St. Paul Saints introduce iPig
The Associated Press - Thursday, June 28, 2007
ST. PAUL, Minn.
One day before Apple's highly anticipated iPhone takes the world by storm, the St. Paul Saints are hoping their version really brings home the bacon.
The minor league baseball team with a knack for catchy promotions plans to introduce the iPig before Thursday night's game against the Lincoln Saltdogs.
The Saints, who employ a pig mascot that carries baseballs to umpires during games, say they have developed a live pig that "executes all the functions of the new iPhone" and "turns the animal into an all-purpose technological marvel."
This is only partly a joke.
The Saints plan to sell an actual pig - with speakers mounted on its side, a pouch to hold an iPod shuffle and a phone - for $299, or roughly half of the retail price of the new iPhone.
"This is the most anticipated pig since Porky," Saints general manager/executive vice president Derek Sharrer said in statement. "Taking on a major player like Apple is daunting, but our sense is that Apple has exposed a niche that these pigs fill. Our critics will say there's no market for trying to reinvent the pig. We'll see."
A news release promoting the launch says the iPig is "extremely well-trained and won't run all over the place, staying within a few feet of its owner at all times. Plus, it's virtually impossible to misplace the iPig."
There seems, however, to be one catch. The Saints say that they have produced exactly one iPig to date, generating concerns about supply and demand.
Drawbacks to the iPig include messy cleanup on a daily basis and a possibility of generating some jealousy from this year's pig mascot - Garrison Squeallor.
It's the latest campy promotion from an organization with a history for headline-grabbing stunts. The Saints gave away Randy Moss hood ornaments in 2004 after the former Minnesota Vikings receiver had a run-in with a traffic control officer and also issued neck ties in 2002 during Bud Selig Tie Night after the MLB commissioner ended the All-Star game in a tie.
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