User:Softwarestorage/Billy the Marlin

Billy The Marlin is the official mascot of the Florida Marlins baseball franchise. At 8 feet tall and 250 pounds, he is a natural-born clown and good-natured prankster.

Early history
Of unknown age, the character debuted on February 25, 1993. According to his employers, Billy The Marlin "was handpicked not only for his skill, cunning and great competitive nature, but most of all for his outstanding sense of humor and great rapport with baseball fans of all ages." http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/fla/fan_forum/billy_the_marlin.jsp

His name was picked by original owner Wayne Huizenga because a marlin is a type of billfish and in tribute to former Yankee Billy Martin. Reportedly Mr. Huizenga wanted a name that was different from the baseball-type names of other mascots (like Slider).

For the first ten years in the major leagues he was played by John Routh until he was fired in 1993 as part of budget cuts. Routh was reported to have been earning in excess of $80,000 p.a. at the time.

Current activity
Billy The Marlin was nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame's "Golden Silly String Award" in August 2008. His opponents in the professional category are Globie (Harlem Globetrotters), Hugo (New Orleans Hornets), Rocky (Denver Nuggets) and Slider (Cleveland Indians).

Billy's Bunch (http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/fla/fan_forum/billy_bunch.jsp) is an official fan club for kids ages 12 and under.