2009 Year In Review

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

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

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.

More from Slider's Birthday Party

Yes, it's a clip show. I'm sorry, I really am, but it's the offseason for baseball, college football is winding down and the Mascot Hunter has been spending too much time at his day job for any recent excursions. There is one trip on the horizon and still a few previous adventures to catch up on but until pitchers and catchers report or I figure out a way to make this my day job, you're stuck with a clip show. Here are some more pics from Slider's Birthday Party in Cleveland from this past summer:

Krash of the Columbus Clippers

Sully of the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL)

Screech of the Washington Nationals

Skipper of the Lake County Captains

Moosic, PA - Champ

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

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

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.