2012 Opening Day Macots Set

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball: Mascots Set

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball: Mascots: M-2 The Bird Baltimore Orioles

I originally started drafting this post ages ago. Like a ton of other posts on this blog. Yeah I have more than a few dusty posts in my drafting queue here and on my other two blogs. A very long while back (around 2013 something) from Ebay I got the 2012 Topps Baseball Opening Day Mascots insert set (numbered M1-M25). Got it for $22.99 + $3.50 shipping. Not a steal or a deal but I have seen them for way more.

The Opening Day set is almost identical to the flagship set with the exception of the "Opening Day" logo with the red, white, and blue bunting on the front. For players they usually use the same photo from the flagship set, but not always. The Mascots are not part of the regular flagship set they are the only picture in most cases of the mascot for that year. Some of them make cameo appearances on player cards or their team cards. I recall some years they have had variant picture cards for some of the players interacting with the mascots for special short prints. The backs of the cards are like the flagship backs not much different. The card numbers for the mascot cards for 2012 use the "M - #" format. There are 25 cards in the set. I used to mistakenly call it a "sub-set", but the numbering indicates it is a separate insert set.

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball: Mascots: M-2 The Bird Baltimore Orioles Back

Most of the 30 MLB teams have mascots, the Angels, Dodgers and Yankees are the only teams without an official, or unofficial mascot. Years ago the Yankees had a mascot from 1979-1981 named Dandy he was a strange looking beast. I couldn't decide which picture to post from my searching so I didn't. You'll have to Google, or Bing or Yahoo search to see what the fella looked like. I'm not sure if I'll get around to featuring him at all since I don't think he is officially on a card, even though the blog? Baseball Think Factory dot org has a mock-up 2011 Topps Opening Day card showing him. The Cubs used to be mascotless but in 2014 they announced Clark the Cub as their official mascot, their first official mascot in ages. In 2012 for this set Clark was not yet discovered. The only other team mascot NOT in this set is Lou Seal of the Giants, for some reason he was left out of this set, yet he is in others. In some cases a team has more than one mascot, but only the official mascot or the most popular one is shown in this set. I hate when they leave some of these guys out.

An odd thing about this set is the card for Homer The Brave of the Atlanta Braves is the only card that is landscape (horizontal) oriented. The rest are the standard portrait (normal vertical) orientation.

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball: Mascots: M-8 Homer Atlanta Braves

Front and Back

M-1 Bernie Brewer Brewers
M-2 The Oriole Bird Baltimore Orioles
M-3 Ace The Blue Jays
M-4 Baxter The Bob Cat Diamondbacks
M-5 Fredbird Cardinals
M-6 Raymond Rays
M-7 Mr. Met Mets
M-8 Homer The Brave Braves
M-9 Rangers Captain Rangers

M-10 Pirate Parrot Pirates
M-11 Billy The Marlin Marlins
M-12 Paws Tigers
M-13 Dinger Rockies
M-14 Phillie Phanatic Phillies
M-15 Slugger Royals
M-16 Wally The Green Monster Red Sox
M-17 Gapper Reds
M-18 Slider Indians

M-19 TC Bear Twins
M-20 Swinging Friar Padres
M-21 Southpaw White Sox
M-22 Screech Nationals
M-23 Mariner Moose Mariners
M-24 Stomper Athletics
M-25 Junction Jack Astros

Today (Monday 03 April, 2017) is Home Opening Day for my Homies the Washington Nationals they kick things off at home with the Marlins. Screech will be there cheering on the Nats.

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball: Mascots: M-22 Screech Washington Nationals
Front and Back

Look for my weekly occasional feature on this blog "Mascot Monday".

Mascot Monday: Billy The Marlin

BILLY THE MARLIN

Florida/Miami Marlins 1993 - Present

Originally portrayed by John Routh

Billy The Marlin made his MLB debut on 25 February 1993. For details of his history see his Wikipedia page. I have chosen his 2007 Topps Opening Day card to highlight. This particular set was the first time I know about Topps showcasing most of the current MLB Mascots. For many of the loveable foam headed creatures it is their Rookie Card outside of any team issued sets the mascots may have been a part of. The Mascot cards were part of the regular set near the end of the set but not grouped all together. In fact I think a few cards that were originally listed were never made and replaced by a player. In later years Topps would include the Mascots in the Opening Day set as a sub-set if they included the mascots at all.

Billy Marlin's card was the second Mascot card I got from this set, my Homie Mascot Screech (Nationals) was my first card. It took me a while to get the rest of the Mascots from 2007 because they are spread out so toward the end of the set, not grouped together.

 2007 Topps Opening Day Baseball 197 Billy The Marlin - Mascot Marlins

(Front and Back)

I am always on the lookout for Mascot cards. I also accept Mascot Postcards and team issued promo cards/photos of mascots.

To see previous Mascot Monday posts click here. 

Mascot Monday: Screech

SCREECH

 

I resisted the temptation to post this mascot in the First Mascot Monday post. My main Homie Mascot who represents the Washington Nationals Screech.

NO! NOT That Screech.

Today I am showing the card I believe to be his Rookie Card 2007 Topps Baseball Opening Day card number 215.

2007 Topps Opening Day - 215 Screech RC

(Front and Back)

 

Screech was "hatched" on17 April 2005 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC (much in the same way as the Orioles Bird Mascot) the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals formerly the Montreal Expos.

Screech Hatching 

(Wasington Nationals at MLB.com)

 

As you can see Screech started out as a pretty chubby eagle and wore only a team jersey with the number 05, his "hatching" date, and an oversized cap. In 2009 Screech slimmed down, he still wears an oversized cap, but he now wears pants and shoes more of a real uniform. I wasn't sure about the change at first, the first picture I saw of the slimed down Screech I didn't like, but now I think he looks better slim. Oh and his jersey number is now 00 the standard jersey number reserved for mascots I guess. I miss the 05 though, but I guess it confused people when they saw a team player with the number 5.

Screech circa 2009

A longtime Senators/Nationals fan that goes by the name "Screech's Best Friend" has a blog called Nats320. The 320 is the seat section the blogger had when the Nationals were playing at RFK before their new stadium was built and opened in 2008.  I'm a little concerned as the last post on that blog is from last year and with the success that Nats have had here in 2012 I would expect at least a "Yippie We are Number One!" when the Nats clinched the NL East Division. Screech himself also has a blog Screech's Spot over at MLB.com/blogs.


I am always on the lookout for Mascot cards. I also accept Mascot Postcards and team issued promo cards/photos of mascots.

Mascot Monday: The Baltimore Bird

The Oriole Bird

(AKA: The Bird, Baltimore Bird, Orioles Bird)

The Orioles Mascot was officially "hatched" on 06 April 1979 at Memorial Stadium. (I guess last week's The Chicken started a trend with the bird like mascots hatching like The Nationals Screech and Lady Gaga.)

Previously a cartoon Oriole bird face (which looks more like a duck) had appeared in the form of shoulder patches on the player's uniforms from 1955 to 1962, not quite a mascot yet but an icon and a logo. Then a variation of the cartoon bird flew into the team's caps from 1966 - 1989 and then returned in 2012. Previous caps and interim caps had a more Ornithologically correct bird. The cap logo I really don't like is the alternate plain "O's" logo.

I could have shown a regular card for the Bird but I decided to show this team issued post card instead.
 

 Baltimore Orioles Team Issued "The Bird" Postcard w/Autograph.

Measures 4.5" x 6" - Issue date unknown (estimated 1999-2008).

(Front and Back)

If anyone knows the year this "card" was issued I'd appreciate knowing. Since it has a website on it obviously it is no older than mid 1990s. Judging from the logo on the bird's hat it is from between 1998-2008 probably closer to the later years. The Team logo in the corner seems to be from around that same time too, a similar logo first appeared in 1995 with a plain white dot for an eye. It was redesigned in 1998 and apparently modified yet again in 1999 this logo seems to be the 1999-2008 variation (based on the variation in the tail). I'm pretty sure the autograph comes standard with this card.

I am always on the lookout for Mascot cards. I also accept Mascot Postcards and team issued promo cards/photos of mascots.