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THE BAD MASCOT
Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The daily newsletter that never gets rained out.
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Let’s dive in.
Today’s story is about a franchise that had the worst mascot idea ever.
The cubs have a weird history with animals.
Of course, there was the time when they didn’t let Murphy the goat into the World Series, the time a black cat ran across the on deck circle, and then there’s this:
What you’re seeing here is actually a grown man in a bear suit with the 1908 Cubs.
No one really knows for sure who was in the bear suit, but it’s likely that they served as the understudy for Arthur Hill (1875–1932), a renowned British performer known for his animal impersonations.
Hill is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the original 1902 stage production of "The Wizard of Oz."
During the summer of 1908, Hill was performing as the "friendly bear" in the play "The Top o' th' World," which was being shown at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago.
The costume was so horrifying that Chicago actually nixed this mascot and brought on a 10-year-old orphan as their good luck charm instead during the World Series that year.
A few years later, the Cubs tried a new kind of mascot - a live cub.
Yes, an actual bear from a local zoo.
Giphy
One cub, Clara Maduro, was almost executed because of her strength and unpredictability, but in 1916, Chicago brought on Joa.
Joa was named after the Cubs owner - J. Ogden Armour.
He lived in a display cage outside Wrigley Field, meant to be shown off to fans.
Eventually, the inevitable happened - Joa bit a player and was so reckless around fans that the club had to get rid of him.
The team sold the cub to the Lincoln Park Zoo for $20.
After that, they went 98 years before considering a new mascot.
In 2014, the Cubs finally introduced an official mascot: Clark the Cub.
While some fans were initially skeptical of Clark, he has since become a beloved figure at Wrigley Field.
He makes regular appearances at games, interacts with fans, and has even been the subject of a children's book.
STARTED FROM THE BASEMENT, NOW WE’RE HERE.
Back in ‘07, Ryan Vesler started Homage in his parents’ basement.
The idea was to make clothing that transports people back in time and connects us through those shared experiences.
They’re inspired by sports, movies, pop culture and anything else that’s considered nostalgic.
And these days, Ryan and his team have partnerships with everyone you can think of: MLB, NBA, NFL, WWE, and more.
Here’s a few things I’m eyeballing right now while they still have their Cyber Monday deal going:
If you like any of those here are the quick links:
Grab their deals before they disappear!
BASEBALL TRIVIA
Find the answer in the bottom of this email!
STRANGE NAMES
If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.
Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.
If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.
Today's winner is:
Moose’s career was over quicker than a celebrity marriage.
He played six games, racked up 21 AB’s and recorded a brutal .190 batting average.
Beyond that, all we really know about Moose is that he died in Portland.
THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE
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BASEBALL TRIVIA ANSWER: Todd Helton