Welcoming the season with sanitizer, toilet paper

2020 was a year to forget, but some Minor League teams can't help but remember.

On Saturday, a pair of Low-A East clubs held tongue-in-cheek tributes to products that defined American life in 2020. The Carolina Mudcats staged "Hand Sanitizer Appreciation Night," while the Augusta GreenJackets' "Ode to 2020" was highlighted by a toilet paper giveaway.

The Mudcats' hand sanitizer homage has its roots in a front office group chat brainstorming session. Evan Moesta, the Milwaukee affiliate's multimedia manager, prefaced its initial suggestion with "This is really stupid, but..." -- a common origin story when it comes to Minor League Baseball promotions. 2021's theme nights have an extra layer of difficulty, however, as teams navigate the double whammy of COVID-related operating restrictions and reduced operating budgets caused by the cancellation of the 2020 season.

Saturday's "Hand Sanitizer Appreciation Night" included a team-logo mask giveaway for the first 750 fans, but hand sanitizer was, not surprisingly, the star of the show. During one particularly memorable inning break, team staffers ran through the crowd distributing dollops to all fans with an outstretched palm.

"Once people saw what we were doing, everyone stuck out their hand for some," said Moesta. "Everyone leaned into how dumb it was, but it was also really practical. Who's gonna say no to hand sanitizer in this climate?

"We also did hand sanitizer fast facts on the videoboard," he continued. "One of them was 'When you rub your hands together, the alcohol heats up and kills the germs.' Then we did some 'High or Low' videoboard games. Like, here’s an eight ounce bottle of Purell for $2.99. High or low? That ended with a 50 gallon drum of hand sanitizer. Higher or lower than $800? Everyone had fun with that."

The Mudcats had a perfect audience for Saturday's hygienic endeavor, which drew a capacity-restricted sellout crowd of 1,950 fans.

"[Local health care provider] Johnston Health essentially bought out the stadium for frontline workers and their families," said Moesta. "We thought this would be the best way to lean into the promotion and tie it into what Johnson Health is doing. So not only were we having fun with hand sanitizer, we were honoring frontline workers. ... One of the best things we did was in the style of a Military Appreciation Day. We had workers for Johnston Health, those who served as frontline workers, stand up. Everyone stopped and applauded, a goosebumps-type moment."

Johnston Health is kicking off National Hospital Week in style!

We cannot wait to host hundreds of frontline workers and their families at tonight's game.

Thank you for all that you do for our community, especially in the midst of this pandemic. pic.twitter.com/OEIe5IkkRM

— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) May 8, 2021

A massive uptick in hand sanitizer usage was a sensible societal response to the pandemic. Less justifiable was the nationwide run on toilet paper, which suddenly became a scarce commodity. Thus, the GreenJackets' "Ode to 2020" was highlighted by a toilet paper giveaway. Two thousand rolls were given away by the Atlanta Braves affiliate, affixed with a sticker featuring a sponsor logo and the phrase "We've got your back."

"We made a toilet paper pyramid and a toilet bowl made out of toilet paper," said GreenJackets vice president Tom Denlinger. "It was satirical but at the same time everyone needs toilet paper so it was very useful. ... We did the giveaway when people were leaving, which was kind of different. But then again, 2020 was kind of different. The smiles on people's faces, even behind the masks, was so great to see. People getting their toilet paper, laughing and having a good time."

The GreenJackets' in-game entertainment had a similarly light touch, focusing on "Tiger King" and other pop culture touchstones.

"The contestants who won our between-inning games got a ball signed by our 2020 undefeated team," said Denlinger. "So it was just a ball, not signed by anyone."

The 2021 Minor League season, like pretty much everything else in American life, is a constantly evolving work in progress. As teams ease into hosting ballgames again, many of them cobbling together promo schedules one month at a time, low-cost and creative theme nights may become more commonplace.

"Hand Sanitizer Appreciation Night, that opened our eyes as we look forward to June," said Moesta. "What are other funny, wacky things we can lean into just because, just for the heck of it, to see where we can go?"