Carlos Pena Exposed

No, I'm not talking about Carlos Pena the baseball player — he's exposing himself with his lousy hitting. I'm talking about something much more sinister: The Carlos Pena toothbrush holder.


That's right. I'm talking about the No. 1 MLB giveaway, according to The Biz of Baseball. I got mine when the SJI class attended the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday.

The Rays lost to the Chicago White Sox, 8-5, so fans at least had the consolation prize of their favorite slumping Rays slugger to handle their oral hygiene instruments. And you know your toothbrush will be protected because Pena couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it — even with a bat that thick.

Not so fast: The promotion was meant for children 14 and under. We got toothbrush holders because we were members of the media. Unfortunately, when we all got to the hotel to try out the gimmicky device, we found there's a reason the giveaway was for children — because the only toothbrushes it can hold must be for toddlers.


Are you kidding me? My toothbrush barely goes an inch inside Pena's bat! The holder doesn't nearly take enough of the toothbrush end to keep the whole thing up. You can see in the above photo that I have to support the bristle end to keep it balanced.

Scandal!

But I do have a confession: Ultimately, this design flaw did not deter me from using the holder.


The power of ingenuity at work.