'Congratulations Phillies! Back-to-back Champs'

I guess they don't have layer upon layer of editors and fact-chekcers in the ad department at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Talk about a premature promotion.

A Philadelphia newspaper Monday ran an advertisement by Macy's applauding the Phillies for a phantom World Series victory and promoting a 2009 championship T-shirt.

In the ad world equivalent of the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline, the bungled banner in The Philadelphia Inquirer said "Congratulations Phillies! Back-to-back Champs."

Underneath, a shirt celebrating the Phils as the 2009 World Series winners is on display.

Of course, that piece of clothing is unlikely to ever see the light of day as the Yankees are poised to bury the Phillies after taking a commanding three-to-one series lead Sunday night.

And besides, Philadelphia had no shot to win the Fall Classic until at least Wednesday, even if they had come on top in Sunday's Game 4.

The three-quarter-page ad appeared in the back page of broadsheet's front section.

The Inquirer was quick to apologize, saying in a message to readers it "deeply regrets this error."

Could it be a copy editor is a closet Yankees fan there?

Anyone with knowledge of the ins and outs of a newspaper knows that it’s the job of a copyeditor to go through each layout page, making sure editorial and advertising copy are grammatically and contextually correct.

Whoever was in charge of proofing page A20 was obviously asleep at the keyboard. Or, great conspiracy theorists might say that there was a Yankee fan on the Inquirer staff:

Next to the offending ad is an article that should have the headline “Limbaugh, Axelrod Trade Jabs.” Instead, the second blooper on the same page reads: “Limbaugh, Alexrod Trade Jobs.” As in, Alex Rodriguez, not David Axelrod.

Indeed, that headline is still on their website.