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FORT MYERS, Fla. - Billy Donovan backed out of his deal.
Sound familiar?
It happened again Wednesday night when the Fort Myers Miracle, a Single-A minor league baseball team in the Florida State League, poked fun at the Florida Gators coach who reneged on his deal with the Orlando Magic by hosting “Billy Donovan Night.”
The Miracle were scheduled to have Billy Donovan there — well, not THAT Billy Donovan.
A Fort Myers man who shares the coach’s name was supposed to throw out the first pitch, but backed out of the deal at the last minute.
“Apparently, he has a new job,” the public address announcer said.
Or maybe he asked for his old one back.
The Donovan parody night gave fans the chance to strike an “out clause” and negotiate their way out of their ticket purchase, just like Donovan escaped his five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Magic.
The contract, in this case, was the ticket. Prices for the Miracle’s game against the Tampa Yankees were $7 and $5, but not all the estimated 1,300 fans — about 500 more than the typical Wednesday crowd at Hammond Stadium — planned to ask for their money back.
“I’m not going to do a Billy Donovan,” said Tom Walkers, 27, sitting near third base. “I’m going to follow through with my contract.”
Some fans sported Gators orange and blue apparel, while others donned Magic jerseys. Waffles, a tribute to the coach’s “waffling,” were on sale at food stands. And hair gel — to mimic Donovan’s slick look — was available.
Between innings, sound bytes from Donovan’s last news conference were played over the speakers. Fans mocked the coach throughout.
“What a liar,” one fan yelled.
Fans began restructuring their deals after the third inning. The price of the ticket, the seat location and even buyouts were all up for negotiation. If necessary, a free throw had to be converted to make the contract official. A drawing to win free Gators basketball tickets was used as a “bonus option” to entice fans to honor their deals.
The Miracle had Fort Myers defense attorney Michael Hornung on site to negotiate settlements. Hornung, by coincidence, attended the same high school — St. Agnes on Long Island, N.Y. — as Donovan.
He stayed firm during deliberations, but took the role to heart.
“I would think opting out of a Miracle game has as much credence as Billy Donovan leaving a $27.5 million contract,” Hornung said. “I don’t know why you’d do it.”
It’s not known what Donovan thought of the event. He did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press.
There’s a long history of parody nights or similar promotions in baseball.
The Miracle have long subscribed to the theory of Bill Veeck, who was the head of a group that owned the Chicago White Sox from 1959 to 1981 and became well-known for such publicity stunts like the “Disco Demolition Night” the team held in 1979 — continually breaking team attendance records in the process.
In 2003, the Miracle hosted “Sammy Sosa Corked Bat Night,” drawing national attention by handing out free cork to the first 505 fans who arrived for a game — a nod to the number of homers Sosa had at the time when he was caught with a corked bat.
Other infamous events like “Nobody Night,” where fans were locked out of a 2002 game between the Charleston Riverdogs and Columbus RedStixx until the fifth inning to try setting the record for professional baseball’s lowest attendance, have been used in the minors as a way to generate attention.
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