I like The Phillie Phanatic. While Harry may be the voice of the Phillies, the face--er, ah beak--of the team, and maybe the city, is The Phillie Phanatic. In fact, there may not be another mascot in all of sports that is more recognizable then this big hunk of green from the Gallapogos Islands.
The Phillie Phanatic made his debut for the Phillies in 1978. So while he may not be baseball's oldest mascot, he is still, "...the best mascot in the business," so says a quote from USAToday on the Phillies website. No matter what age you are, you can't help but be entertained by The Phillie Phanatic--whether he's taunting Tommy Lasorda or picking on a Mets fan in the stands. The best Phanatic antics, however, are when he messes with the opposing team or umpires, during the game. Check out these clips:My favorite memory, though, of The Phillie Phanatic happened on a cold April night when I was about six or seven years old during a game against the Mets. My Dad somehow scored seats right on the field in the 100 level at the Vet, and since it was freezing, I had on a winter hat. Out of no where, the Phanatic showed up and began greeting everyone around our section. As I stood, watching in complete awe, he came right over to our row, placed his big, furry hands on my head, and pulled my winter hat down over my eyes. And then he was gone. Yup--greatest day of my life (up to that point, of course).
Here's another clip from YouTube where the Phanatic is showing off some sweet dance moves:
i love love looove when he grabs his jelly belly and swirls it in a circle...i giggle like a 5 year old :)
ReplyDeleteYa gotta love that big green furry Philly friend!
ReplyDeletePhantastic post. You may also be interested to know that the Phanatic's favorite song is Motown Philly - Boyz II Men. He also hates Mr. Met (obviously).
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wish I had a belly that I could swirl around like that...I'm sure more frequent consumption of Lager will certainly grant me that wish.
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