You Can't Have a Mascot Named PorkChop

It doesn't take much to offend somebody these days:

Two days after naming its mascot "PorkChop," the Philadelphia Phillies' new Triple-A affiliate abruptly dropped the moniker. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs said they got complaints from Hispanics that the mascot's name was offensive.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs -- whose mascot is a large, furry pig -- had selected PorkChop from fan submissions. The team, which begins play in 2008, announced Monday that the mascot will be named "Ferrous" instead.

General Manager Kurt Landes said he heard from several Hispanics who said PorkChop was derogatory. He said team officials weren't aware of negative connotations.

Guillermo Lopez, the vice president of the Latino Leadership Alliance, said he was harassed with the slur decades ago, but it isn't widely used today.

To be honest with you, when I first saw the headline "Mascot Gets New Name After 'PorkChop' Deemed Offensive" I would have sworn the objection was coming from a muslim group. It never even occured to me that "pork chop" would be offensive to Latinos. But then, nearly everything is offensive to somebody.