Bob CollinsThe Ogden (Utah) Raptors have apparently had second thoughts about its “Hourglass Appreciation Night”, a promotion that offended everyone but the knucklehead who conceived it.
The team removed its press release announcing the event with “hourglass” referring to the shape of women’s bodies. Classy.
The home team hosts the Billings Mustangs, but the real thoroughbreds will join Raptors broadcaster A.P. Harreld in the booth. Since August is the eighth month of the calendar year, and an 8 looks tantalizingly similar to an hourglass, be there a better way to remind the world that baseball needs no clock than to feature 18 hourglass-shaped color commentators?
That’s right! Stars Talent Studio of Salt Lake City will provide a different stunner each half-inning. And the Raptors will video-stream the broadcast booth – well, at least the better looking half of it!
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Fans will have the opportunity to pose for pictures with the lovely ladies as we showcase seriously splendid visual appeal: Utah’s legendary mountains, Dodgers and Reds farmhands – and gorgeous women whose curves rival those of any stud pitching prospect!
As you might expect — because not all of America has jumped back to the ’40s — it didn’t go over big on social media.
Two years ago, almost to the day, the team announced a Caucasian Heritage Night which was to include — as the team’s press release said at the time, “Wonder Bread on burgers with mayonnaise, clips from shows like ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ and trying to solve the vertical leaping challenge.” (It was another team in the league — the Orem Owlz — that had the Caucasian Heritage Night.)
[Update 2:40 p.m.]– The team has apologized, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
“The Ogden Raptors regret that an unauthorized press release was disseminated over the weekend announcing a promotion that was not approved or scheduled by club ownership or management. This promotion will not take place and steps have been put in place to ensure this will not happen again. The Ogden Raptors offer a sincere apology to anyone who was offended by the promotion itself and the contents of the press release, and in no way supports or condones the objectification of women. It is not reflective of the values of the Ogden Raptors, Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the Pioneer Baseball League or Minor League Baseball.”
