The Tucson Padres (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) officially unveiled their new mascot, nameless pending the result of a name-the-Friar contest, at a San Diego Padres spring training game in Kino Stadium.
Not surprisingly, the new T-Pods mascot is similar to the Swinging Friar mascot of parent team San Diego. So close that he’s being positioned as a twin to his big-league counterpart.
“We knew Major League Baseball’s best mascot had a twin brother but we were unable to locate him until recently,” said Mike Feder, Tucson Padres Vice President/General Manager. “This makes us even more excited for Opening Night, to know we have a family member of a nationally recognized mascot performing in Kino Stadium every game.”
The mascot’s name has yet to be determined — which leads us to the inevitable name-the-mascot contest. At the team’s website, Fans can suggest a name for Tucson’s Swinging Friar character, with the winner taking home an official Tucson Padres cap, four free home plate reserved tickets to Opening Night on Friday, April 15th, an official picture with the new mascot, and the opportunity to have the mascot provide a personal appearance.
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