Baseball in Fort Wayne

Note: This is the third 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 1 can be read here. Part 2 can be read here.

Which players were your favorite/most memorable?

“Most of the players I enjoyed didn’t make it to the majors. Jake Patterson, Antuan Bunkley, Josh Gandy, Matt Carnes, and Mike Cosgrove are some guys that immediately come to mind. Former hitting coach, Riccardo Ingram may be the funniest human alive. I got to know the pitchers a lot more than the positional players, because they have more time to talk during the game and in the clubhouse before the game. Jake had the build and mannerisms of a pro wrestler, and Bunk pulled off one of the funniest R-rated pranks I have ever seen in my entire life.

How was it to interact with the Fort Wayne fans . . . any memories that stand out?

“I thought the fans were great. Even the season ticket holders that cheered every time I did Cotton Eyed Joe even though they had seen it 200 times before. The kids were great too…even the ones that were a little too overanxious and rambunctious and wanted to see what the real Wayne looked like. I always had fun playing with the inebriated fans that had thrown back about six cool ones by the third inning. I would act like I was doing a field sobriety test and they thought it was funny because I was paying them attention, all the while the rest of the fans in the section were getting a kick out of me clowning on the guy that forgot to say when.

“I can still do the Wayne the Wizard autograph in my sleep. I should have been sponsored by Sharpie with the number of baseballs, bats, shirts, seat cushions, Frisbees, foreheads, hands, arms, shoes, baseball cards, casts, etc. I signed over the years.”

Check back tomorrow for the fourth and final post of the interview.

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