DTop
Active member
Ty Hildenbrandt / FOXSports.com
Posted: 7 days ago
Kermit the Frog once said, "It ain't easy bein' green." And right about now, Reedy Rip'It probably agrees.
As reported here on FOXSports.com last week, the official mascot of the Class A Greenville Drive — coincidentally, a giant frog — is facing charges after allegedly grabbing a woman's breast in a stadium stairwell and was arrested on June 27th by local authorities. Upon further review, I'm guessing this wasn't the "drive" Greenville was shooting for when it first landed a Minor League franchise.
Reedy's recent problems bring to light a more unfortunate — yet surprisingly humorous — notion: Mascots have a storied history of getting themselves into trouble. For some mascots, this has meant legal issues, like Wisconsin's Bucky the Badger, who was cited for crowd surfing at a game in 1996. For others, this has meant physical harm, like Arizona's Wilbur Wildcat, who tore up a knee in 1994 during a Final Four game. Still others emerged unscathed with bizarrely memorable life experiences.
No, folks, it ain't easy being a mascot.
Here are some favorite famous mascot incidents:
Benny the Bull (2006)
Earlier this month, a man dressed as "Benny the Bull," a mascot for the Chicago Bulls, decided to charge a local police officer who asked him to stop riding a mini-motorcycle in a prohibited area. When confronted by the officer, Benny chose to run and later took a swing at the policeman, which knocked off the man's glasses and busted his watch. Despite a plea by Benny that he was simply acting his part, he was tagged with misdemeanor battery charges and driving illegally through a parkway.
In a separate incident, another Bulls mascot "Da Bull" was sentenced to a year and a half of probation for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver in 2005.
Benny the Bull has found trouble more than once. (Gary Dineen/NBAE / Getty Images)
Mariner Moose (1995)
With the crowd cheering, an ATV whipped the "Mariner Moose" — on rollerblades — around the outfield of Seattle's Kingdome. Inexplicably, the Moose let go of his rope and was sent careening out of control, unable to stop. At a high rate of speed, the Moose crashed into the outfield wall and broke his ankle in one of the most memorable mascot blunders of all-time.
Wild Wing (1995)
In a legendary move and the likely inspiration for Will Ferrell's woes as the Harrison Cougar in Old School, "Wild Wing" — the official mascot for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim — attempted a bold jump over a burning wall of fire. However, to everyone's dismay, Wild Wing's skate got stuck in a trampoline, causing him to short the jump, land in the fire, and subsequently burst into a series of flames. Ouch. Only weeks later in a separate incident, Wild Wing was left suspended in mid-air by a guide wire being used to lower him to the ice as part of a majestic entrance sequence.
The Stanford Tree (1995)
During the timeout of a nationally televised basketball game, the Stanford "Tree" responded to taunts by Cal's "Oski" by physically engaging him in one of history's most timeless mascot altercations. Both parties escaped without being cited, but needed to be separated by police before the fight was finished.
In another incident in 2006, a female student dressed as the "Tree" was removed from her post after blowing a .157 blood alcohol level into a Breathalyzer device.
The Italian Sausage (2003)
The Italian Sausage (far left) was back in the race despite getting hit by Randall Simon's bat. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
While taking part in the human sausage race at Milwaukee's Miller Park, a woman dressed as the Italian Sausage is blindsided by the bat of Pirates slugger Randall Simon and sent toppling onto its grill. The woman suffered only a brush burn, but lost the race. Simon, on the other hand, was arrested, charged, and fined $432 for disorderly conduct. Later, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and bounced between franchises before eventually landing in the Mexican League of AAA-level baseball.
Billy the Marlin (2000)
While shooting rolled-up t-shirts into the stands as part of an inter-inning promotion, Florida Marlins mascot "Billy the Marlin" misfires a customized gun and pelts an elderly man in the eye, temporarily knocking him out. The man would later file a lawsuit against Billy, but was not victorious.
Vic the Demon & Chief Brave Spirit (1992)
During a rivalry game between Northeast Louisiana and Northwestern State, the teams' mascots — "Vic the Demon" and "Chief Brave Spirit," respectively — get involved in a rare fight that distracts television cameras to the point that the entire altercation is caught on video. In the scuffle, Vic the Demon's head is ripped off as the two crashed to the ground behind one of the end zones, which according to the video clip breaks a "cardinal rule" of being a mascot. The melee is broken up by college police without further incident.
Harvey the Hound (2003)
Fortunately, Harvey the Hound got his tongue back. (Dave Sandford / Getty Images)
After hanging around and razzing the bench of the Edmonton Oilers, the mascot of the Calgary Flames — "Harvey the Hound" — has his tongue ripped out and tossed into the crowd by Oilers coach and longtime (helmetless) NHL player Craig MacTavish.
Burnie (1994)
While playing a game in Puerto Rico, Miami Heat Mascot "Burnie" grabs a female fan by the legs and drags her onto the court. The woman was not happy about the ordeal and proved to be the wife of a Supreme Court judge. "Burnie" is charged with aggravated assault and later sued for $1 million in damages.
Snowflake the Dolphin (1994)
As part of a diabolical scheme in Ace Ventura to get back at Dan Marino for a bad hold on a game-winning field goal attempt, Ray Finkle-turned-Lois Einhorn kidnaps Snowflake, the good luck mascot of the Miami Dolphins, on the eve of a Super Bowl showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles. Snowflake was later rescued by Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, who used a 1985 team photograph to pinpoint the culprit, and some help from a household pet to figure out that Finkle was actually Einhorn.
After Snowflake was safely returned to the organization, Swoop the Philadelphia Eagle mistakenly scared away a missing Albino pigeon from the top of a sideline water cooler, costing Ventura $25,000 in reward money and a chance to repay raspy landlord Mr. Shickadance. The situation exploded into a fight that was shown on the stadium jumbotron. So, next time you go to your local stadium, be on the lookout for the goofy creatures that roam the crowd. While they're paid to entertain, sometimes we get more than we bargained for.
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5792996?FSO1&ATT=HCP>1=8393
Posted: 7 days ago
Kermit the Frog once said, "It ain't easy bein' green." And right about now, Reedy Rip'It probably agrees.
As reported here on FOXSports.com last week, the official mascot of the Class A Greenville Drive — coincidentally, a giant frog — is facing charges after allegedly grabbing a woman's breast in a stadium stairwell and was arrested on June 27th by local authorities. Upon further review, I'm guessing this wasn't the "drive" Greenville was shooting for when it first landed a Minor League franchise.
Reedy's recent problems bring to light a more unfortunate — yet surprisingly humorous — notion: Mascots have a storied history of getting themselves into trouble. For some mascots, this has meant legal issues, like Wisconsin's Bucky the Badger, who was cited for crowd surfing at a game in 1996. For others, this has meant physical harm, like Arizona's Wilbur Wildcat, who tore up a knee in 1994 during a Final Four game. Still others emerged unscathed with bizarrely memorable life experiences.
No, folks, it ain't easy being a mascot.
Here are some favorite famous mascot incidents:
Benny the Bull (2006)
Earlier this month, a man dressed as "Benny the Bull," a mascot for the Chicago Bulls, decided to charge a local police officer who asked him to stop riding a mini-motorcycle in a prohibited area. When confronted by the officer, Benny chose to run and later took a swing at the policeman, which knocked off the man's glasses and busted his watch. Despite a plea by Benny that he was simply acting his part, he was tagged with misdemeanor battery charges and driving illegally through a parkway.
In a separate incident, another Bulls mascot "Da Bull" was sentenced to a year and a half of probation for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver in 2005.
Mariner Moose (1995)
With the crowd cheering, an ATV whipped the "Mariner Moose" — on rollerblades — around the outfield of Seattle's Kingdome. Inexplicably, the Moose let go of his rope and was sent careening out of control, unable to stop. At a high rate of speed, the Moose crashed into the outfield wall and broke his ankle in one of the most memorable mascot blunders of all-time.
Wild Wing (1995)
In a legendary move and the likely inspiration for Will Ferrell's woes as the Harrison Cougar in Old School, "Wild Wing" — the official mascot for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim — attempted a bold jump over a burning wall of fire. However, to everyone's dismay, Wild Wing's skate got stuck in a trampoline, causing him to short the jump, land in the fire, and subsequently burst into a series of flames. Ouch. Only weeks later in a separate incident, Wild Wing was left suspended in mid-air by a guide wire being used to lower him to the ice as part of a majestic entrance sequence.
The Stanford Tree (1995)
During the timeout of a nationally televised basketball game, the Stanford "Tree" responded to taunts by Cal's "Oski" by physically engaging him in one of history's most timeless mascot altercations. Both parties escaped without being cited, but needed to be separated by police before the fight was finished.
In another incident in 2006, a female student dressed as the "Tree" was removed from her post after blowing a .157 blood alcohol level into a Breathalyzer device.
The Italian Sausage (2003)
While taking part in the human sausage race at Milwaukee's Miller Park, a woman dressed as the Italian Sausage is blindsided by the bat of Pirates slugger Randall Simon and sent toppling onto its grill. The woman suffered only a brush burn, but lost the race. Simon, on the other hand, was arrested, charged, and fined $432 for disorderly conduct. Later, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and bounced between franchises before eventually landing in the Mexican League of AAA-level baseball.
Billy the Marlin (2000)
While shooting rolled-up t-shirts into the stands as part of an inter-inning promotion, Florida Marlins mascot "Billy the Marlin" misfires a customized gun and pelts an elderly man in the eye, temporarily knocking him out. The man would later file a lawsuit against Billy, but was not victorious.
Vic the Demon & Chief Brave Spirit (1992)
During a rivalry game between Northeast Louisiana and Northwestern State, the teams' mascots — "Vic the Demon" and "Chief Brave Spirit," respectively — get involved in a rare fight that distracts television cameras to the point that the entire altercation is caught on video. In the scuffle, Vic the Demon's head is ripped off as the two crashed to the ground behind one of the end zones, which according to the video clip breaks a "cardinal rule" of being a mascot. The melee is broken up by college police without further incident.
Harvey the Hound (2003)
After hanging around and razzing the bench of the Edmonton Oilers, the mascot of the Calgary Flames — "Harvey the Hound" — has his tongue ripped out and tossed into the crowd by Oilers coach and longtime (helmetless) NHL player Craig MacTavish.
Burnie (1994)
While playing a game in Puerto Rico, Miami Heat Mascot "Burnie" grabs a female fan by the legs and drags her onto the court. The woman was not happy about the ordeal and proved to be the wife of a Supreme Court judge. "Burnie" is charged with aggravated assault and later sued for $1 million in damages.
Snowflake the Dolphin (1994)
As part of a diabolical scheme in Ace Ventura to get back at Dan Marino for a bad hold on a game-winning field goal attempt, Ray Finkle-turned-Lois Einhorn kidnaps Snowflake, the good luck mascot of the Miami Dolphins, on the eve of a Super Bowl showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles. Snowflake was later rescued by Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, who used a 1985 team photograph to pinpoint the culprit, and some help from a household pet to figure out that Finkle was actually Einhorn.
After Snowflake was safely returned to the organization, Swoop the Philadelphia Eagle mistakenly scared away a missing Albino pigeon from the top of a sideline water cooler, costing Ventura $25,000 in reward money and a chance to repay raspy landlord Mr. Shickadance. The situation exploded into a fight that was shown on the stadium jumbotron. So, next time you go to your local stadium, be on the lookout for the goofy creatures that roam the crowd. While they're paid to entertain, sometimes we get more than we bargained for.
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5792996?FSO1&ATT=HCP>1=8393
Last edited:
