Remembering Dandy, The Doomed Yankees Mascot

Wayde Harrison

A hilarious article in the Wall Street Journal today looks back at the forgotten history of Dandy, the cursed Yankees mascot who failed to win the hearts of Bombers fans over the course of three disastrous seasons from 1979-1981. The costume was created and leased to the Yankees by the husband and wife team who created the wildly popular Phillies "Phanatic" mascot, but an unfortunate 1979 incident between the San Diego Chicken and Yankees left fielder Lou Piniella doomed Dandy.

While Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry warmed up, the Chicken allegedly "threw a hex" on him, enraging Piniella, who chased the mascot around and finally threw his glove at it. In the wake of the incident, George Steinbrenner told the press that mascots had no place in baseball—and this was just two weeks before Dandy's debut! Dandy performer Rick Ford had been choreographing dance moves, and the Yankees organist had even composed a Dandy theme song. But when his big day came, the Yankees management refused to let Dandy anywhere near the field, confining him to the upper deck.

David Raymond, who performed as the original Phanatic until 1993, tells the Journal he pitied Dandy's exile to the nosebleeds. "I remember what it was like in the upper deck in Philadelphia, and that's why I never went up there," says Raymond, who now owns his own mascot company. "When you go up into the upper deck, they want to see if you can fly." Somehow Dandy hung around for another two seasons, but Ford's Dandy career ended after the first season, ultimately crashing and burning when Citibank hired him to open for Bill Cosby at a corporate pep rally at Madison Square Garden post-season:

By the time Mr. Ford donned his costume, grabbed his bat and got ready to hit the stage to the tune of "Johnny B. Goode," the libations had been flowing for hours.

"As soon as the spotlight hit my face, I was completely blinded," Mr. Ford said. "I had no idea where I was, and these bankers were just crazy. Thousands of crazy bankers screaming at me, grabbing hold of me, almost ripping me apart. I felt like an escaped convict."

And after the lease expired, the Yankees never had a mascot again—at least, not in the Bronx. Down in Staten Island, fans still cheer on the beloved minor league Yankees mascots Scooter and Red!