Ted Giannoulis, The San Diego Chicken
We see them now at most major league parks. Most are there to entertain the fans during lulls in the action on the field. The Dodgers are one of the few franchises without a mascot. I am pretty sure the Yankees also have no mascot. All of the Dodgers’ rivals in the west have mascots. The Giants have Lou Seal, D-Backs, Baxter the Bob Cat, the Rockies have Dinger, and the Padres now have the Swinging Friar.
The first one I remember is the Chicken. Ted Giannoulis became synonymous with that costume and his antics at Padres games. He was a San Diego institution. It was originally a promotion started by KGB-FM radio in San Diego. The chicken was animated for a TV commercial. In March of 1974, Giannoulis was hired to wear the chicken suit. At the time, he was a 20-year-old journalism student at UCSD,
His first appearance was at a KGB promotion to distribute Easter eggs at the San Diego Zoo. After that, Giannoulis, a lifetime baseball fan, approached the Padres front office. He thought this would be a great way to get into the games for free. At first, he would roam the stands, and when a fan would say, lay one on me, he would drop an egg through his leg, and the fan would win prizes.
He was soon allowed to take the field and according to Giannoulis, discovered a side of his personality he never knew existed. Padre attendance, which was the lowest in the league, doubled that summer. He began to add other events. He could connect with fans, players, and umpires very easily. He performed at more than 520 Padres games in a row and also appeared at Clippers games before they moved to Los Angeles.
A dispute arose between KGB and Ted in 1979, and he was fired on May 3rd. Another employee replaced him, and the fans knew it was not him, and he was booed loudly enough to be forced from the field. Giannoulis won a suit against the station, and he was allowed to resume being the chicken, but not in the same costume. He now called himself the Famous Chicken. He hatched from an egg at Jack Murphy Stadium on June 29th, 1979, as the sound system played “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, the theme from 2001, A Space Odessey. He was still performing as the Chicken in 2016.
Now, I totally understand that mascots are fun for the kids to see. I have been to several Quakes games, and they have not one but two mascots. Tremor and Aftershock. Not sure what kind of animal they are supposed to be, but you judge for yourself.
They are either alligators, crocs, or some convoluted dinosaur. But the kids love them. They do a lot in between inning entertainment for the crowd. To my knowledge, there are no alligators, crocs or dinos in the Ranch vicinity. They used to call the ballpark the Epicenter. Now it is Loan Mart Field.
I remember when Lasorda had the Expos mascot, Youppi, ejected from the game for dancing on the Dodgers’ dugout roof. He later returned to the game but was confined to the Expos dugout roof. After the Expos moved to DC, Youppi switched teams and joined the Montreal Canadians, becaming the first mascot to change teams. He was elected to the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2019. I did not even know there was such a thing.
My main problem with mascots is that while they entertain, they also distract fans during games, and if a hot line drive is headed in your direction, you need to be alert. The in-between innings stuff is ok, but I have seen them interacting with kids during a game. That, to me, is when the danger of being hit creeps in. Has it happened? Not that I know of. It may never happen.
Teams like the Yankees and Dodgers generally do not need a draw. Their play on the field is usually enough to keep the fans coming out. The Dodgers this season are currently the only team above 3 million in attendance. The Padres and Yankees are both about 180,000 fans from reaching that number. The Padres have 11 home games left to reach that number. The Yankees have 12. It is kind of surprising given their performance this season that San Diego is drawing that well. They have actually outdrawn the Yankees by almost 6000 fans. Their average attendance, though is 40,373. Yanks are at 41,473. The Dodgers top everyone with 47,740.
Twenty-seven of the thirty MLB teams have mascots. Some Brewers, Mets, Reds, Rays, Nats, and Cardinals, have two. Of course, at this point in time, the most famous, and probably the best, is the Philly Phanatic. The Phanatic came into being when the Phillies wanted to bring families into Veterans Stadium, where they were playing at the time. There was a lot of violence in the stands and the Phils wanted to change the atmosphere in the park.
The Phanatic has an ATV he rides as he entertains the crowd. It has been known for some pretty zany antics. One of the classics was a skit where he brought out a stuffed version of Tommy Lasorda, and they had a little on-field tiff. Lasorda ended up taking the stuffed version away from the Phanatic. There are videos of that on YouTube.
The Phanatic at Work
All of the teams in the Western Division have mascots except the Dodgers, Arizona, Baxter the bobcat, Colorado, Dinger, a dinosaur, and an homage to the beds of dinosaur bones that can be found around the state, San Diego, the Swinging Friar, and the Giants have Lou Seal.
The Angels also have no mascot. Probably the closest they ever came was when they had the stuffed “Rally Monkey”. The Astros have Orbit, and the Cardinals have Fredbird and the Rally Squirrel. Very recognizable are the Mets, Mr. and Mrs. Met.
Some of the teams’ mascots are not so well known. I have seen the Dodgers play the Nats on TV in Washington several times, and outside of the racing presidents, I have never seen an actual mascot. But they have one, Screech. A bald eagle who wears a DC cap and jersey. He was designed by a nine-year-old fourth-grade student during a contest in 2005.
The Dodgers use their play on the field to draw, but they also probably have some of the best so-called giveaways in baseball. I have several of the bobbleheads, and I also have some from other teams. The Dodgers seem to be slightly larger than those of, say, the Yankees. Right now, if you go on eBay, the bobblehead celebrating Koufax’s four no-hitters starts at $699.00. I have seen it on there for as much as almost $1700.00. It was given away in 2012.
The Vargas-Outman bobblehead they gave away on the 31st is selling for more than 40 dollars on average. JD’s is over. 50. So, nope, they do not need a mascot to draw. Might they do it at some point? And what would the Dodger mascot look like? I have never seen a Trolley Dodger, and if there was a photo of one, it would be watching pedestrians in Brooklyn dodging trolly cars.
Perhaps the closest thing to a mascot they ever had was when they were in Brooklyn and lovingly called Dem Bums. And no one personified that more than this man, Emmet Kelly.
The spring before they moved to LA. O’Malley, Snider, Norris Poulson and Kelly
Dem Bums, yep, if anything symbolized the Dodgers history, it was a bum. They were a poor franchise who just could not win for years. They were the Daffiness Boys, The Boys of Summer, and the toast of Flatbush. I would bring back the Bum.
Well, the San Diego Chicken was a legend and very funny.
The rest? Maybe the Philly Phanatic or whatever they call it. I do remember the Rally Monkey.
But the others fall short. The Dodgers do have some character who walks around the entry way and takes pictures with kids.
Hey, Bobby Miller was really good yesterday, just what the Dodgers needed. Really like the young pitchers.
I think you re referring to the guy who dresses up like the Dodger bobblehead.
Or it may be a girl in the costume, Bear.
Could be. Who knows.
Mascots are not needed in baseball or really in any sport. They add nothing to the game itself.
Dodger Magic Number to clinch the West now stands at 12 with 26 games remaining.
Team mascots are fun.
If you are a kid yeah. Mostly they are there to annoy the opposition.
Good post Bear. Most of the mascots are lame. The Chicken was an exception and very creative. Giannoulis was a hard act to follow. The Phillie Phanatic is great too. The act with Tommy and the 3-wheeler is a classic. Was Tommy really pissed? And the Phanatic kept after him sticking his big belly out and taunting Tommy.
Dodgers need 2 mascots. That way you can platoon them! Lol
brilliant
Outstanding! You could call them Doc and Roberts!
That’s funny, dad! Both Mascots need to platoon at 2nd base so we have 7 guys who can play there. Each could be assured of about 4 at bats a week to get ready for the playoffs.
SD has 2 stupid mascots… Tatis and Machado, well, they are the closest thing to a mascot.
A monkey with colored hair, and the other a long-eared donkey!
Steady Jorge
Perfecto Jorge !!!!
Exactamundo Jorge!
Miller and Buehler then Stone looks like a great start resign Kershaw then add period the pitching will be ok. Sign Chapman for 3rd. DH Ohtani at a DH salary.
Nice try but Ohtani isn’t signing at a DH salary.
Nope, and he is probably at least 1 1/2 years away from pitching again. 90% of his value comes as a two-way player.
Chapman is on the IL. I doubt they sign any big-ticket position player. Vargas is playing 3rd and the outfield. They will most likely bring back Max and see what the kid can do at third. Max will be the primary DH.
Pepiot may end up in that rotation! Not as good as Miller , but sneaky good!
Sheehan could be in there too.
Sunday scores
Oklahoma City 9, Round Rock 1
Arkansas 4, Tulsa 1
Dayton 7, Great Lakes 0
Stockton 8, Rancho Cucamonga 7
The week ahead
Oklahoma City at Sugar Land (Astros)
Tulsa at Springfield (Cardinals)
Great Lakes at West Michigan (Tigers)
Rancho Cucamonga vs. Visalia (D-backs)
Final week of the regular season for Great Lakes and Rancho Cucamonga, both of whom open the postseason on Tuesday, September 12 with a best-of-three division series.
Buehler looked good yesterday in his 2 innings. 2 K’s, no hits. A couple of balls were scorched, but right at someone. Treinen shut down again. Unlikely to return this season. Kelly almost ready to return. Almonte has not even stepped on a mound yet, also unlikely to come back. Martinez in AZ could be back by the weekend. Giants and Az are both 14.5 games back. Division is done. Get ready for the playoffs.
Following on from Spokane Bob’s post yesterday about developing your own young, affordable and controllable pitching, but signing Position Players to long term deals (think Mookie & Freddie), do you think that having allegedly having shown an interest in trading for Arenado, AF might revisit this in the Off Season as it appears to me that we have no obvious third baseman in the wings.
It appears that the best we have is a fudge , or a make do if you will. Tying down 3rd base for the next 5 years with one of the elite players in the game would give us a stellar core to build around, plus it would solidify the infield.
Could it be time to push some of our Prospect Chips in?
SL are a good couple of seasons away from contending and might be open to a decent Prospect haul while shedding their monetary obligations to Nolan.
Mookie, Freddie, Nolan…,
I would love to see Arenado home in LA. The Cardinals have some hard decisions this winter. Goldschmidt is in the last year of his contract next season, and he will be 36. Arenado has four more years on his deal. 15 million of that being paid by Colorado. But he turns 33 next season. How much longer can he be one of the top 3B in the league? They also are loaded with infielders who are young and knocking on the door. Not sure LA takes on that kind of a deal.
Joe made the comment yesterday about Miller “asserting himself and saying look at me” so he could be part of the equation for the playoffs. No Shit Sherlock. Right now he’s our ACE.
I wonder if Urias needs an “opener”.
Just think. If not for injuries Miller would still be stuck in the minors. Sometimes you can leave them there too long! Just saying!
Wonderful:
https://www.tmz.com/2023/09/04/dodgers-pitcher-julio-urias-arrested-felony-domestic-violence-los-angeles/
Well, I doubt he ever pitches for the Dodgers again.
Once, it could be fabricated.
Twice?
Stick a fork in him!
… and yes, I am jumping to conclusions!
Maybe this is what has been going on with him all year?
Woman trouble!
I’m going to guess what led to woman trouble was alcohol trouble.
That could explain all kinds of things.
Can we not speculate baselessly and wildly?
Is there a purpose to doing so?
17 stone
No wonder he can’t play
I’ll bet a trillion dollars or more that the woman instigated it.
I’ll take that bet!
We’ll never know because almost all men think women are so innocent, pure, loving and so on and so forth. It will be blamed on Urias no matter what. Even if (because) it’s her fault women can do no wrong because almost all men are stupid and defend women no matter what and the law always protects women.
Walk in a legitimate disabled from birth (me) shoes for 50 years and you’ll understand.
No offense by the way.
Sounds like you have opinions!
Seems to me you’re speculating baselessly and wildly, Bluto. Something you just chastised me for doing.
Or is it OK with regard to gender violence but not with regard to alcohol abuse?
What am I speculating on? I’m doing the opposite of that!
Am I missing something or did I write poorly?
You took Eric’s bet that the woman instigated the situation, meaning you think she didn’t. Isn’t that speculation on your part?
Or maybe I read poorly. In any case, I think you and I have better things to do than argue about a very sad situation, which I imagine was your point in the first place.
Sad situation, sad day, probably a sad end to what could have been a great career (and yes i know that’s speculation).
Ah.
Yes.
Agree across the board.
Also I should not have used baseless in my cited response to you above.
Makes no difference Eric. She starts it or no. He used physical strength and cause corporal injury to a spouse according to the arrest report. You injure anyone, male or female in a fight, you get charged. Makes it worse that it was a woman. Considering there were visible injuries, I would think his ass is toast.
Well, at least this clears up his status.
1. Kershaw
2. Miller
3. Pepiot
4. Lynn
5. Sheehan/Stone/Grove
Let’s ride!
I know it won’t happen now, but just cut his ass. His free agency value just plummeted below anything he might have expected. Third time, get rid of him.
I’m not sure that the CBA would permit that, Bear.
Third time?
My bad, just once before. This time he caused corporal injury to a spouse. That is a felony. His court date is September 27th. He got a slap on the wrist last time. My guess is that this time MLB jumps on his throat, especially if he is actually charged and prosecuted. If he violates any part of his contract, he can be released. All the lawyers need is cause. CBA or no. And he might have violated the clauses of the last agreement after his first arrest.
Geez, I just woke up from my nap and saw your rotation, Mark. What the hell happened to our rotation I was counting on with Kershaw, Buehler, May, Gonsolin and Syndergaard, when I nodded off?
Thanks
Rip
Things happen when you nap.
The Phillie Phanatic is awesome, epic and amazing
😉
The best mascot in sports, by a mile.
I like the Phanatic. He is actually funny.
The way he was pitching this could be addition threw subtraction.
From our 5 starters on opening day only Clayton still going. Normally no team can absorb those kind of losses and still be ahead by 14 games. Amazing testimony to the Dodgers depth.
But to win it all we would have needed Julio to pitch like an ace, like he did in 2020.##
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He will be suspended with or without pay while it is investigated. I can’t see him pitching this season.
However, he is entitled to a presumption of innocence and has to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The process has not yet begun.
We should reserve judgment. But the fact is that any MLB investigation will likely go beyond the regular season. And even if, once again, formal charges aren’t filed he will likely get a lengthy suspension for his second violation of the leagues policy.
His days with the Dodgers are over. If not more.
Seems like a young man in crisis. I hope he gets the help he needs.
Get the Texas Ranger ramped up to go 5 innings asap, we now need him to slot in for game 3 of the division series after Bobby ice and grandpa K in games 1 and 2.
No kid gloves Dodgers, season in balance
Julio is disappointing. One of my sons favorite players. One of his, previously, most valuable baseball artifacts was a ball I bought for him for Christmas 5 or 6 years ago. It is an MLB authenticated ball Julio pitched in his major league debut. My son got it signed when he came to Rancho for a rehab assignment. Stood at the locker room door for 2 hours to get it signed.
He turned down an offer for $1500 for last year. It’s now worth about as much as a batting practice ball.
Reminds me of the day Daryl chose hookers and blow over playing RF.
Sucks.
About Urias, what Mark said works for me. And AF can begin making plans for certain to replace him this winter. Yes, we have prospects, and maybe some of them will step up in 2024. But as we’ve seen this year, prospects, as good as they may be, will probably not be fully ready to take on the role of an ace from the get go. Experience and maturity are still a major part of the equation.
I don’t know exactly what the free agent market will offer this winter, but the subtraction of Urias’ salary will likely leave more than enough money to get a deal done. And my confidence in AF tells me it won’t be a stupid deal.
You’re certainly right about the need for experience. We have seen Bobby Miller grow before our eyes. I am excited to see how the kids are slotted into the open rotation spots between now and the end of the season. The more they get to pitch the better.
Happy Labor Day, hot as hell in drought stricken midwest. Sucks no game today.
Shaking my head at Julio. I am sure there is more to the story than what we know but when you already had a domestic incident, you need to be more aware and vigilant.
Way to let your teammates down when they need you most and cost yourself $$$$$.
Sheesh.
This will certainly be a distraction and likely a suspension while it’s investigated. Julio has never struck me as the sharpest knife in the drawer and has let the team down. But the way he’s pitched, I’m not sure Pepiot can’t pitch better. Maybe not as deep so Yarborough becomes a big piece. Next man up. Wow, we’ve done it all season.
But a word of caution here – Don’t Jump to Conclusions!
Let’s get some facts and let this play out a bit before we pass judgement. We all should have learned from The Duke Lacrosse Saga and the Trevor Bauer mess. We don’t know what we are talking about. A little more patience and a lot less speculation should be something we’ve learned from history.
I totally agree and speculation and leaping to conclusions, but!
Can we stop citing the Duke lacrosse case? I could be wrong but that seems a dramatic outlier that doesn’t have much relevance.
No “BUT” about it Bluto. It certainly is reverent. The jumping to conclusions ruined the Duke education and athletic careers of a number of young men whose lives were changed irreversible. The rumors of rich kids taking advantage of a poor victim instantly ran wild. They were instantly tried and convicted by social media and public opinion…………………And it was all bullshit.
We should never STOP citing the Duke Lacrosse case and it’s far from a “dramatic outlier”. If you can’t see the damage done by jumping to conclusions in these situations without the facts, then you are a victim of a permanent cranial – rectal inversion.
Don’t agree.
Especially on the reverent part.
The Duke case is an outlier. But outliers do happen. So I have zero issue with people bringing that up in the context of reserving judgment until more information is made available. I’m skeptical in this instance because of the previous allegations involving Julio. I always reserve judgment. Because rare as it may be, sometimes the victim is the perpetrator.
All that said, this appeared to have happened at a VIP event at the MLS game against Miami. Julio was among a large contingent of celebrities who attended because of who is playing for Miami.
Unlike the last allegation (in a parking lot) there is likely to be extensive video. And credible witnesses. Ambiguity seems unlikely.
We will know more soon. This appeared to have happened at a very visible event.
At the beginning of the season, tell me what you’d think our record would be at beginning of September without Buehler, Urias, May and Gonsolin in the rotation. This is going to be a lengthy suspension! First MLB player to be investigated twice.
Lets not condemn poor Julio right away. Who knows what demons the young man is dealing with in his head. I’m not condoning what he allegedly did, but if he is found guilty, maybe he can get the help he needs to get himself straightened out.
Good point it is too early to completely convict Urias and throw away the key. Other Dodger sites are already doing that, Eric Stephen and his True Blue cult have done this already.
In no way am i defending what he supposedly did just give it a few days before sealing his fate and forcing him to the KBO or Mexican leagues.
It appears the incident with Julio took place at an MLS game. He was among a large group of VIPs at the event. In a VIP area. So there is likely video. And lots of witnesses.
We should know more soon.
Here is the reference.
https://apnews.com/article/julio-urias-arrested-dodgers-88b8f248d9add4c84d84de7d83067d81
The league office opens back up tomorrow. My guess is that there will be some sort of action then. Likely a stint on admin leave will be the first step. That protects the players salary and his rights under the CBA. It also allows the Dodgers flexibility to replace him on the roster. His hearing is not until the end of September. Most likely more information will become available as time goes on. Once might be a mistake, twice is a pattern. I dealt with this kind of thing with my former son-in-law. The last time it happened, I finally convinced my daughter to move on. There is no excuse for abusing, hitting or shoving those weaker than yourself. Poor Julio? Please. The guy makes millions, gets to play a kid’s game for a living. I have no sympathy for professional athletes who do crap like this. Even if the woman instigates the problem, you walk away. Safest way to avoid incidents like this.
Alcohol, testosterone, and women. A recipe for disaster.
Question
Who is the current OPS leader in MLB?
No googling
Ohtani is tied with Corey Seager. Knew that because I was researching for a post
I said no googling
4 of the top 7 are Dodgers or ex Dodgers
Didn’t realise Corey was having such a good season
He’s also 2nd in Batting Average ahead of Freddie!!
I think it’s safe to say Julio’s Dodger career is over.
Perhaps his baseball career too, second arrest for domestic violence.
Corey Seager would be MVP if not for Ohtani, proving he was worth 325 however his injury history is still scary. Regardless we had the money and should have pulled the trigger. We built him, he should be playing for us, and he would be the difference maker in terms of a title this year. I know Timmons feels differently, however clearly Friedman dropped the ball here being outbid by Texas.
Hindsight bias, thy name is Adam.
I enjoyed Animal House so I will not hold your comment or your GPA against you.
I love Seager.
But the Dodgers have a 15 game lead in the NL West. Texas is 1 behind.
I don’t care about individual players. Texas is being out played by a younger Seattle team right now. With Seager.
Scoreboard.
Apple to Oranges, Seager is one of the main reasons they are 1 back as opposed to out of the race. Again Seager would have placed us ahead of Atlanta instead of behind.