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at Miami Hurricanes sporting events), until he was fired in 2003 as part of budget cuts. Routh was reported to have been earning in excess of $80,000 p.a. at the time.
During Routh's tenure, Billy the Marlin regularly launched a tightly wadded T-shirt out of a pressurized air gun. In one instance, a shirt accidentally hit an elderly man in the eye, temporarily knocking the man unconscious. The man later filed an unsuccessful $250,000 lawsuit. After a five-day trial, Routh was found "not negligent" by the jury. The man's companion at the game admitted that during a scramble for a T-shirt that landed in the row in front of them, that another fan may have hit him with an elbow. During the trial, a local TV station wanted footage of Routh testifying, but the judge ruled that "just as children believe in Santa Claus, South Florida children believe in Billy the Marlin", so Routh's face was ordered to not be shown.
Billy the Marlin is the official mascot of the
(web archive)
Langlais altered his course to land outside the stadium, allowing another Billy to make a regular appearance on the field. The head was recovered in good shape, apart from a scratch to the neck, two months later by Victor Rowe and Mike Zinniger at the side of
at Miami Hurricanes">iami University"> [Miami University. He is ...Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
baseball franchise. At 8 feet tall and 250 pounds, he is "''a natural-born clown and good-natured prankster''". He appears at every Marlins home game at LoanDepot Park
LoanDepot Park is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana about west of Downtown Miami. Const ...
, and performs his own routine in the middle of the 5th inning.
Early history
Of unknown age, the character debuted on February 25, 1993. According to his employers, Billy the Marlin "''was handpicked not only for his skill, cunning and great competitive nature, but most of all for his outstanding sense of humor and great rapport with baseball fans of all ages.''" Officially the son of William and Willamina Marlin. His name was picked by original ownerWayne Huizenga
Harry Wayne Huizenga Sr. (; December 29, 1937 – March 22, 2018) was an American businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He founded AutoNation and Waste Management Inc., and was the owner or co-owner of Blockbuster Video, the Miami ...
because a marlin
Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to deri ...
is a type of billfish
The term billfish refers to a group of saltwater predatory fish characterised by prominent pointed bills (rostra), and by their large size; some are longer than . Extant billfish include sailfish and marlin, which make up the family Istioph ...
, and Mr. Huizenga reportedly wanted a name that was different from the baseball-type names of other mascots, easier for children to remember.
Skydiving mishap
U.S. NavySEAL
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
parachutist, Lou Langlais, dressed as Billy the Marlin, lost the costume's five-pound head to a gust of wind while parachuting towards (the then named) Pro Player Stadium
Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I colleg ...
on Opening Day of the 1997 season, April 1."Scorecard" Sports Illustrated, April 14, 1997(web archive)
Langlais altered his course to land outside the stadium, allowing another Billy to make a regular appearance on the field. The head was recovered in good shape, apart from a scratch to the neck, two months later by Victor Rowe and Mike Zinniger at the side of
Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike, designated as unsigned State Road 91 (SR 91), is a toll road in the U.S. state of Florida, maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Spanning approximately along a northwest–southeast axis, the turnpike is in two s ...
.
John Routh's tenure
For the first ten years in the major leagues he was played by John Routh (who at the time also portrayedSebastian the Ibis
Sebastian the Ibis is the mascot for the Miami Hurricanes of anthropomorphic_American_white_ibis.html" ;"title="iami_University._He_is_an_Anthropomorphism.html" "title="iami_University.html" ;"title=" _[Miami_University._He_is__...
_at_Miami_Hurricanes.html" ;"title="iami University"> [Miami University. He is ...After Routh
On September 13, 2004, Billy the Marlin made a home game appearance at U.S. Cellular Field. The Florida Marlins, displaced because of Hurricane Ivan, beat the Montreal Expos 6-3 in Chicago in the relocated game.
In 2005, Billy the Marlin made some 450 appearances a year outside of games, the Marlins charging $350 an hour. In contrast to the Routh era when he was allowed to keep all of his off-field income, the Marlins split appearance money with the mascot's portrayer – the team's portion going to the team's charitable foundation.
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...
featured Billy the Marlin in their 2007 Opening Day Baseball series as card #198, released 03/14/2007.
Current activities
Billy the Marlin was nominated for theMascot Hall of Fame
The Mascot Hall of Fame, formally "The Mascot Hall of Fame Interactive Children's Museum", is a hall of fame for North American sports mascots. It was founded by David Raymond, who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993. It was foun ...
's "Golden Silly String Award" in August 2008. His opponents in the professional category were Globie ( Harlem Globetrotters), Hugo
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...
(New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
), Rocky (Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
), and Slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
(Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
). In spite of winning the readers' on-line poll, Billy ultimately lost the inductee position to Slider.
''Billy's Bunch'' is an official fan club for kids ages 12 and under. ''Billy's Bunch'' is also the name of a 30-minute SunSports/FSFlorida TV show. Formerly ''Marlins StrikeZone'', the new format premiered April 5, 2008.Sunsports/FSN NewFSN web page.
/ref> Billy the Marlin also has starred in several
This is SportsCenter
This is ''SportsCenter'' is a series of comical television commercials run by ESPN to promote their ''SportsCenter'' sports news show that debuted in 1995, based on the show's opening tagline. The ads are presented in a deadpan mockumentary styl ...
commercials.
References
See also
*List of Major League Baseball mascots
This is a list of current and former Major League Baseball mascots, sorted alphabetically.
The tradition in the Major League Baseball mascot began with Mr. Met, introduced for the New York Mets when Shea Stadium opened in 1964. Although some masc ...
{{Miami Marlins
Major League Baseball team mascots
Miami Marlins
Fish mascots
Mascots introduced in 1993
Culture of Miami