Brewers to address Hank the Dog death controversy

The Milwaukee Brewers are hoping to put to rest rumors that their unofficial mascot Hank the Dog died and was replaced by a lookalike.

The team has scheduled a press conference for Friday related to "Hank 1," the Brewers announced Thursday.

Hank was adopted by the Brewers in February 2014 after the he wandered into the team's spring training complex. He's served as the team's unofficial mascot since, but recently, some have suggested the original ballpark pup passed away and Milwaukee replaced him with a similar-looking dog.

"We're well aware of the report, and of the apparent dissimilarities in the photos in that specific blog," a Brewers spokesperson told Deadspin. "We're also looking forward to showing everyone that Hank is, indeed, Hank."

Perhaps during their rebuild, the Brewers accidentally traded Hank to Kansas City.