While I very rarely will buy hardcover books now, when I saw this one at a second-hand bookstore with Mr. Met on the cover, I was intrigued. I’m glad I made the small investment as I enjoyed this look at sports mascots.
Title/Author:
“Yes, It’s Hot In Here: Adventures in the Weird, Wooly World of Sports Mascots” by A. J. Mass
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review: Mascots are as much a part of sports as are the players and coaches. They interact with fans, perform various acts on the field of play during breaks in the game and will make many appearances outside of sports on behalf of the school or team. A former Mr. Met, A. J. Mass writes about life as a mascot and shares some interesting stories about life as a mascot.
Not all of those stories are about himself, though. Whie the star of the book describes how Mr. Met came into existence and his time as the mascot at Shea Stadium, Moss writes about others who have lived the life of a mascot. There are good stories on famous mascots such as the San Diego Chicken (Ted Giannonulas), the Phillies Phanatic (Dave Raymond) and the Phoenix Gorilla (Henry Rojas).
The stories on other less prominent mascots and the people who wore those costumes are even better. There are many names - at times it’s hard to keep track of who was which mascot - but nonetheless they are all entertaining and for the most part uplifting, such as stories of two young women who were glass ceiling breakers when they became mascots for the Syracuse University Orange and MLB’s Oakland Athletics. There are also stories of some mascots, especially in Pittsburgh, where the men in the costume of the Parrot ran afoul of the law.
Moss did try to get back in costume one last time just before writing this book (published in 2014) but was rebuffed by the Mets. It’s clear in his writing about the team that while he enjoyed being Mr. Met, he had no love lost for the team’s front office, especially those in marketing and communication, the areas that primarily hire and fire mascots. It’s not a very stable job and like athletes, age can cut short the time one can perform. But like the job, this book can be fun and if one likes to see the mascots as well as the players then read this book.
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