My Intimate Moments With A HUGE Sports Star, Was It Tiger?
"There's no damn business like show business -- you have to smile to keep from throwing up." Billie Holiday
He's as big as it gets. Bigger than George Clooney. The Boss. Madonna. Bigger even than Barney. Letterman mocked him in a monologue, so you know he's important (video below). Yesterday was his birthday.
Close to 45 thousand fans attended the party. Oh yeah, he's that big.
There was a magic show at the birthday party. It brought back memories of a magic night we spent together long ago... just me and my favorite sports star...
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"...the Phillie Phanatic remains ... one of the country’s most-recognized mascots." The New York Times
What? He is BIG. And famous. I've shared stories of personal encounters with everyone from Ozzy to Britney to Dylan to the Rat Pack and more (look at my links on the left), you think I don't have a Phillie Phanatic story? Oh ye of little faith.
For any Philistines wondering who the Phillie Phanatic is, the New York Times also says, "...the Phillie Phanatic ... helped sports marketers realize that a mascot could be ... an attraction in itself. Most colleges and professional teams have since adopted costumed mascots to patrol the stands and make community appearances." A no brainer in Philly. If you want to bring out a crowd, hire the Mummers and the Philly Phanatic. The band showed up on time and strummed away as customers waited for the main attraction -- who was late. Here It Comes.... My college frat party training kicked into gear. I gamely held his head until he finished. Then I helped him clean up the costume. Then I had to change my own clothes completely. The Phanatic and Me I saw Dave a couple of times after that. But eventually we lost touch. Still, we'll always have ... the men's room. Hey, Letterman, I Knew the Phillie Phanatic. You, Sir Are No Phillie Phanatic
And that's exactly how I came to hook up with the Phillie Phanatic. A photo of us, close together, is below. First, read the story of our intimate encounter.
In 1982 I had a new job heading up PR for a Philly ad agency. We had to help our big client, a home improvement store chain, launch three new stores in the Philadelphia area suburbs.
No cell phones back then, it was all about worry and wait.
Finally staffers told me the Phanatic had arrived. I ran outside to find an apologetic, disheveled guy in the familiar bright green Phanatic costume, holding the giant headpiece.
It was Dave Raymond, the creator and original Phillie Phanatic for over 15 years. He'd gotten lost. And also, he admitted he wasn't feeling well.
Dave was in fact pale, sweating and looking greener than his famous costume. I brought him in the back door to the staff lounge, got him a Coke, some Tylenol and a damp cloth for his face.
Then I went back out into the store to ramp up the Mummers and announce that the Phanatic was in the building.
Me with a Mummers band, trying to appear calm.
We waited some more. The crowd grew more restless. I was beginning to sweat myself. Suddenly someone came running and pulled me into the lounge.
"Where's the Phanatic?" I asked frantically. "We're going to lose the crowd."
The answer still rings in my memory after all these years. You'd remember it too.
"The crowd can wait," said the staffer, dropping a bomb of a punchline... "The Philly Phanatic is tossing his cookies all over the men's room."
Okay. Well. A unique PR challenge. I had to be up for it. Sure enough, I found poor Dave kneeling on the bathroom floor worshipping the porcelain goddess.
We chatted as he calmed down. Shared embarrassing stories. Bonded over our love for the Phillies and nature's bad timing.
Dave seemed low key. Soft voice, pleasant, almost shy. The last person you'd expect to pull off the outrageous Phanatic antics. (I found out he's livelier when not booting in front of clients).
He's also a trooper. That night, cookies off-loaded, costume restored, weak but determined, Dave put on the headpiece and headed into the crowd in full Phanatic mode.
He gave a stellar performance. They ate it up (oh, sorry), especially the frequent hugs he bestowed on me. 
Phillie Phanatic hugging me as I tried to call out Phillies ticket winners
Obviously Dave was trying to show his gratitude. But all these years later, I feel free to admit that every time he gave me another hug, I was treated to a ripe reminder of our intimate time together.
And I learned, up close and personal, that no matter what comes up, so to speak, in sports as in show biz, the Show Must Go On.
VH1 Interview with Dave Raymond and the Phanatic
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Max Rivlin-Nadler
drlaura2
Kristina Lakes
mhold
L in the Southeast
Jane Brogan
Salon.com
Comments
B1, I can't believe I didn't think of "it's not easy being green"!
Judy, oh sister of mine, you know better than most that it had to be love for me to muck around in vomit.
HenryR, I can even tell you he'd had pizza for dinner... heh
Tom, you in a gorilla costume? I'd pay money to see that!
Cranky, I feel your pain and appreciate your appreciation.
Mary, what can I say? I get the best gigs...
JUDY, I'm honored to be on the cover, but I can't believe you did it too.... gave away my punchline in the headline. ZERRY!! THOMAS!!
greenheron, sorry for hitting you at dinnertime. But you know what they say, "That's showbiz!"
sophieh, who else threw up on me? Or, you?
I shared a stage with the San Diego Chicken...but that's all fortunately. I don't know who or what was underneath, but some things were best left to the imagination!
R
Ah, Arianna, how phony you look tonight.
jimmymac, college and grad school very necessary to celebrity story-telling.
Great story, Sally. Thanks for the chuckles.
-R-
I was afraid. :-)
Natalie, I've had my share of moments with huge sports bras, but that's a post Denise Montgomery wrote a long time ago. Oh, and so did I! Be afraid of bouncing DD's.
(But you had a change of clothes handy???? That's being prepared!)
(But you had a change of clothes handy???? That's being prepared!)
Rated. *Hurk*
Could you get lime(green) disease from being bitten by a PhanaTIC?
ahmediatv, thanks and welcome!
Bill, I so found out there are Many shades of green...
XJS, I can't remember for sure, but I *think* I got sick the next day. Phillies Phever?
TeenD, I don't go to many games because I scream and carry on so much I'd be thrown out.
But really, you with the Mummers? That's so awesome. I'd have that hanging in my living room. God, I used to get SO drunk at Mummers parades. I just remember freezing and having to pee and being really drunk.
Wonderful piece celebrating a special green fuzzy guy!
Cap'n, no Phanatic dissin allowed here!
Jesse, let me think, trouble in the 30's and 40's in Europe... hmm. Glad your grandparents made it to Philly.
Beth, you are the one and only to say "Phantastic Photos!" See the wall of photos in my banner? That's my 'Black and White' wall in my house. Phanatic and Mummers pics are there along with some of the Others I Have Known.
I just remembered, the pics are b/w because taken by newspaper photog... Phanatic and I were in the Inqurier!