Saturday, July 24, 2004
A Richard Nixon mascot joined the battle during Friday night's game.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Are they serious or are they just monkeying around?
That seems to be the question at Eastwood Field recently concerning one of the promotions put on by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Tuesday during the nightly "Race Around The Bases" contest, Larry Legend, a dwarf, was leading a fan at the three-quarter turn when the unimaginable happened.
The Gorilla, a recent newcomer to the Scrappers stable of mascots, came out of the dugout and sent Larry Legend tumbling with a flying tackle.
Think of King Kong hitting Tinker Bell. On the blindside.
The fan easily won, and the Legend chased the Gorilla off the diamond amongst laughter from the fans.
"Me and the Gorilla have a little confrontation going on with my races -- he keeps interfering with them," said the Legend.
Usually the fan loses the contest as the Legend starts with a 90-foot head start.
"Larry Legend and I are rivals of sorts here at the park," said the Gorilla.
"Larry shows me up in some of the physical activities and the same thing in return, I try to show Larry up," he added. "I try to steal his thunder any time I get the chance."
Newcomer to the rivalry
Friday, the Legend was leading again after touching third base and a newcomer to the fray -- a man in a Richard Nixon costume including the mask -- came out of the dugout and tackled the little man.
Quickly, the Gorilla intervened and piled on the fray in an attempt to even the score as the fan easily won again.
"So, it looks like we're friends again," said the Legend, who has been a professional wrestler for 15 years under the name "Prince Cheezy" in the WWE.
"I'm having a blast," said the Legend of the shenanigans. "It's all in fun. Thank God I bounce."
So all it took was a disgraced president of the United States to bring harmony and restore peace with the mascots.
Peace but not respect.
"He's just a big, hairy primate," said the Legend of his rival.