Cake honoring Bobby Cox has unfortunate misspelling (UPDATE II)

Here is Bobby Cox's cake in its original form. And . . .

(Updated with details and comments from Bobby Cox and Johnny Isakson’s spokesperson.)

Bobby Cox’s final season as Braves manager is not quite going as expected. The team is struggling and even a cake ordered for his honor on Capitol Hill spelled his name incorrectly.

I mean, REALLY incorrectly.

. . . here is the cake after some nifty editing by Isakson staffers.

Cox was being honored for his 50 years in baseball. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) hosted a ceremony, inviting the Braves’ manager, as well as players and officials. But the cake, which was to read, “Thanks for 50 great years Bobby Cox” had an unfortunate and profane misspelling of his last name.

Come on. I know the Braves probably should have won another World Series or two during Cox’s reign. But isn’t this a little harsh for a sendoff?

Sheridan Watson, Isakson’s spokesperson, confirmed Tuesday’s gaffe and gave this accounting of the day’s events: “Bobby and the players came to the Hill and spoke at our staff meeting. Immediately after the staff meeting, he and players posed for pictures and signed baseballs for our staff members. The scheduler and I then went to the Capitol to get ready for the reception. The catering company had delivered the cake and we immediately realized his last name was spelled incorrectly. The only people who saw it were me, the scheduler and unfortunately some media members who had arrived early and took pictures. We immediately started cutting the cake.”

And what happened to those pieces of cake that were cut out?

“We smeared the icing so you couldn’t make out what it said,” she said.

And then they were served.

Cox said he didn’t find out about CakeGate until somebody from the Braves told him Wednesday.

“That’s funny,” Cox said. “What bakery did he get that cake? That’s what I want to know.”

A Washington area reporter in the visiting manager’s office had missed the story and asked Cox how they spelled his name.

“The wrong way,” Cox said, drawing a round of laughter.

Cox said he did eat a piece of the cake: “It was good.”

Nonetheless, Watson said the manager will be getting an apology from Restaurant Associates, the catering company used at the Capitol.

How does something like this happen?

According to Watson, Restaurant Associates ordered the cake from a bakery that they don’t normally use and gave the order over the phone. They never specified how to spell Cox, as if that would seem necessary.

“I’m sure one day I’ll be able to laugh about this.”

Staff writer Carroll Rogers contributed to this story.

♦

Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and on Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC

♦

Earlier posts:

♦ Taser them all, I say (and I’m not throwing my beer)

♦ Georgia’s quarterback issues no worse than most opponents

♦ Tuesday Countdown : Vicodin, hookers, Valdosta banning?