What's in a Blog Name?

Sons of Steve Garvey started, like many blogs, as a clearinghouse for a small group of like-minded fans. SoSG Lasorda came up with our name, although we didn't spend too much time worrying about alternatives. After all, no one thought Steve Garvey himself would ever hear of us. (Turns out he's got a great sense of humor, but that's another story for another time.)

But our blog name has proven quite appropriate: Its literal sense reflects our penchant for incessant mockery, while its metaphorical sense unites us under the banner of baseball fans whose love for the game originated in the 1970's.

But what sells more, sarcasm or earnestness? If twoeightnine design has its way, it's mockery all the way. They are producing a line of nine "Steve Garvey is my Padre" T-shirts, both cutting-edge in the ironic humor department and retro-cool in design:

But why the sudden claim to paternity? If I recall correctly, the phrase originated as a denial. IMDb, of all sites, offers an explanation:

In 1989, [Garvey] admitted to fathering a child each by Cheri Moulton and by Rebecka Mendenhall while engaged to both women and also involved with now-wife Candace, inspiring a bumper sticker: "Steve Garvey is not my Padre."

So maybe these T-shirts aren't as sarcastic as the bumper sticker that inspired them. Or is that part of the joke? (Even incessant mockers get confused sometimes.)