The Charlotte Stone Crabs, a minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, canceled a promotion that jabbed at New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez’s performance-enhancing drug suspension for the 2014 season.
The item, a juice box, had “100 percent juiced,” written on it, with side effects, such as “tainted records, inflated ego, omission from the Hall of Fame, and more!” The promotion was scheduled to be given out to the first 500 fans when the Stone Crabs played the Yankees’ minor league affiliate in Tampa, Fla.
Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo told The Fresno Bee that the Yankees spoke to Major League Baseball’s commissioner’s office to voice their opinion over the promotion, which Zillo said was in “poor taste.”
The Stone Crabs canceled the promotion before the game, and apologized for it, saying, “We in no way meant any ill intent or to offend anyone.”
“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.
Ripken Baseball, the owner of the Stone Crabs, stated that it was unaware of the scheduled promotion, and was glad that it was canceled.
