Mascot Spotlight: Gary Railcats Rusty

Rusty the RailCat has been cheering for the Gary RailCats since 2002. He grew up near the tracks in Gary and fell in love with baseball, catnip and hot dogs.

In 2017, Rusty got a bit of a makeover or really a body transformation. Coinciding with health insurance provider Anthem signing on as Rusty's sponsor, Rusty got a new costume to give Rusty a new trimmed-down look. Previously, Rusty had a big tummy (aided by a lot of padding, of course).

The costume also had a more practical side. Replacing a lot of the fur with mesh, made it much cooler for Rusty's portrayer. It also allowed the team to have Rusty model various jerseys for marketing purposes.

I met Rusty several times, the last of which was to celebrate the birthday of DePaul's mascot DIBS. Rusty was one of several mascots supporting DIBS and entertaining fans. I got pictures with all of them, of course.

For more info on Rusty and the RailCats, go to RailCatsBaseball.com. Also, check back here for recurring fun with mascots.

Rusty and me in Chicago, IL-January 2022.

Mascots: Rusty of the Chicago Steel

Mascot Week salutes the fine, fuzzy creatures we all know and love (especially me).

The Chicago Steel debuted in the Unite States Hockey League in 2000. Since 2015, they play home games at Fox Velley Ice Arena in Geneva, Illinois.

I don't know when Rusty became the mascot, but the lovable dog has supported the team for many years at least. Occasionally, he is joined by apuppy named Rascal.

Rusty fears no other teams, but is a bit leery fo the Zamboni. He seems to think it is a giant vacuum cleaner.

I met Steel at the Ballpark in Rosemont when he helped celebrate Swiper's birthday. That was a day full of mascot madness. 

Rusty and me in Rosemont, IL-July 2018.

Mascot Week: Rusty of the Gary RailCats

This is Mascot Week.  All week. I am featuring some of my favorite fuzzy creatures.

Rusty the RailCat debuted for the Gary RailCats in 2002. His backstory reveals he grew up near the tracks in Gary and fell in love with baseball, catnip and hot dogs.

For his first 15 years of existence, Rusty had a big tummy (aided by a lot of padding inside the suit). During the 2017 season, the organization decided the Rusty needed a new costume. At the same time, health insurance provider Anthem signed on as Rusty's sponsor. It only made sense to give Rusty a new trimmed-down look.

The new costume was no longer all fur, like the previous one. Instead, fur was replaced by mesh under the jersey. This made the costume cooler under the sun, and also allowed Rusty to model special jerseys and shirts. It was the perfect marriage of form meets function.

Rusty makes appearances away from the ballpark, too, but you'll never see a duplicate Rusty. There is only one Rusty appearance at any given time.

I had the pleasure of meeting Rusty at a Chicago Bandits game. Rusty and several other fuzzy friends were there to celebrate Bandits mascot Swiper's birthday.

Rusty and me in Rosemont, IL-July 2017.

Mascot Week: Rusty, Swiper, Squeeze, Willie, Supernova, Skates and King

Mascot Week continues. Cn you spot me among the many furry creatures?
Every July, the Chicago Bandits celebrated their mascot Swiper's birthday. .There are always several other mascots joining Swiper and helping celebrate his birthday.
Last season, my planning worked perfectly, as I caught the whole group as they left the playing field after pre-game festivities. That gave me the rare opportunity to get a group picture with all seven of them. We almost missed Supernova from the Chicago Red Stars, but he jumped in just at the last moment. Good thing he did, because that would have been a missed chance that would haunt me.
The rest of this week will be filled with all of the furry, fuzzy, goofy fun of the wonderful world of mascots. Of course, it will be hard to ever top this mascot experience.

Kings Dining & Entertainment Mascot, Chicago Dogs Squeeze, Northwestern University Willie the Wildcat, Gary SouthShore RailCats Rusty, Chicago Wolves Skates, Chicago Red Stars and me in Rosemont, IL-July 2019.