Mascot Hunter

Chicago, IL - The Cub

2011-12-29T04:30:00.000-08:00

05/31/2011 - Chicago Cubs - Wrigley Field

Roughly 1,000 miles into our journey, we arrived at our "true" destination - Chicago, Illinois. You see, we have family in Chicago and when you tell people that you are embarking on a cross-country journey with a one year old, it's easier to explain with a "we're going to see family" than a "we're going to baseball games." You may know our hosts from such posts as Waco, TX and the Baylor Bears and after what seemed like forever on the road, it was great to see familiar faces (NOTE: I originally typed friendly faces but we were in the midwest - every face is a friendly face).

We stayed in Evanston, which is northern suburb of Chicago, and headed into the city on the "L", which is Chicago's elevated train. As the train rumbled above the city, we were offered occasional glimpses of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan and then before we knew it, we arrived at the Addison stop, climbed down the stairs, and were right in the middle of Wrigleyville. For those who have never been to a ballpark set in the middle of a city, it is a sight. On gameday, pedestrians take over with streets blocked off from cars and restaurants pouring out onto the sidewalk turning a Tuesday afternoon into a party. As we were posing in front of the iconic Wrigley Field sign and I realized that although I've been a lot of cool places, I could now say that I've been to Yankee Stadium (the old one), Fenway and Wrigley. As any baseball fan would acknowledge, that's something to brag about.

Walking into the stadium, we were greeted by the smell of cooked meats and decades of beer soaked into concrete. We found our section and hiked up the stairs, all the while hoping that we hadn't paid to sit behind a pillar (the really old stadiums tend to have some obstructed views - it's charming, provided that it's not your view that's obstructed). Fortunately, the seats that we scored off Stubhub (quite cheaply, I might add), gave us clear sight lines of everything except for a little bit of short center field. For those unwilling to risk it and unwilling to pay for the primo seats, I suggest the bleachers. The bleachers at Wrigley are, from everything I've read, an experience. We unfortunately didn't have time for two games while in town and since you can't pass freely from the bleachers to the rest of the stadium, it'll have wait until our next trip to Chicago. Nevertheless, the 7 of us had a blast doing all the things that make a Cubs game unique. We sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at the 7th inning stretch. We listened to the organ play. We watched Carlos Zambrano lose his cool and snap a bat over his knee. And by the end of the night, I'm pretty sure that we had converted my niece into a baseball fan (hot dogs and nachos in a helmet will do that!).

Unfortunately, the Cubs blew a ninth inning lead and fell to the Astros. But it didn't ruin our fun and I got to explain to our hosts that the white "L" flag that was raised above the manual scoreboard after the game was a tradition to help people passing by on the trains to know if the Cubs won or lost that day. Up until 1988, the Cubs played all of their home games during the day so it was common for commuters coming home from work to be passing the stadium after the game was over. As we exited back into Wrigleyville, we were picked up by the sea of people heading back to the L or into the bars. While it looked like the postgame party was just getting started, we had too many kids with us to consider anything other than the red line express home.

I love seeing the different parks and stadiums throughout the country and finding what makes them unique. In some cases, it's a local cuisine or a famous fan that dresses up for every game. Other times, it's the attitude of the locals and their passion for their team. But every once in while, you can just sit down and enjoy what a stadium doesn't have that makes it unique. No electronic scoreboard. No jumbotron. No excessive advertising plastered everywhere. You can just sit there and stare over the real grass field and the ivy covered wall and out into the skyline of Chicago and smile.

Milwaukee, WI - Bernie Brewer

2011-06-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

5/29/2011 - Milwaukee Brewers -Miller Park

Our favorite stop of the trip, by far. Milwaukee is a city with a nice amount of space around it which leads to unclogged roads, cheaper parking and as a result, a lot less hassle when it comes to getting to your parking place. And once there, you look around and see tailgating. At a baseball game. I'm not talking about a few people here or there unwrapping some subs or something. This is full-fledged, get out the Weber, throw the pigskin around the parking lot stuff throughout the entire lot. At that moment it occurred to me that between Brewers, Badgers and Packers games, these people have - within an hour radius - about 100 days of tailgating a year. Before I could even comment, Mrs. Mascot Hunter looked at me and said "I think we're home!"

As we made our way from the Uecker lot over to the entrance, we were nearly run over by the Racing Sausages who were on their way to meet their adoring fans and pose for photo-ops. After snagging a few pics ourselves, we entered

Miller Park and were immediately overwhelmed by the smells of cooked meats. The stadium opened in 2001 and is unique in that it has the only fan-shaped retractable roof in baseball. Due to storms in the area, the roof was closed for our game and it struck me that it was the first time that I ever watched an indoor game. Besides the roof, the most noticeable aspect of the stadium is Bernie's slide, a bright yellow, two-story sliding board that juts out of the left field bleachers and is used anytime that the Brewers hit a home run or clinch a victory.

We had purchased tickets on StubHub and managed to land just beyond the first base bag in the back of the lower section. Miller Park has one of the most wide-ranging seating prices you'll find, with tickets ranging from the $100, right-on-top-of-the-action seats all the way down to the Uecker seats, a $1 tickets that offers you a moderately obstructed view. We walked all through the stadium and made it as high as Bernie's Terrace, which is the 400 level high above left field, and I can tell you that the $35 each we paid for the lower bowl was well worth it. Acrophobics beware - while Bernie's Terrace is cheaper and gets you closer to the moustached man himself, it is WAAAAAAAAY up there.

The most famous part of the game is, of course, the Famous Sausage Race. Taking place in the middle of the 6th inning, it is the daily race between the five Famous Klement's Racing Sausages (video coming soon). Our winner was Hot Dog and while I made it my goal for the day to eat all five of the contestants, my stomach ran out of room after Bratwurst, Polish Sausage and Hot Dog. Although their website states that racers must be employees of the Milwaukee Brewers, it has been my mission for many years now to be in this race. Hopefully one day, the good folks in the land of brats and beer will make an exception for a chubby guy with a dream!

The only miss on our trip was Bernie, who hung out in his dugout for the entire game. It is to be noted that the Brewers offer a Bernie's slide experience, which allows you to enter the stadium early, meet and greet with Bernie and even slide down his slide. Unfortunately, one of our group did not meet the 8 years old and older criteria (plus it's $200 a person), so it'll have to wait for next time. And yes, there will certainly be a next time!!!

Meet the Sausages

2011-06-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Brett Wurst (Bratwurst)

Stosh (Polish Sausage)

Guido (Italian Sausage)

Frankie Furter (Hot Dog)

Cinco (Chorizo)

Detroit, MI - Paws

2011-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

5/27/2011 - Detroit Tigers - Comerica Park

The first stop on our road trip was Detroit, Michigan, home to the Detroit Tigers. Their current home, Comerica Park, opened in 2000 as a replacement for Tiger Stadium and is located in the heart of downtown Detroit. Our path into town took us right down Michigan Avenue and while it wasn't quite lined with the potholes and burning cars that the news makes it out to be, you immediately realize that this once thriving automotive city has indeed fallen on hard times. Parking next to the stadium was easy and an average cost for a ballgame ($20) and the giant Tigers at the main entrance were a very unique touch.

It was Polish Heritage Night in Detroit, which is why our friend Paws here is dressed up a little different from his usual garb. We were treated to pregame dancing on the field by costumed groups and the Polish National Anthem, which kinda sounded like a polka and really made me feel like I should be drinking and singing along. And before I get any Polish hatemail, I mean that as a good thing!

Detroit is known for their Coneys so we ordered up a few only to be greeted by this cheese, chili and onion-covered caloric monstrosity. I assure you that after some digging with a knife and fork that I was able to locate the hot dog inside of this mess and that it was delicious. Even after eating these, the smell of fresh-roasted cinnamon pecans that took over the concourse was too much to resist and we picked up a few bags to get us through the night (and as it turned out, the rest of our roadtrip).

The weather was downright frigid but it didn't stop the fans from packing the place for the Friday night game against the Red Sox. And despite Detroit's reputation as, let's just say not the most kid-friendly town in the US, Comerica Park was amazing for having a little guy. They had a kids area as well as a ferris-wheel and a merry-go-round for a nominal fee to keep everyone happy. As for the game itself, the Tigers fell behind early and were never really able to handle Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. Even with the cold, the rain and the score, the fans stayed until the end, belting out Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" in the middle of the eighth inning. Unfortunately, the team that was "born and raised in south Detroit" came up short 6-3.

We were on a tight schedule so there wasn't any time for sightseeing while in Detroit but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to suggest. Detroit is the birthplace of Motown and the Hitsville U.S.A. building still stands as a museum to one of the greatest musical styles ever produced. Right across the street from Comerica is the Fox Theater, which is an amazing building both inside and out and based on the names of upcoming acts currently gracing the facade, is doing its job to keep commerce flowing into a proud city that seems to be on its way to getting firmly back on its feet.

Next post... Meet the Sausages (or is it Meat the Sausages?)

THE ROAD TRIP - 2011

2011-06-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

We just pulled back into town after one of the more epic baseball road trips imaginable. We (that would be yours truly, Mrs. Mascot Hunter and our 16 month old Junior member) took an 11 day swing to MLB games in Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cincinnati. Keep checking back over the next week or two as I get the individual games posted - as well as some other things from our journey - but for now I can offer a picture of Mr. Redlegs with a squirt gun and a summary of our trip, by the numbers...

11 days

7 states (PA, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, WV)

2,078 miles

14 tubed meat products consumed

8 mascot photos

96 degrees - high temp @ Cincinnati on 6/4

52 degrees (and raining) - low temp @ Detroit on 5/27

$267.03 spent on gasoline

4,870 La Quinta rewards points earned

$885.39 spent on food and entertainment

1 pound lost (apparently a diet of stadium food just sheds the pounds)

Next post... Detroit Tigers

Baltimore, MD - The Oriole Bird

2011-05-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

5/20/2011 - Baltimore Orioles - Camden Yards

Our never-ending trek through the American sports landscape found us back in Baltimore, MD last night, this time at the home of the Baltimore Orioles. I've been an O's fan since birth and while I wish I could provide some sort of glowing recap of the game (or the last dozen years for that matter), the fact is that the O's lost to their beltway rivals, the Washington Nationals. In fact, they did it in record setting style, yielding 17 runs. The only good new to report was that we missed the last field goal as the night extended past the littlest mascot hunter's bedtime (seriously, do the Washington Redskins ever even score 17?).

Fortunately, we're about the experience and not the outcome and as usual, Camden does not disappoint. When baseball's stadium design renaissance began in the early 1990s, Camden Yards was the pioneer. It was the first stadium built in a long time that didn't have the multi-sport cookie-cutter park feel to it. It opened in 1992 to tremendous fanfare and nightly sellouts. Built adjacent to the old B&O Warehouse the dominates the right field skyline and only blocks from Inner Harbor, it is the perfect example of an urban stadium that is easily accessible and fan-friendly.

While it's always fun to go to a new location, whenever I return to somewhere that I have been many times before, I always seem to find something new. During my (probably) 30 trips to Oriole games, I've never had the privilege to sit right behind the dugout until last night. What I learned was that those posh seats with the cupholders... they don't work if you are 6' 1". I had one knee wedged in the seat in front of me and my other foot shoved back under the seat. I felt like one of the $4 pretzels. In fact, before first pitch we had relocated closer to the foul pole into seats that allowed me to enjoy both the game and having feeling below my knees.

The clown-car seats notwithstanding, it was a great night. As big cities go, Baltimore is fairly easy to get in and out of (both in finding places and avoiding horrendous traffic) and the people are very friendly. I was astounded to see how many beer vendors knew the patrons by name (and vice versa) - although that could also have something to do with the Orioles success lately. We got to hang out with the Bird, sing Thank God I'm A Country Boy at the 7th inning stretch and see plenty of offense (even if it was the other team).

I think the Orioles are on their way back. The pitching is young but improving and management is making the right decisions to build for the not-so-distant future. I really hope that I'm right because as great as Camden Yards is, a sold-out Camden Yards was truly a sight to behold.

Harrisburg, PA - Grrrrounder

2011-04-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

4/17/2010 - Harrisburg Senators - Metro Bank Park

What an improvement. I tried to think of more creative ways to start this post but for someone who had been to Senators games as a kid, someone who's first impressions of minor league baseball were shaped by metal, bleacher-style seat stadiums with outfield walls that appeared to be billboards fastened together... Like I said, what an improvement.

Metro Bank Park is located on City Island, which is a tiny island just west of downtown Harrisburg. It's accessible from both sides of the river and boasts not only the beautiful new home to the Double-A affiliate to the Washington Nationals, but also an arcade, batting cages, a mini golf course, sand volleyball and much more. We started this site to show people how to turn a game into a full-day activity and Harrisburg is one of the few places that you can do this without even moving your car. Add the fact that Hersheypark (the sweetest place on Earth) is right down the road and you have the makings of a full weekend.

The game itself was fairly well attended, especially considering it was 37 degrees at first pitch and Nats phenom Stephen Strasburg had just pitched the night before. Truthfully, the one bright spot of the Nationals struggles the last few years is that their farm system is stocked with young talent that you can see up close and personal for a discount until they make it to the big leagues. And Metro Bank Park and my previously mentioned upgrades? Well, you now get a seat instead of a spot on a metal bleacher (and a good seat at that) and they added tabletop seating to the outfield wall, a nice touch that almost feels like the merging of a bar and a ballgame. Also, for those that like a closer view of the action, you can sneak below the stands to check out the bullpen and get incredibly close to the field of play. With the arrival of Independent League teams in the area over the last decade, Harrisburg took the initiative to keep up with the competition and did a great job.

There was, however, one issue with the stadium that I felt needed mentioned. Without getting political, I think it is fair to say that there has been some unhealthy political discourse in our country the last few years. A lot of Americans seem fed up with taking the politicians crap and paying for it. So when I went to the food stand behind home plate looking to buy a hotdog and was greeted by this sign asking me to pay $5 for Senator Shits, I was appalled. I was outraged. And then I was re-directed to the boardwalk fries stand in center field, which was delicious. Seriously, guys, maybe take a step back and notice that you are stringing together a few letters that might not belong in a row.

Regardless of the ill-conceived signage, Metro Bank Park is a great venue for a game with an incredible amount of activities in the area. Whether you spend the day on City Island with your family, take a date to the nearby attractions of Hershey or hit the bars and restaurants along Front Street, a Senators game is great way to spend the day.

Presidents Race Video

2011-04-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Good to be back from a winter hiatus and looking forward to another fun summer of baseball games. We're planning some good trips so stay tuned - in the meantime, here is the video from the President's Race that I promised last summer.

Blacksburg, VA - The Hokie Bird

2010-12-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

11/4/2010 - Virginia Tech Hokies - Lane Stadium

Blacksburg, Virginia is a tiny college town in the southwest corner of the state. To say it is in the middle of nowhere is really to underestimate how far out "nowhere" can be. Located just off the Route 81 corridor, the closest major cities on that road are Harrisburg, PA (323 mi) and Knoxville, TN (236 mi). So, it begs the question - why venture all the way out here in cold, rainy November? Four words - Thursday night in Blacksburg.

It is synonymous with atmosphere and emotion and it is where ESPN's Thursday night telecasts gained their popularity. While the yearly tradition was originally seen as a way to get additional exposure by being the only game on TV Thursday night, it has evolved into a yearly event and we were excited to finally get it into our travel schedule.

Unfortunately, we only had the day to spend in town so we weren't able to scope out any local eateries or activities this time through, but we made it through the sea of tailgating just in time for the Hokie Walk - their version of the popular team parade into the stadium, complete with band, cheerleaders, team and of course, Hokie Bird.

If you've never been to Lane Stadium before and enjoy the adrenaline rush of the team taking the field, make sure that you are in your seats in plenty of time because no one does it quite like the Hokies. The team gathers in the tunnel as the first few notes of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" begins blasting through the PA System. The crowd begins jumping up and down, shaking the stadium and, well, just watch for yourself. The game itself was a nail-biter with the Hokies picking off a late pass to survive 28-21 against the GA Tech Yellow Jackets. In fact, it was so exciting that we barely had time to leave our seats to get food. Fortunately for us, the concession stands sold Turkey legs that were enough to feed both of us without any return trips to the concourse.

The campus is a beautiful, rural setting and I'm sure that there are plenty of good local eateries (Zeppoli's, The Cellar) and activities. Hopefully our next trip to Lane Stadium will be more than a one day affair and we can see all that the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer. However, even staying just the one day, we had a great time. And while I can't speak for weekends or day games, there truly is nothing like Thursday night in Blacksburg.

Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears

2010-10-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

It's apparently "New Mascot Week" in the SEC...

A day after Georgia introduced their latest Uga to the world, Ole Miss has announced that the Black Bear is the champion of their new mascot selection, beating out a Land Shark (not the Lager) and a human-ish thing called Hotty Toddy that was best described as looking like "Duffman" from the Simpsons.

This whole process is seven years in the making and began when Colonel Reb (basically Colonel Sanders from KFC) was deemed offensive due to its reference to the Confederacy. After much consideration and a period of time where it looked like Admiral Ackbar might take over Oxford, the school narrowed the possible replacements to the three choices. Feelings seem mixed among the students, who are still very supportive of Colonel Reb but will likely be happy to once again have a mascot roaming the sidelines. Now, if they can only beat 'Bama this weekend...

Uga VIII to debut

2010-10-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

The most anticipated debut of the season in Athens, GA will take place this Saturday and won't involve a new player or coach. Uga VIII will be introduced in front of the homecoming crowd and take his place as the next in a long line on English Bulldogs to grace the sidelines for the University of Georgia (UGA). Currently weighing in at 55 pounds, UGA VIII is just over a year old and takes over for UGA VII, who passed away last fall. While Georgia's season has not gone according to plan so far, his arrival should spark the team to a strong second half (as long as he doesn't get arrested or try to sell his jersey to an agent).

Bill the Goat (Bill XXXIII)

2010-09-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

So... I came dangerously close to being run over by a goat today.

I was in Baltimore for the start of college football season and the Navy/Maryland game. The game itself was what you'd expect for an opener - high energy and a lot of mistakes, especially by Navy in the red zone. After Maryland stopped them at the goal line to clinch a 17-14 Terps victory, we started back to car when past us ran none other than Bill the Goat, the mascot of the Midshipmen. The problem was that his handlers were chasing behind him. I, of course, took up the chase with them until Bill was penned into a corner of the parking lot, darting in and out of the tall grass at the edge of the fence.

While they tried to get a hold of him, it occurred to me that I was the only one between Bill and the exit and those horns are at an unfortunate height and look pretty darn solid. Fortunately, the team of handlers (there must have been at least 10 of them) were able to corral Bill before he made a break my way and they were nice enough to stop for a quick picture before taking him back to Annapolis.

Lancaster with the Phillie Phanatic

2010-08-15T07:33:00.001-07:00

Lancaster, PA - 08/14/2010 - Clipper Magazine Stadium

Our tour through the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball landed us in Lancaster, PA on a beautiful Saturday night (mid 70s in August!) for a game between the league's two closest geographic rivals, the York Revolution and the Lancaster Barnstormers. As one of the league's top draws, weekend games in Lancaster typically are close to sold out. Add in a rivalry game and a celebration of all things Philadelphia (with an appearance by the Phillie Phanatic), and those without tickets purchased in advance - namely us - found themselves on the lawn. Although the capacity is officially listed at "6,200+", 8,069 fans turned out to watch Lancaster outslug York 11-7.

Lately, getting mascot pictures had become a little easy. In many cases, we found ourselves at sparsely attended games or at places where the mascot had a set time and location to meet with the fans and pose for pictures. Not this time. We've met Cylo (Lancaster's cow)

a few times before and since Junior is fresh off of his Cheesesteak tasting excursion, we set our sights on the legend himself, the Phillie Phanatic. Watching the Phanatic walk through a sea of people is similar to seeing a politician move through a crowded room. His handlers were telling anyone the would listen "no autographs" and "he won't be stopping for pictures." Lucky for us that there is one thing politicians can't resist - kissing babies. Well done, Junior!

Camden, Philly and a book update

2010-08-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long break since my last post but I've been busy. All this book research and proposal writing is hard work. For instance, just the other week, I found myself sampling cheesesteaks in Philadelphia with Mrs. Mascot Hunter, trying to decide who had the best ones. Ah, the hard life I live. At any rate, the scope of the book has changed slightly to now only include the teams within the Atlantic League. These eight teams span from Connecticut to the southern tip of Maryland and will still allow me to approach the book how I want but will allow more detail on the teams and adventures than I could have fit in with the original plan of 30. I'll update the book's website to reflect this as soon as I get a few free minutes (or my cardiologist bans me from cheesesteak tasting for a week).

To date, I have received one rejection from an literary agent stating, in so many words, that the project was not far along enough to warrant her getting involved. At this moment, I have a completed proposal on my desk awaiting one last proofread and then it will be off to a publisher that I have identified as a possible fit based on some of their previous books. In the meantime, any activity or restaurant suggestions within a hour of Bridgeport, CT, Long Island, Somerset, Camden or Newark, NJ, Lancaster or York, PA or Waldorf, MD are always welcome at mascothunter@aol.com. OK, enough ramblings - you really just wanted to see pictures of us with Finley and Blooper of the Camden Riversharks and a six month old taste-testing cheesesteak. For the record, he preferred the roll at Pat's and the flavor of the steak at Gino's.

Phillie Phanatic Being Sued (Again)

2010-07-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone likes the thought of holding a record at some point in their life (some day, mine will involve the most pictures with mascots and cause most of my in-laws to disown me). Today, however, a present day record got extended as the Phillie Phanatic got sued for $50,000 relating to an injury suffered by a fan at a 2008 Reading Phillies minor league game. Unlike Sluggerr's incident with an air-powered hot dog cannon, this one simply involved climbing through the stands and pushing down on a woman's arthritic knees. Make your own judgments on the merits of the lawsuit but this makes at least 6 such cases since 1990.

When asked why the lawsuits are piling up for the Phanatic, a professor of sports law cited that he had been around since the late 70's (me too), has a "bulky, hard-to-control body" (2 for 2), and we live in "a litigious society." All of a sudden, I'm a little concerned that I too may end up in court some day.

Oh, and if you ever need a character witness, Mr. Phanatic, you know where to find me.

Washington, DC - Jack and the Hoya

2010-06-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

01/19/2008 - Georgetown Hoyas - Verizon Center

My intentions were good with this one. Really, they were. My college roommate (you may remember him from such posts as The Leprechaun) loves all things Notre Dame so I figured the perfect Christmas gift would be tickets to the nearest ND sporting event that I could find. That happened to be a basketball game in Washington DC against the 6th ranked Georgetown Hoyas. It's been a few years and my memory has blurred as to the exact details but when ND went down by somewhere around 30 points early in the 2nd half, he sarcastically thanked me again for the thoughtful present and offered to pick up some tickets to see my beloved Oregon Ducks football team get drubbed by USC sometime.

For an off-campus arena, I was very impressed by the student support. As best as I could tell, most of them came to arena on some sort of mass transportation and I don't know about your college experience but the thought of being up by noon on a Saturday much less taking a bus ride and being coherent enough to cheer... Like I said, I was very impressed. Despite the outcome, my roommate was a good enough sport to help me get a picture with the Hoya and Jack, their live animal mascot.

Since it was a professional arena, the food options were typical arena fare - nothing special to report. There are plenty of great eating options in the DC area, from the #1 rated, uber-expensive Komi on 17th Street all the way to Five Guys Burger and Fries (best fast food burgers EVER). So, in other words, there is really no reason to rely upon the arena hotdog to get through a gameday.

A weekend with the Blue Crabs and Nationals

2010-06-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Checked two more parks off the list this past weekend, Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, MD (home of the Atlantic League's Southern MD Blue Crabs) and Nationals Park in Washington, DC (home of the NL Washington Nationals). Other than some lodging issues - when I reserve a non-smoking room, I want a room that people haven't smoked in - it was a fun time. Got to try the Pincher in Waldorf, which is a made to order, deep-fried concoction that can best be summed up as a Shepard's Pie if he were herding hot dogs. Think hot dog and mashed potatoes, deep-fried in a tortilla and then covered in chili and cheese sauce.

Sunday was a fun day in D.C. We managed to meet up with three of the four Rushmores (Abe was fast enough to win the race and elude us). I got a video of the President's Race - I'll try to post it when I have a few free minutes. I'll save the rest of the details of the parks for the book but here are some pictures to keep you entertained...

Arlington, TX - Rangers Captain

2010-05-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

05/13/2010 - Texas Rangers - Ameriquest Field

I truly don't know what would possess two college-educated individuals to fly halfway across the country with a four month old (sorry fellow Delta passengers!) but one thing led to another and we found ourselves in Dallas with a free afternoon. Fortunately for us, Major League Baseball has been trending lately towards a "getaway day." These games occur when both teams are leaving town after the game and don't particularly want to play a night game and then hop the redeye to Toronto or Oakland. They typically lead to poor attendance (most people work or are in school on a Thursday afternoon in May) and although I first wrote them off as another way pro athletes were getting soft, I realized that what they really were was an opportunity to snatch up some good seats cheap. Thanks to our old pal StubHub, we paid $9 a ticket and landed in the second row of club level.

Ameriquest Field - formerly called The Ballpark at Arlington - opened in 1994 and serves as the home of the Texas Rangers (MLB). It is easily recognizable by the grassy batter's-eye and the white steel facade office building beyond it in center field. Between the two lies an expansive children's play area, complete with whiffle ball stadium, speed pitch booth and other random kid-friendly activities. Views of the field are good from most areas that I walked around to, including a neat view from beyond the left center field wall where you can both watch the game and peer into the visitor's bullpen.

The game itself was a pitcher's duel, won by the Rangers in extra innings. The highlight of the game for me occurred as the teams were taking the field. Most teams show a montage of their franchises greatest moments - no hitters thrown, pennants won, etc. While the Rangers did that, they finished the video with probably the greatest fight of all time. You know the one that ended with the batter, Robin Ventura of the White Sox, ending up in a headlock administered by non other than team president and baseball hall-of-famer Nolan Ryan.

The people were very friendly and the large number of students in attendance (they claimed to be on field trips) made for a fairly enthusiastic bunch. We tracked down Rangers Captain around the 6th inning after he had finished leading everyone in singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas." I wanted to ask him why his name wasn't Walker (you know - Walker, Texas Ranger) but his handler mumbled something about being scared of Chuck Norris so I decided to let it go. The food options were mostly standard ballpark fare but I was impressed at the oversized bottles of water for only $3. I guess everything is bigger in Texas.

This game brings me to 12 major league parks (9 current). While I am certain to be adding to that total in the near future, I am focusing my immediate efforts towards writing a travel book about baseball, food and fun in the mid-atlantic states. If you want to follow my progress or contribute any ideas or insight (please do), you can find all you need at baseballtravel.blogspot.com. Whether or not it ever makes it to print is anyone's guess but as usual, I'm going to just enjoy the ride and see where it takes me. In the meantime, I'll be checking in here whenever I end up someplace not destined for the book.

-MH

Hagerstown, MD - Woolie

2010-05-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

04/30/2010 - Hagerstown Suns - Municipal Stadium

Our never-ending tour through the minor leagues continued last night in Hagerstown, MD, home of the Hagerstown Suns. Even though it is only the end of April, it is our 4th minor league game so far this year and our 3rd different stadium. The Suns are the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals and play in one of the oldest minor league ballparks in the country, Municipal Stadium. The stadium was built in 1930 and despite a few recent renovations it is still truly a glimpse into the old days of minor league baseball.

If you've ever watched Bull Durham - and if you haven't please stop reading now and go rent it - walking into Municipal Stadium gives you the immediate feeling that Crash Davis is about to jog out of the home dugout. The seats only extend from first base to third base and only the first 3 rows are actually seats. The rest are grandstand benches and a recently-added, standing room only beer garden in left field. The press box? Well, Mrs. Mascot Hunter described it as a trailer parked on the roof and I can't really come up with a better description.

The field itself had some unique nuances as well, most notably in left field. As you approach the warning track, the ground starts to go uphill until you reach the wall. The wall itself is probably around 30 feet tall, presumably to help protect the homes and businesses on the other side of it, and straight away left field has a manual scoreboard where the scoreboard cowboy hangs giant numbers on pegs on the front of the board. This place is seriously old school.

Not only did Crash Davis not jog out of the dugout but Nook LaLoosh wasn't starting for the Suns tonight either. The second batter of the game hit one so far that it should have had a flight attendant on it (seriously folks, watch the movie). The visiting Augusta Green Jackets jumped all over the home team early and coasted to a 14-6 victory. Even though the crowd couldn't have totaled more than a few hundred people, they were very vocal and even cheered loudly for Mrs. Mascot Hunter when she took the field in the eighth inning to race in the shopping cart derby. Although she lost the race back to the on deck circle, we left with a bag full of complimentary groceries for her troubles.

And of course, there was Woolie. Listed at 7 feet, 9 inches tall and 593 1/2 pounds, Woolie seems to be some sort of caterpillar. I don't know how that ties in with the Suns nickname but I've learned not to question things with that much of a size advantage on me so we just tracked him down and smiled for the camera.

Note: This was Junior's second mascot picture but the first that he was awake for. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the mixture of fear and uncertainty towards his parents.

New York, NY - Mr. Met

2010-04-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

06/19/2009 - NY Mets - Citi Field

I've had the privilege to travel into NYC on many occasions in my lifetime and as travel cities go, I can't imagine anywhere exceeding the experience that the Big Apple has to offer. There are

Broadway shows and some of the best (not to mention diverse) restaurants in the world. You can spend days just being a tourist - wandering around Times Square, taking the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Depending on the time of year, you can witness the ringing in of the new year or the downing of dozens of Coney Island hot dogs. No matter what you enjoy, you can find it in New York City.

This trip to New York was courtesy of my birthday present from Mrs. Mascot Hunter and consisted of a dream weekend for me. We got into the city Thursday night and spent Friday just being tourists. We stayed in Queens and rode the subway into the city. After walking through Central Park and heading to the Top of the Rock for some very picturesque views of the city, our stomachs led us into Times Square and right to John's Pizzeria. This pizza shop is located in an old church and between the views of the stained glass and the smells of the brick ovens, has

unbelievable ambiance (yes, a pizza joint can have ambiance). After trekking through the city for most of the day, we took the subway to Flushing and right to Citi Field, the brand spanking new home of the NY Mets.

First of all, I love taking mass transportation to a sporting event. It seems to build a feeling of camaraderie amongst the fans. Instead of fighting someone for a parking space that you just paid $20 for, you can talk about the starting pitcher or the cleanup hitter with a complete stranger - a unique experience that you won't find too many places. Upon exiting the subway, any baseball fan with a sense of history will be floored by Citi Field's first impression.

The facade of the park was designed to mimic the old Ebbets Field, home to the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913-1960. Once inside, you walk through Jackie Robinson Rotunda. This area is dedicated the man who broke the color barrier in major league baseball 63 years ago today. Quotes and pictures of the baseball legend fill the great hall and in the center is a sculpture of his retired jersey number. As a interesting side note, it was the first time I have ever stood in front of an eight-foot tall statue broadcasting my pant size.

The stadium itself is magnificent and, as you would expect, well attended. Our Pepsi Porch tickets (right field - upper deck) cost upwards of $90 each on the secondary market but due to the unique overhang of the section over the field, ended up being pretty nice seats. We were treated to a home run by the home team and an appearance by the home run apple in center field (a tradition carried over from the team's days at Shea Stadium). Unfortunately, the closest we got to Mr. Met was his appearance on the Jumbotron. Although the mascot picture is our calling card, its hard to be disappointed since Mr. Met's elusiveness just means we'll have to go back again.

Despite the late night, we rolled out of bed early Saturday morning and drove out Long Island to Bethpage Black and the rain-soaked second/third round of the US Open (told you it was a dream weekend). It was my second trip to a PGA event (first major) and despite muddy conditions reminiscent of Woodstock, good times were had by all.

After two days and well over 20 miles of walking, we retired to our hotel room with some Chinese takeout and something to clean off my shoes. We left town Sunday morning completely

exhausted and with the list of things we didn't get to do far exceeding what we did. Which poses the question: what to do next time we're in town? Katz's Deli, a Broadway show and a Yankees game? A Rangers game at MSG followed by ice skating at Rockefeller Center? I think the point is that you can't go wrong in New York as long as you show up with a thirst for adventure... and machine washable shoes.

Me and the Oriole Bird in 1984

2010-03-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

I found an old picture in the archives. Turns out this all started a long time ago...

1984

2007

Jupiter, FL - Hamilton R. Head

2010-02-28T05:32:00.000-08:00

05/17/2009 - Jupiter Hammerheads - Roger Dean Stadium

On our trip to meet Billy the Marlin last summer, we found ourselves with a free evening in central Florida. And while Florida is best known to baseball fans as a Spring Training destination, those stadiums that welcome Major League stars each spring also serve as summer-long homes to the Florida State League (Single-A). While teams are spread throughout the state, Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL is home to two of the teams (Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals) which assures that there will be baseball here almost every night of the summer.

I'm not sure if it was the single-A nature of the product of the field or the fact that there is nightly baseball but to say that this is not a tough ticket is an understatement. We pulled up about 30 minutes before first pitch hoping that it wasn't a sellout. What we found was a crowd that paled in comparison to some of my little league games growing up. After we took our seats (5th row behind the dugout and the only people in our row), I decided to start counting heads. Most attendance figures that teams publish are bogus anyway so I started in the right field corner and by the time I got to home plate, I was right around 100 people. And two of them were crash test dummies!

I'm an atmosphere guy so I will admit that the lack of fans was a bit of a disappointment but it did allow for some unique experiences. For instance, we were able to hear the infielders communicate on plays up the middle and could even hear the pitchers back foot drag on the mound as he completed his delivery. Oh, yeah, and the knowledge that the players would be able to hear each and every one of my snarky comments was kind of fun too. We enjoyed some $1 hot dogs, snagged a few free tee shirts and had no problem meeting up with Hamilton R. Head (get it, Ham R. Head) for a picture.

I wouldn't suggest driving a few hundred miles out of way or anything to check out Roger Dean Stadium but if you're a true baseball fan who wants an unobstructed view of the action or dreams of being able to call off the third baseman on a popup and have him actually hear you, its not a bad place to spend a few hours.

Goodbye February, Hello Baseball

2010-02-28T05:15:00.000-08:00

For all you hearty souls that have survived the winter, keeping your spirits up with college basketball or the Olympics, fear not, you have made it. When the sun rises tomorrow it will be March and with March comes Spring Training Baseball. Pitchers and catchers reported to camp earlier this month and all across Florida and Arizona, baseball players are shaking off the winter rust and preparing for the long season ahead.

I encourage you to grab a schedule and plan a road trip this summer. Pick your favorite team or one in a city that you've never been to, check out the promotional calendar (everyone likes free stuff) and get out there. Because that's what it's all about - hitting the open road, meeting some new people, tasting new foods and just taking it easy for a few hours. By my count, we are at 11 MLB parks so far (8 current, 3 defunct). We'll keep working our way towards all 30 stadiums but in honor of Spring Training, I'll do my best to post a recap today from last year's excursion to Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. It's home to 2 minor league teams during the season and the Spring Training home of the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lawsuit Claims KC Mascot Blinded Fan With Wiener

2010-02-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

Please raise your hand when this officially seems like a bad idea...

Take your costumed mascot.

Arm him with an air powered gun.

Wrap hot dogs in tight foil wrappers.

Load hot dogs into said air powered gun.

Let him stand on the dugout and fire the tubed meat into the crowd.

Sluggerrr, the crown-wearing, lion mascot of the Kansas City Royals (MLB) apparently had some aiming issues last fall at a Royals game and mistakenly hit a fan in the eye with a hot dog during this promotion. According to that fan, the hot dog caused a detached retina and he is suing the team for $25,000 for negligence and battery.

Not that I am condoning such lawsuits, but someone had to see this coming. Well, someone other than the guy who took the wiener to the eye. I've been to many games where they do this promotion at a break in the action. Below is a picture of Captain Jolly Roger doing this at a Pirates game last July and he was getting them into the upper deck! I'm all for free handouts and getting food to people as quickly as possible but this never seemed like it was going to end well. Now if they offer to wash it down with a beer hose after the next half inning, maybe then we'll talk.

Oh, and just so you know, it officially seems like a bad idea at the words "arm him."

Welcome Nutzy the Flying Squirrel

2010-02-14T07:26:00.001-08:00

Last Thursday, the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Eastern League (Minor League Baseball) held a public event to introduce their new mascot. After soliciting suggestions from the public in a "name the mascot" contest, the team decided to name him Nutzy. The team is a AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants and moved to Richmond this past off season from Connecticut, where they were known as the Connecticut Defenders. The local fan that submitted the winning entry won a personal appearance from Nutzy and a 20 person picnic at a 2010 home game. If you are in Richmond and want to meet Nutzy, the team begins their home schedule on Thursday April 15th.

While we are happy for Nutzy, we must admit a little bitterness towards our suggestion not being selected. We recommended "Cooper" and argued that the team could setup the whole kid's area as "Cooper's Town." Assuming it didn't infringe upon any trademarks, it seemed like marketing genius. And we really wanted that 20 person picnic. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Mascot Hunter Version 2.0

2010-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

Through all of our sports travels, the one thing we at Mascot Hunter began to realize was that kids have a pretty sweet deal. They get giveaways all for themselves (I never got a chest-protector shaped backpack when I was 8), they get to run the bases after designated games (go ahead and try it adults, see how it goes) and no one is going to charge them $8.50 for their favorite beverage. So with that in mind, we at Mascot Hunter have expanded to include a third member to take advantage of the kid-friendly aspects of sports travel. He arrived in late January and has already shown an interest in the NFL football playoffs, Australian Open tennis (which thankfully is on at 2 in the morning) and drinks that come in bottles.

"Junior" is 1 foot, 7.5 inches tall and weighs in at just over 8.5 pounds. He currently lists his favorite mascot as the stuffed Virginia Tech Hokie Bird that he lives with and lists his goal for 2010 as meeting the real Hokie Bird.

Philadelphia, PA - The Penn Quaker

2010-01-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

10/20/07 - University of Pennsylvania - Franklin Field

At first glance, this may seem like a strange destination for a Saturday in the fall. After all, there is major college football going on everywhere. Baseball playoffs were still going strong. So what, you may ask, brought us to Philly for an Ivy League football game? Why, art, flying food and one of the creepiest looking guys you'll ever meet, of course.

As the planning began for a destination for our anniversary weekend, the Mrs. suggested Philadelphia, PA. Good cultural experiences and delicious foods were enough to sell me on the trip so she took care of the travel arrangements and I snuck a peek at the local sports schedule. We arrived Friday morning and detoured to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Now I'm not going to fill space here trying to act like I'm some sort of cultured art buff. Frankly, I don't know my Sergio Asti from a hole in the ground. But, c'mon, these are the steps from Rocky! OK, truthfully, I don't mind art. We walked through the museum for about 4 hours, had a somewhat overpriced lunch, and wandered down those famous steps to the see the Rocky statue, which now has a permanent home near their base, and I had a good time. We saw a few Picassos, a bunch of medieval weapons and some nudity. Art lover or not, that's a full day.

After checking into the hotel, we grabbed a local magazine (you know, the ones sitting on the coffee table in your room when you arrive) and looked for a good restaurant. Deciding to try something new, we went for Israeli cuisine and took a cab ride to a little hole in the wall place just off of South Street. Seeing as how neither of us had a clue what we were ordering, we opted for the sampler. What they brought us was a gigantic plate for two filled with cultural favorites from their menu. I wish that I could tell you what I ate because the vast majority of it was really good. After struggling to find room for desert, we walked South Street for a little people watching. Although enjoyable, after a day of Renoir and tabouli, it was time to switch the focus back to something a little more familiar - college football.

Franklin Field was built in 1895 and although its most famous events (such as the 1960 NFL Championship and FDR's presidential nomination acceptance speech) are probably in the rear-view mirror, it still serves as a nice home for an Ivy League football game. Tickets were available at the gates and we got to our seats in time to see the marching band perform "Drink a Highball" during their pregame field show. During the song, the band marched into the formation of giant Martini glass and as those students representing the level of liquid slowly marched towards "empty", the music became sloppier as if the band was becoming drunk themselves. Ah, those clever Ivy Leaguers.

We used halftime as our opportunity to head down to the field and meet up with the Quaker himself. He is downright creepy. I mean, seriously, I wouldn't blame a 5 year old for needing therapy if this guy snuck up on him. Fortunately for us, he was nice enough to come over and pose for a picture with Mrs. Mascot Hunter. You'll also notice that she finally secured a set of thundersticks, something that many stadiums have banned and that she had been wanting for years. At the end of the third quarter, the band again struck up "Drink a Highball", only this time during the phrase "toast to dear old Penn", the student section hurls toast onto the field. It was surreal. One piece made it to the twenty yard line. One piece hit me in the back of the head. If you look carefully at the picture, you'll notice the sky seems full of little specs. That would be flying toast. They even have a toast zamboni (modified street sweeper) to clean up the debris. The game was fun and would be a good option for a family with young kids. After all, the tickets are cheap, seating is plentiful and they get to throw food. Just make sure they keep a safe distance from the Quaker.

We rounded out our stay with a walk around Penn's Landing (not very exciting) and a trip to see the Liberty Bell. After an authentic cheesesteak we decided that we had hit our limit for culture and calories and headed home.

Congratulations Big Al

2010-01-09T05:44:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Big Al. Thanks to your support (and a timely injury to Colt McCoy), your Alabama Crimson Tide are College Football National Champions!!!

We had the privilege to take in a game in Tuscaloosa and meet Big Al back in 2008 and both he and his followers treated us with wonderful southern hospitality. I can't think of a more passionate or loyal fanbase to celebrate this victory and I'm sure they were consuming ribs and champagne well into the night.

But why Crimson Tide you may ask? And why an Elephant? Early Alabama teams wore red socks which led to the school's color. Then, in the early 20th century, a sportswriter began quoting a Rudyard Kipling poem using the phrase "A Thin Red Line." One rainy night, the thin red line turned into a Tide of Red moving down the field and the Crimson Tide was here to stay. As for Al, early 'Bama teams were quite large relative to their opponents, leading one fan to call out that "the elephants are coming." With most of their starters returning in 2010 and another top-tier recruiting class lined up, I think the Elephants will keep coming for a while now.

RIP - Tusk II

2010-01-09T05:37:00.000-08:00

Tusk II, the live mascot of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, died of natural causes this past Monday on the family farm where he lived during the offseason. Like many college teams, Arkansas has a costumed mascot as well as the live version. Tusk II inherited the job from his father in 2005 and led the Razorbacks to a 35-28 record including a 20-17 victory last Saturday in the Liberty Bowl. His brother, Tusk III, will take over as official mascot.

Pistol Pete suspended for tonight's game

2010-01-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

Pistol Pete, the mascot for New Mexico State University, will not be on the sidelines tonight as the Aggies open conference play in basketball. This is a result of the incident from last year's WAC playoffs where he got into an altercation with Utah State's mascot Big Blue. Basically, someone offered Big Blue $100 to try to rip off the fake mustache of Pistol Pete during a timeout. Pistol Pete responded by chasing down, attacking Big Blue and, well, you can watch the video for yourself. Since Utah State won that game, Pistol Pete's season ended and the suspension was held over until their first league game of this season which, as luck would have it, is against Utah State. Fear not Aggie fans, even though Pete will not be patrolling the sidelines, DJ Downs, the student who portrays Pete, will still be in attendance and they plan on passing out fake mustaches to the first 5,000 fans in attendance. No word if Big Blue has been offered a $100 bounty on any of those.

The game is live tonight at 9PM on ESPNU.

Capital One Mascot of the Year Announced

2010-01-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Bearcat from the University of Cincinnati for being named the Capital One Mascot of the Year yesterday. He defeated Bill the Goat from Navy in the finals. Unfortunately, it was not as successful of a day on the gridiron for Bearcat as his team fell 51-24 to the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl.

2009 Year In Review

2009-12-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy year for the Mascot Hunter. Our travels have taken us across many sports, states and time zones. In case you missed anything, here's the recap...

1/12 Phillie Phanatic on his World Series Trophy Tour

2/28-3/1 Baylor Bears in Waco, TX

4/26 Ferrous and FeFe of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in Allentown, PA

5/17 Hamilton of the Jupiter Hammerheads in Jupiter, FL

5/20 Billy the Marlin of the Florida Marlins in Miami, FL

6/19 NY Mets in New York City, NY (Mr. Met eluded us - we'll be back)

7/31 Pirate Parrot and Capt. Jolly Roger of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, PA

8/2 Slider of the Cleveland Indians and his many friends in Cleveland, OH

8/5 Pinch of the Maryland Blue Crabs in York, PA

8/29 SD Chicken and Champ of the S/W-B Yankees in Moosic, PA

10/3 Philadelphia Phillies in Philadelphia, PA

12/12 Army/Navy Game in Philadelphia, PA

Thanks again to all of our hosts and ticket connections for their support and, of course, Mrs. Mascot Hunter for not questioning my sanity nearly as often as she should have. We've got some exciting stuff in the works for 2010. Stay tuned!

2009 Army/Navy Game

2009-12-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009 - Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field

If you haven't figured it out yet, life is 10% what you know and 90% who you know. Fortunately for us, the "who we know" includes a well-placed Army connection. We'll just call him "Pete" to keep his identity secure, but he was kind enough to work some off-the-books contacts and probably call in a favor or two along the way and before we knew it, we were sitting on the 10 yard line for the 110th playing of the Army vs Navy football game.

Although the teams are no longer the elite of college football, winning national titles and producing Heisman Trophy winners as they were from the 1920s through the 1960s, the pageantry of the Army/Navy game remains second to none. The gates opened at 10AM for a 2:30PM kickoff and despite a kickoff temperature that did not exceed 40 degrees, the stands were packed well before the CBS cameras turned on. The first pregame activity is the March-On, where the two student bodies march onto the field (Won, once again, this year by Army as "Pete" was quick to point out). As kickoff approaches, the annual prisoner exchange takes place.

Eleven Midshipmen who have been studying at Army are marched to midfield where they meet up with eleven Cadets who have spent the semester in Annapolis. Under close supervision of a commander, they are exchanged so that they may watch the game with their respective sides. Parachuters and fly-overs fill the sky as the teams take the field and you can't help but pay a little more attention to the words during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.

The game itself would probably be considered boring by most college football fans today. There are no zone-read spread-option attacks. You won't find any 5 receiver sets. In fact, in Navy's 9 wins this season, their QB did not complete more than 5 passes in ANY of those games. These teams will line up in the circa-1950s, triple-option attack and they will run the ball right at you. I'll admit that it's not as exciting to watch but there is something about it perfectly suited to these teams. This offense requires knowing your assignments and being disciplined at all times, both for the offense and the defense. And when run properly, there is nothing more demoralizing to an opponent then when they know what is coming and cannot stop it - just ask Georgia Tech who rode the same offense into the Orange Bowl this year. My favorite part of the game was midway through the first quarter as Navy faced a fourth-and-one from their own 25 yard line. They came to the line of scrimmage and tried to draw Army offsides with a hard count. Seriously, its the Army. Did you expect a lack of discipline? Needless to say, the trick was unsuccessful and Navy was forced to call a timeout and punt. Despite holding a 3-0 lead at the half, Army was unable to break Navy's winning streak in the series. Seventeen unanswered second half points gave Navy a 17-3 victory and an eighth consecutive win in the series. After the game, both teams stood in front of their student bodies to sing the Alma Maters.

In addition to distinguished war heroes and high ranking officials, such as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who presided over the coin toss, the sidelines were also patrolled by Bill the Goat, the costumed mascot of the Naval Academy and a finalist for the 2009 Capital One Mascot of the Year, and by Black Jack, the costumed mascot for Army. Army has had live mules for mascots since 1899 (a little of the the history here) and their costumed supporter shares a name with the live mule that roamed the sidelines from 1985-1989. Bill the Goat is the name of both the live goat as well as the costumed variety for Navy and has a history that can be traced back to 1893. While we would have loved pictures with either of these guys, there were many factors (not the least of which was the large Secret Service presence) that led us to decide that trying to get through the student sections and down onto the field for a picture would have to wait until next time. Until we can get to West Point or Annapolis, a few long range photos will have to suffice.

Once again, thanks a million to "Pete" for helping us with the tickets. Next time you need a good BBQ joint in Waco or want to know where to find a Bacon Cheeseburger where they use a Krispy Kreme Donut as the bun, you just let us know - we'll take care of you. As for everyone else, if you ever get the chance to see this game in person, do yourself a favor and show up early, cheer loudly, and appreciate these young men not just for their athletic talent but for the sacrifices that they make for us every day. Oh, and tell Black Jack we'll see him soon...

New England Patriots Mascot Arrested

2009-12-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

OK, once again it was the guy in the costume and not the mascot himself but nevertheless...

Multiple sources are reporting that Robert Sormanti, who portrays New England football mascot Pat the Patriot, was arrested for allegedly offering to pay an undercover police officer to, well, pat the patriot. (Sorry, that one was too easy). Apparently he was caught in a prostitution sting operation after responding to an ad posted last week on Craigslist. More details available elsewhere if you wish but we can report that someone else will be filling in as Pat for the time being and that he was not in costume at the time of his arrest.

Moosic, PA - Champ

2009-11-26T06:56:00.000-08:00

08/29/09 - Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees - PNC Field

I've always said that one of the great things about minor league baseball is the value. For instance, not only did our trip to Scranton introduce us to a living legend (see San Diego Chicken post), but it allowed us to witness a game between the Yankees and the Red Sox and allowed us to learn the story of how Champ got to live his dream after his predecessor was sent to jail.

For those of you that don't follow baseball, or watch the news, or read papers, or pretty much communicate with the outside world, the Yankees and Red Sox is currently the most heated rivalry in sports. Think the Hatfields and the McCoys, except with bats and umpires. After the Curse of the Bambino and just over 8 decades of domination, the Red Sox finally were able to overcome the Yankees (and a 3-0 series deficit) to win the AL Pennant and win the World Series back in the 2004. Since then, the two teams have combined to win 3 of the 6 world titles, have staged countless memorable postseason series and have even had an on-field fight or two. Even the Yankees bench coach tried to attack a Red Sox pitcher once on the field during a brawl. While tickets to the main events held in the Bronx and Fenway Park are a bit pricy to attend, we were treated to the undercard - the AAA affiliates of each team (one level below the majors) - for $10 a head. Like I said, value.

PNC Field (formerly Lackawanna County Multi-Purpose Stadium) is located just south of Scranton, PA. It was built in 1989 to lure professional baseball back into the area. With a steep upper deck, seating capacity exceeding 11,000 and recently built party decks and restaurants, this stadium is a strange blend of the old and new of stadium design. It is a minor league park where you can order a microbrew and then wander up the poured concrete ramps to the upper deck and watch the game through your knees. We waited until the last minute to get our tickets so we were stuck in the nosebleed seats. To be fair, they really weren't that bad unless you've spent the summer getting choice seats to Pirates and Indians games. Also worth noting was the large amount of tailgating taking place in the parking lot beforehand. This is not too common for baseball and was great to see. The real standout from the stadium was the cinnamon pecans. They are served piping hot and beat a dollar dog night anytime.

As for the mascot, the interesting story is not why it is Champ, a 7 foot tall ball of blue fur with macaroni for ears and a nose that resembles the Staples "Easy Button." The real interesting story is what happened to old guy. Previous to Champ, PNC Field was patrolled by a grouchy green monster known as The Grump. Although the Grump reportedly did a good job, the team could not overlook the fact that he was arrested twice in a week for sexual assault charges on minors. OK, technically it was the guy in the costume and not The Grump himself and it's not like he was wearing the suit at the time or anything but when the late local news leads a story with "Local Mascot Arrested Again on Sex Charges," it doesn't take a genius to know that it may be time for a product refresh. In stepped Champ and he has been a wonderful ambassador (and felony-free) ever since. As we were roaming the stadium's concrete underbelly in search of food and the San Diego Chicken, we bumped into Champ and he was nice enough to pose for a picture. As Mrs. Mascot Hunter quipped: "that was easy." Champ's official bio states that he will be there "until the New York Yankees are ready to call him up." Since the Yankees are one of only four big league teams without a mascot, let's hope that Champ's day comes soon.

RIP - Uga VII

2009-11-22T05:07:00.001-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that we report the unexpected death of Uga VII, the live English bulldog mascot of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Recognizable to sports fans the world over, Uga has graced the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine and had roles in movies such as Clint Eastwood's late 1990's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. He was laid to rest alongside the six previous Uga mascots in a mausoleum inside the team's stadium and the team took the field last night without a live mascot patrolling the sidelines for the first time since 2000. Players wore decals on their helmets honoring Uga and there was a moment of silence before the game. In his two seasons as mascot, he was 16-7. Uga VII was 4 years old.

For those unfamiliar, the Uga tradition is one of the truly unique ones in sports. The Seiler family of Savannah, GA has been loaning their family pets to the University for over 5 decades. As one Uga passes, the family selects another bulldog from the current mascot's extensive brood of heirs. Once selected, he will introduced to the university and welcomed with more fanfare than any incoming freshmen. Although plans are in place to name an interim mascot for Georgia's remaining two games, Uga VIII is not expected to be named until after the football season has completed.

Boston, MA - Wally the Green Monster

2009-10-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

06/07/08 - Boston Red Sox - Fenway Park

There is no greater venue to watch a sporting event than Fenway Park. As soon as you get within a block of the park, you begin to sense the almost fair-like atmosphere. A sea of people clad in red clothes turns what are normally passable streets into congested pedestrian walkways. The smoke from the food vendors - both outside the gates and on Yawkey Way - billows into the sky giving everything the smell of finely seasoned meat-on-a-stick. Once you get through the gauntlet of people and food, you get to enter a place where baseball fans have been watching games since it opened on April 20, 1912. To put it's age in perspective, that's the same day that the Titanic sunk. The underbelly of the stadium is barely large enough to allow the constant sellout crowds to pass through. And the seats are... well, you can see for yourself what a little age and the winters of the Northeast can do.

While at first glance these could be seen as signs that a new ballpark is needed, the common view (and the correct one) is that baseball will have a home here as long as baseball exists. Recent renovations have added luxury seats on the many rooftops as well as on top of the Green Monster, the 37 foot high wall in left field. Even with its age and limited room for expansion, the sense of history that you feel just walking through the tunnel makes it an unforgettable experience. Just think, someone born during the Civil War watched Cy Young and Babe Ruth play here. Then again, in 1912 the average yearly household income was $1,033 and today that will get you 2 Green Monster seats and a beer. Isn't inflation great?

It was my second time to Fenway and no trip for me is complete without a stop beforehand at the Cask'n Flagon and a meal afterwards at the Boston Beer Works. Both are located within a block of the park and while the Cask is great for a little pre-game warmup, the Boston Beer Works and their unique Bluebeery microbrew is the perfect post-game relief pitcher (there are blueberries floating in the beer - a little unsettling at first but delicious). And they have deep-fried pickles!

The Sox (or Sawks as the local say) beat the Mariners 11-3 on this muggy, 95 degree day. It was so hot that when a guy a few rows back tried to hit the beach ball that was floating around, his wedding ring flew off and landed right in the lap of Mrs. Mascot Hunter. You should have seen his face, just staring down at his bare hand trying to figure out how to explain it to his wife. Needless to say he was quite relieved to see what we had caught. As for Wally (he's a Green Monster, like the wall), he isn't as accessible as some of the other mascots so when we saw him walking around the stands in the 7th inning, we went for him. He must have seen us coming because he took off down the section, through the tunnel and into the clogged underbelly of the stadium. We chased him for about 200 yards until he got to the back stairs and began climbing. At this point the little kids pursuing him had fallen off (quitters) and it was just us and Wally climbing onto and across the roof of Fenway. Maybe it was my wife's cries of "Wally, no", a reference to his SportsCenter commercial. Maybe he could hear me gasping for air, a pathetic admission that a few years since college and one too many meats-on-a-stick makes me unable to close ground on a guy in a giant costume on a 90+ degree day. Whatever it was, Wally stopped and posed for our picture just before he disappeared for good into the luxury suites. Best of all, we got back to our seats just in time for the great Fenway Park tradition of singing "Sweet Caroline" in the middle of the eighth inning.

Good times never seemed so good.

Philadelphia, PA - Phillie Phanatic

2009-10-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

10/03/09 - Philadelphia Phillies - Citizens Bank Park

Last January, we met up with the Phillie Phanatic during his World Series Trophy tour and we promised him that we'd pay him a visit this season. After all, he had recently moved into a new home and all that we knew of Phillies games was Veteran's Stadium. C'mon, the Vet? Who would want to go there? That's where they booed Santa Claus. He assured us that his new home had all the amenities of the newer ballparks (for instance, real grass) and that we had to check it out. Well, a promise is a promise and after all, they happened to be celebrating Oktoberfest this day so we joined up with the Mascothunters-in-law (both die-hard Phillies phans) and headed into Philadelphia.

First of all, the Phanatic was right. Citizens Bank Park is everything that the Vet was not. First and foremost, it is a baseball park. Not a cookie-cutter, multi-purpose, artificial turf-wearing concrete eyesore. The entrances have statues of old ball players and allow you glimpses of the field before you even get your ticket out. Seats are angled properly to let you watch the game without craning your neck to the side. And as a plus that even some of the newer ballparks don't have, the concourse is open allowing you to see the action while you wait in line for another bratwurst and a beer (did I mention it was Oktoberfest?). The most unique feature has to be the giant likeness of the Liberty Bell above the outfield bleachers. It rings every time the Phils hit a home run or win the game. With the Phils recent success, good tickets aren't cheap but if you are willing to plunk down around $75 a seat on Stubhub, you can find yourself pretty much even with the dugout in the lower level.

Although my stomach got sidetracked by anything and everything ending in "wurst", the stadium offers some good food as well as some Philadelphia staples like Tony Luke's cheesesteaks. We did the cheesesteak thing a few years back when we were in town to see the Penn Quaker and had already gotten our Phanatic pic so today was all about taking it easy and watching a good ballgame. Fortunately, the two teams obliged. The Marlins jumped out to an early lead and withstood a Ryan Howard homer and a late Phillies comeback to hold on for a 4-3 victory. But the Phillies got the last laugh as they are currently still playing (up 3-1 in the NLCS) while the Marlins have been working on their golf game for the last 3 weeks.

As the baseball season comes to a close, a few interesting tidbits:

1. Of the four teams to advance to the championship series (Phillies, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees), only the Phils have a mascot. There are only four major league baseball teams currently without a mascot (the three mentioned above and the Cubs) and if the Phils repeat this year, this may prove something. The Angels had a Rally Monkey, who was fired after they won the 2002 World Series and they haven't been back. The mascot-less Cubs just completed their 101st consecutive year without raising a banner. The Yankees spend and spend but its been nearly a decade since their last title. Coincidence? We'll see who's celebrating in another week or two.

2. This makes 5 major league parks that we visited in 2009 (Pirates, Indians, Mets, Marlins, Phillies). When we went to see a winning team play in their home park (93-69 Phillies, 87-75 Marlins), they lost. When we went to see a team who finished with a losing record (70-92 Mets, 65-97 Indians, 62-99 Pirates), they won. Probably just a coincidence but definitely a good argument for the Nationals or Orioles to give us season tickets.

2009 Mascot Grand National

2009-10-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that British humor is a bit of an oxymoron to me but I have to laugh at one of their newer traditions. For whatever reason (I'll assume a few pints were involved), they started staging a yearly race among mascots of their soccer teams. It's held at a horse track (around other horse races) and I'm pretty sure wagering is permitted, which makes it even better. The 2009 edition took place last Sunday (October 4th) and while I was in Philadelphia, PA to meet up with the Phanatic and therefore unable to attend, here's some good video. OK, here's some jumpy amateur video but it's a mascot race from Europe, what do you expect. I only have one question... is that an avocado? And a little bonus video from the 2007 edition where a streaker tried to join the race only to be tackled by a swan. I take it all back, British humor is funny after all.

Important Election Today for University of North Dakota

2009-10-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

At stake today in the Standing Rock Sioux tribal election is the future of the nickname of the University of North Dakota. Members of the local Native American tribe are voting on their next tribal chairman. One candidate, Ron His Horse is Thunder, is opposed to the usage while his opponent, Charles Murphy, is for it. For those of you new to the college nickname p.c. debate, all schools with potentially offensive nicknames were informed in 2005 that they needed to either change their name or get approval of the local tribes or else risk NCAA sanctions such as the inability to participate in the postseason. The Fighting Sioux (not to be confused with the Fighting Sue, which is what you encounter if you challenge whether or not my mother-in-law's pies and cakes are homemade), has been the nickname of the university since 1930. The other Sioux tribe in the state, the Spirit Lake Sioux, has already approved the University's continued use of the name.

South Bend, IN - The Leprechaun

2009-09-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

10/04/08 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Notre Dame Stadium

Love them or hate them. There is no in-between with most people when it comes to two sports teams - the New York Yankees and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. As you can probably guess from the rest of this blog, I'm not most people. I can appreciate Notre Dame as an important piece of the college football landscape. You can't discuss the history and tradition of the sport without them. On the other hand, losing every bowl game for a decade shows that you may be a touch overrated. Bottom line is that if you are a true college football fan or just a sports road-tripper, you need to witness at least one game at Notre Dame Stadium in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus (He's painted on the side of the library overlooking the stadium). As an interesting side-note, taking this picture is closer than I got to either a church or the library during my four years at college.

This trip was my second to South Bend, both with my old college roommate. He is a die-hard Notre Dame fan (currently owns 18 signed ND mini-helmets) who was born and raised in Penn State country. We went in 2001 to see them beat Purdue and when the opportunity came to go again, I wasn't about to pass it up. We drove into town Thursday night and spent Friday playing 18 holes at Warren Golf Course on the ND campus. It's a challenging course that's well worth the money but if you're going to try to play on a gameday weekend, make sure to get your tee time in advance because it fills up quickly. After a couple of rounds on the patio to help forget my round on the course, we headed in town to the College Football Hall of Fame. Full of the usual interactive exhibits, plaques of enshrined players, and memorabilia, the Hall of Fame is a nice afternoon activity (skip the movie though - it was pretty bad). If you time your visit right, you might even get to take the tour with Notre Dame's weekly opponent. Most teams walk through Friday afternoon when they're in town and we shared our visit with Stanford. (It was recently announced that the Hall is relocating to Atlanta within the next 3-4 years so if you're planning a trip, make sure it's still there)

Campus on gameday is what you'd expect it should be. Since the stadium is right in the middle of campus, parking is mostly offsite and requires shuttle buses to get you there. Although this is inconvenient at the start and end of your day, it means that once you're there it feels like you're back at school. You can walk the quads where students are playing. You can buy food from the different campus clubs that set up tables around the stadium. I even saw one place that you could get your face painted and get a smoked bratwurst, all in one transaction. A few hours before kickoff, there is a pep rally in the basketball arena - complete with activities for the kids, the cheerleaders and, of course, The Leprechaun. About the same time, you may hear the sound of police sirens and helicopters. Don't be alarmed, that's just the police escort for the ND team bus reminding you that in this town on a Saturday in the fall, everything stops for the football team.

Tickets to see Notre Dame, either home or away, are pricey and almost always bought through ticket agents. If you are fine seeing a mid-level opponent (think Purdue, Stanford, Michigan State), you're looking at a few hundred dollars for a decent seat. If you want to see a top level opponent (USC, PSU, Michigan), expect to sell the rights to a vital organ. A few year's back when ND hosted #1 USC, I recall seats listed for upwards of $3000 each. My advise - hang on to your spleen for when you might need it, grab some upper level tickets to a mid-level opponent and enjoy the experience. Men in kilts march onto the field ahead of the team. There are no jumbotrons. Omnipresent advertising is nowhere to be found. It's just a classic, one-level bowl design stadium in the middle of rural Indiana. Notre Dame won that day and although it made the ride home better (imagine driving 11 hours with someone who's team just lost to a school who's mascot is a tree), sometimes the outcome of the game isn't the point. Love them or hate them? It doesn't really matter. If you call yourself a football fan or even a traveller who likes sports, South Bend belongs high on your list of destinations.

Goodbye until Spring, Independent Baseball

2009-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

This coming weekend marks the final regular season weekend for the Atlantic League, an 8 team independent professional baseball league located in CT, NY, NJ, PA and MD. Even though these teams are not affiliated with major league organizations, their rosters are filled with ex-major league players and AA and AAA talent trying to work their way back to the show. We spent last night bidding adieu to the home schedule of the York Revolution, located in York, PA. They had giveaways galore and yours truly was chosen to be Velcroman. Basically, they strapped me to the right field wall for three innings and told me if I catch a ball, I win $5,000. I didn't win any money but did have the best seat in the house for about an hour.

Prior to this league, we had no previous exposure to independent baseball but it is definitely worth the price of admission (which is typically under $10). They have frequent giveaways, constant between-inning entertainment and the fact that the hitting talent is a bit more advanced than the pitching usually yields some high scoring games. We've seen all of the teams in the Atlantic League and have captured half of the mascots so far. Maybe once spring comes, we'll track down the rest. Just 218 days till Opening Day 2010!

Finley of the Camden Riversharks

Downtown of the York Revolution

(yes, we were at a bar - everyone should have a giant, neon green drinking buddy)

Pinch of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

Cylo of the Lancaster Barnstormers

Spanish Soccer Live Bear Tryout

2009-09-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

OK, so this guy may not end up being the day-to-day mascot for Spanish soccer's Real Valladolid but you have to admit, he aced the tryout. He's got spirit (he plays the horn), he's got athletic ability (look at those somersaults) and he definitely has referee interaction down to a science - pay special attention to seconds 15 through 17. Wouldn't it be great if you got a treat every time you flipped someone off.

Virginia Cavaliers Mascot Mishap

2009-09-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough start so far for the University of Virginia football team. Two weeks into the season the team is 0-2, including a loss to William and Mary and one to Texas Christian University. But possibly worse was the riding of the mascot, Cavman, on his horse, Sabre. Apparently, the horse became spooked when it realized that it was about to gain a first down, something not very common so far in Charlottesville.

Welcome Back NFL Football

2009-09-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

The National Football League Season begins tonight with the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Tennessee Titans. A special thanks to the friends and family division of Mascothunter for this picture of the Steelers' mascot Steely McBeem. No word yet on whether or not they are paying ex-head coach Bill Cowher royalties for the use of his jaw.

Tuscaloosa, AL - Big Al

2009-09-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

11/15/08 - Alabama Crimson Tide - Bryant-Denny Stadium

After many years of watching college football and hearing everyone talk about how the SEC football experience was a level above the rest of the country, we decided that the big college football trip for '08 was going right into the heart of SEC country. A little research of the schedules and local eateries brought us to a pretty easy decision - Mississippi St vs. Alabama in mid-November to go see Big Al.

We flew through Atlanta and into Birmingham on Thursday ahead of the Saturday game and were immediately met with a state obsessed with college football. Every other car seemed to have either a 'Bama sticker or an Auburn sticker on it and with Auburn hosting Georgia that weekend, the state was in full tailgating mode. We drove into Birmingham on Friday and toured around the city. As lunchtime descended, we headed to the corner of the UAB campus and a little BBQ joint with a big reputation, Dreamland Bar-b-que. It's one of those places where the menu is on the wall and they only serve about 6 things but they are all wonderful. We split a slab of ribs, a side of mac and cheese and banana pudding for desert. Words can't describe how good this food was. I sat in the rental car in the parking lot afterwards, breathing heavily and wiping my forehead from the meat-sweats. If you find yourself within a tank of gas from this place, go there.

We headed into Tuscaloosa late Saturday morning and wandered the campus a bit. Unlike many schools where tailgating takes place in the parking lot, the bulk of the pregame festivities is front and center right on the quad and about a block from the 92,000 plus seat stadium.

And tailgating at Bama isn't just beer and throwing around a football, this is satellite dishes and flat screens. Seemingly the whole quad was watching the Auburn/Georgia game (and rooting against Auburn). The southern hospitality was as-advertised and we seemed to amuse some of the locals as we munched on some boiled peanuts and explained to them about our sports-related travels. All this lead up to The Million Dollar Band (and of course Big Al himself) leading the crowd from the quad to the stadium in a tradition known as the Elephant walk. It's basically tens of thousands of fans following behind the band and walking together into the stadium about an hour before kickoff. If that doesn't get you ready for the game, nothing will. #1 Alabama rolled to an easy victory over Miss. St. between the hedges and ultimately into the Sugar Bowl. The fans were amazingly friendly (and quite dedicated), the atmosphere was as it should be for an SEC football game under the lights and the food was great - what else could you want. We learned a few things:

1. Airline tickets to Birmingham through Atlanta are $50 a ticket cheaper than the same flight stopping in Atlanta. In other words, they paid us $50 each to keep going once we got to Atlanta.

2. "Roll Tide" is a saying with many uses in this great state. It can be a greeting, as heard on the quad or the post-game call-in show, where people begin conversations "Roll Tide." It can be used as an addition to a refrain, as the student body adds "Roll Tide Roll" in between "Sweet Home Alabama" and "where the skies are so blue". And it can be used as a reason to wear rolls of toilet paper on your head and Tide boxes on your chest for the day.

3. We can't wait for our next trip to SEC country.

ROLL TIDE!

Miami, FL - Billy the Marlin

2009-09-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

05/20/09 - Florida Marlins - Landshark Stadium

Is there any better way to spend a vacation than dodging unpredictable May Florida thunderstorms and hanging out with Billy the Marlin? We couldn't think of one so we headed down the Florida coast and into Miami for the day. The scheduled night game turned into a doubleheader after a rainout earlier that week but we decided to avoid the early game and head into Miami for the day. First stop: South Beach. Although South Beach does include the stretch of sand that it is famous for, I was interested to find out that it also stretched inland for about a dozen blocks for what has turned into a pedestrian-only area of shops and restaurants. We had lunch at a little Cuban restaurant (where else, it's Miami) and wandered the shops and the road next to the beach until it was time to go see Billy.

Landshark Stadium (formerly Dolphins Stadium, formerly Pro Player Stadium, formerly Joe Robbie Stadium...) is a football stadium. Period. The scoreboard is football-size huge, all of the seats face forward (as opposed to angling towards home plate) and I'm pretty sure the upper deck isn't even open for baseball. As you can see from the background of the picture, it was "come dressed like an orange seat" night at the game, which seems to be a popular promotion at Marlins games. To be fair, although it was probably the smallest crowd I've seen at a big league game, the fans that showed up were really in to it. The team has been involved in a long running dialogue with the city to get a baseball-only facility closer to the city (Landshark is a solid 30 minute drive from downtown) and it looks like that will be happening in the next few years. Hopefully that will increase the fan base because this team has won 2 World Series in the last 15 years and its a shame to see a big league team having to play in front of 70,000 empty seats.

Billy spent the game hanging out in the luxury box area in left field so we snuck up the ramp and into his section to get our picture. You can't tell in the pic but his snout is pretty long and pointy and I was a little afraid to make any sudden noises for fear that I'd get a skewered eyeball. Fortunately, we made it out of there with a good picture and without getting shishka-Billyed and headed back to our seats.

The only advantage to poorly-attended teams is you can usually score some good seats cheap. We landed front row by the visitors bullpen for the whopping sum of $17 and the bullpen catcher was nice enough to give Mrs. Mascot Hunter a ball. Here's hoping that Billy gets a nice new home and that baseball survives in South Florida. Miami is a great city and its great to be able to catch a ball game when you're in town.

The Famous San Diego Chicken

2009-08-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has followed mascot-related humor over the last 2 or 3 decades, this bird needs no introduction. It is the legendary San Diego Chicken. Ted Giannoulas has been performing as the Chicken since 1974 and is still going strong. He's performed at Elvis Concerts, for various US Presidents and at more baseball games than anyone can count. And last night, he was at the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees game. (Let me go on the record again to say that Mrs. Mascot Hunter is a very patient and wonderful person. You would expect to hear "six hours in the car in one day to go see a guy in a chicken suit?" But with her, I didn't really even need to ask twice.)

I won't drone on here about the history of the Chicken but if you've never seen his antics, take a few minutes to check out some of his highlights. While most mascots hang out on the dugout or wander through the stands, he is interactive with the players, the home mascot and (of course) the umpires. His between inning bits included a dance-off with the home mascot, the theft of a vendors bag of cracker jacks which he then distributed to the fans and the "hatching" of a practice baseball in which he stole the infield warmup ball, ate it, shook around and, let's just say, hatched it. He even served as the first base coach for a half inning and voiced his displeasure for the umpire's strike zone.

After his performance, which lasted from the second through sixth innings, the Chicken sat in the concourse behind home plate and made it a point to meet with everyone who wanted to meet him and sign anything and everything (for free). In a sports world where access to the performers is often limited, it's great to see that a legend of the game is willing to take the time to acknowledge the fans. I told him that it was an honor to meet him. He shook my hand and then tried to eat my head. It's a thing we have.

Life Magazine Names Creepiest NCAA Mascots

2009-08-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

Since colleges are starting to get back in session, Life Magazine decided to contribute a slideshow of what it deemed the "creepiest NCAA mascots." I can't argue with most of these and I will admit a recurring nightmare that I've been having about the Providence Friar (he's the thing in the white robe in the first slideshow picture). Two of our buddies made the list - the Penn Quaker (above) and Deac (see visiting team mascot post). At first I felt bad for our friends but after giving it some thought I realized that if your chin is the size of a normal person's head (sorry, Quaker) or if you have a bow tie sewn to your chin and look like you should be wearing a monocle (got you on that one, Deac), it does add to your creepy factor a bit.

Sam the Minuteman Helping Out

2009-08-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to an ESPN commercial break near you:
I really thought that everyone except for bored journalists and Viking fans had tired of the Brett Favre re-un-retirement watch but apparently Sam the Minuteman (University of Massachusetts) stopped by their studios to lend a helping hand getting the news out. On a completely unrelated topic, did you know if you spellcheck "Favre", "farce" is the second suggested spelling? Hmmm....

Allentown, PA - Ferrous and FeFe

2009-08-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

04/26/09 - Lehigh Valley Ironpigs - Coca-Cola Park

As the country was coming to grips with the scope of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak, we decided to head to Allentown, PA to meet up with our favorite pigs, Ferrous and FeFe. They are the dual mascots for the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs, the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. And honestly, I couldn't help but anticipate the conversation with the doctor. "...that's a nasty cough you have there. Have you had any close contact with pigs lately?" "Well, now that you mention it..."

This is a new stadium (team started play in 2008) and it has all the bells and whistles of a nice, high-minor league park - somewhere for the kids to play, somewhere for the parents to drink and a nice selection of food in-between. My favorite was the nachos covered with what must have been a half pound of pulled pork. We ordered tickets from the team about 2 weeks prior to the game and even though we were in the last section in right field, had a pretty nice view.

Despite the team only being in its second year of existence, Ferrous is already on his second name. His original name, PorkChop, lasted only two days until a small public uprising brought it to management's attention that this was a derogatory name towards an ethnic group in the area. They quickly changed it to Ferrous, which is a nod to the iron industry in the area. For all you science nerds, a little bonus stuff here: His female cohort, FeFe, is named after the atomic symbol for Iron (Fe) and Ferrous's jersey number? 26 of course - the atomic number for Iron. All this is quite clever but it still leaves me with a slight feeling that political correctness won again. PorkChop was actually suggested in a naming contest by a 5 year old and I kinda doubt he had any malicious intent.

Regardless of the name, we had a good time in Allentown. The game was a sellout and the community has obviously embraced their new team as people wandered the concourse sporting pig snout and shirts with curly tails embroidered on the back. And best of all, I never had to explain the trip to my doctor...

West Virginia Mountaineer Mascot Named

2009-08-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Rebecca Durst, who was recently named the West Virginia Mountaineer for the upcoming season. Unlike most schools, who choose to have costumed characters or live animals, WVU is one of the few colleges who have a person dressed in a specific attire serving as mascot. She will be only the second female to hold this position.

Berlino takes out World Champion

2009-08-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

Berlino the Bear, the mascot of the just-concluding 2009 Track and Field Championships in Berlin, Germany, was a hit amongst all of the athletes. No one more than Melanie Walker of Jamaica, who had just won the 400M hurdles when she accepted this ill-advised piggy-back ride on Berlino during her victory lap. A few points of emphasis here:
1. When it comes to mascots, their field of vision may not be proportional to the size of their eyes. In other words, just because Berlino's eyes are as big as your head, don't trust that he has any clue where he is going.
2. You just won the 400 meter hurdles. Let me stress again - HURDLES. These represent additional obstacles in the way of your semi-blind friend.
3. No world champions or mascots were harmed in the making of this mishap (we think).

Welcome Mortimer J. Moose

2009-08-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

A warm welcome to the world of mascots from us to Mortimer J. Moose, the newly introduced mascot of the Moose Jaw Warriors, which is a Canadian major junior ice hockey team. For those of you who have never heard of it, Moose Jaw is a town of 34,156 and is located in Saskatchewan, Canada, just north of the North Dakota/Montana border (we are here to educate). It's most famous draw - other than Mortimer, of course - is the underground tunnel system, which is a holdover from the days when Al Capone and his bootleggers came north from Chicago and needed a secret way of conducting business. Daily tours are available so next time you drop in to see Mortimer, be sure to check it out.

Visiting Team Mascots

2009-08-19T18:36:00.001-07:00

Tonight's picture montage is in honor of all the visiting team mascots that we've managed to get our pictures with the last few years. This isn't the easiest task for a variety of reasons but if your favorite team isn't a local team, it's a chance to track them down without travelling clear across the country. A few rules:

1. This usually only applies for college sports and often only those college programs with the budgets to send their cheer squad to away games. Don't show up at an Arizona Diamondbacks game expecting to see the Philly Phanatic just because his team is in town - not gonna happen.

2. Stadium choice is important. Those stadiums with high walls around the field are great for keeping the view obstruction down for rows A-F but are terrible for trying to get a pic with the opposing mascot.

3. Keep in mind that people are trying to watch the game so try to use stoppages in play to your advantage. As soon as the usher asks you to leave, you're pretty much done so try to not give them a reason to do so.

4. Learn their names. Not the school nickname but the actual mascot's name. You'd be surprised how much farther "Yo, Deac" gets you than "hey, Wake Forest guy."

Sparty (Michigan State) taken at Penn State

Deac (Wake Forest) taken at University of Maryland

Harry (University of Washington) taken at Syracuse

Final 2 Mascot All-Americans Set

2009-08-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

As a follow-up to last week's posting, Capital One has named Boomer (University of Oklahoma) and Hairy Dawg (University of Georgia) to join the 10 previously announced mascots on the 2009 All-American Mascot Team. No word yet on what the challenges will include to determine the winner but you can bet Boomer likes his chances if any of them end in a tie. Butch T. Cougar is the only previous winner in the field but the sentimental favorite has to be Big Red from Western Kentucky. He basically resembles a red trash can with a disjoint upper head (official medical term) and is listed at 6'1'' tall and 7' wide and his main talent is eating everything in sight. This will be his sixth appearance in the past eight seasons and I feel that his time has come. Go get 'em, Big Red!

-MH

Syracuse, NY - Otto the Orange

2009-08-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

08/31/07 - Syracuse Orange - Carrier Dome

I love college football. If every day could be a Saturday in the fall, I'd be OK with that. The tailgating, the bands, the student sections - the fact that 6-8 times every fall, little college towns like Tuscaloosa, State College, South Bend and Blacksburg turn into small cities with fans and alumni coming in from miles around. As the 2007 season was preparing to kickoff, we did what we always do. We grabbed the schedule and sought out a part of the country that we wanted to see and found a game that interested us. In this case, I couldn't even wait until that first Saturday instead choosing a Friday night contest in Syracuse, NY between the Syracuse Orange and the Washington Huskies. And since sports travel isn't just about the game, we took a little detour to Buffalo and Niagra Falls.

For those of you who don't know, Buffalo Wings originated in Buffalo, NY and we went right to the original source - Frank and Teresa's Anchor Bar. They've been serving these up since 1935 and they don't waste their time with a zillion different flavors or a spicy so hot that it makes your nose bleed (don't laugh, I've seen it). The wings here are a basic mild or hot and come out with a crispy skin rarely found in the large-volume wing joints throughout the country. These were good. Real good. I've always said you should try every food where it was meant to be served before you decide if it is for you. Have a cheesesteak in Philadelphia, clam chowder in Connecticut and these wings here. If you don't like these, don't bother ordering them anywhere else.

Afterwards, we headed up the road and across the border into Canada to Niagra Falls. For those of you who have never been there, its something you should definitely see once. Granted, it's a bit touristy but it is an impressive sight. Take a ride on the Maid of the Mist, which will take you right under the falls. And look out your hotel room window at 3AM, just to make sure that the falls are still on even when there is no one watching. (I would be remiss if I failed to mention that Mrs. Mascot Hunter beat me at mini-golf north of the border. Even she will admit that this is not an every day occurrence and I think it has something to do with the exchange rate or the metric system. The scorecard said 15 meters, which I assumed to be somewhere around 40 feet but the dollar was weak against the yen that week and before I knew it I had a pocket full of square coins for change and a scorecard that said I lost by 3 strokes, which I figure to be at least 5 strokes back in the states.)

An afternoon drive across New York state got us into Syracuse mid-afternoon for the 8PM kickoff. They had a great party going on the quad with some quality tailgating fare and a performance by none other than Mini Kiss, a Kiss tribute band made up entirely of little people. It was here that we caught up with Otto, Syracuse's mascot who is (you guessed it) an orange. Syracuse University used to be named the Orangemen until 2004 when someone came along and saved us from our political incorrectness and changed it to the Orange, which we were led to believe was not a color or a fruit but a state of mind. Fortunately, they didn't feel the need to change Otto, who has been hanging around campus since 1980 and is truly one of the more entertaining mascots in the business.

We then headed into the on-campus stadium known as the Carrier Dome. A few things struck me as soon as I walked inside. First of all, I had never walked through an air lock to watch a sporting event before. It was kind of like watching a game from inside a big balloon. Secondly, it was uncomfortably hot and stuffy in there. Last time I checked, Carrier made air conditioners and it seems like they could have spared a few more for inside here. Maybe it's a home field advantage thing - let's show the team from the pacific northwest what humidity is. Well, it didn't work this time as Washington beat the over matched Orange 42-12. We had a great time on the whole trip but the best moment of the game was walking back through the air lock and feeling our heads decompress. Syracuse has a great football tradition that has fallen on hard times the last few years. Like it or not, college football is better with a competitive presence in the northeast and Syracuse is as likely as any to grab the vacant New York City market. My suggestion is some good recruiting classes and an outdoor stadium to take advantage of those late fall conditions.

Capital One's 2009 All-America Mascot Team Taking Shape

2009-08-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ten of the twelve members of the 2009 Capital One All-America Mascot Team have been named for the upcoming season. Butch T. Cougar (Wash. St.), Jack Rabbit (South Dakota St.), Bucky Badger (Wisconsin), Big Red (Western Kentucky), Bearcat (Cincinnati), Testudo (Maryland), Bill the Goat (Navy), Superfrog (TCU), Mike the Tiger (LSU) and Sebastian the Ibis (Miami) are on the team with the final two members likely coming in the next few days. We're good buddies with Testudo and he has our full support but we'll hold off until the entire team is announced to officially endorse anyone. The Mascot of the Year is typically announced during the Capital One Bowl, which pits teams from the Big 10 and SEC and will be played on January 1, 2010.

NBA Mascot of the Year

2009-08-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Rumble the Bison, the mascot of the Oklahoma City Thunder, for today being named the NBA Mascot of the Year by his peers. The vote took place at the league's mascot convention this week in Las Vegas. I'm a little torn on this one. On one hand, this guy kinda looks like what would happen if one of those Geico cavemen would stop shaving. On the other hand, he hangs out with the cheerleaders and gets to go to Vegas on "business" every year. We'll call it a wash. Either way, congratulations Rumble - just don't cash the prize check on your way to the craps table.

Cleveland, OH - Slider

2009-08-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

08/02/09 - Cleveland Indians - Progressive Field

I'll admit - expectations were fairly low. I had never been to Cleveland before but it's sports reputation preceded it. No team championships in any sport in who knows how long (1964 NFL Championship - I had to look it up). The Mistake By The Lake. Frankly, the only sports memories I have of Cleveland consist of John Elway scoring on them or Michael Jordan shooting over them. And, no, Ricky Vaughn and Pedro Cerrano highlights do not count. In fact, at Saturday night's game, they were giving away bobbleheads of their star player - that they had traded away a few days earlier. So we rolled into Cleveland fresh off of a Pirates game the night before and with 24 hours until Slider's birthday party on Sunday, in need of an activity.

As we drove into the city, the first thing that struck me was the lack of traffic. It was noon on Saturday and there might have been 10 cars on the road. We made it to our hotel and headed off to the first (and often only) thing that people suggest when going to Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If you need directions, just drive until you see the 50 foot tall steel free stamp and then turn towards the lake - you can't miss it. This is definitely THE activity in Cleveland and we had no problem burning a solid 4-5 hours there.

For dinner, we headed downtown and ended up at a place called Phat Fish Blues, which featured some delicious seafood and live music. And walking around afterwards, we got the impression that we could have chosen any one of a dozen restaurants that would have had the same combination of good food and live music.

I'll save the mascot/birthday party details for the Slider's birthday party post but after the pregame party we headed into Progressive Field, formerly known as Jacobs Field. Whatever they want to call the stadium, when it comes to baseball, your dollar seems to go farther in the midwest. We grabbed some box seats off of Stubhub! two weeks before the game and we found ourselves behind home plate, nine rows from the field for under $40 a ticket! Similar to the Pirates game, the Indians ran between-inning promotions to keep the crowd entertained (I was this close to catching a tee shirt), the food was above-average (a burger that didn't double as a hockey puck) and the Indians managed to stick it to the first place Tigers 10-1 - even without their recently-departed, bobbleheaded star.

My expectations were easily exceeded. Prior to arriving, I read one site that listed Cleveland as the most boring city in America. Not even close (sorry, Birmingham). If you like sports, this is a two-day city. Hit the R&R Hall of Fame one day, a game the other and throw in some good food and live music and you have yourself a weekend.

Been to Cleveland and have a restaurant to suggest? Post it in the comments section and we'll give it a go when we come back to see the Browns or the Cavs (that should make Moondog happy).

Pierogies vs Presidents

2009-08-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

MLB Teams have a variety of between inning races that take place to entertain the crowd. The most famous is definitely the Milwaukee Brewers Sausage race, which occasionally ends with a player attacking a sausage or a sausage attacking a player. Vying for the second most famous race in the majors are probably the Pierogie Race in Pittsburgh and the President's Race in Washington D.C. Tonight in Pittsburgh, the two worlds collided. Literally. With Pittsburgh and Washington playing each other this evening, the racing Presidents (also known as the Rushmores since they are the likenesses of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore) came to PNC Park to face off in a relay race against the Pierogies (who are Jalapeno, Cheese, Sauerkraut and Onion). The race began right in front of us and continued around the warning track into right center field. With a winless Teddy Roosevelt close to the lead, we thought we might be seeing history. Unfortuntely for Teddy, he never saw Oliver Onion coming.

Pittsburgh, PA - Pirate Parrot and Capt. Jolly Roger

2009-08-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

07/31/09 - Pittsburgh Pirates - PNC Park

It was a very nice walk from Primanti Brothers, through the city and across the Clemente Bridge to the stadium. Formerly the 6th St. Bridge, the bridge was renamed in honor of Roberto Clemente and is closed to automobile traffic a few hours before the game as well as during and after. I'm sure that there is parking on the stadium side of the river but it is such a nice experience to walk across the bridge with all the fans - much better than the usual experience of sitting in the stadium lot trying to merge eight rows of cars into one lane of traffic.

Seating at PNC is as cheap and as available as anywhere in the majors. We got our tickets from the Pirates about 3 weeks before the game and were in the left field corner about 10 rows from the field. I usually recommend the 3rd base side when buying tickets to avoid the setting sun in your eyes but at PNC Park, this is true because of the view. Even the Pirates took the 3rd base side dugout so they could enjoy the scenery (maybe not the real reason, but I wouldn't blame them).

Our trip coincided with the first home game after the trade deadline, which for the last decade or two in Pittsburgh has meant the annual selling of established talent for prospects. As the Pirates march towards their 17th consecutive losing season (what were you doing in 1992?), this year was no different as they had just traded their starting pitcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop and (I'm sure) a few others. Fortunately for us, they did not trade either of their mascots and we were able to get some pics with the Pirate Parrot (who made his debut when the Pirates last won the World Series in 1979) and Captain Jolly Roger. The game experience is full of between-inning entertainment that is usually found in minor league parks (more MLB clubs should do this), a 5th inning Pierogie Race (see next post), and if the Pirates win, they raise the standard-issue, black, skull and crossbones flag in centerfield - a tradition known as "raising the Jolly Roger."

The park is beautiful, accessible and affordable and despite management's unwillingness to spend the money to chase a pennant every few decades, the fan support was not lacking. The announced attendance was somewhere around 23,000 (on a night that they played the worst team in the majors) and they stayed until the end. Despite some shaky bullpen work, the Pirates held on for the 5-4 win and raised the Jolly Roger!

Mascot Beats Up Fan - Manly Sea Eagle

2009-08-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

A warning to everyone - if you go to a Australian Rugby match and get a little drunk and jump the fence, you may run into something worse than security. You may run into this guy. My favorite part is the post-fight interview with the head still on. Kinda reminds me of those Ricky Williams interviews where he wouldn't take off his helmet.

Pittsburgh, PA - The Food

2009-08-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there are plenty of delicious places to eat in Pittsburgh. I'm sure there are plenty of delicious things to eat in Pittsburgh. I don't care. I'm going to Primanti Brothers in the Strip District. This calorie-infused monstrosity is the Pastrami, loaded down with their trademark french fries and slaw right on the sandwich. I gained four pounds this weekend and although I'm not going to blame it all on our friend here, it was a good start.

With it's close proximity to all three of Pittsburgh's sports facilities, Primanti's is a great place to stop in for a mid-afternoon bite and then you can use the mile and a half walk to the stadium to burn off enough calories to rationalize that hot dog later. Did I mention that it was dollar dog night at the Pirates game too! I never did track down the pierogies at PNC Park but its always good to leave yourself a reason to come back.

Have you been to Pittsburgh and have a restaurant to recommend? Maybe the Wings at Quaker Steak and Lube? Leave it in the comments section - we'll give it a try next time passing through.

Slider's Birthday Party - 08/02/09

2009-08-03T17:51:00.001-07:00

The Mascot Hunter and Orbit of the Akron Aeros give this party 2 thumbs up. We had a great time before the game celebrating with the birthday boy himself and a handful of his closest friends. In attendance were all of the pro Cleveland mascots - the Brown's Trapper, Slider of the Indians and a VERY friendly Moondog from the Cleveland Cavaliers. VERY friendly. He really liked the ladies (those over the age of 18) and seemed to take a special liking to Mrs. Mascot Hunter. Trust me, a year or two down the road you're going to be watching SportsCenter and there is going to be a story about some sexual harassment lawsuit against Horndog, I mean Moondog, and I'm going to be sitting here with a big can of "I told you so." Just like the Cav's billboard says, We Are All Witnesses. Anyway... in addition to the pro mascots, most of Cleveland's minor league affiliates were represented, including the Lake County Captains (A), Akron Aeros (AA), Columbus Clippers (AAA) and the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. Finally, Screech of the Washington Nationals made the trip as well. Our theory is that he caught a ride with the Rushmores, who were in Pittsburgh this weekend to race the Pierogies. (If that last sentence made any sense to you, I'm very proud. If not, check back in a few days for the Friday night Pirates game posts and it will). Once we shook Moondog, we wished Slider a happy birthday, got some pics with a few of his friends and then headed into the park for the game.

We had a wonderful weekend in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. More to come in the next day or two on the stadiums, games, cities and (of course) food but for now the Mascot Hunter is a little road weary and in need of some sleep.

Waco, TX - Joy, Lady, Bruiser and Judge

2009-07-30T18:20:00.001-07:00

(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

2009-07-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-27T18:51:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

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