This is Mascot Week. All week. I shall be featuring some of my favorite mascots.
I fully admit I am not a huge fan of the White Sox, although I have warmed up to them a bit over the last couple years. My interest in the team seems to come and go.
That doesn't stop me from having interest in Southpaw. I think he's the best mascot they have ever had.
Like a lot of mascots, Southpaw's species is unknown, but he is listed as "a fuzzy green dude." Hi favorite food is ants on a log, but not real ants, since he is not an anteater.
His name derives from his southside birth and his left-handedness. He made his major league debut on June 13, 2004. Southpaw is a friendly sort and states that he is buddies with all other mascots. In fact, I have seen him hanging out with other mascots several times, including at Swiper's annual birthday celebration at the Chicago Bandits ball park.
The White Sox mascot history isn't good. They hired the marketing team that created the Phillie Phanatic to design mascots and they developed Ribbie and Roobarb. Ribbie was an anteater and Roobarb was undetermined.
The new mascots signaled the end of Andy the Clown, a fixture at White Sox games for years. The Sox reversed that decision, but limited his action. It was a bit unpleasant. The new mascots were pretty unpopular with everyone and were eventually retired in 1988.
It was odd that mascots were so critically viewed. I have an odd fascination and soft spot for mascots, yet I didn't even like those two.
Fortunately, Southpaw came along and has been very popular with fans. I know I definitely like the big green fuzzy dude!
Southpaw and me in Rosemont, IL-July 2017.
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