Screech is the mascot of the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. He is a
bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
that wears the home cap and jersey of the team. He was "hatched" on April 17, 2005 at the "Kids Opening Day" promotion at
RFK Stadium
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...
. A nine-year-old fourth grade student in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, Glenda Gutierrez, designed the mascot and won a contest sponsored by the team and explained that it was "strong and eats almost everything."
In 2009, the Nationals unveiled a redesigned Screech. The new costume, designed by Major League Baseball's design department made the mascot slimmer and gave the mascot a removable cap. The Nationals explained that the original design was of an eagle that was always intended to grow up one day. A Nationals official described him as "like a teenager now".
[Steinberg, Dan. D.C. Sports Bog.]
About Screech's Unveiling
. March 2, 2009. The 2012 Topps Opening Day card described Screech as a dazzling dancer, full of loyal shenanigans directed at the opposing team. "Screech" received a shoutout in Donny Hathaway's old-school classic Howard U / DC track "Sugar Lee".
In subsequent years, the team created built a number of in-stadium traditions around the mascot. Screech became the official judge of the team's
Presidents Race
The Presidents Race (known as the GEICO Presidents Race for sponsorship reasons) is a promotional event held at every Washington Nationals home game at Nationals Park, and previously at RFK Stadium, in the middle of the fourth inning of every game ...
, and carries a flag around the field after victories. An annual "Kids Opening Day" event, held on a Sunday home game each April, was expanded to include a celebration of Screech's birthday. Additional costumes were added, including a special birthday hat, rain gear worn after rain delays, a Jedi robe worn on Star Wars Day, and pajamas worn during extra innings of late night games.
Screech store at the ballpark
:''See:
Nationals Park#"Screech" store''
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 ...
*
Youppi!
Youppi! ( or , French for Yippee!) is the official mascot for the Montreal Canadiens, and former longtime mascot of Montreal Expos. Youppi! wears an "!" instead of a jersey number.
History
Youppi!, a creation of Acme Mascots, Inc. (a divisi ...
, the preceding mascot of the franchise when it was based in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
as the
Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
, and current mascot of hockey's
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
References
External links
Screech's Main BioWashington Nationals' Main Kids PageScreech The Eagle Twitter PageLet Teddy Win blog posts tagged #screech
Major League Baseball team mascots
Washington Nationals
Bird mascots
2005 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Culture of Washington, D.C.
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