Mascots Galore!

       

Baseball is coming.  Loyal readers, lucky ducks, do NOT have to endure the daily Texas Ranger updates which are peppering my first cup of coffee now.  After all, it's getting CLOSE - we got season tickets to Spring Training in the mail today.  It's not I don't want the update information.  It just takes me a bit longer to get into the baseball frame of mind than it does Mr. Texas Ranger, AKA Drake. A friend decided I didn't have quite ENOUGH baseball information, so she sent me a podcast about mascots together with a photo of herself and the Astro mascot, Orbit.

That's Sherri under Orbit's left arm

The initial purpose of mascots were they were 'lucky'.  Fans began to associate their very appearance at a game with the team winning:  Some recognizable mascots who are considered lucky charms would be Dan, the Yale Bulldog.  Bevo, the Texas Longhorn, and The Sooner Schooner pulled by 'Boomer' and 'Sooner'.  These type mascots tended to involve some type of actual live animal, and they still do - especially on college campuses.

The first over sized, foam headed, synthetic fur mascot was created as an advertising gimmick for a radio station in San Diego.  Thus, the San Diego Padre Chicken was born in 1974.  The radio station hired a college student to don the larger than life chicken costume and entertain the fans at the Padre's games.  Lord knows there's PLENTY of time during a baseball game for extraneous entertainment. The Chicken became wildly popular, and fans began attending games to see Chicken antics even though the Padres stank that year.  An example: The Chicken would creep up next to the umpire between innings, with an big eye chart.  Gradually, The Chicken became his own recognizable persona, and people in furry suits began to pop up at other baseball stadiums.

Today, the most famous baseball mascot is the Philly Phanatic.  He's big and green with a horn like honker.  If he looks muppet like, it's because he was designed by Bonnie Erickson, a Jim Henson protege who just happens to have also created Ms. Piggy.  Muppet people understand the concept of puppet equals fun, and putting a live person inside the puppet just makes the fun all the more inventive.  The Phanatic has his own recognizable personality which is just a little naughty.  He loves to annoy the opposing players and any fans in the stadium rooting against the Phillies.  In one game he even got into a wrestling match with Tommy LaSorda, the Dodger Manager at the time.

 The Ranger's mascot is "Captain".  He's a 'horse' in a Ranger's uniform.  I've always felt sorry for this guy.  Can you imagine how hot his polyester fur suit is in August in Texas?  Captain is Mr. Nice Guy; he's all sweetness.  He wanders around the stands during a game and has his picture made with any pretty girl who will allow it, and every kid who wants one.  He isn't usually on the field harassing the players or umpires.  He even has a specially made baseball cap he sometimes wears.  Another job of the mascot is to appear at team sanctioned functions and charity events.  The Captain shows up at Special Olympics, at schools, and anywhere else the Ranger club is trying to promote goodwill for the team.  This aspect of the mascot job is probably Captain's highest and best use.  Compared to the Philly Phanatic, the Ranger's mascot, Captain, is as boring as dishwater.

Foam head mascots have proliferated in the league.  Every team has its version.  Some are muppet like, some are recognizable animals, and some are just weird - like Mr. Met with his baseball head.


My favorite mascots involve people wearing dashing costumes.  The Texas Tech Masked Red Raider really has the Zorro/Lone Ranger persona down pat.  Dashing, masked, dressed all in black  with a gaucho hat and riding the most gorgeous horse on a football field, this mascot falls into the 'what's not to like?' category.   

The very best mascots who aren't technically mascots but eye candy are the pretty college girls running the between inning promotions for any minor league team worth its name.  These peppy, smiling, usually blond girls do wear skin tight T-shirts with the team logo and 'short shorts' as they run out onto the field with sappy volunteers participating in the between inning challenges to win tickets to a future game or products stamped with the team logo.  Sometimes the girls stand on the home team dug out roof and heave cheap T-shirts into the stands.  As with the players, their arm strength improves during the season.

My Spring training starts SOON, and one of the many things I like about going to these games is THERE ARE NO MASCOTS.  We do, however, have pretty girls who heave cheap T-shirts into the stands once during a game.