Why aren’t the 2008 Phillies on a Wheaties Box?
Posted by: Richie Rich in 2008 MLB Playoffs, Phillies, Wheaties
So I went to the store the other day to replenish my weekly box of Wheaties (I eat ‘em with dried cranberries) and – to my disappointment – found the box to be once again graced by Bryan Clay.
Who’s that, you ask? Well I guess he’s some US decathlete who won a Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympics back in August. Incidentally, 99.8% of America hasn’t cared about that since, ohhh … three days back in August.
And I was wondering … why hasn’t this guy been knocked off the box by the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies?
Seriously. From 2004 through 2007, the World Series Champion was immortalized on the Wheaties box. Take a gander …
That’s David Ortiz, Mark Buehrle, Chris Carpenter, and Josh Beckett representing the last four World Series Champions.
But the Phillies have apparently received the shaft from Wheaties. Is the economics of whole-wheat cereal so bad that General Mills can’t afford to put even a single Phillie on the box? Did they blow their 2008 endorsement budget on the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker, gymnast Nastia Liukin, and decathlete Bryan Clay?
Either way, I think that’s wrong. If you win a World Series – at least one of your players should get on the Wheaties Box. Even if it’s just a limited edition in that town.
So here’s a few Wheaties boxes I put together for the World Series Champion Phillies …
One guy I’d like to see on the Wheaties box is Brad Lidge. Lidge went 48 for 48 in save opportunities in 2008 (regular season and postseason combined) and exorcised some big postseason demons by closing out the two-night Game 5.
And it would fit Wheaties’ tradition of not putting the World Series MVP on the box.
We’re big mascot fans at Home Run Derby. So let’s honor the Phillie Phanatic.
Pretty sure that’s the first time a mascot has ever appeared on the Wheaties Box.
But I think my favorite Phillies Wheaties box would honor Chase Utley and his three famous words at the World Series celebration at Citizens’ Bank Park.
Phildelphia Phans deserve a cereal that will commermorate their Championship … too bad Wheaties won’t do it for them.
Subscript: I thought about putting the girl with the bodypainted Phillies jersey on a box, but my wife’s still kinda mad about that post.
Entries (RSS)
February 9th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I hadn’t even thought about this. First no SI cover down here in Texas, then no Wheaties box, and I know there’s a couple of other slights I’ve read about over the winter. WTF?
BTW. Ruben did a nice job saving the Phils some money this weekend. Both parties sound relieved to be past this.
February 9th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Can I steal the second one for my fantasy baseball avatar?
February 9th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Just leave the homerderby.com logo on it.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Sure thing, thanks.
February 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
You, my friend, are an idiot! Do you really think that General Mills could get them on the box that fast? It took 4+ months just for Bryan Clay to get on his box! They don’t print those overnight you know! And, even if they did, the stores have to sell out of their current stock before replacing them with a new box!
Now, on to Bryan Clay…
Let him have his time on the box! He deserves it, probably even more than any of the Phillies do! He is the World’s Greatest Athlete, the one drug-free, good guy, from the Olympics. Give him a little credit, why don’t you?
February 9th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Erik -
Click through to this link and see how quickly it is to print something in the modern era. Or do you live in the era of the Gutenberg Press?
In 2007, Wheaties had Josh beckett and a logo that said “07 World Series Champions” and “Red Sox” on the cover of the Wheaties box in NOVEMBER. Mere weeks after the World Series was over.
February 9th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Yes, RR, you are right, I am sorry that I failed to clarify. They CAN print them. But they can NOT throw away the thousands of boxes that are currently on the shelves. Those all have to be sold before any new boxes with new pictures are put out. Hence the reason that the Kevin Garnett box was in the stores until December!! And why the Bryan Clay box is just now coming out.
2007 was NOT an Olympic year so there was nothing to delay the release of the Red Sox box that you are referring to.
February 9th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I sent an e-mail and asked when the Phillies will be on the cover.
February 10th, 2009 at 10:26 am
They were going to have the Phanatic but I hear pics of Him ripping a bong at University Of South Carolina have surfaced.
I bet if the Cubs won they would have had a box in 30 seconds. No offense Richie, but seriously the National media loves this lame sob for the Cubs story. Phillies have had just as bad of a frnchise history as the Cubs and Red Sox. (Hell I know the Red Sox have more WS titles before 2004 than the Phillies, and I think the Cubs are now tied all time with the Phillies.)
But I think Chase Utley puts it best to the folks at Wheaties.
“No Phillies box? Fuck you!”
February 10th, 2009 at 10:31 am
and sorry it is “Cocky” the Y didn’t get hit hard enough.
February 11th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
I never even thought about the Wheaties box. I bet the Steelers make it before the Phillies.
February 11th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I just e-mailed General Mills with that question. I hope to have an answer soon.
February 11th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I’ve been collecting sports related Wheaties boxes for over 15 years and have almost 500 boxes in my collection. The Phillies aren’t the first team to be slighted in the past few years.
The Bulls from the ’90’s have boxes, but the Lakers of the early 2000’s were not on a box yet every other NBA champ since is.
The Steelers of 2003 were not on a box yet teams before and after were (except the Giants last year who were slighted as well).
By the way, in 2004 the Kansas University mascot was featured on a box issued only at the University. Your box is much cooler though!
Hope this helps.
Check out my website to see for yourself. It’s broken up by sport.
If the Phillies were going to get a box it would have been done immediately after the series and issued as a regional box.
February 11th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
If you think you got in trouble with your wife for posting about the painted Phillies jersey, you should have seen the trouble I got into with mine for…ahhhh…reading it.
I vote for the Chase Utley box.
February 12th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
You should be asking MLB why the WPC Phillies are not on the Wheaties box since it was their decison, not General Mills. If it makes you feel any better there will not be a Steelers box either.
March 5th, 2009 at 11:17 am
[...] Home Run Derby also noticed something else. The Phillies haven’t appeared on a Wheaties box. [...]