Is bacon still a thing? (Baseball content inside.)

Okay, really this isn't a discussion about bacon. Today the office staff played hooky to go to a ball game: our Daytona Tortugas vs. the Florida Fire Frogs. (Florida killed the home team, 14-2.)

Anyway, there were a few comments about the team names. Eh, I'm cool with the weird names--like Cpl. Klinger's famous Mud Hens. So tonight I checked out the minor league team roster. Some favorites team names: Lansing Lugnuts, El Paso Chihuahuas and Bowling Green Hot Rods.

And for those who like bacon, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While not part of their field uniform, their online store contains these gems:

Is bacon still a thing?

Obligatory xkcd:

Has bacon ever not been a thing?

Those are leftovers from when bacon was much more of a thing. At peak bacon, they wore those uniforms on the field.

David S. Wallens wrote: Okay, really this isn't a discussion about bacon. Today the office staff played hooky to go to a ball game: our Daytona Tortugas vs. the Florida Fire Frogs. (Florida killed the home team, 14-2.) Anyway, there were a few comments about the team names. Eh, I'm cool with the weird names--like Cpl. Klinger's famous Mud Hens. So tonight I checked out the minor league team roster. Some favorites team names: Lansing Lugnuts, El Paso Chihuahuas and Bowling Green Hot Rods. And for those who like bacon, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While not part of their field uniform, their online store contains these gems:

Ahhhh, thanks for bringing back memories of home. Before moving to this pit, dump called Atlanta, I lived 20 minutes from Allentown. Went to at least 25 Iron Pigs games over a 4 or 5 year stretch. We loved it. Bacon was always a big theme there. Instead of the Presidents racing like they do at Washington Nationals games, they did races with pork products. It was a big promotion. IIRC, the bacon one was named Chris P Bacon. Bacon themed merchandise was a huge seller for them...and yes, of course a lot of the food they sold had bacon.

Have to say those were some of the best ball games I ever went to. Coca Cola park, where they play, is a really nice stadium.

We in Richmond, still stinging over losing the AAA Richmond Braves, have come to embrace the AA Flying Squirrels, whose mascot "Nutsy" advises us to "Have fun, go nuts!"

I believe that it's the Lexington Legends that are embracing the mustache trend.

Minor league baseball has some of the very best and very worst marketing efforts to be found.

Allentown is only 2.5 hours away, I might make the trip for a day game. I also have to hit a Rumble Ponies game. They don't carry the name anymore, but they are still Mets AA.

captdownshift wrote: Minor league baseball has some of the very best and very worst marketing efforts to be found.

Like the New Orleans Baby Cakes...

Bacon is no longer a thing. Bacon cupcakes, bacon soda pop, bacon is now a science project.

Toebra wrote: Has bacon ever not been a thing?

Yeah, I mean bacon has always and will always be a thing to me.

EDT wrote:

captdownshift wrote: Minor league baseball has some of the very best and very worst marketing efforts to be found.

Like the New Orleans Baby Cakes...

We don't talk about that.

I really would like to know if any youth teams have decided to call themselves the Baby Cakes. I know there is a Zephyrs, having seen them whilst walking dogs at the local sports park last weekend.

Back in the 90's I used to wear a Hickory Crawdads hat. At the time I'd never been to Hickory. Just bought the hat because I liked the logo. Looks like the current ones are a bit different.

My brother in law worked for the kernals last season, this year hes with the tincaps. Some of the logo's are neat. I have an apple with a pan on its head for a local mascot. Makes me miss the suns!

Normal Cornbelters. Field is appropriately in the middle of a cornfield.

Bacon will always be a thing. Right up until the time when the very last grossly obese bacon-eater keels over due to a massive coronary brought on by the ingestion of crazy amounts of saturated fat.

Full disclosure: I have been known to eat bacon from time to time.

mtn wrote: Normal Cornbelters. Field is appropriately in the middle of a cornfield.

That ear of corn looks like it needs a nap. And I'd totally wear that logo.

In reply to David S. Wallens:

I was thinking it looks like the corn is stoned. Used to live down the road from a farmer that used his corn crop to conceal his pot crop.

Up until the dea got him. Wonder if he is still in prison? That was 25 years ago....

My sister got me this hat for Christmas. A hot dog vendor riding an ostrich.

Nowhere near the team, just thought the hat was cool.

And they have a "Clash of the Caps" every year where people vote on the best design. Kinda a cool idea to get more money into Minor League baseball teams if they come up with a cool design.

Clash of the Caps

-Rob

Blue waffles?

(Insert Bull Durham speech about believing in...)

David S. Wallens wrote:

mtn wrote: Normal Cornbelters. Field is appropriately in the middle of a cornfield.

That ear of corn looks like it needs a nap. And I'd totally wear that logo.

About an hour east of there are the Hoopeston Cornjerkers, ranked one of the worst high school mascots by ESPN several decades ago.

We have the Biloxi Shuckers:

I told my wife that if they'd given their mascot a bit of facial hair they would have sold 100x more shirts, and probably upped the attendance too. She didn't get it.

David S. Wallens wrote: Okay, really this isn't a discussion about bacon. Today the office staff played hooky to go to a ball game: our Daytona Tortugas vs. the Florida Fire Frogs. (Florida killed the home team, 14-2.) Anyway, there were a few comments about the team names. Eh, I'm cool with the weird names--like Cpl. Klinger's famous Mud Hens. So tonight I checked out the minor league team roster. Some favorites team names: Lansing Lugnuts, El Paso Chihuahuas and Bowling Green Hot Rods. And for those who like bacon, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While not part of their field uniform, their online store contains these gems:

There's an milb team out in fresno that has a hat with a taco on it.

I was never a pro sports fan but I enjoy going to minor league games.

Rascal the Raccoon isn't the goofiest mascot but our local team, The Renegades, put on a good show.

The Akron Rubber Ducks have the best promotions.

Native American Indians portrayed on sports teams is out of vouge. My recommendation for The Cleveland Indians is that they change to The Cleveland Steamers and the mascot becomes The Deuce wearing #2 on his jersey.