Philly Phanatic Takes Foul Ball to the Throat

Some sad news out of my neck of the woods today.  “Phans” of the Philadelphia Phillies will be sad to find out our beloved unmistakable and indefinable green Sesame-Street-reject-looking Philly Phanatic suffered a terrible injury in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Wednesday night.

While supporting the Phillies AAA team, a nasty foul ball caught the adorable energetic green-thing square in the neck!  To make matters worse, the Phanatic costume is designed such that the wearer of the costume’s head is positioned right in the neck!  Tom Burgoyne, the man who has been sweating and dancing inside that suit for nearly TWO DECADES (although don’t ask him because he’ll never admit it), admitted on Facebook that he was hospitalized, released, is doing OK, and has a “golf ball-sized lump over [his] right eye.”  Like a professional wrestler or mall Santa, he stayed in character and did not admit to portraying the Phanatic.

The injuries sustained to the Phanatic are not expected to derail the Philadelphia Phillies on their road to securing another World Series Championship later this year.

Check out the hysterical video below: