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Volume 2 Issue 23
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TIDBITS® CHEERS ON SOME FAVORITE
MASCOTS by Kathy Wolfe
What’s the mascot for your favorite sports team? This week, Tidbits explores the origin of mascots and passes along some info on some of our favorites, as well as the unusual and unknown. • The word “mascot” has its beginnings in France, with the first recorded use of the French word “mascotte” which translates “lucky charm,” in 1867. Earlier derivations of the word meant “witchcraft, charm, or amulet.” In the mid-19th century, mascottes might have been a lock of hair or a talisman, similar to a rabbit’s foot. • As high school and college sports grew in popularity, schools used mascots to distinguish and set apart their team on the field. In the 1800s, mascots were actually live animals. Professional sports teams didn’t begin using mascots until the 1960s. The New York Mets were the first team to debut a mascot, Mr. Met, a man with a giant baseball for a head, who made his debut in 1962 at the Polo Grounds, the Mets’ stadium at the time. The Mets’ farm team, the Brooklyn Cyclones, have their own mascot, Sandy the Seagull.
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MASCOTS (continued):
• The San Diego Chicken made his debut in 1974, but not at a Padres game. The chicken first made appearances at the San Diego Zoo, concerts, and other sporting events before first performing at the Padres stadium in 1977. A 20-year-old college student named Ted Giannoulas first donned the suit at the Zoo for $2 an hour, and is still playing the part. This fowl character doesn’t limit his appearances to Padres games, but works independently around the world, having made more than 17,000 appearances, with 8,500 of them at sporting events in 917 different arenas in all 50 states, four continents, and eight countries. Giannoulas has worn out more than 100 chicken suits. • The Philadelphia Phillies introduced the Phillie Phanatic in 1978, a furry green creature designed by puppeteers who had done work for Jim Henson. The Phanatic can be seen on the roof of the Phillies dugout at the seven-and-a-half inning stretch, performing The Phanatic Dance. He also shoots hot dogs into the stands using a pneumatic gun. • According to legend, Wally the Green Monster, the furry mascot of MLB’s Boston Red Sox, lived within the Green Monster wall from 1947 (the year the wall was painted green) until he emerged from inside in 1997. Named for the 37-ft., 2-inch (11.3 m) left field wall at Fenway Park, Wally wears Red Sox jersey No. 97, the year he emerged from the Wall. • The only “human” mascot in all four major North American sports cheers on the Minnesota Vikings. Ragnar the Viking exits the tunnel on his motorcycle, wearing his Norse attire. It may well be that Ragnar will be retired soon as Joe Juranitch, who has played the part for 21 years, has asked for a rather large increase in pay, from $1,500 per game in the 2015 season to a hefty $20,000 per game.
Can Renter be Forced to Give Up His Pet? DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I’m in a dilemma. I’ve had my dog for about five years. “Shera” stays with me in my apartment, one of six in a triple-decker house, and there have been no problems until now. Now, a new owner has bought the house and told me I cannot have a pet: I must either get rid of Shera or move out. What can I do? -Desperate in Worcester, Massachusetts DEAR DESPERATE: I feel for you, and I hope I can give you some useful advice in this limited space. My first tip is to act fast, and the sooner the better. I recommend immediately contacting your state’s legal services or aid resource, if there is one, to discuss the problem. You also could find free or low-cost legal advice through the state’s bar association or perhaps at a local university. Your local library can be a great resource, too -- you can get online for free, and the librarians can be very helpful. Renters have fairly extensive rights in most states. A new landlord usually cannot simply walk in and demand you get rid of your pet. The existing lease typically cannot be changed suddenly, either. And even if you don’t have
a signed lease (some apartments are still “handshake” agreements) the landlord typically must still give reasonable notice of a change in the terms. You also might try offering your landlord a nonrefundable pet deposit. These are sometimes required in rentals that accept pets. There’s much more information out there than I have room to write about here. But basically, you have more rights than you think. Stay calm, but immediately start contacting organizations that can help.
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ARIES (March 21 to April 19) A heads-up alert to all free-spirited Ewes and Rams: Be wary of a deal that could result in compromising your independence. Check every detail before making a commitment. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) New facts emerge that help put an irksome workplace situation in perspective. Meanwhile, pay more attention to a family member who needs your wisdom and strength. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A slight setback in plans is nothing to worry about. Use this delay to deal with a number of matters you might have ignored for too long. Expect news from someone in your past. CANCER ( June 21 to July 22) You’re entering a period of stability. Use it to straighten out any outstanding problems related to a very personal situation. Also, pay closer attention to financial matters. LEO ( July 23 to August 22) As much as you love being a social Lion, you might well benefit from staying out of the spotlight for a while. You need time to reflect on some upcoming decisions. VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A difficult family situation improves, thanks to your timely intervention. You can now start to focus more of your attention on preparing for a possible career change. LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) An on-the-job change works to your benefit by offering new opportunities. It’s up to you to check them out. Meanwhile, a stalled romantic situation starts up again. SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) That flare-up of Scorpian temperament cools down, leaving you more receptive to suggestions about changes that might need to be made in your personal life. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) An unusual period of indecisiveness is a mite frustrating. But things soon clear up, allowing the sage Sagittarian to make those wise pronouncements again. CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) You might feel that you know best, but it’s not a good idea at this time to try to force your opinions on others. Best advice: Inspire change by example, not by intimidation. AQUARIUS ( January 20 to February 18) Some setbacks could affect your plans to fortify your financial situation. But things start moving again by early next week. Meanwhile, enjoy your resurgent social life. PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Show that often-hidden steely spine of yours as you once again stand up to an emotional bully. You’ve got the strength to do it, especially as friends rally to your side. BORN THIS WEEK: Your ruling planet, Mercury, endows you with a gift for writing. Have you considered penning the world’s greatest novel?
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1. GEOGRAPHY: What is the easternmost state capital in the United States? 2. MUSIC: What country was the group ABBA from? 3. MOVIES: In what movie was the character of John McClane introduced? 4. LITERATURE: The line “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” was written by which poet? 5. FOOD & DRINK: Where did the potato originate? 6. SCIENCE: Sunlight exposure on bare skin can help to form which vitamin? 7. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: How many minutes are in one degree of longitude or latitude? 8. ADVERTISEMENTS: What product’s advertising campaign declared that its consumption was “The Right Thing To Do”? 9. SPORTS: How many periods are in a National Hockey League game? 10. TELEVISION: What was the forerunner of PBS, the national public broadcasting service?
1. When was the last time before 2015 that three Pittsburgh Pirate starting pitchers, over three consecutive games, recorded double-digit strikeouts? 2. Of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, who recorded the most victories for the Atlanta Braves? 3. Duke Johnson became the all-time leader in career rushing yards (3,519) for the University of Miami Hurricanes in 2014. Who had been No. 1? 4. In 2015, Hassan Whiteside set the Miami Heat team mark with 12 blocked shots in a game. Who had held the record? 5. Who was the first New York Rangers player to tally 40 or more goals in an NHL season? 6. Penn State has won five of the past six NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. What school was the other winner during that time period? 7. Jordan Spieth set a record at the 2015 Masters with 28 birdies in 72 holes. Who had held the mark?
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Make Fresh Pasta
MASCOTS (continued): • NFL’s Tennessee Titans chose their state animal as the mascot of their team. T-Rac is a raccoon who dresses in Titan garb and has frequently zip-lined into Nashville’s Nissan Stadium to cheer on the team. • Four NFL teams have no mascot – the New York Giants, the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, and the Green Packers, although thousands of Packers fans don cheeseheads for their team’s games. The most recent team to add a mascot was the St. Louis Rams, who added Rampage in 2010. Rampage will be on the move back to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. • Three Major League Baseball teams also have no mascot – the Angels, the Dodgers, and the Yankees. • Detroit Red Wings hockey fans have been throwing octopuses onto the ice since 1952, when two brothers who owned a fish market did it for the first time. The eight tentacles of this cephalopod represent the eight wins it took to win the Stanley Cup at that time. (It now takes 16 wins.) When the Wings scored a perfect eight, the octopus became the official mascot, named Al after their arena building operations manager Al Sobotka. Al has been updated a few times, including the removal of a tooth so that he had a “hockey player” look, as well as the addition of a Red Wings jersey to his body. And what is Al’s jersey number? Why, 8, of course! • Bailey the Lion is the mascot of hockey’s Los Angeles Kings, named in honor of the team’s Director of Pro Scouting, Ace Bailey, who was killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Prior to Bailey’s reign, the Kings had a snow leopard named Kingston. Bailey wears the No. 72 jersey, not as a tribute to any Kings player, but because that’s the average annual temperature in Los Angeles.
Pasta is a favorite national food of Italy, where it is typically cut into a variety of shapes and eaten with a sauce, in a soup or incorporated into a baked dish. But not just in Italy! Kids everywhere love pasta. No wonder it regularly appears on our family table. Mysteriously, though, when the kids were young, they often claimed to love linguine but not spaghetti, or shells but not elbows. And no matter how many times I tried to explain that it’s all the same thing, they insisted, “No! It tastes different!” Here’s your chance to check it out when you make fresh pasta with kids. They can cut this dough into a variety of shapes right before their eyes. When it’s cooked, they’ll discover one thing is certain -- eating fresh pasta (pasta fresca) opens the taste buds to something quite different from the standard dry pasta from a package. And if, while slurping the pasta into their mouths, you hear, “We like the squiggly shapes better!” you’ll have your answer. Maybe some forms are just a little more fun. FRESH PASTA (Makes 2 servings) 1 cup flour 1 egg 1 tablespoon water Prepare the dough: 1. Mound the flour on a work surface and make a deep “volcano” with your hands. Break the egg into the volcano. Beat the egg lightly with a fork while adding water. Continue until smooth, being careful not to break down the volcano walls. 2. Gradually incorporate flour into the egg mixture from the inside walls of the volcano. (This is a good job for kids to exercise their motor skills and patience.) Continue to stir in the flour until the dough is stiff. 3. When it is too firm to mix with the fork, knead it with your hands. Incorporate just enough flour to make a ball. (You may not need all of the flour.) Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and pliable. Place the dough on a floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Make pasta shapes: Roll the dough out on a floured board into a very thin rectangle. The thinner the better, as the noodles will plump up when cooked. Cut lengthwise into narrow strips with a pizza cutter. Of course, you don’t have to stick to standard forms. Using a small table knife, try different “kid” shapes like wiggly lines, little triangles or stars. Cook the pasta: 1. Boil the pasta in salted water for 4-5 minutes. Drain and serve with a pasta sauce and cheese. Or, toss into a pot of simmering chicken soup and boil until cooked. Watch my video FRESH PASTA at www. donnaerickson.com.
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For Advertising Call (541) 203-0233 MASCOTS (continued): • Each time the Olympics are held, the mascot symbolizes the host city. In 1968, Grenoble, France was the first city to have a mascot for the Winter Olympics, a little man on skis named Schuss. The 1972 Munich Olympics featured a dachshund named Waldi, and the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games introduced a bald eagle named Sam. The first Olympic mascot couple appeared at Calgary’s 1988 Winter Games. Hidy and Howdy were polar bears chosen after a contest sponsored by the Calgary Zoo brought in 7,000 entries. Most recently, the Sochi, Russia Olympics featured three mascots, a hare, a polar bear, and a leopard, symbolic of the three places on the Olympic podium. • Although mascots contribute to entertainment, enthusiasm, and team spirit, they are also the source of multi-million dollar income for a team in sales of souvenirs and team-related merchandise. • Exceptional mascots are inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame, created in 2005 by the original Phillie Phanatic. Originally an onlineonly organization, the city of Whiting, Indiana, agreed to construct a permanent Mascot Hall of Fame on the shores of Lake Michigan. Only mascots in place for at least 10 years are eligible for induction. Inductees include Mr. Met, Rocky of the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, Jazz Bear of the Utah Jazz, the San Diego Chicken, and, of course, the Phillie Phanatic. • Do you have a hankering to become a team mascot? San Antonio, Texas, is home to a Professional Mascot School, where for $250, you can learn the essentials of being a pro mascot.
can I do to reassure my husband that he won’t get a disease at the doctor’s office? -- R.
To Your Good Health By Keith Roach, M.D.
Husband Fears Germs in Doctor’s Offices
DEAR DR. ROACH: Our issue is with doctor’s offices and germs. My husband won’t see a doctor because he says they are some of the “germiest” places around. After his last visit to the dermatologist, he said he wouldn’t go back because the doctor didn’t wash his hands or change gloves before examining him. I asked a doctor once to wash his hands, and he got very defensive, to the point of being rude, and I didn’t feel comfortable seeing him again. Also, what about skin diseases, such as rosacea, lupus, etc.? Can these be transferred via stethoscopes, equipment or incidental contact? What
ANSWER: It is certainly reasonable to expect that your doctor’s office be kept clean, and you have every right to ask your doctor to wash his or her hands before an exam, if you haven’t seen him or her washing hands in front of you. I don’t blame you for being uncomfortable about seeing the defensive doctor -- infection control is part of our business. However, it is impossible (and unnecessary) to keep the surfaces truly sterile, since diseases that are transmitted in the doctor’s office most often come from hands, or occasionally are airborne, such as during flu season (which is why you may be asked to wear a mask if you have a cough or sneeze). One exception is C. diff, which is why it is such a problem in hospitals. Washing your own hands is a good idea when leaving the physician’s office, but you don’t want to go overboard worrying about acquiring diseases in the doctor’s office. Rosacea and lupus are not spread by skin-to-skin contact. *** DEAR DR. ROACH: I was prescribed Lamisil (terbinafine 250 mg). I developed diarrhea after 44
pills. My doctor told me to stop taking the pills. The diarrhea has continued, and it still hasn’t stopped to this day. I tried over-the-counter treatments, which did not help. I read on the Internet that this is a common side effect. I’m concerned and don’t know what to do to get relief. Do you have any suggestions? -- E.B. ANSWER: I also have read in online forums about diarrhea lasting for months after oral terbinafine, a powerful antifungal agent that can be used as a cream. However, the published reports state that the diarrhea, which isn’t uncommon, usually goes away by itself pretty quickly. General advice for acute diarrhea (that is, lasting less than two weeks) includes drinking plenty of fluids with some salt and sugar, not eating at all for the first 24 hours and then only modest amounts of bland foods, such as rice, potatoes, bananas and crackers. The over-the-counter drug loperamide usually is safe. If you are having more than six bowel movements a day on this regimen after two days, it’s time to call your doctor again. Oral terbinafine rarely causes serious liver damage. Although it’s not life-threatening, it can cause taste disturbances, which can become permanent. I recommend thinking twice before taking oral terbinafine.
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rot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house.” * It was beloved English author and humorist P.G. Wodehouse, probably best known for his tales of Wooster and Jeeves, who made the following observation: “Judges, as a class, display, in the matter of arranging [divorce settlements] that reckless generosity which is found only in men who are giving away someone else’s money.” * Brides in ancient Rome carried sheaves of wheat, not bouquets of flowers.
UNUSUAL ANIMALS:
FERRETS
One of the nation’s most popular pets is the ferret, currently in third place after cats and dogs. Let’s get the facts on this member of the Mustelid family. • Ferrets are carnivorous mammals in the same family as otters, badgers, weasels, minks, and wolverines. Their name comes from the Latin word furittus, meaning “little thief,” which is indicative of their habit of hiding small items. • A male ferret can reach of length of 18 inches (46 cm), and weighs between 2 and 5 lbs. (0.9 and 2.3 kg), While the female might grow to a length of 16 inches (40 cm), she only weighs half as much as the male. A baby ferret, called a kit, is so tiny that it can fit in a teaspoon. Ferret owners can expect their pet to live between six and eight years. • Ferrets have been domesticated for over 2,000 years, and were pets in the Middle Ages. In fact, a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci features the subject, Cecelia Gallerani, holding a ferret. Queen Victoria of England raised albino ferrets and frequently handed them out as gifts to visitors. • These pets are very intelligent and can be trained to perform a variety of tricks. Typically happy little animals, they often perform a “weasel war dance,” during which they jump about wildly with their tail puffed out while making strange hissing noises. This is just their way of playfully expressing their joy! The dance must wear them out, because ferrets sleep between 14 and 18 hours a day. • Ferrets can also be useful in the community. Since a small one is able to squeeze through a hole just over 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, they been used for running wire and cable.
* Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, had a pet parrot with a questionable vocabulary. In fact, Poll (the pet in question) was so foul-mouthed (-beaked?) that it disrupted Jackson’s funeral. According to Rev. William Menefee Norment, who presided at the service, “Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked par-
Nursing Home Compare Adds More Rankings
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has added six more quality measurements to their online Nursing Home Compare program. The current online program lets consumers investigate and rank nursing homes in areas such as quality of care outcomes, staff, health inspections and more, using information that comes from the nursing homes and patients. The six new quality measures will not be selfreported by the nursing homes, but come from Medicare claims from hospitals. Here are the six measures: Short-stay patients (less than 100 days in the facility): 1) Patients who were discharged to the community. 2) Patients who visited the emergency room. 3) Patients who were readmitted to the hospital after being in the nursing home. 4) Patients who had improvements in function.
VA Expands Telehealth Mental-Health Care Veterans living in rural areas have been able in many cases to take advantage of TeleHealth. Via phone calls, video conferencing or storage of information, more than 600,000 veterans received care last year without leaving home. Now the Department of Veterans Affairs is adding more mental-health resource centers to its lineup. What this means to veterans is rapid access to mental-health care in rural areas or areas that are underserved by mentalhealth providers. The facilities, gearing up this summer, will be located in Charleston, South Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Pittsburgh; Boise, Idaho; Seattle; and Portland, Oregon. An additional facility is already up and running in West Haven, Connecticut, for serious and complex mental-health concerns such as bipolar disorder and chronic depression.
* The reasons why aren’t clearly understood, but it seems that people with high blood pressure rarely get cancer. * Glass-bottom beer tankards were invented during medieval times. Evidently, some taverns were so rough that patrons felt the need to be able to see the other drinkers even when turning the mug bottoms-up. * Those who study such things say that when you’re sleeping, a quarter of all your blood is in your liver. * It’s pretty common knowledge that it’s the male seahorse, not the female, that gives birth to the young. Not many people realize, though, that a male seahorse can deliver a brood of a thousand or more babies in the morning, and then be pregnant again that night.
Long-stay patients (more than 100 days in the facility): 5) Patients who had worsening ability to move independently. 6) Patients who were given anti-anxiety medication. The CMS program, started in 1998, has progressed and grown over the years, including the addition of sanctions against nursing homes, inspection reports and ownership of the facilities. In 2008, it compiled the information into star ratings to make comparisons easier. Starting soon, the program also will collect data on staff turnover, staffing levels and types of staffing. The information has been gathered and will appear on the Nursing Home Compare website, but it will be a few months before it is translated into star ratings. To use the Nursing Home Compare website, go online to Medicare.gov and put Nursing Home Compare in the search box. Put your city and state in the location box, or your ZIP code, and click Search. To look at a particular nursing facility, put that name in the search box.
Telemedicine might well be one of the most technologically beneficial forms of patient care that the VA provides, with 2.1 million televisits last year. Thanks to TeleHealth, many veterans can continue to live at home and have their vitals monitored without having to move to a nursing home. Clinical Video Telehealth means a veteran can have a prescription changed or consult and ask questions without having to go to a medical facility. Real-time video conferencing allows a patient to communicate directly with the health-care provider through one of the gadgets, such as computers, telephone and monitors. Storeand-Forward collects images and signals that are transmitted to the medical staff to be reviewed and assessed later. If you live in an area where much of your care from the VA is through Telehealth, you can keep an eye on changes via its quarterly online newsletter. Go to www.telehealth. va.gov and click on Newsletters for the list of current and past issues.
Cowboy Penknife Q: My dad gave me a Hopalong Cassidy black and white penknife. Dad is now 85 years old and thinks he originally received it when he was about 10 or 12 years old. Does it have any value? -- Matthew, Bloomingdale, Illinois A: There were several Hopalong Cassidy knives issued, and I am not certain which one you have. According to “Hopalong Cassidy Collectibles” by Joe Caro, the black singleblade knife would sell in the $150-$225 range if in excellent condition.
*** Q: I have been searching for several years for a catalog about Shirley Temple dolls. I have even contacted the Bradford Exchange where some of my dolls were purchased. I did not get any help. I have several dolls from the 1980s and ‘90s that I want to find values. -- Evelyn, Coventry, Rhode Island A: I find it interesting that the Bradford Exchange would not help you since some of your dolls were purchased there. There are at least a dozen excellent price guides for Shirley Temple items. Two I especially recommend are “Shirley Temple Dolls and Price Guide” by Suzanne Kraus-Mancuso (Holly House Books) and “The Complete Guide to Shirley Temple Dolls and Collectibles” by Tonya Bervaldi-Camaratta (Collector Books). Both are available at www.amazon.com. *** Q: I have crystal, glassware and vases from the 1940s, some earlier. I also have some
embroidered handkerchiefs that were my grandmothers, a blue-flowered vegetable bowl and necklaces from the 1890s. Other items include stoneware, a teapot and gold-rimmed fruit bowls dating back 150 years. Where can I sell these items? -- Virginia, Albuquerque, New Mexico A: You are fortunate that you live in a larger city that has dozens of excellent antique and collectible dealers. This is where you should start. I always recommend to my readers that they buy and sell locally when possible. If that idea doesn’t work or appeal to you, there is eBay. *** Q: In 1938, I bought a Packard Bell tabletop radio. It is Model 46D in a wooden case. I love the radio, and it still plays. -- Steve, Jackson, Mississippi A: Most radios of this type retail for about $100.
FERRETS (continued):
• In the 1960s, Boeing used the little weasels to string wire through airplanes. They were used to run underground cable for London’s Y2K Millennium concert, coaxed with bits of meat and the end of tunnels. Ferrets have displayed their usefulness in dragging cleaning brushes through tubes that were otherwise impossible to clean. • Sadly, ferrets are not all fun and games. They have been known to attack infants
when left unattended, even killing a • Pet ferrets are completely dependent on 10-week-old baby. A 10-day-old baby people for life. Their diet must contain was attacked as her mother napped, and meat or they will die. Left on its own, fortunately was saved by the family a ferret will die starvation within four dog who bounded to the rescue. A days. It also cannot tolerate freezing pet ferret chewed off the fingers of a weather and will die within 24 hours. four-month-old baby sitting alone in a • Do you know the ferret lingo? A male rocker. These small mammals have an is called a Hob, while the female is amazing 34 teeth in their tiny mouths! referred to as a Jill. Spayed females are They are excellent mousers, killing known as Sprites, and neutered males rodents by biting the base of the neck are called Gibs. A group of ferrets is at the junction of the skull and spine. called a “business.”
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COLLEGE MASCOTS
There are some very unusual mascots at some of the colleges and universities around the continent. Here are just a few.
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450 lbs. (204 kg), but expected to reach 600 lbs. (270 kg) by full adulthood. The first Mike was really named Sheik, and was purchased in 1935 from the Little Rock, Arkansas Zoo for $750, with funds raised by collecting a quarter from every LSU student. He lived 20 years. Mike VI (whose name is actually Roscoe) lives in a $3 million, 15,000 sq-ft. habitat created especially for the school’s mascot, which includes a waterfall, a stream, a pond, abundant greenery, and rocky mesas. During home games, opposing teams must pass by Mike’s cage-on-wheels, which is always situated by the locker room.
• University of California at Irvine is home to the Anteaters, who received their name in 1965. Two of the school’s water polo players were great fans of the Johnny Hart comic strip “B.C.”, which made its newspaper debut in 1958. The prehistoric cartoon featured an anteater who snatched up ants with a “Zot!” sound. Today, “Zot!” is the university’s warcry at college sporting events, and their mascot is named Peter the Anteater.
• Scottsdale, Arizona Community College’s athletic teams have a rather unique team name, the Fighting Artichokes. The college, which opened in 1970, was without a mascot for its • In 1953, Ohio’s University of Akron chose first two years. There was a little animosity Zippy the kangaroo as their school mascot. between the administration and the student The name wasn’t chosen because the animal body over distribution of scholarship money. zips around, but as an abbreviated form of Consequently, students put three suggestions “Zippers,” used to refer to a pair of rubber on the ballot for the team – the Scoundrels, overshoes manufactured by the city’s BF the Rutabagas, and the Artichokes. Put to a Goodrich Company. Although the team has vote, the Artichokes won out. been known as the Zips since 1925, Zippy • Another team with an edible mascot name is didn’t come along until 28 years later. the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, located in Winston-Salem. The Fighting Pickles was the name selected by the student body in 2010, and in 2012, it was named the “Cheesiest College Mascot.” • Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia proudly calls their team the Fighting Squirrels. The school was established in 1842 as the Augusta Female Seminary, and was a very state-of-the-art school during the Civil War Years. Mary Julia Baldwin was one of the Seminary’s first students, and became its principal in 1863, where she remained for the next 34 years. The school was renamed in her honor, and because the squirrel was the central figure in her family crest, it became the school’s mascot. • Eighteen different varsity teams at Texas Christian University are known as the Horned Frogs. In 1897, the year the team was named, the school was known as AddRan Christian University. The name came about because of “the abundance of those creatures around campus.” The name was changed to TCU in 1902, but the mascot remained the same.
• Attend a game at Louisiana State University and you can catch a glimpse of Mike, a live Bengal tiger, the school’s mascot. The current Mike is the sixth tiger in the mascot’s history and is a Siberian-Bengal mix weighing over
1. It was September 1969 (Bob Veale, Bob Moose and Dock Ellis). 2. Glavine, 244 wins in 17 seasons with Atlanta; Smoltz, 210 wins in 20 seasons; Maddux, 194 wins in 11 seasons. 3. Ottis Anderson tallied 3,331 yards (1975-78). 4. Alonzo Mourning, with nine. 5. Andy Bathgate in the 1958-59 season. 6. Ohio State, in 2015. 7. Phil Mickelson had 25 birdies in 2001.
Answers 1. Augusta, Maine 2. Sweden 3. “Die Hard” 4. Alexander Pope 5. South America 6. Vitamin D 7. 60 8. Quaker Oats 9. Three 10. National Educational Television