Siobhan & I went to see the Mets last night play the Dodgers(she was excited to see Nomar play). They clobbered the boys in blue, and we got to see an inside the park home run.
After seeing the CowbellMan(he’s an official Mets person who’s allowed to roam the stadium with his cowbell and incite the crowd with his infectious rhythm) come by, we started talking about mascots. I was thinking how much I like the mascots. They add a bit of mischief that’s needed. At Yankee Stadium, even though it’s great, I miss the mascot. It makes it so serious there. I guess that’s what growing up with the Orioles will do for you. We have one of the most beloved and best mascots of all time. Siobhan then asked me, what’s his name? I was stumped. I didn’t know. I said, “He’s just… The Bird.” Well, today I researched it. He is known officially as “The Bird.” She reminded me that the Sox do have a mascot. It’s Wally(as in the Green Monster). And I have to admit that’s a pretty good idea for one. (But he is new; Wally was introduced in 1997.)
I did a quick scan of the other mascots to see if any rate.
D-Backs: D. Baxter is a bob cat. I guess that’s a desert creature, right?
Braves: Homer. Homer is a red-faced Indian. Hmm…. seems a little much.
Rockies: Dinger. He looks a dinosaur. I like him. Good name too.
Reds: Gapper. Stupid name. He definitely seems like he’s trying to feed off the Fanatic.
Marlins: Billy the Marlin. Straightforward, likeable. Nice pun. Billy Martin, Marlin.
Astros: Junction Jack. Ummm… seems forced. We get it Astros you want us to have a rootin’ tootin’ good time.
Brewers: Bernie Brewer. Beloved. Plus they have the sausage race and I think it’s worth admission just for that.
Expos: Youppi! Orange colored fluffy giant. Loveable.
Mets: Mr. Met. Classic. Simple. Strange. A winner.
Phillies: The Philly Phanatic. Possibly the best mascot in baseball and all of sports. Esmond swears that meeting the Phanatic randomly(outside of the Park) was one of the best moments of his life(he met the Phanatic as an adult)
Pirates: Pirate Parrot. Lame. Come on Pittsburgh. A little imagination?
Padres: The Swinging Friar. I repeat, the Swinging Friar, who replaced the San Diego Chicken who is without a doubt THE king of mascots. Still I love the ridiculous name. You can never replace a legend, but this is a nice try.
Giants: Lou Seal. Meh.
Cardinals: Fred Bird. Double Meh.
Whitesox: Southpaw. Cute. He’s growing on me.
Indians: Slider. There’s no thought to this. At least the White Sox put some thought to Southpaw(southside).
Detroit: Paws the Tiger. Boor-ing.
Royals: Slugger. Not only to the Royals have a crappy baseball team, they have a crap mascot too. I would maybe create something like the Pine Tar Baby. Hmm.. could be construed as racist. But I was trying to refer to the famous George Brett incident.
Twins: T.C. The Bear. He’s a little too realistic to my liking.
A’s: Stomper. He’s an elephant. That’s awesome.
Seattle: Mariner Moose. Again, props for a unique animal. Plus baseball caps look great on both elephants and moose.
Tampa Bay: Raymond. Who cares? It’s the Devil Rays.
Rangers: Rangers Captain. Umm.. a little too obvious and boring. Texas you’re 0 for 2 on cool mascots.
Blue Jays: Ace & Diamond. Why two mascots?
Okay, so after the big review, I gotta say it should be:
#1 The Chicken
#2 The Philly Phanatic
#3 The Bird
#4 Bernie Brewer/Mr. Met
#5 Wally
I suppose my ranking is also a bit due to history. But the Chicken was always the most outrageous of mascots. And the Phanatic and the Bird both have a great sense of humor. I think some of these others like the Moose and the Elephant might gain some steam but they have some ground to make up.
(Note: Only two teams that I found without a mascot? The Cubs and the Yankees.
Hah wait, I just found out that the Yanks DID have a mascot once. It was short lived. He was a large bird called Dandy and had a moustache like Sparky Lyle.)
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