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Cristoforo Phanatico and the Phillies' Awkward Web Humor

Same Mascot, Different Worlds

By Wet Luzinski

Yesterday the Phillies celebrated Columbus Day with an amusing little photoshop on its Facebook page that placed the Phanatic on the deck of one of Christopher Columbus' ships with the caption, "Proof that Christopher Columbus stopped at the Galapogos Islands." It was intended, surely, as little more than a chuckle, a har-de-har-har to play with the idol of 15th century European conquest and historical rhyme with Photoshop.

Instead, a firestorm of controversy erupted. Some Facebook commenters, immersed in their copy of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, were having none of it:

Seth Robertson If he had, he would've tried to make the Phanatic his slave and made him search for gold. Although, I see your point. There is only one of him around, isn't there? Columbus had a knack for erasing people and their cultures.

Michael Mccaw Cracks me up when ignorant people bring up the Indians being here first. If they only new the real history and did some research they would find out the oldest skeletal remains found in north america were certainly not Indians.

Steve Riley I sure amerigo vespucci wasn't here first. But why is this land name after him. Who are the real natives of this land surely they aren't indians they were called that because the dummies thought they landed in india via a western route just to prove the world was round. But i guess the habit of overthrowing inhabitants stealing and renaming land was the norm then. Cherokee, apache, seminole, souix, blackhawk ,inca, aztec etc are said to have inhabited the north and south continents so why is this america? Why are they called indians and why is this the new world? God made europe, africa austraila asia southpole and these two continents at the same time.

Others, clearly either deep in the back pocket of the Catholic monarchs of Spain, fans of economic exploitation, or just fans of transactions in general, were having none of it:

Francis Marino Nice to see folks with huge sticks up their butts in the morning

Robert Miller Columbus was smart take 3 ships, just in case. If we travel to Mars, do the same thing, take 3 ships, just in case

Joe Rumpf That's great maybe you should be working on trades than stupid pictures

and of course the debunkers:

Ben Eklund Uhhh fake

And so on.  Fortunately, Phanaticologists at The Good Phight were right on this story.

And, of course, longtime readers of the site know of his true origins and what he really thinks.

Your take? Perhaps this has nothing to do with a hive mind of worshipful Italian-Americans from South Philadelphia who man the social media office. Discuss below.

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