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CLEVELAND – Not every team has a mascot, and prior to 1990, there were long stretches when the Indians didn’t have any character wandering the ballpark during games. It wasn’t until 30 years ago that the team unveiled a large pink creature with a yellow nose and spots that could only be described by his creator as a “big fat furball.”
Slider was an idea that began with Indians’ executive vice president of business Dennis Lehman, who spent nearly two decades with Philadelphia where he watched the tremendous success of the famous Phillie Phanatic prior to joining the Tribe in 1988. Because the team didn’t have a mascot at the time Lehman arrived in Cleveland, he decided it was time to try something new. That’s when Slider was born.
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This 1987 file photo shows an aerial view of Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California, site of Super Bowl XXII. Now the stadium is coming to an unceremonious end, leaving generations of fans feeling melancholy because, due to the coronavirus pandemic, they didn t get to say a proper goodbye to the place where they tailgated with gusto in the massive parking lot before cheering on the Chargers, Padres and Aztecs, or watched myriad other events and concerts.Â
AP Photo
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer Dec 23, 2020
San Diegans left feeling sad as The Murph comes down - kusi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kusi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
From the Archives: Mission Valley stadium construction began with a bang in 1965 [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
On this day in 1965, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a multi-purpose stadium for San Diego in Mission Valley. The stadium opened in August 1967 and operated under a variety of names San Diego Stadium, Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm and SDCCU Stadium for half a century. It closed in March 2020. Demolition now begun and a new San Diego State football stadium is going up at the site.
From The San Diego Union, Sunday, Dec. 19, 1965:
Construction Of Stadium Begins With A Real BangBy Homer Clance
“In my entire life-time, I don’t feel that I will participate in a more important groundbreaking ceremony than this.”
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On this day in 1965, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a multi-purpose stadium for San Diego in Mission Valley. The stadium opened in August 1967 and operated under a variety of names San Diego Stadium, Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm and SDCCU Stadium for half a century. It closed in March 2020. Demolition now begun and a new San Diego State football stadium is going up at the site.
From The San Diego Union, Sunday, Dec. 19, 1965:
Construction Of Stadium Begins With A Real Bang
By Homer Clance
“In my entire life-time, I don’t feel that I will participate in a more important groundbreaking ceremony than this.”