Grizzlies billboard causes a stir

A valley baseball rivalry is heating up after the Fresno Grizzlies post a billboard that takes a dig at the River Cats.

The AAA Club is promoting their Growlifornia campaign this season, and it’s all in good humor, but some, especially those in the state capitol, may not agree.

Driving down the high street ridge, to the right, an obscure sign.

"I’m just interested in seeing the cat, and I know how close I am to the stadium," Phil Cisson, a River Cats Fan, said. 

With the second glance, the River Cat looks to have gone a little soft.

"Yeah they altered our logo a little, to look like the grumpy cat," Erin O’Donnell, the River Cats Director of Marketing, said. 

With the words "#wackramento" on display. A minor-league misunderstanding.

"Well it sounds like Fresno is trying to start a rivalry with us," O’Donnell said. 

The dead giveaway was the Fresno Grizzlies slogan "#Growlifornia".

"But I think it’s a little bit of a jab at Sacramento. That whole campaign that they can’t be the capitol, they can’t be us. So they’re creating their own capitol," O’Donnell said. 

Two teams in the Pacific Coast League, a pair of clubs in the Central Valley.

"While a regional rivalry does exist between these two cities separated by over 170 miles, the Grizzlies have taken things to a whole new level this season," Michelle Dapper said.

But the media campaign may just be a Fresno fail.

"I like that they’d get us fired up like that, good for them," Phil said.

As for the River Cats, there is no love lost for the Giants’ former AAA team.

"No hard feelings on our side obviously, but we are so happy and proud to be with the Giants now," O’Donnell said.

And when all is said and done, the smack talk will need to be settled on the field.

"So we got the Giants from you Fresno. But that’s the way, the better team. We’ll see how we do this season," Phil said.

Michelle Dapper, reporting.

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The Fresno Grizzlies sent us this statement about the billboard: "The #Wackramento billboard we took out in Sacramento is all about adding to the greatest rivalry in Minor League Baseball. Roughly 182 miles separate the River Cats and us, and this serves as a good-humored way to add another wrinkle to the Highway 99 rivalry. Our #Growlifornia campaign is about energy and having a personality that is unapologetically Fresno. It’s not LA, it’s not the Bay Area, it’s not San Diego, and it’s definitely not Sacramento."