The Yankees Once Had a Sad, Dumpy, Pinstriped Mascot Named Dandy

Crooked cap? Ginger handlebar mustache? Body like a bowling pin? It could only mean one thing … you guessed it: former New York Yankees mascot “Dandy.”

Recently MLB’s Cut 4 via Sports Logos.net remembered the long-forgotten Yankees mascot, which briefly walked the earth from 1979-81. Admittedly this is a little before my time and it’s the first time I’m ever getting a look at this guy. Dandy looks more like a harebrained idea George Constanza cooked up when he was trying to get fired by the Yankees, rather that something that actually happened.

Remember, the Yankees pride themselves on traditions and rules such as no names on the back of jerseys, no alternate uniforms, no facial hair aside from closely cropped mustaches, etc. So in that regard, Dandy’s days were always numbered.

Consider this, the beloved Montreal Expos mascot Youppi was, ahem, born the same year as Dandy. Although the Expos ceased to exist in 2004, Youppi and his saxophone live on — now pulling his patented brand of frivolity at Canadiens games.

As it stands, only four teams in the majors do not currently employ a guy in a mascot costume — the Cubs, Angels and Dodgers. The Dodgers, briefly, had a mascot when that dude dressed up as a dancing bear during the playoffs. However the man behind the stunt only earned a stadium ban for his efforts.

As dopey-looking as Dandy might have been, at least he didn’t cause nightmares like Pierre the Pelican. [Photo via Cut 4]