May 13, 2015
On Sunday, the Phillies will give away a Wiffle Ball set to fans 14 and under, which makes my inner-child giggle with delight because Wiffle Ball is downright awesome.
There's only one problem: the bat features the name and signature of a Phillies player who won't be with the team when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks in their series finale, third baseman left fielder Cody Asche. He'll be in Rochester, playing with the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs after the 24-year-old was sent to the minors on Monday to get more reps in left field.
Instead, his position will likely be occupied by his replacement, prospect Maikel Franco, who the team is expected to call up on Friday.
This gaffe, which seems like it could've been avoided by not having a giveaway for a player that had the potential to be sent down to the minors, is not without [recent] precedent.
In 2012, the Phillies went ahead with a Hunter Pence bobblehead giveaway despite trading the outfielder to the Giants a month earlier. And to prove that he wasn't at all bitter about the deal -- he has gone on to win two World Series in San Francisco (2012, 2014) -- the bobbleheads came with a message from the lovable goofball himself.
It's Hunter Pence Bobblehead Night in Philly tonight. Awkward, I know, but nice message from Pence included with each. http://t.co/ZLZMZjUc
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) August 21, 2012
The Phillies also messed up a Roy Halladay bobblehead giveaway in 2012 (not a good year for bobbleheads at The Bank) by portraying the future hall-of-famer as a lefty*, which he most certainly is not.
Not only is the Asche giveaway poorly timed, but it's poorly themed* as well, considering he was hitting just .103 in his last eight games before being sent to the minors.
Finally, I had no idea you could trademark a color, at least not one as vague as yellow, but apparently you can.
