User:TexianPolitico/Batty Bob

Batty Bob (real name: Bob Robertson) (Born 1960 or 1961) was the unofficial mascot of the Houston Astros and a "super fan" of the originization from 1980 until approximately 1995.

History
Batty Bob attended hundreds of Houston Astro games in the Houston Astrodome in the 1980s and early 1990s. Well known for wearing bright fright wigs and an Astros jersey while holding up hand-made placards and signs, Batty Bob was a ubiquitous presence during most Astros home games. He would often involve in his cheers the various sections of fans seated in the cheap pavilion seats of the Dome. While Batty Bob was well liked by most of the fans, he was often treated as an annoyance by the Astros organization. Batty Bob told the Houston Chronicle in 1995 that he was unemployed, retired, and suffered from a serious medical condition. He had previously told the Chronicle in 1989 that he had been absent from Astros games from 1985 until opening day 1989 because of a fight he had with the organization and because of his abuse of drugs. In 1994 he told the Chronicle he was a "retired grocer."

Though Batty Bob was never officially employed by the Astros he was often given free tickets to the games by the players. For a number of seasons Batty Bob was also allowed to roam freely around the Dome during the game. Both policies were seemingly banned by the Astros during the 1995 season. Batty Bob believed the players were also instructed to no longer give him free tickets. When pitcher Todd Jones, one of the ticket donors, was asked if that was the case, he said, "I'm not at liberty to discuss it. But that should tell you something." Batty Bob subsequently faded from the scene. Little is known of his fate.