Are you sick of the Manti Te'o/Lennay Kekua fake girlfriend story? We are as well, yet it keeps turning into more and more of a convoluted mess. We brought you the news yesterday of the independent Florence Freedom holding "Manti Te'o Girlfriend Bobblehead Night", but an affiliated minor league team is taking things a step further during the 2013 season. The San Jose Giants of the high-A California League will be holding "Lennay Kekua Night" on Friday, April 12th aginst the Visalia Rawhide, affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
During the promotion, which will be held during the second home game of San Jose's season, the Giants will be featuring catfish on the menu at the Turkey Mike's BBQ stand during the game, and are also advertising that anyone who buys a ticket to the game can bring their imginary (or real, which is a little more important) significant other to the game for no extra charge. There will also be a pregame meet and greet for people to introduce their significant other to their parents.
All fans who dress as Te'o will be given two free tickets to a future San Jose Giants game, and any Stanford University student (where Kekua was reported to have gone to school before Deadspin blew that story up) will also get two free tickets to a future game.
It's not all fun and games though, as the Giants will be holding an auction during the game, and will be making a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Kekua was initially reported to have died of leukemia before the Deadspin story came out and obliterated her existence.
Thankfully for the Giants, they'll be playing Visalia, an Arizona affiliate, rather than Inland Empire, an Angels affiliate. Michael Roth, a pitcher in the Angels farm system who might end up in high-A before the season is over, was the victim of a catfishing scheme reminiscent of the Te'o mess, though his situation didn't get nearly as sticky as what's currently in the news. It would have been a little awkward if the Giants were having this Lennay Kekua Night at their home park, with a victim of something similar on the field as well.
