Pelicans Channel Infomercials for Fun
By Terry Massey
"I've fallen and I can't get up!"
"In Japan, the hand can be used like a knife."
"Set it and forget it!"
Not exactly the catch phrases you expect to hear thrown around the ballpark. But then again, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans are known to serve up everything but the expected.
That was the case again Thursday night as the Pelicans played host to the Lynchburg Hillcats and paid tribute to everyone's favorite TV infomercials at BB&T Coastal Field. Baseball may have been the main attraction, but everything from kitchen gadgets to combination sweaters/blankets served as the perfect distractions for the fans in the stands.
Reruns of classic infomercials, like Suzanne Somers' "Thighmaster" demonstration and Richard Simmons' "Sweating to the Oldies" routine, were all the rave at the ol' ballgame. You could have heard a Chia Pet drop during the between-inning promotions.
Of course, what type of infomercial display would be complete without a tribute to the king of the concept himself? No, not the recently deceased Billy Mays, who talked his way into America's hearts and stomachs by hawking the "Big City Slider Station."
"We actually put this on the schedule back in January, so it really didn't have anything to do with the recent passing of Billy Mays," said Maggie Neil, director of promotions for the Pelicans. "We just thought it would be fun to poke fun at infomercials, and it was."
We're talking about Ron Popeil, the inventor of such memorable minutia as Spray-On Hair, the Pocket Fisherman and Mr. Microphone ("Hey, good looking, we'll be back to pick you up later.") and the creator of using television to sell products not sold in stores.
Members of the Pelicans' front office staff got the chance to play Popeil for a day, creating their own fake products to sell and infomercials to play on the park's Jumbotron. Between innings, staff members hawked everything from curveballs to the Miracle Moustache Growers and from workout videos to Killer Bee Repellent (a reaction to the swarm of bees that recently invaded left field and delayed a Major League game).
"Originally we planned to show all the old infomercials on the video board," Neil said, "but we had so much fun making our own that we decided to show those instead."
But wait, there's more ... In addition to the gag gadgets and TV pitches, there were actually batters and pitchers at the game as well. Baseball was the real entertainment. And the Pelicans provided plenty of value by rallying for seven runs in the sixth inning and five more in the seventh en route to a 13-4 victory over Lynchburg, setting season highs for runs scored (13) and hits (18) in a game.
Maybe it was the new Wonderbats.
What a great idea and explanation. I would have seldom thought to do this, but then again, that’s why I am liking your blog!