Have You No Sense Of Decency, Sir? McCain’t Hijacks Philly Phanatic
OK, Philebrity Brain Trust, riddle us this: Just what kind of hot water can we get John McCain’t into for using the image of the beloved Phillie Phanatic most likely without permission? When Inky reporter Larry Eicher went to McCain’t’s skinhead rally in Downingtown the other day, he noticed something weird on his press credential:
In addition to “Country First” and the names of McCain and Palin it includes a photographic image of the Phillie Phanatic, which seems highly appropriate on Day One of the Phillies’ reign as National League champions.
Then I looked more carefully at the photo and saw that the Phanatic was wearing a white McCain-Palin t-shirt. My guess is that this is a photo-shop image and that the Phanatic didn’t actually don the t-shirt.
My guess is that there are eight kinds of different rules against candidates falsely aligning themselves with trademarked totems such as the Phanatic. And with good reason: The Phanatic is a non-partisan bringer of joy, loved by one and all, and generally regarded as pretty much the best mascot in all of professional sports. (Here he is, at right, being nice to a young retarded boy that suffers from the opposite of the Webster disease.) And to invoke the image of the Phanatic NOW, you know, with everything going on, is most distasteful indeed. So who’s got Keith Olberman’s number? Is there a watchdog group out there that watches these kinds of dogs? Let’s shove a hot poker up Waggy McFail’s ass, yo. Philly doesn’t roll any other way.
Inky: FOR SHAME, OLD MAN
October 17th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I doubt this violates any election laws or regulations, so it’s probably up to the Phillies brass to make something out of this. The Phanatic is their trademark, so it’d be up to them to lay the smack down.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
This requires more investigation before retaliation is plotted. If the Flyers’ owner can stage a Palin photo-op who’s to say there isn’t someone in the Phillies’ mgt lending out the Phanatic as an in kind resource?
And do we know where our hometown heroes really stand on this? My ‘04 Red Sox hard on suffered massive collapse the morning after the series when Curt Schilling stumped for Bush. What do we do if fellow born Hawaiian Victorino puts a knife in our guy’s back?
October 17th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I’m just talking out of my ass here, but I suspect Shane Victorino could give two shits about politics in general.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Looks like Jimmy and Shane are on board the Obama train:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080604&content_id=2841571&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi
“Should Rollins decide to campaign, he can look to Victorino for assistance. The center fielder is also a fan because Obama graduated from Punahou High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Victorino is from Wailuku.
But it’s not just about Hawaii. Victorino, 27, lives in Las Vegas, and confessed to not having voted in a presidential election, thinking his vote didn’t count. Obama’s message changed that.
“He exemplifies what a lot of what America is about and how America is changing,” said Victorino, who wouldn’t mind an Obama/Clinton ticket. “He’s brought out the younger generation. The younger generation needs to get involved. Every vote can make a difference.”
October 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
As if we needed another reason to more ardently adore and wholeheartedly embrace Shane Victorino…he’s an Obama fan. What a dude!