« Wayne the Wizard Reflects (Part 3) | Home | Juan Ciriaco to Giants as Rule 5 Casualty »
Wayne the Wizard Reflects (Part 4)
By Chad Gramling | December 1, 2007
Note: This is the fourth and final part 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.Part 3 can be read here.
Have you attended any recent Wizards games or any minor league baseball where you live now?
“Every once in a while. There is a minor league team close to my home and I try to catch a game whenever I can. I have not attended one Wizards game since I left - not that I’m opposed to it, I just have never been able to work it out when I come into Fort Wayne to visit.â€
I am sure you have heard about the Harrison Square and downtown Ballpark project . . . any thoughts?
“I didn’t know there was anything really wrong with Memorial Stadium, but I totally get what they are trying to do. It’s worked to revitalize the downtown areas of other cities, so I’m hopeful it works in Fort Wayne too. I just hope they find something to do with Memorial Stadium and it doesn’t sit vacant for years, or worse . . . they need to tear it down.â€
Does it disappoint you that Dinger has taken the spotlight away from Wayne the Wizard? Would you like to see Wayne more often?
“On the contrary…to me, Wayne was retired, or put into semi-retirement after I moved. I know that when I left at the end of the 1998 season, they put somebody in the suit . . . and Dinger was “born†the following season. I took that as a compliment.â€
What are you doing today?
“Surprisingly, I don’t do anything remotely close to mascotting. I work in the corporate environment managing inventories of bank and financial institutions. Although being Wayne the Wizard has nothing to do with my current job, it is always good to share stories at work of being a pro mascot, meeting Jeff Gordon and Pete Rose when they came to the stadium, getting to know players [who are] in the big leagues right now ([A.J] Pierzynski, [Luis] Rivas, [Juan] Rincon, [Michael] Cuddyer, [Matt] LeCroy, etc.), and the funny stories that go along with being a 7 ½ foot tall dancing mascot (blind spot accidents, wardrobe malfunctions, depth perception issues inside the mask, etc.).â€
A BIG THANK YOU to Travis for his time and willingness to answer a few questions.
[tags]Wayne the Wizard, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Wizards, Travis Weaver, Mascots, Minor League Baseball[/tags]
Topics: Alumni, Interviews, Travis Weaver, Wizards |