‘A-Rod Juice Box’ promotion canceled after New York Yankees complain
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The New York Yankees don’t like jokes. Particularly if they involve making light of Alex Rodriguez and his history with performance-enhancing drugs.
The Charlotte Stone Crabs, a minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, canceled their “A-Rod juice box” night promotion Friday after word of the marketing ploy reached the big boys in the big leagues.
A photo posted on the Stone Crabs’ Twitter account boasted “The Sports Drink” that was to be provided to the first 500 fans at the game was “100% juiced.”
In the photo, which has since been removed, there was also a warning of side effects including “tainted records, inflated ego, omission from the Hall of Fame.”
Rodriguez missed the entire 2014 season because of a suspension related to the Biogenesis PED scandal in which 13 players were suspended for violating MLB’s substance-abuse rules.
The 14-time All-Star and three-time American League most valuable player admitted in 2009 that he had used banned substances during his time with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
Rodriguez recently passed Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time home run list with his 661st. He now has 664.
The Yankees, after being informed of the Stone Crabs’ attention-grabbing promotion, contacted the baseball commissioner’s office in an effort to get the event -- which spokesman Jason Zillo told the Associated Press was in “poor taste” -- canceled.
It worked. There would be no juice for Stone Crabs fans Friday, only an apology.
“On behalf of our entire organization I apologize to the New York Yankees, our affiliate club the Tampa Bay Rays, and all fans who may have taken offense,” Stone Crabs General Manager Jared Forma said in a statement.
Follow Matt Wilhalme on Twitter @mattwilhalme
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