Major League Baseball

Astros' AAA affiliate cancels plans to hand out 2017 World Series rings

Published Mar. 24, 2015 2:25 p.m. ET

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Update: Hours after this initial story caught the Internet by fire, the Grizzlies went ahead and canceled plans for the promotion. Astros beat writers broke the news in the afternoon:

Original story: As far as minor league team promotional nights are concerned, the bolder the better. Flashy throwback uniforms, gimmicky color schemes, anything is fair game.

And yet, the Houston Astros' Triple-A affiliate Fresno Grizzlies might have just 'won' the competition for THE boldest of the bold: they're handing out Houston Astros 2017 World Series rings on Aug. 15.

You read that correctly - the Grizzlies are taking a stand, supporting some recent public declarations of the 'Stros becoming World Champions in 2017 with gaudy rings to go along with "Back to the Future Night."

The Grizzlies were well aware of the gravity of their announcement, as they built it up on social media with some dramatic declarations:

And they also rolled out a vintage DeLorean to go along with the "Back to the Future" theme for the big reveal on Tuesday morning:

There's no doubting that the Astros are on the rise. After finishing with a respectable 70-92 record in 2014 (a 19-game improvement from 2013), the Astros retooled, picking up veterans including Evan Gattis, Colby Rasmus, Jed Lowrie, Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek to go along with their strong young corps of Jose Altuve, George Springer, Jonathan Singleton and others.

They should be even better in 2015, and with even more talent waiting in the wings (such as shortstop prospect Carlos Correa), the future will only be brighter. 

As for the giveaway - fans can't get enough of the 'replica ring' promotion, so that's already a drop in the bucket. Coupling it with Back to the Future theme night is another slam dunk (or home run, to keep our phrases within the baseball diamond), as Marty McFly will always be one of the most beloved characters in cinematic history. 

The Astros themselves have done the 'replica ring' giveaway before, as Jose de Jesus Ortiz dug up:

Two years from now, we'll all either look back on the Grizzlies' promotional decision with amusement (if the Astros don't, indeed, take home the title) or with awe, as they'd have made a rather impressively prescient call. 

Your move, 'Stros!

(H/T Big League Stew) 

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