Thursday

When I was a kid I had a Carl Yastrzemski model bat. Always felt sorry for the guy at Louisville Slugger who had to burn that name into the barrel.

I’m always reminded of that bat when I see the heavy rotation ads for this product. That’s a positive connotation — who doesn’t like Carl Yastrzemski? Guy had 3,419 hits, with 452 homers back when 400 home runs still meant something. He won baseball’s triple crown in ’67, something nobody’s managed to do since.

But still, it’s kind of an odd association for an oral contraceptive. Which led, of course, to this:

Top 10 Boston Red Sox Nicknames That Would Have Made an Even Worse Name for an Oral Contraceptive

10. The Grey Eagle
9. Pudge
8. Pumpsie
7. Dewey
6. The Rocket
5. Boomer
4. Oil Can
3. The Kid
2. The Splendid Splinter
1. Big Papi

NOTE: At first glance, this may seem like an oddly noncontroversial bit of silliness to toss out as Thursday Flamebait, but it touches on several potentially anger-inducing subjects: pharmaceutical advertising; contraception; the designated hitter rule; steroid use; the 11 years it took Boston to finally integrate; Game 6 …