that he intends to compensate the batboy.
Promotions galore!
it's not so much as to help the batboy, but to generate publicity for the teams, the players, and the people involved.
so , in the end?
Brilliant PR for an unheard-of-until-now-pretty-much minor league team, and bad PR for the Marlins, who are in the thick of a 6-team wild-card race in the NL east.
no one's going to reply to this thread, but if they did, i would be happy and thankful. In any such case, the punishment for steriod use at a major league level is a 10-game suspension, while puking up a gallon of milk is only 3/5 as bad.