Jimothy, the internet's most famous raccoon, is getting a Minor League promo night
The Rocket City Trash Pandas, based outside of Huntsville, Ala., derived their team name from a slang term for a racoon. It follows, then, that the Double-A Angels affiliate is paying tribute to a raccoon folk hero whose mere existence has captivated a nation.
The Trash Pandas will stage Jimothy Night at Toyota Field on Aug. 4, saluting a unique Seattle-area raccoon who survives and thrives despite being born with a spinal deformity. The team, after being inundated by requests for a Jimothy Night on social media, announced on Tuesday evening, "You asked, we listened!"
The Trash Pandas will kick off their next homestand, a six-game series against the Birmingham Barons, with "a pregame Raccoon Parade for anyone who dresses up as a raccoon, specialty food and drink served out of trash cans and a Jimothy mask giveaway to the first 200 kids."
It shouldn't be a surprise that the Trash Pandas are honoring Jimothy, named by the Instagram user who first posted a video of the shuffling mammal roaming wild and running free. The team's primary logo features a raccoon named Sprocket "cobbling together all the elements he needs to launch a trash can into outer space." (The Rocket City portion of the name references Huntsville's longstanding ties to the aerospace industry.) In a nod to raccoons' passion for garbage, Toyota Field features The Junkyard team store and a Dumpster Dive concession stand. Items from both can be purchased with the team's in-house currency, Trash Cash.
Aug. 4 won't be the first time that Jimothy has been celebrated during a ballgame, as the Seattle Mariners included him in July 20's Salmon Run mascot race (he triumphed over King, Silver, Sockeye and Humpy). Perhaps it won't be the last time, either, as there's another Minor League Baseball team that features raccoon-centric branding. Your move, Hudson Valley Renegades.