Baseball in Fort Wayne

Note: This is the second in a series of posts that cover my interview with Travis Weaver, who performed as Wayne the Wizard in Fort Wayne while employed with the Fort Wayne Wizards. Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards. Part I can be read here.

“I started to really loosen up after the first few games and started interacting more with the fans.” Once he discontinued the use of the “zip-up barrel contraption” things got even more natural when he performed.

What were you favorite on-field promotions/events to participate in?
“I liked the race where I started on second [base] and the kid started at home . . . I could only walk and the kid could run. I would get razzed a lot by the players. Things like ‘how are you gonna let a five-year-old punk you in front of all these people like that?” and ‘If that were me, I’d never lose’.

“I decided for one of my last games, I would finally win. [Before the game] I worked it out with the umpire that … there would be an appeal to third and he was to call me out. I also worked it out with the catcher and third baseman to do a mock appeal as well. So while I’m on the field doing other promotions, I’m working my ‘victory’ behind the scenes with the players and the ump. The hardest part for me was to tell the boy racing that no matter what happens; he is going to win and for him to keep running the whole time.

“To really make it look good, I went into the clubhouse before the game and started talking all sorts of trash . . . how I’m sick of losing that race and I’m gonna win today and I don’t care what the management says. They were all blowing me off, but I wanted them to believe that when I touched home plate first, that I really followed through on my trash talking.

“When the race starts, I start walking normally until I get a few feet from third base. Remember, I’m supposed to MISS third. I turn around to start taunting the kid and I step right on the base. Obviously, we couldn’t start the race over, so I just kept going. Many times I would lose because I trip on my way to home plate, the Diamond Girl would slap me, I would “get lost” and forget where home was.

“Well, the boy was a few feet behind me when I reached the batter’s box and I turned to him and tried my best to act like a bad guy from professional wrestling by having him get closer and closer and then BOOM! I stepped on home plate a step before he did.

“I thought I would get some laughs and a couple boos, but my goodness! I was soundly booed by everybody but the Wizards players. They came out of the dugout to congratulate me like I just won the Boston Marathon. They were very pumped for me, as the crowd is about to litter the field with debris and turn over some cars. The PA announcer, Jim Amstutz was just as floored. He’s a good guy and would rib me just as bad as the players would, so when I won the race, he was literally shocked. After they did the appeal to third and I was called out, everybody realized that the whole thing was put on and got a big laugh.”

Visit Tomorrow for Part 3.

[tags]Wayne the Wizard, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Wizards, Travis Weaver, Mascots, Minor League Baseball[/tags]