The Phillie Phanatic is many things. Silly. Fun-loving. Sensual, when appropriate:
When you realize that every MLB team will be in action tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/3lT3EvPG16
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) March 2, 2016
Apparently, though, the Phanatic is also really sensitive about his ride. The Astros came to Bright House Field yesterday to play the Phillies in an early Spring Training game, and there was a little fun between the team’s mascots – the aforementioned Phanatic and Orbit.
The “fun” included a fairly aggressive fighting session when Orbit tried to mess with the Phanatic’s four-wheeler:
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All part of the act? Of course. But when you get those costumes on, and the crowd is going, and the adrenaline is pumping … it can get a little feisty. Did you notice that, on the first charge, Orbit chucks the Phanatic to the ground with a little head grab move?
You know what it looked a lot like? Remember Pedro Martinez’s infamous move on Don Zimmer in the 2003 ALCS:
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Martinez has since written that he regrets tossing down the 72-year-old coach.
We’ll see if Orbit ever shows the same remorse.