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World Series Brilliance and Greasy Front-Row Marketing Distractions

Joseph O'FallonOct 27, 20254 MIN READ
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitching in the World Series as two viral fans sit behind home plate — one in a white “I BET ON US — YOU?” shirt and another dressed as Colonel Sanders — symbolizing the clash of great baseball and greasy marketing distractions.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto went the distance Saturday night — a 105-pitch, four-hit performance that felt downright intimate. He went all night, mixing six pitches, painting corners, and becoming the first man since Johnny Cueto — curls bouncing, windup swirling — to throw a World Series complete game since 2015.

Kevin Gausman matched him for a while, sitting down seventeen straight before Will Smith went Big Willie Style in the seventh and broke it open. Baseball like that — it hits different. You don’t just watch it; you feel it.

And yet, behind home plate, there he was: a man dressed as Colonel Sanders.
KFC Canada sent a white-suited mascot to Rogers Centre to push its “Zinger → Dinger” campaign — a stunt so greasy it could’ve been deep-fried in its own self-importance.

For contrast, at a wedding that same night, I sat beside Colonel Steve Akley — a real Kentucky Colonel, the kind you earn for service, not marketing. Charitable, bourbon-savvy, a man of taste. Read about him here: ABV Network.

KFC’s mascot? Not quite the same breed. The company’s history reads like a bucket of bad press — rainforest sourcing scandals, tone-deaf ads, labor violations, and menu items that should come with cardiologist warnings. Nutritionists say the Zinger Stacker Box alone packs 1,330 calories, 64 grams of fat, and nearly twice a day’s sodium limit. Whoa.

Still, credit where it’s due — this wasn’t your first front-row circus. Down the line, the viral fan formerly known as Butt-Plug Guy re-emerged with his new homemade shirt: “I BET ON US — YOU?” Same seat, new slogan, same curse. The internet spotted him instantly — proof that fame doesn’t fade, it just changes fonts.

At least Marlins Man in orange gets a pass. He’s been showing up for a decade, financing his own fandom, living out retirement the right way — with sunblock, confidence, and playoff tickets.

This is baseball’s modern theater: the greasy front-row economy, where every fan’s a brand, every inning a marketing opportunity. Remember the kid in neon green at Wrigley with the “$YES” hoodie? That wasn’t merch — it was a live-TV bet on Chicago’s temperature.

Social media was supposed to be the distraction, but I’ve trained mine to do the opposite. My feed gives me pitching breakdowns on X, hitting clinics on YouTube Shorts, and actual highlights on IG. I want Will Smith launching 426 feet, not a corporate chicken suit taking up screen time.

Baseball delivered art. KFC delivered indigestion.

Meanwhile, emotion still belongs to the players’ families — ask George Springer’s father, who blasted Seattle fans for booing when his son took a 95-mph fastball off the knee. “Despicable,” he called it. And when Springer hit the go-ahead three-run shot to send Toronto to the World Series, his wife Charlie’s (nee Castro) Springer was the loudest voice in the stands — pure pride, pure joy, pure baseball.

Game 3 is Monday, first pitch 8 p.m. Eastern.
Max Scherzer will try to turn back the clock, again — again.

Get your Popeyes ready. Unplug the noise. Thank a real Colonel.
Bet on yourself — but don’t sell your soul.

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The future’s closer than it looks — see who’s ready to shock the world before the next WBC.

2️⃣ Champions Again: Diablos Rojos Sweep Serie del Rey
Mexico’s juggernaut finishes the job in style — red-hot, relentless, and ruthless.

3️⃣ Jazz Chisholm Jr. Becomes First Bahamian in 30–30 Club
Electric, emotional, and international — Jazz just rewrote Bahamian baseball history.

4️⃣ Juan Francisco Puello Herrera to Step Down from CBPC Presidency
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5️⃣ Jac Caglianone Commits to Italy for 2026 WBC
College baseball’s biggest bat is ready to bring power to the Azzurri.

6️⃣ George Springer’s Father Calls Out Mariners Fans for ‘Despicable’ Behavior
— because sometimes the biggest swings happen in the stands.

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