Swinging Friar

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The Swinging Friar is an official mascot of the San Diego Padres baseball team.

The Swinging Friar has been a mascot with the team as early as 1958, when the Padres were still a member of the Pacific Coast League, a minor league baseball organization. He was probably named after Spanish missionaries settled by Franciscan friars, who were prominent figures when the city of San Diego was founded centuries ago. The Padres joined Major League Baseball in 1969 and kept the popular mascot. He was even on the team emblem until 1984. Wanting a more "professional" image, the owners introduced a more corporate logo. In 1996, he was brought back as a sleeve patch for the club's blue alternate jerseys, and though the team has changed its logo and colors since then, the Friar remains there to this day.

The Swinging Friar is a cartoon-like character, pudgy, balding and always smiling. He is dressed as a friar — with sandals, a dark hooded cloak, and a rope around the waist. He swings a baseball bat; but reportedly, in some years he swings lefthanded, in other years he swings righthanded, he may be ambidextrous, or even a switch hitter.

The Swinging Friar's slogan is "Keep the Faith", or the gospel message on which the lives of Franciscan friars are based, "I come to serve."

[edit] See also

• The Famous Chicken of San Diego, the other mascot of the San Diego Padres
• List of Major League Baseball mascots

[edit] External links

• A Sports Illustrated article on the Swinging Friar: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/1998/postseason/news/1998/10/20/series_swinging_friar/