Larry Brown Sports

Last time we had a mascot-fan incident, it was the Vanderbilt Commodore popping a fan in the face and giving him a bloody nose (watch the video). We don’t have a video of the latest run-in between a mascot and a fan, but we have insight from a couple of reporters.

Orlando Magic mascot “Stuff” was thrown out of the Prudential Center for scrapping with a fan. Several mascots gathered in New Jersey to celebrate the Nets’ mascot’s birthday but the party didn’t last long. According to Nets reporter Stefan Bondy, a “classless fan allegedly threw beer on Orlando Magic mascot, leading to scuffle at the Rock.” Clippers reporter Lisa Dillman said “Sounded like he was ejected too, escorted down the tunnel by security.”

Dillman also got in the line of the night joking “Frankly, am very curious to read @STUFF_Mascot first’s tweet on the topic. Maybe David Stern has ordered him to not comment.” The quip was quite appropriate given the ongoing quarrel between Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and David Stern. All I know is that this certainly seems to be the season for mascots gone crazy.

Back in October, Ole Miss decided on the Rebel Black Bear as their new mascot, replacing Colonel Reb. Colonel Reb was so historically outdated it was about time they replaced him. Only if we knew they were going with the Rebel Black Bear as a replacement, we would have suggested they take more time figuring out something better. They’re already getting ridiculed for a picture of the mascot’s head that found its way onto the net Monday evening:

The folks at Tiger Droppings, where I first saw the picture, keep likening Rebel Black Bear to Smokey the Bear. The same is true for the people who commented on facebook where Sports by Brooks added the pic. Personally, I think Rebel Black Bear has a meaner streak than the friendly Smokey, so I’m not so sure the comparison is valid. What are they trying to say, all black bears look alike? Why is it that everything comes down to a racial issue?

Over the years, we have seen plenty of strange happenings when it comes to mascots.  There have been arrests for incidents involving snowball throwing, Bar-Mitzvahs, dance-offs, nut shots, and much more.  We’ve even seen a few scuffles involving mascots and fans, but I don’t remember any of them resulting in blood gushing from someone’s nose.  On Wednesday night, Mister C changed all that during a game between Vanderbilt and Tennessee.  Take a look at the Vanderbilt mascot fan punch video, courtesy of Barstool U:

If I was that kid I would have gone absolutely ape on the mascot.  There’s something about mascots in those big, bulky costumes that just makes you want to pummel them anyway, no?  That fan was presented with an opportunity.  If he beat the mascot down, no one would have blamed him.  Instead, he grabbed a newspaper and let him off the hook.  Unless, of course, he’s already plotting his attack for the next game.

Trampoline dunks are always a great way to keep the fans occupied during timeouts and breaks at a basketball game. As fans, we’re normally in awe of how much practice it must take for these little acrobats to be able to spring themselves off a trampoline and dunk without breaking their necks. A member of the Phoenix Suns Sol Patrol came dangerously close to doing just that on Wednesday night.

The young man, whom Deadspin informed us is an ASU student named Nick Corrales, caught a little too much air on the trampoline and ended up dunking the ball and himself through the basket. You have to see it to believe it, so check it out:

Corrales is one lucky guy.  If he had eaten one more meal the day that happened, they would probably have been plucking him out of the hoop with a cherry picker.

Saturday’s show in Corvallis marked College GameDay’s final edition of the college football season. Keeping that in mind, one fan decided he would go home with a souvenir from the set. As ESPN host/reporter Erin Andrews tweeted via Sports by Brooks Live, Lee Corso’s costume head was stolen, so she was asking for some help finding it. SB Nation Detroit shared this picture that they found on a message board of someone with an Oregon sweatshirt wearing Corso’s head:

That is one sick souvenir if you ask me. I don’t condone stealing but let’s just say the person who took it has really good taste. Hopefully they’ll give it back. If not, this Oregon fan should hang that head on his wall.

UPDATE: The head has been recovered, via SbB Live

If you think the Oregon Duck doing The Dougie was unique, you’ll love what the Cincinnati Bearcats mascot had in store for fans on Saturday during the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game.  At first glance, you might think this is a joke.  Why wouldn’t you?  A mascot — in costume — being restrained and arrested?  It’s pretty hard to believe, but it happened.  Check out the Cincinnati Bearcat mascot arrest video via YouTube user wingedhelmet13:

According to an AP report, the mascot was cited for disorderly conduct after throwing snowballs into the stands.  He was allegedly told to stop throwing snowballs before pushing a security guard and knocking him over.  The mascot was then arrested and cited and a backup mascot took over his duties for the second half.  Yes, seriously.

P.S. — How about the girl with the “you guys should stop recording this it’s not that funny.” Is she serious? Apparently she has no appreciation for capturing a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

The matchup between Stanford and Oregon Saturday in Eugene will likely be for the Pac-10 title. As we inch closer to the game, more and more side stories are emerging. Aside from the clash on the field, keep on the lookout for a throwdown between the mascots.

Last week Andy Staples wrote a mascot column on SI after the Ohio Bobcat jumped Brutus the Buckeye in a fight. “When we go to Oregon, I’ll have to round up a bunch of homies,” the Stanford Tree told Staples. In response, the Duck issued a warning “Don’t come into my house and push me around” he told The Oregonian.

Of course, if the Tree has ever seen video of the Duck’s fight with the Houston Cougar, he knows he’ll need some back up. As for the game, I have no reason to switch away from my pick that Stanford will win. They’re a physical team with a stellar defense and I think we’ll see that.

One thing Oregon has going for it this is that they’re prepared for the game this time. Oregon Coach Chip Kelly told Jim Rome Friday that his team wasn’t ready for the Stanford game last year and that Stanford played harder than they did. He believes it won’t be the same outcome this time around because they’ll be ready for it.

Hey, even if you know what’s coming, sometimes you still can’t stop it. I think that will be the issue.

We love our mascot fights here at LBS. Whether it’s the James Madison Duke picking a fight with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleer or the New Mexico State and Utah State mascots fighting, nothing tops a couple of furry costumed creatures going after each other. The best fights are the ones where the action is all one way. Such was the case for Brutus the Buckeye Saturday, who was attacked by the Ohio U. Bobcat mascot while he was entering the field. Check out this sweet video courtesy of Jimmy Traina’s Hot Clicks:

As you could imagine, the Ohio’s administrators came down pretty hard on the Bobcat for that attack. He can no longer have any affiliation with the school’s athletic department. That’s just a shame. If he was going to get in trouble over the fight, he should have at least gotten his money’s worth like the Oregon Duck on the Houston Cougar. Nothing tops that legendary beatdown!

Last year at All-Star weekend in Phoenix, several mascots got together on the floor to entertain the crowd. Bucks mascot Bango was setting up for some sort of stunt when he slipped on the rim and fell through the hoop. Naturally Bango knocked himself out with a serious knee injury. This year, Milwaukee’s basketball team is greatly improved and so is there mascot. Trying to pump his team up for their playoff game with the Hawks, Bango unleashed this incredible reverse dunk off a ladder. And he didn’t even hurt his knee! Check it out via Jimmy Traina at SI’s Hot Clicks who also shared last year’s Bango blunder:

That is a broken neck waiting to happen. Way to kill it, Bango. Don’t try it again, either.

Sources:
Bucks Mascot Stunt [SI Hot Clicks]

The Oregon duck mascot has quite the history here at LBS. A few years ago, the Duck was suspended after getting in a fight with the Houston Cougar mascot. That may have marked the greatest moment in the history of mascot moments. This time around it was Oregon coach Chip Kelly trying to pump up the home crowd at Autzen Stadium by donning the costume before the USC game. Check it out:

Kelly has quickly become one of the coaches I respect the most in college football. First off, I think he handled the LeGarrette Blount situation quite well, handing down a harsh penalty but maintaining an interest in seeing Blount overcome the incident. Then, Kelly reimbursed a dissatisfied fan who traveled to the Boise State game. And now he’s wearing the Duck suit. Here’s what he said about it, “I take my job seriously, I don’t take myself seriously. It was more of a chance to see our fans. I think they’re the best fans in college football.” Talk about a BMOC … he better savor these days while he can because you can bet your butt the fans will be calling for his head when they have a 6-6 season.