Waco, TX - Joy, Lady, Bruiser and Judge

(We were going to go in order but since the nice folks from Waco were good enough host us for a long weekend and were the first to list us as a favorite blog, we'll let them cut in line a bit.)

02/28/09 - Baylor Bears - Ferrell Center

OK, I know what you're thinking... Waco, huh? Isn't that... Yeah, that's the place. And you would never know it when you're there. We were greeted by a really nice college town that more than entertained us for the weekend. Our trip coincided with the annual Sing performance, which is essentially all the fraternities and sororities putting on one extravagant performance after another (highly recommended). Saturday was game day (basketball), but not before a little pregame meal. We headed into town to get some local fare and landed at Tony DeMaria's Bar-B-Que. Words of wisdom (most of my wisdom is food wisdom): If you go to a BBQ joint and the back of the building where they slow roast the meat looks like this...

you're at the right place. You order your meat by weight and there are loaves of white bread on the table waiting for you. My left arm is tingling just thinking about it. After lunch we swung by the live bear habitat to see their two live mascots, Joy and Lady. Thanks to some inside info from our hosts, we even got to see Joy out on campus for her daily stroll.

A quick walk across campus to the Ferrell Center and (once again) some help from the hosts got us into the student section for the game against Colorado. At the game, we snuck down courtside (if you act like you belong there and smile at everyone, you'd be amazed where you can get) and managed to get some good shots with Bruiser and the "inflatascot" Judge. Ah, the triple crown of mascot hunting - live, stuffed and inflated - all in one day. The atmosphere for the game was a bit lacking but, to be fair, it was the end of the season and with Sing taking place again that night, the Greek Life was a bit too busy to get to the game. Either way, Baylor pulled away late and rolled to a 75-57 victory. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww, Sic 'em Bears!

Must sees: Tony DeMaria's Bar-b-que, Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat

July 29th Birthday Wishes

Happy 3rd Birthday to Chorizo, the sombrero-wearing 5th member of the World Famous Milwaukee Brewers Sausage Race. On this date in 2006, you made your debut and have already racked up countless more wins than Teddy Roosevelt in Washington (or the Nationals for that matter).

Also, Happy 19th Birthday to Slider. This giant pink "heffalump" is the official mascot of the Cleveland Indians and a member of the Mascot Hall of Fame. His birthday party is at Progressive Field in Cleveland this coming Sunday. The Mascot Hunter will be there - check back next week to hear all about it.

- MH

Eugene, OR - The Oregon Duck

09/17/05 - Oregon Ducks - Autzen Stadium

Our first captured mascot and still the loudest place we've ever been. We flew into Portland, which has as nice and accessible a "big-city" airport as you'll find in the US. The locals were extremely nice and the seafood was amazing. We took a quick drive up to Mt. St. Helens and then down the coast through Seaside and on a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory. Words of wisdom - if you see a cheese factory, take the tour and load up in the giftshop. Gameday tailgating was a sea of lightning yellow and thunder green both outside and inside the Moshofsky Center, where the inside practice field is surrounded by food vendors. A few hours before gametime, the Ducks team marches through here on their way to the stadium. It's a great opportunity to get close to the team and to snag a picture with the Duck, who is much nicer than he's portrayed in those Houston Cougar fight films. What the stadium lacks in capacity, it more than makes up for in acoustics and crowd energy. Neither Fresno State nor my vocal cords made it out of Autzen in one piece that day. Oregon 37, Fresno St. 34.

Must sees: Hayward Field, Sigma Nu house (for the Animal House fans) and Voodoo Donut in Portland.

Our Mission

Welcome to Mascot Hunter. Our mission is to travel to various sports locations throughout the country and find the best local food, best sports atmospheres and meet a few mascots along the way. We've got about a four-year backlog of journeys that has taken us from Eugene to Tuscaloosa to catch up on so check back regularly for new posts on old trips. In the meantime, if you have stories about trips to MLB, NFL, NCAA football or basketball or minor league baseball games, email us at mascothunter@yahoo.com. Tell us about the atmosphere, the tailgating, the local food, the game and if you were lucky enough to meet the mascot, send us a picture. As the best stories (and pictures) come in, we'll add them to the collection and by the end of this, we'll have a database of where to go and what to do when you get there. Until then, happy hunting!

-MH