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Mascot
Madness |
They're
annoying, intriguing, and sometimes even entertaining |
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Randall
Simon's beatdown of a Milwaukee racing sausage is only the
latest in a long list of events where team mascots make the
headlines. Few things in sports generate as much discussion,
passion and hatred as mascots and their escapades.
Sports
Online has combed the annals of sports to bring you our list
of sports' most notable mascots. It's not an exclusively Canadian
list, but Canucks are more than adequately represented in
the subculture of those who wear stifling suits for a living.
ACE
& DIAMOND v BJ BIRDY | AMERICAN
INDIANS |
HARVEY THE HOUND | MILWAUKEE
RACING SAUSAGES |
NCAA ... YOU NAME IT | PHILLY PHANATIC
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PHOENIX SUNS' GORILLA | THE
RALLY MONKEY |
SAN DIEGO CHICKEN | YOUPPI!
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ACE
& DIAMOND v B.J. BIRDY |
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The
Jays have parted ways with many popular players over the years.
But the club made one of its more controversial transactions
in 1999 when it unceremoniously released longtime mascot BJ
Birdy. The franchise replaced the big-eyed, open-mouthed jay
in early 2000 with the spunky duo of Ace and Diamond. Many
Birdy fans were outraged.
The
20-year fixture at both Exhibition Stadium and SkyDome was
a victim of market research and the much-dreaded change in
direction. Ace the boy and Diamond the girl (who the Jays
claim is the lone female mascot in the big leagues, although
the verdict is still out on the androgynous Youppi!) now rule
Toronto's in-game entertainment roost.
Inside
Info: Kevin Shanahan, the creator and performer behind
BJ Birdy, also created the Toronto Argonauts' mascot Scully.
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AMERICAN
INDIANS |
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There's
been an ongoing debate for years about whether American Indian
symbols and imagery should be used in sport teams names and
mascots.
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The
Cleveland Indians' logo, used in honour, not prejudice,
of American natives |
There
are still several aboriginal names and mascots in professional
sports, including the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, MLB's Cleveland
Indians and Atlanta Braves, and the NFL's Washington Redskins
and Kansas City Chiefs.
They
can depict natives in traditonal (Blackhawks) or cartoonish
(Indians) fashion. Fans of these teams often display "native"
icons, including tomahawks, feathers, facial paints, symbolic
drums and pipes (see Chief Zee in our sidebar). Braves fans
have made famous the "tomahawk chop."
Despite
protests from American Indian groups that these names create
or reinforce stereotypes, some teams, particularly the Braves,
Indians and Redskins, have resisted change, arguing that the
Indian references are used in honour, not prejudice, and that
the names are an important tradition to fans. Guess that’s
why the Braves and Indians, respectively, had characters called
Chief Nokahoma (say it out loud) and Chief Wahoo.
Inside info: Though the Indians won't give
up the official team logo, they did unveil a new mascot in
1990 - a purple and yellow fuzzy monster named "Slider."
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HARVEY
THE HOUND |
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A
speechless Harvey The Hound peers into the Edmonton Oilers
bench after head coach Craig MacTavish, centre left, ripped
his tongue out. |
Harvey
the Hound may be the NHL's very first mascot (he was created
in 1983), but he’s better known for being, well, really
bad to the bone. For instance, during a playoff game in 1989,
Harvey ripped up a Vancouver Canucks jersey.
But on
January 20, 2003, after nearly two decades of taunting the
opposition, Harvey the Hound was finally paid back for his
crowd-pleasing antics
With the
Flames leading the Edmonton Oilers 4-0, the six-foot-six,
200-pound Harvey positioned himself behind the Oilers bench
and began pestering the losing team.
It worked
too well.
Oilers
players squirted water on the mascot, and Oilers coach Craig
MacTavish took it one step further and shut him up -- literally.
MacTavish ripped out Harvey's signature floppy red tongue
and threw it into the crowd.
"(Harvey)
was in a place he shouldn't have been," Flames spokesman
Peter Hanlon said. "Usually he's our seventh man, but
this time perhaps he went too far."
MacTavish's
actions seemed to spark the Oilers. They scored three goals,
but still lost 4-3.
Inside info: Harvey the Hound is also the
former mascot of the Calgary Stampeders.
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MILWAUKEE
RACING SAUSAGES |
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As
Sports Illustrated says, "It's not a question
of why you would take a swing at an eight-foot
sausage ... but why not." |
Forget
Randall Simon or even Mandy Block’s skinned knee. The
true loser in the Milwaukee sausage scandal was Bernie Brewer.
The
Brewers’ official mascot, who cheers on his beloved
Brew Crew atop Miller Park’s left field perch, was instantly
overshadowed by a group of running meat products.
The
Milwaukee sausage-race incident vaulted the Polish sausage,
bratwurst, hot dog and -- of course -- the Italian sausage,
into the upper tier of mascot celebrity. How long before Larry
King comes knocking?
Even
if he doesn’t, the meat-encased athletes are sure to
be circling the Miller Park bases long after Simon is sporting
a big-league uniform.
Inside
Info: As if racing sausages aren’t enough,
the Brewers are tossing running pierogies into the mix next
month.
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NCAA
... YOU NAME IT |
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Geometric
perfection: Syracuse's Otto the Orange |
American
college teams have some solid names: Alabama Crimson Tide.
Indiana Hoosiers. Michigan Wolverines. Penn State Nittany
Lions.
But the Virginia Tech Hokies? University of California at
Santa Cruz Banana Slugs? And what about names that challenge
you to come up with an image? North Carolina Tar Heels (how
do you dress up like a Tar Heel?). Southern Illinois Salukis
(What is a Saluki again?) Southern Carolina Gamecocks (Ummm...).
There also seems to be a practice of having a mascot that
has nothing to do with the team name. The Hofstra Flying Dutchmen
were given their name because the school's founder was from
the Netherlands. Their mascot? A lion. The Syracuse Orangemen?
A giant orange orb. OK, at least it's orange.
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Is
Colonel Reb a genteel southerner or a throwback to the
plantation? |
And
then there are the controversies. Just last month the University
of Mississippi (Ole Miss) set off the mascot equivalent of
a tactical nuke by virtually eliminating its cherished Colonel
Reb mascot. 138 years after Lee surrendered, the removal of
a Confederate symbol ignited passions that would have shamed
Scarlett O'Hara.
Inside info: The Saluki is one of the oldest
dog breeds, favoured by ancient Egyptian royalty. Their images
were found on tombs as far back as 2100 B.C. They look like
greyhounds, with feathering on their ears, legs and tails.
Illinois and ancient Egypt... Makes sense to us.
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PHILLY
PHANATIC |
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Often
called baseball's best mascot, this overweight, floppy-footed,
green-beaked beast is also the game's bad boy. He spent many
summers getting into ugly scuffles with the Dodgers' Tommy
Lasorda -- his abuse of Lasorda effigies and mockery of Lasorda's
SlimFast promotions are legendary. He is also the "most
sued mascot" in baseball. Among the decisions: one senior
citizen got $128,000 US when he was knocked over at a church
carnival.
The
Phanatic has survived and thrived in Philadelphia since 1978,
not an easy thing to do in a town where fans once booed Santa
Claus off the field. The Phanatic joins Youppi! and the San
Diego Chicken in Cooperstown.
Inside
info: Apart from Opening Day, for the past nine years
the Phillies have failed to draw more than 40,000 fans for
any April home game. That changed in 2003 when 40,016 spectators
showed up. The reason? The Phanatic's last birthday party
at Veterans Stadium, where he was hatched.
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GO,
THE PHOENIX SUNS' GORILLA |
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Nothing
speaks to the sun-baked desert city of Phoenix like a big
hairy gorilla. Nevertheless, this primate is the dean of the
NBA mascot fraternity and a regular on sportscast highlight
reels with his dunking prowess.
Go
burst on the scene in 1980 and set the gold standard for mascot
athletics. Plenty of NBA teams now sport crazy dunking mascots
at half-time, but Go was first and, some say, still the best.
As
part of his charity fundraising efforts, Go bounces a basketball
dipped in paint against a canvas and sells the paintings.
But
for all his charity efforts, Go is not without controversy.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took exception to the ape,
suggesting it was a racist slur against African-American players.
Inside
info : Go once performed the John Travolta role (Danny
Zuko) in a Grease number with the Suns' dance team.
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THE
RALLY MONKEY |
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Believe
in the power of the rally monkey! |
After
the Anaheim Angels' World Series win last year, the Rally
Monkey's story is now legend. The monkey debuted in June 2000
as the Angels were losing to the San Francisco Giants. Looking
to whip up the fans, the stadium's video crew found a clip
of a monkey jumping up and down from Jim Carrey's Ace
Ventura, Pet Detective.
Adding
the words "Rally Monkey," they played the clip on
the JumboTron. The crowd loved it, the Angels rallied.
The
Monkey's legend was cemented in Game 6 of last year's World
Series. The Angels were trailing the Giants 5-0 in the seventh
when the Monkey made an appearance on the Jumbotron. The Angels,
of course, came back, won the game, and won the series.
Inside
info : The Angels' inspiration is a capuchin monokey,
a species that gets its name from the Capuchin monks, whose
cowl the monkeys' head colouring resembles. Capuchins are
favoured by organ grinders everywhere.
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SAN
DIEGO CHICKEN |
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The
Famous Chicken, a.k.a. the San Diego Chicken (there are legal
issues over the name, wouldn't you know) set the template
for mascots everywhere. He debuted his zany antics years before
most pro franchises even thought of using humans dressed in
fuzzy suits to entertain sports fans.
The
Hall of Fame mascot first entered the fowl world as a college
kid taking a $2-an-hour job handing out Easter eggs to kids
at the San Diego Zoo (dressed in a chicken suit, of course).
From there, he evolved into a radio pitchbird before becoming
a regular at Padres baseball games. The Chicken was the first
to introduce such mascot staples as a playful repertoire with
opposing players and elaborate on-field stunts. In his nearly-30-year
career, the Chicken has taken his act to all 50 U.S. states
and multiple countries.
Inside
Info: The Famous Chicken claims to have missed just
one career booking, but even that night was not a complete
wash. After an airline misplaced his luggage, Chicken creator
Ted Giannoulas took to the ice at a Wichita Thunder hockey
game in 1998 wearing just his Chicken head, tail, gloves,
socks and underwear. Let’s just say he made all the
nightly highlight shows.
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YOUPPI! |
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The
androgynous Youppi! is popular with the ladies. Halle
Berry, for instance. |
This
furry monster is arguably more popular in his hometown than
the baseball team it supports. Indeed, some Expos have complained
in the past that the team did more to promote Youppi! than
the team's own stars.
One
of three mascots inducted into Cooperstown, Youppi! -- French
for hooray, including the exclamation mark -- is the first
mascot to be thrown out of a game for his antics. In a 1989
extra-innings tilt it was tossed after Dodgers' manager Tommy
Lasorda complained about his dancing on the visitors' dugout.
With
the Expos since 1979, Youppi! is definitely a product of its
decade -- its orange covering being reminiscent of that era's
rec room shags.
Inside
info: Youppi! has endured relentless speculation
about his/hers sexual orientation. The debate isn't helped
by the Expos' steadfast refusal to say whether Youppi! is
a he or a she.
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Ersatz
mascots |
None
of these are official team mascots, but they each hold a special
place in the history of sports fandom:
BLUE
Blue
is perhaps the most famous dog in Canada. Though she's not an official
team mascot, the white, often-barking bull terrier is forever
linked to hockey because of her owner, HNIC personality and former
NHL coach, Don Cherry. It's been rumoured that the eccentric coach
modelled the Bruins' bruising playing style after that of Blue.
Though the Bruins didn't win a Stanley Cup under his tenure, they
were among the top teams of the late '70s. Blue
is featured on the covers of Cherry's famous Rock 'em Sock 'em
video series and as the poster dog for Cherry's chain of restaurants.
The pup also stars in the intro to Coach’s Corner on Hockey
Night in Canada.
Inside info: People who want their own Blue, without
the commitment or mess, can buy a cute little stuffed animal replica
online from Don Cherry’s Sports Grill.
KRAZY
GEORGE
Armed with a drum and lung power to spare, “Krazy” George
Henderson vaulted into the North American spotlight in the late
1970s as the ultimate superfan. Football, hockey, baseball -- “Krazy”
George could be seen at almost any form of sporting event urging
fans to get off their duffs and root for the home side.
Inside
Info: “Krazy” claims to have invented The Wave,
but the declaration isn’t without controversy. Robb Weller,
a former University of Washington cheerleader and ex-Entertainment
Tonight correspondent, also says he created the sequence in
which fans rise out of their seats to form a simulated wave. “Krazy”
lays out detailed evidence on his
official website. We’ll let you be the judge.
SCHOTTZIE
Former
Cincinnati Reds majority owner Marge Schott was rarely seen without
her 170-pound droopy-eyed wonder. Schott allowed the unofficial
Reds mascot to roam the field at Riverfront Stadium, leaving messy
surprises for the ballplayers. According to baseball-lore, Schott
rubbed Schottzie hair on the chest of manager Lou Piniella for good
luck. In 1998, she begged St. Louis' Mark McGwire to pet Schottzie's
successor, Schottzie 02. Even though McGwire is allergic to dogs,
he did it anyway. Schottzie 02 died in 2001 and was buried with
a Reds hat and a replica of the 1990 World Series ring.
Inside info: Schottzie had her own baseball card
and also appeared on the box of Meaty Bone dog bones.
CHIEF
ZEE
Perhaps the worst mascot beating in sports history, Chief Zee was
an unofficial Washington Redskins mascot who earned the wrath of
Philadelphia Eagles fans by showing up at a Veterans Stadium game
in 1983. Eagles "fans" smashed his eye, broke his leg
and stripped him to his underwear. "They treated me like chopped
meat," he said later.
Inside info: Invited back to Philadelphia the next
year by Eagles brass as an apology, Chief Zee had yet another fan
run-in. In his own words, "this
senior-citizen lady comes up to me and says, ‘You've got a
lot of nerve coming up here! We mugged the guy who dressed like
that last year!' And then she threw her drink in my face. I can
still smell that drink."
MORGANNA
The
buxom blonde from Kentucky was baseball’s Kissing Bandit for
almost three decades. Dressed in hot pants and a tight top, Morganna
jumped onto ball diamonds across the U.S. for nearly three decades,
planting smooches on unsuspecting, and sometimes entirely willing,
players. She started her life of crime at age 17 while attending
a Cincinnati Reds game in 1971. On a friend’s dare, Morganna
hopped onto the field at Riverfront Stadium to kiss Pete Rose. Morganna
went on to count dozens of kisses from both superstar athletes and
entertainment icons. Now almost 50, she is retired from the celebrity
smooching circuit.
Inside Info: Morganna once pulled off a Canadian
kissing heist, stealing a kiss from Toronto Blue Jays reliever Duane
Ward.
CHARLIE
O.
Charlie Finley, perhaps baseball's most flamboyant owner, cashiered
the venerable cartoon elephant of the Philadelphia and Kansas City
Athletics for a real, live mule named Charlie O. Despite the mule's
size, smell and lack of toilet training, it had an all-access pass
to Veterans Stadium (and later the Oakland Coliseum) incuding the
press box and field. Needless to say, fans loved the mule a lot
more than the players, who had to deal with Charlie's droppings
while shagging flies.
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