While I wanted to raise awareness about the Jose Veras card, I never intended to take this long of a break from the blog. I think I made my point although now it’s up to Topps if they want to fix it. Moving forward, since it’s Monday, I’m going to throw another mascot out at you.
 |
| #M-22 Swinging Friar |
First impression of
what’s going on: I knew the San Diego Chicken wasn't the San Diego Padres
mascot. And I knew the Padres had a monk/friar swinging a bat in their logo.
And I've seen the “live” mascot before. But I don’t think I ever knew he went
by the Swinging Friar moniker. The photo itself is pretty good, as is the crop job. The
guy in the background is probably a mascot escort or chaperon or event staff
or whatever it is they call them at Petco Park.
But wait. Are they in
Petco Park? I think I see the top of another mascot right behind the Friar.
It’s a little tough to tell, and if I hadn't just seen a card of his as well I
wouldn't know it, but I think that is TC, the Minnesota Twins mascot behind him. Usually the Mascots don't travel to road games. Maybe the
source photo will give me more info.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 14: San Diego Padres Mascot, Friar, walks around during the 2013 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Citi Field on July 14, 2013 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Reality of the
Photo: My suspicions are correct, at least as far as Petco Park goes. The
photo was taken at Citi Field (home of the New York Mets) during the All-Star Futures
Game. A quick search on Getty Images for “mascot padres 2013’ netted more
results for Mr. Met than our Swinging Friar. There seems to be a pre-game
(hopefully, based on the empty stands) photoshoot for Mr. Met during a
Mets/Padres series.
For those unfamiliar with the All-Star Futures game, it pits
minor league prospects from the USA against minor league prospects from all of
the other countries. It is played during the All-Star weekend. Check out the Wiki for more information. Team USA leads the overall series
9-6 since its inception in 1999, including the last four in a row. No word on
who the Swinging Friar was rooting for.
There’s no conclusive proof of the trailing mascot being TC,
but I think in the source photo, I can make out the Twins logo on his hat. Bernie
Brewer’s mustache/hair make a cropped cameo in the source photo too. Here’s
another photo proving that TC was there that day.
 |
| Only the Phillie Phanatic has perfected the "Facebook Duckface" look. |
On to the back:
There’s no Rookie Fact on these as it has been replaced by
the Identifying Feature.
Identifying Feature: Humble Attire
I guess tonsure is too much for a “kids”
card? The blurb does refer to him as a holy man, but there aren’t any other
religious references. No history lesson from Topps here.
This was all I could find on the Friar on the Padres
official website and it was buried in the A-Z Guide:
Information I’ll be tracking:
Card Number: #M-22
Player Name: Swinging
Friar
Team: San Diego
Padres
Position: Mascot
Game Date: July
14, 2013
Opponent: N/A
Stadium: Citi
Field (but normally Petco Park)
Division: National
League West
Home/Away: Away
(but almost always otherwise home)
Outcome of the game:
4-0, USA over World
Alternate/Throwback
Jersey: N/A
Bats/Throws: N/A
Birthdate: Inanimately,
1961. Live action, 1996.
Birthplace: San
Diego
Cameos by: Stadium
Staff, TC (Twins Mascot)
Photographer: Tim
Clayton
Niche collections
this card could fit into: Cameos, Mascots, Awesome Hair
My Grade: Although
you can’t see it in this picture, you know the awesome hair is there, so he
gets credit. I think Topps did pretty well with the photo selection, especially
given the lack of options. I wonder why there is a shortage of mascot photos on
Getty Images?
I think 99% of the time you’ll see the mascot at their home
stadium. I think it’s kind of cool that the Friar made the cross country trip
for a special occasion. I’m going to give this card an A.
