Never Forget Amid Furor Over Marlins Tweet That Rays Embraced a Steve Irwin Joke in 2013

Steve Irwin has been at the forefront of jokes around the Major League Baseball scene for reasons we just don't understand. On Sunday, the Marlins obnoxiously called out the Rays on Twitter by coming at Tampa Bay for sporting the mascot that "killed" the Animal Planet legend.

However, was Miami really that far out of line?

In order to properly contextualize this, we have to take it back to 2013, when one particular Rays fan, later identified as Lloyd Johnson, devised a disturbing poster, citing Tampa Bay's to-do list. No. 1 on that list? Irwin's name with a big line through it (thereby forcing everybody to remember that a stingray ended the beloved explorer's life).

Here's a photo for those having trouble jogging their memory.

That infamous poster has oft been labeled as the "Ghost of Steve Irwin," indicating that Johnson's sign is the reason the franchise hasn't made it past the ALDS since losing the 2008 World Series in five games to the Phillies.

Johnson defended the distasteful sign at the time, saying, "I love Steve Irwin but come on, it's funny. There's a funny old saying, 'Don't take life too serious, you won't make it out alive'." The Rays mascot, Raymond, even hung out with the sign itself! So, who's the enemy here?

Yikes.

Poking fun at the death of anybody, let alone a national icon, is tough stuff. But if the Marlins were forced to apologize, maybe the Rays should retroactively, too?