Billy the Marlin
Billy the Marlin | |
---|---|
Team | Miami Marlins |
Description | Marlin |
Origin of name | Bill |
Website | Official website |
Billy the Marlin is the official mascot of the
Early history
Of unknown age, the character debuted on February 25, 1993. According to his employers, Billy the Marlin "was handpicked not only for his skill, cunning and great competitive nature, but most of all for his outstanding sense of humor and great rapport with baseball fans of all ages."[2] Officially the son of William and Willamina Marlin.
His name was picked by original owner Wayne Huizenga because a marlin is a type of billfish, and Mr. Huizenga reportedly wanted a name that was different from the baseball-type names of other mascots, easier for children to remember.[citation needed]
Skydiving mishap
U.S. Navy
John Routh's tenure
For the first ten years in the major leagues he was played by John Routh (who at the time also portrayed Sebastian the Ibis at Miami Hurricanes sporting events), until he was fired in 2003 as part of budget cuts. Routh was reported to have been earning in excess of $80,000 p.a. at the time.[5]
During Routh's tenure, Billy the Marlin regularly launched a tightly wadded T-shirt out of a pressurized air gun. In one instance, a shirt accidentally hit an elderly man in the eye, temporarily knocking the man unconscious.[6] The man later filed an unsuccessful $250,000 lawsuit.[7] After a five-day trial, Routh was found "not negligent" by the jury. The man's companion at the game admitted that during a scramble for a T-shirt that landed in the row in front of them, that another fan may have hit him with an elbow. During the trial, a local TV station wanted footage of Routh testifying, but the judge ruled that "just as children believe in Santa Claus, South Florida children believe in Billy the Marlin", so Routh's face was ordered to not be shown.[citation needed]
After Routh
On September 13, 2004, Billy the Marlin made a home game appearance at
In 2005, Billy the Marlin made some 450 appearances a year outside of games, the Marlins charging $350 an hour. In contrast to the Routh era when he was allowed to keep all of his off-field income, the Marlins split appearance money with the mascot's portrayer – the team's portion going to the team's charitable foundation.[9]
Topps featured Billy the Marlin in their 2007 Opening Day Baseball series as card #198, released 03/14/2007.[10]
Current activities
Billy the Marlin was nominated for the
Billy's Bunch is an official fan club for kids ages 12 and under.[11] Billy's Bunch is also the name of a 30-minute SunSports/FSFlorida TV show.[12] Formerly Marlins StrikeZone, the new format premiered April 5, 2008.[13]
Billy the Marlin also has starred in several This is SportsCenter commercials.
References
- ^ Billy the Marlin Home page
- ^ Billy the Marlin, Florida Marlins Biography
- ^ a b "Scorecard" Sports Illustrated, April 14, 1997 (web archive) Archived February 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Marlins Mascot Gets Head Back". San Francisco Chronicle. June 2, 1997. p. E4.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, October 21, 2003 (story by Ross Newhan)
- ^ "A history of bizarre mascot incidents", SI.com, Posted: Thursday July 10, 2003 Sports Illustrated story
- ISBN 0-7360-4483-3.
- ^ Jenkins, Lee (September 14, 2004). "Marlins Making Themselves at Home in Chicago". New York Times.
- ^ Soshnick, Scott; Sessa, Danielle (October 24, 2005). "Baseball's Other World Series Pitch: Hire the Mascot". Bloomberg.
- ^ 2007 Opening Day, The Topps Company Inc.Card #198[permanent dead link]
- ^ Billy's Bunch (Florida Marlins) Fan club
- ^ Billy's Bunch (show) 2008 TV schedule
- ^ Sunsports/FSN News FSN web page.