Hah, The Rivalry Begins

grimm · 10-12-2004

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2004...tory?id=1899757

Yankees fans will need more than a T-shirt to taunt the Red Sox.

A day before Boston and New York started the AL championship series, Major League Baseball recalled a T-shirt it had sanctioned because it rubbed Red Sox fans the wrong way.

Should MLB have recalled the 'Who's your daddy?' t-shirts?
Yes
No

The message on the shirt that drew the negative reaction read: "Hey Red Sox ... Who's your daddy?"

The shirt bears both a Yankees logo and a picture of a red pacifier with the letter "B" on it -- a reference to remarks Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez made after a recent loss to Boston's longtime rivals.

"Call the Yankees my daddy. I can't find a way to beat them at this point," Martinez said.

MLB began offering the shirt for wholesale distribution to licensed retailers over the weekend and promoted it on a Web site, spokesman Carmine Tiso said.

On Monday, the few thousand shirts that were made were recalled from retailers, and the shirt was removed from the Web site.

"We did hear some feedback from the Boston fans, who didn't necessarily feel they were comfortable with the T-shirt and the message on it," Tiso said. "Some fans felt it went a little too far, and obviously in this instance we're listening to our fans."

Although most MLB-sanctioned apparel promotes individual teams without denouncing their rivals, there have been some items that touched on baseball's biggest rivalries.

The ALCS starts Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Last year, New York beat Boston on Aaron Boone's 11th-inning homer in Game 7.

10-12-2004	#1
grimm Cramming 3 people in a Room to Attend Show Stop Lurking and start posting! Register now! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 5,306	http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2004...tory?id=1899757 Yankees fans will need more than a T-shirt to taunt the Red Sox. A day before Boston and New York started the AL championship series, Major League Baseball recalled a T-shirt it had sanctioned because it rubbed Red Sox fans the wrong way. Should MLB have recalled the 'Who's your daddy?' t-shirts? Yes No The message on the shirt that drew the negative reaction read: "Hey Red Sox ... Who's your daddy?" The shirt bears both a Yankees logo and a picture of a red pacifier with the letter "B" on it -- a reference to remarks Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez made after a recent loss to Boston's longtime rivals. "Call the Yankees my daddy. I can't find a way to beat them at this point," Martinez said. MLB began offering the shirt for wholesale distribution to licensed retailers over the weekend and promoted it on a Web site, spokesman Carmine Tiso said. On Monday, the few thousand shirts that were made were recalled from retailers, and the shirt was removed from the Web site. "We did hear some feedback from the Boston fans, who didn't necessarily feel they were comfortable with the T-shirt and the message on it," Tiso said. "Some fans felt it went a little too far, and obviously in this instance we're listening to our fans." Although most MLB-sanctioned apparel promotes individual teams without denouncing their rivals, there have been some items that touched on baseball's biggest rivalries. The ALCS starts Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Last year, New York beat Boston on Aaron Boone's 11th-inning homer in Game 7. __________________ Think horses, not zebras.