That Time That a Minor League Baseball Mascot Crashed My Brother’s Wedding Reception
Last month my brother, Andy, and his fiance, Jen, got married.
File photo of my brother, the groom
As you can see, my brother is a real catch and Jen is a lucky woman. The two lovebirds got married at the Radisson Station Hotel in Scranton, Pennsylvania, located just minutes away from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders’ home of PNC Field. The proximity of these two locales gave me a half-formed idea and, like many not-totally-thought-out endeavors, it all started on Twitter. I had just posted my detailed recap of the RailRiders’ stadium experience on this blog, and Scranton was on the brain:
Meanwhile, I’m back in Scranton this weekend for my brother’s wedding. I’m formally inviting @swbrailriders Champ to crash the reception!
— Benjamin Hill (@bensbiz) November 4, 2014
And that’s all it took. The RailRiders accepted the invite, on behalf of CHAMP, and the following Saturday he did indeed appear at the reception. Really, you couldn’t miss him. (All photos by Two Sticks Studios, except the one not marked with the studio URL.)
CHAMP is a species of indeterminate origin whose name is indeed written in all caps. Perhaps, like CHUD, his name is an acronym. Crazy Happy Amazing Mascot Party? At any rate, that’s what commenced once CHAMP walked into the room. He appeared at the perfect time — all of the requisite speeches, glass clinking, food eating and awkward “I can’t remember the last time I saw you”/”I’m going to pretend that I know who you are” wedding conversationalizing had already taken place; all that was left to do was hit the dance floor.
In the above photo, you can see me in the background rubbing my hands together with a worried expression on my face. I look like a sad old man, which is a role that I’ve been training for my entire life. This is because I told very few people about CHAMP’s appearance, and was worried that, somehow, it wouldn’t go over well and that I’d ruin the whole wedding and thus bring shame and disgrace upon my family name for generations to come. Fortunately, these concerns were unfounded. In this photo, Jen is in the background giving me a hug. The bride’s approval means that everything is okay! The groom’s opinion means nothing.
So party on, CHAMP. Everyone loves you.
CHAMP was great, a true pro. He circulated freely around the room, taking the time to engage with anyone interested in engaging with him. In this picture, four-year-old Elle expresses reservations toward meeting a heretofore un-encountered creature.
Success!
Bye CHAMP, thanks for stopping by. I give your appearance two horns up.
A huge thanks to CHAMP and the RailRiders for making this happen. Also, a big thanks to Scranton-based Two Sticks Studios, who did a phenomenal job in documenting not just CHAMP’s appearance but the entire wedding. If I was to ever get married in Scranton (hey, you never know), then I would totally hire those guys. Their own post on the evening’s mascot cameo can be read HERE.
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And that’ll do it for my 2014 blogging year. Thanks, as always, to those who took the time to read it. My hope for 2015, as with every year, is that the material on this blog is better than that which came before and that its audience continues to grow. Enjoy your holidays — that’s an order — and see you on the flip side.
benjamin.hill@mlb.com
twitter.com/bensbiz
Ben's Biz Blog 
This is great! Hope your winter is well, Ben. Happy holidays!