FanHouse PETA

Minor League Spotlight is the MLB FanHouse's look into baseball's minor leagues. But you probably figured that out already.

The Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate New Hampshire River Cats may be in dead last in their division of the Eastern League at 58-75, but that doesn't mean they aren't winning any awards this season. No, while some teams focus on doing boring things like winning games, the River Cats are more focused on the health and well being of their fans.

Which is why the River Cats' ball park, Merchantsauto.com Stadium (that kind of advertising no doubt brings in tens upon tens of people to the website), was just named the Most Vegetarian-Friendly Ballpark in Minor League Baseball by PETA.

"This is a special honor for our organization and our concessionaire, Centerplate, to make the leap from the most vegetarian-friendly ballpark in Double-A baseball last year to all of Minor League Baseball this season," said New Hampshire Fisher Cats President/General Manager Rick Brenner. "Different people have different tastes, so we pride ourselves on offering our fans a very diverse menu and want to thank PETA for recognizing our efforts."

PETA raved about Merchantsauto.com Stadium's fresh offering of grilled veggie burgers, vegetarian baked beans, veggie wraps, garden salad, grilled veggie sandwiches, grilled portobello burgers, veggie burgers, veggie sausages and veggie dogs.

In other news, Prince Fielder's girlfriend has just walked into Doug Melvin's office and demanded he be traded to the Blue Jays.

When you're in the mound of trouble Roger Clemens is in, you ought to take advice from as many people as possible. Can't hurt, right? So Roger might do well to take in PETA's latest suggestions for a pro athlete. After all, it worked out pretty well for Michael Vick.

PETA assistant director Dan Shannon wrote this open letter to Roger Clemens earlier yesterday:

On behalf of PETA, I'm writing to offer a suggestion that may help you fend off all the critics that are descending on you like a pack of Cubs fans going after a vendor's last beer. To prove that you don't want any nasty growth-promoting drugs in your body, go vegetarian.

In order to squeeze every dime out of the animals whose bodies it sells, the corporate meat industry doses chickens, pigs, and cows with hormones or other drugs to make them grow unnaturally large. (We wouldn't be surprised to see Brian McNamee get hired by KFC to inject "flax-seed oil" into all the companies' chickens.) These drugs cause animals to grow so fast that they often end up with crippling joint problems and heart problems; in fact, a chicken or a pig drugged by the meat industry suffers more injuries than Ken Griffey Jr. [...]

See, PETA just wants to help. And not only with nutritional information (Fast food is bad? Who knew?!) but with incisive and timely Ken Griffey Jr. jokes. And now you -- and Roger -- know.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but Carrie Underwood's upcoming National Anthem performance at Game Three of the Series at Coors Field on Saturday night does create a minor bit of irony. We'll let the quote explain:

Dick and Charlie Monfort, the Rockies general partnership, are active in the beef industry. Their grandfather, Warren Monfort, and father, Ken Monfort, created Greeley-based Monfort Inc., which was one of the largest meat-packing companies in the world. It is now a part of Swift Co.

Underwood, meanwhile, was voted "world's sexiest vegetarian," by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 2007, the second time she has been selected for the award. She also is a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States, which has taken stands against the beef industry, rodeo and hunting. (...)

Fox is televising the World Series and is believed to have been involved in the decision-making process. Underwood is a former winner of the Fox show American Idol.

"Carrie Underwood was invited to sing the national anthem based solely on her vocal accomplishments, including being a two-time Grammy Award Winner and the best-selling female country artists from 2005-2007," Major League Baseball said in a statement.

Yeah, quite ironic. But unless Underwood backs out of singing the anthem, or she dumps a bucket of red dye on Ryan Spilborghs, this more than likely isn't going to turn into anything. Besides, I think more people will be speculating about which Rockie dude Underwood might cuddle up to while getting over breaking up with Tony Romo.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (aka PETA) is an animal rights organization urging LSU not to add another "Mike The Tiger" to its family after the recent death of Mike V.

Big cats in captivity are denied everything that is natural and important to them, such as the opportunity to run, climb, hunt, establish their territory, and choose their mates," Lisa Wathne, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says in a letter to school officials.

It took a while, but LSU's answered PETA's complaint with an official response.

LSU stands behind its treatment of its tigers. Their habitat and lifestyle are constantly monitored to ensure their well being, and they receive state-of-the-art veterinary medical care from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which can improve and extend the life of a big cat. [snip]

Our mascots live in an excellent tiger habitat, far better than most found in zoos. Solitary animals by nature, tigers do not congregate in the wild, and due to the alarming state of their species in the wild – tigers are already critically endangered and their numbers continue to shrink – efforts to maintain the integrity of the species will need to be conducted in captivity. The current enclosure is large enough for Mike to express normal species-specific behaviors, including roaming his enclosure. Captive tigers do not have to fight and risk injury to establish and defend their territories, secure mates, or hunt prey. They are also safe from poachers and are not subject to common and debilitating viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections

In not so many words: LSU has politely told PETA to bug off. Good for them, as you can extrapolate PETA's reasoning about captive tigers to all household pets which is reasoning I simply don't buy given the lengths LSU has gone to accomodate the big cats under their care over the years.

Anyway, here's hoping LSU has a new Mike ready to roar sometime this season. The Tigers are shaping up to be a consensus preseason No. 2 team and a lead contender for the BCS national championship. A new mascot would be a fun side story during the Tigers' potential title drive.