Morning Report: Fans throw away a giveaway
The plastic debris that covered the infield at Miami's LandShark Stadium Saturday night was a reminder that some giveaways are better kept behind the counter.
The plastic debris that covered the infield at Miami's LandShark Stadium Saturday night was a reminder that some giveaways are better kept behind the counter.
The Florida Marlins, who play in a stadium recently renamed after a beer produced by Margarita connoisseur Jimmy Buffett, gave away pom-poms on Saturday night.
Within innings, the tinsel blanketed the infield.
"I assume there won't be pom-poms in the future at LandShark Stadium," Marlins starter Andrew Miller told the Sun Sentinel. "Watching on TV, they kept cutting to the crowd and there were people just ripping them apart and throwing them in the air."
The Sun Sentinel reported that the grass resembled a living room carpet after the kids tried to decorate the Christmas tree without adult supervision.
Between innings, the grounds crew feverishly tried to rake up the loose tinsel, which was gathering in the left-field corner and clung to the backstop behind home plate.
Umpire Joe West met with stadium officials at one point wondering if the slippery surface would cause a safety hazard.
But, the Sun Sentinel reported, the Marlins avoided becoming the first team in history to forfeit a game due to stray pom-poms.
"It's distracting to the players and it could be dangerous," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez told the paper. "You've got all this shiny stuff going through people's vision and line of sight."
Who's next? With David Ortiz benched for an entire series in an attempt to break a brutal slump, Rocco Baldelli took over as the designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox this weekend.
And proceeded to go 0 for 11 with seven strikeouts in three games.
Hmmm.
Manager Terry Francona provided little information after the Sox lost to Seattle, 3-2, yesterday.
"I don't know," he said, when asked about tomorrow night's lineup. "I want to talk to [Ortiz] first. I've left him be."
Boston also has cleanup hitter Kevin Youkilis (Ortiz bats third in the order) eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday. Francona said he's "going to see where we are" with Youkilis before deciding whether to move Ortiz out of the three hole.
Ortiz, a 33-year-old five-time all-star, is without a home run in 144 at-bats. His only longer homerless streak was 145 at-bats from Sept. 9, 1998, to June 9, 2000 - and that was over partial seasons while coming up with Minnesota.
Ortiz responded with "What's up guys?" when approached by the Associated Press before the game. He then declined to speak for the third consecutive day, since he advised reporters to "just put down 'Papi stinks' " after a horrendous 0-for-7 day when he stranded 12 baserunners in a loss at the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
Contact staff writer Don McKee at 215-854-4611 or dmckee@phillynews.com.
