The Phillie Phanatic has a reputation for being one of the most obnoxious jerks in all of the sports, at least among mascots. This isn’t meant as a jab; the Phanatic’s job is to get Phillies supporters riled up during games, and he’s particularly adept at doing it at the cost of the opposition.
The New York Yankees’ visit to the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday was the most recent illustration of this. While Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” was playing, the Phanatic threw a Yankees helmet on the ground and proceeded to shatter it into a bunch of small pieces.
At this time, the camera pans to Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has a look on his face as if he’s about to go fight a mascot.
As a Yankees fan and a former intern in the Phillies minor league system who had to accompany the Phanatic to a game, I am particularly qualified to find a middle ground here. Please don’t attack the mascot, Giancarlo. Please, Phanatic, do not smash a Yankees helmet, primarily because cleaning it up would be a pain in the neck. Please, fellas, hug it out now.
