The Fresno Grizzlies mascot will gladly officiate your wedding
Some people really love baseball. We’re not just talking about those fans who simply love the game and can recite their favorite player’s stats from memory. We’re talking about the fans who love the game so much they will propose and get married in their favorite ballpark.
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Actually, we’re talking about something even more intense than that. For some Fresno Grizzlies’ fans, it wasn’t enough to just get married at Chukchansi Park. If they were going to go through with the deed, the team’s mascot, Parker T. Bear, would have to officiate the ceremony.
Thankfully, that’s an actual thing the Grizzlies offer. The team initially launched the promotion in 2016, but brought it back for 2017. On May 4, Parker T. Bear officiated two wedding and helped one couple renew their vows.
A post shared by HashtagiDo (@hashtagido) on May 4, 2017 at 7:53pm PDT
The festivities were captured by HashtagiDo, a company that provides “Wedding Day social media services.”
The company even posted video of the services on their Facebook page.
One of the couples involved is considered one of the Grizzlies’ biggest fans, according to Baseball America. Danny Rivas shows up to nearly every game wearing Ultimate Warrior face paint. Not surprisingly, he proposed to his fiancée on the field during a game.
“This year, we actually have a main wedding. We have a super fan who comes to just about every game and wears something that looks like Ultimate Warrior face paint,” Fresno media relations coordinator Paul Braverman said. “It’s funny, because if you talk to him he’s completely normal. He’s not a weird super fan at all.
“But he and his wife-to-be are here at almost every home game and, naturally, he proposed to her on the field during a between-inning contest. So they got engaged here and now they’re going to get married here.”
When the big day came, you know Rivas showed up wearing his signature face paint.
That picture doesn’t technically identify Rivas, but we feel pretty safe saying that’s him and his (now) wife based on some obvious context clues.
How does this all work? Well, Baseball America has the details. The person inside the Parker T. Bear costume has been ordained. However, Parker T. Bear is not allowed to talk. So, while the mascot oversees the services, another “justice of the peace” is present and handles that duty. Parker T. Bear stands there in a suit, gestures wildly and holds up some signs. He seems pretty happy with himself.
The whole thing leads us to wonder whether we’ll see this promotion make its way to the majors, but we have our doubts. Getting married by Mr. Met sounds pretty cool, but we’re not so sure about Clark the Cub. His whole no pants thing might be frowned upon at a wedding.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
