Quoted from pinball_keefer:It was Kelly Packard's Golden Cue.
Also Deathball 2000 was purely inspired by the Weekly World News article and nothing else.
Correct. The upside down "Can you read this?" is designed to reflect in the playfield glass so that you can read it right side up there. I have a Golden Cue and the effect is cool. I think Sega did it as a dig at WMS Pin2k.