Okay, so I’ve got this topic I want to share with you guys today: the Cleveland Guardians’ mascot.
First off, I dug around and found out that the Guardians’ mascot is named Slider. Sounds kinda cool, right? But here’s the kicker – this dude wasn’t around forever. Apparently, before 1990, the team didn’t even have a mascot. Can you believe that? Then in 1990, Slider made his debut, inspired by the Phillie Phanatic, who I guess is a pretty big deal in the mascot world.
So, what does Slider look like? Picture this: a big, fuzzy, fuchsia-colored creature. Yeah, you heard that right, fuchsia! And he’s got this large yellow nose and shaggy yellow eyebrows. He sounds like a fun guy, to be honest. I learned he’s a mascot and he makes everyone happy. I read somewhere that someone said “he makes everyone happy” – and who am I to argue with that?
- The team scored a record 1009 runs in a season once, winning 97 games. That’s insane!
- Manny Ramirez had 165 RBIs, which is apparently the most by any player since 1935. Talk about a powerhouse!
- The team also led in attendance for the first time since 1948, setting a franchise record.
Here are some fun facts I stumbled upon:
I also discovered that the team’s spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. And get this, the franchise originated way back in 1894 as the Grand Rapids Rustlers, a minor league team in Michigan. I thought that was a cool bit of history. And then I find out about the hot dog mascots, one of them’s called Onion. What’s up with that?
Anyway, that’s the gist of what I found out about the Cleveland Guardians’ mascot, Slider. It was a fun little research project, and I hope you enjoyed hearing about it as much as I enjoyed digging into it!
