Don't go bacon my heart

Not until after my father died did I learn that HIS father was born in Macon, Georgia.  As I always say, that says a lot about how quiet my father was about everything, and also about explaining my tendency to like Macon things (grits, peaches, the Allman Brothers) while resisting the politics down there. Here's an example.

Macon is home to the Macon Bacon, a collegiate summer baseball team. Good, clean, all-American summer fun with wooden bats, and now comes a group of doctors who are all up on plant-based eating and animal rights. They're sizzling mad about the name of the ballclub.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has sent a letter urging the team to change its name, says WMAZ-TV.  The PCRM has put up a billboard urging Maconians to “keep bacon off your plate.”

“Macon Bacon’s glorification of bacon, a processed meat that raises the risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases, sends the wrong message to fans,” Anna Herby, the group's nutrition education program manager, preached to the team's president.

The team has only been around since 2018. The local fans chose their name, and also the name of their mascot, Kevin.

Get it?

Yes, that's the real Kevin Bacon wearing a Macon Bacon hat!

At the Bacon games, hungry fans can treat themselves to bacon-wrapped bacon, steak-cut bacon, bacon-loaded cheese fries and bacon chips.

In her letter, Ms Herby (whose official title bears the letters "DHSc, RD, CDE/CDCES" but not "BLT") says she thinks the team ought to change their name to the “Macon Facon Bacon.” That's a plant-based bacon substitute.  

Team President Brandon Raphael, who knows there is no substitute for bacon, says the team name and image "have been embraced by fans for their lighthearted and playful nature.” And he points out there is a plant-based option at the concession stands.

“The Macon Bacon do not view ourselves as a glorification of an unhealthy lifestyle,” Raphael's statement continued. “Rather, we pride ourselves on being a fun-natured organization focused on bringing families and communities together of Middle Georgia and beyond.”

So, lighten up there, Ms Herby.