Home Run Derby

Thanks to some Taoist support, BJ Birdy became the third of four #6 seeded MLB Mascot to knock off a #3 seed in our Mascot Brackets.  I guess the Bird wasn’t as popular as I thought he was.

Let’s see if a battle of retired MLB mascots in the Furrie Division will see another #6 Seed knock off the favorite …

#3 Youppi! (Montreal Expos) vs. #6 Ribbie and Roobarb (Chicago White Sox)

The Montreal Expos unveiled Youppi! in 1979.  Designed by the same people who created the Phillie Phanatic, Youppi! was beloved in Montreal and Canada.  However, many Expos players and coaches complained that the team spent more time on promoting Youppi! than the ballclub.

Youppi! might be the strangest name of all the MLB Mascots that there ever have been.  “Youppi!” means “Hooray!” in French, which is kind of an odd name for a mascot of a team that provided its fans with very few “Hooray” moments in its existence.

What makes Youppi! unique in this tournament is that he’s no longer an MLB mascot.  After the Expos left Montreal in 2005 to become the Washington Nationals, Youppi! couldn’t get a visa to work in the States.  Fortunately he found work in Canada as the new mascot of Les Habs, the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

Ribbie and Roobarb were created by the same design team as Youppi! and the Phanatic.  Unfortunately they were more Dandy than Phanatic.

Intended to help reduce the rowdy image at Comiskey Park, the pair debuted in the early 80’s and were met immediately with antipathy.  Many in the crowd mocked them and even the children would abuse them.  Ribbie (the magenta anteater) and Roobarb (Oscar the Grouch’s goofy cousin) were retired before the 1989 season. 

But as with most things ChiSox, they are beloved in the hearts of White Sox fans who lived through the 80’s.  They might have been subpar mascots - but they were subpar White Sox mascots. 

Winner gets Raymond - the Devil Rays’ mascot that eliminated Southpaw - who is the current mascot of the White Sox.

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Vote until Thursday, September 20th at Midnight CDT.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Expos, Mascot Brackets, Mascots, White Sox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.