Fans at Thursday's game between the St. Paul Saints and Norfolk Tides can expect to receive a plain piece of white paper and be treated to in-game entertainment that includes a PowerPoint presentation and white bread.
Weird? Yes. Fun? Remains to be seen. A clever jab at comedian John Oliver? Yup.
Oliver featured the Saints in an episode of Last Week Tonight, admonishing the team for having a boring name when other Triple-A baseball teams have names like the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, El Paso Chihuahuas, Sugar Land Space Cowboys, or the Toledo Mud Hens.
Oliver offered a "total rebrand" to one minor league club, a rebrand in which the team would be allowed no input. However, on Sunday, he revealed that the team getting that treatment is the Erie SeaWolves.
In response, "the Saints are leaning into the dullard nature of their name for a Meh type of game," the team says. On May 22, it'll host "Plain Night," a promotion dedicated to being as boring as possible.
The first 1,000 fans will get a sheet of plain white paper as Thursday's giveaway. Then, during the game, the peanut toss will be replaced by white bread being thrown at fans during the seventh-inning stretch.
That will come after a PowerPoint presentation on the jumbotron featuring all the team names that the Saints didn't take when it was founded in 1993. The names include the Accountants, Municipals, and Eastern Gray Squirrels. (I get it, but that last one is actually pretty solid and could have a great mascot.)
If you want to get on the jumbotron during this historic night, don't wear a costume. The team plans to only show fans who are wearing khaki pants and a tucked-in shirt. Those fans won't be enjoying standard ballpark treats, either. The team says it'll only be serving vanilla ice cream as a dessert during the game.
Additionally, anyone with the name John or Oliver will get in free, with the team adding that those are "two of the Top 150 generic men's names in the world."
"In a world full of fireworks, pigs delivering baseball to umpires, and Fun is Good, the Saints are boldly choosing to do less," the team said in an announcement. "Wear your beige, tuck in that polo, and prepare for a night that redefines “just fine.” Baseball will be played. Possibly. Fun will be had. Arguably."
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