MNF thread: Will the Patriots go to 12-0 against the Ravens?

posted at 8:33 pm on December 3, 2007 by Bryan
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I say they do. The Ravens are in a state of free fall and Patriots…aren’t. The only X-factor here is the weather — it’s freezing in Baltimore and maybe that’ll make a punt roll weird or something. Without a whole lotta luck, the Ravens don’t stand much of a chance.

Since the game itself isn’t likely to produce much interest, I’ll leave you with this:

Yesterday, they named him PorkChop. Today, his name is Ferrous. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs say they’ve changed the name of the team’s mascot. Team officials say the switch was made when it was brought to their attention that the initial name could potentially be offensive to members of the community.

“…members of the community.” Now who would get offended at a pork-related mascot name?

Update: Well, I’m genuinely surprised. PorkChop didn’t offend Muslims, it offended Hispanics.

Two days after naming its mascot “PorkChop,” the Philadelphia Phillies’ new Triple-A affiliate abruptly dropped the moniker after receiving complaints from Hispanics that it was offensive.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs, whose mascot is a large, furry pig, had selected PorkChop from more than 7,300 fan submissions. The team, which begins play in 2008, announced Monday that the mascot will be named “Ferrous” instead.

General Manager Kurt Landes said he heard from several Hispanics who said PorkChop was derogatory.

“We were really unaware of any negative connotations with the word ‘pork chop,’” he said. “If it offended a few, it’s a few too many.”

Guillermo Lopez, vice president of the Latino Leadership Alliance, said he was called “pork chop” when he worked at Bethlehem Steel decades ago.

“If my parents were alive, they’d be having fits,” said Lopez, among those who complained to the team. “It meant much more to them than it does to Puerto Ricans now in the Lehigh Valley.”

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