May 16, 2013
The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball (MLB) team. He is a large, furry, green bipedal creature with an extendable tongue. According to his official biography, the Phanatic is originally from the Galápagos Islands and is the Phillies’ biggest fan. He entertains fans during baseball games and makes public appearances for the Phillies. The Phanatic is usually acknowledged as one of the best ballpark mascots.
P.S. The Phillie Phanatic was designed by Bonnie Erickson, formerly a designer for Jim Henson, and the designer of Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf and other Muppets characters. The Phillie Phanatic is one of only three mascots inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The other two are the Famous San Diego Chicken and Montreal’s Youppi!, another Erickson design.
April 12, 2013
The La Salle Explorers mascot had its biggest Cinderella moment in 2013 when the 13th-seeded La Salle men’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. This is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #61 of 348. (View reference images.)
March 5, 2013
Willie Stargell, nicknamed “Pops” in the later years of his career, was a Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played his entire 21-year career as the left fielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1962-1982). He helped the Pirates capture six National League East division titles, two National League pennants and two World Series (1971, 1979). He was born on this day in 1940.
Note: For the 8-bit version of Willie Stargell, I could not resist dressing him in the hideous Pirates uniforms (with striped caps) from their 1979 championship season. In 1979, Stargell was named National League Championship Series MVP and World Series MVP. This is character #6 in my ugly uniform series.
November 21, 2012
Stan Musial is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent his entire 22-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1941-1963). He was a 24-time All-Star selection (tied with Willie Mays) and is widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He compiled 3,630 hits and 475 home runs during his career. He was named the National League MVP three times and won three World Series. He was born on this day in 1920.
September 27, 2012
Troy Polamalu is a strong safety in the National Football League (NFL). He has won two Super Bowls (2005 and 2008) with the Pittsburgh Steelers and has been selected for the Pro Bowl seven times. Polamalu’s hair is his most distinguishing characteristic, allowing him to be easily spotted on the field. He is of American Samoan descent, went to high school in Oregon and has a million-dollar insurance policy for his hair.
September 14, 2012
Dan Marino is a retired National Football League (NFL) player. He played his 17-season career for the Miami Dolphins (1983-1999). He was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in history, holding or having held almost every major NFL passing record. With his quick release and powerful arm, Marino led the Dolphins to the playoffs 10 times. Despite never winning the Super Bowl, he is recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He was born tomorrow in 1961.
Note: You may also remember Marino for his role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) with Jim Carrey. “The laces were out!”
September 7, 2012
Joe Montana is a retired National Football League (NFL) player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played for 14 seasons. Traded before the 1993 season, he spent his final two years in the league with the Kansas City Chiefs. While a member of the 49ers, Montana started in four Super Bowl games (1981, 1984, 1988 and 1989) and won all of them.
Note: The 2012 NFL season began on Wednesday, September 5.
July 17, 2012
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed “Lady Day,” she pioneered a new vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists. Holiday is perhaps most celebrated for singing “Strange Fruit,” a protest song that became one of her standards and was made famous with her 1939 recording. She died on this day in 1959.
July 12, 2012
Bill Cosby is an American comedian, actor and television producer. During the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in The Cosby Show (1984-1992), which is considered one of the decade’s defining sitcoms. He is also known for The Electric Company, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and A Different World. Cosby is a notable spokesman for Jell-O and other products. He was born on this day in 1937.
Note: The Cosby Sweater Project is great.
June 5, 2012
Kobe Bryant is an NBA player with the Los Angeles Lakers, since 1996. He plays the shooting guard position and is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He led the Lakers to NBA championship runs in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
Note: This is 8-bit character #11 of the 13 greatest NBA players of all time.
May 25, 2012
Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Her book Silent Spring (1962) documented detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly on birds. This led to a nationwide ban on DDT, and inspired a grassroots environmental movement that resulted in the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She was born on May 27, 1907.
May 17, 2012
Trent Reznor is an American singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. Reznor has led the industrial rock project Nine Inch Nails as vocalist and multi-instrumentalist since 1988. In 2010, he and his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, formed the post-industrial band How to Destroy Angels alongside fellow composer Atticus Ross, with whom Reznor has scored two films. Reznor was on born on this day in 1965.
May 2, 2012
Wilt Chamberlain is a former NBA player with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He played the center position from 1959-1973 and is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Chamberlain is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season.
Note: This is 8-bit character #6 of the 13 greatest NBA players of all time.
Gino Marchetti – No. 580
Gino Marchetti is a retired National Football League (NFL) player who played for the Dallas Texans (1952) and the Baltimore Colts (1953-1966). He was voted “the greatest defensive end in pro football history” by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1959, Marchetti founded Gino’s Hamburgers. Gino’s became a successful East Coast regional fast food chain and had 313 company-owned locations when it was sold to Marriott in 1982, which converted many of the restaurants to Roy Rogers. In 2010, Marchetti revived the Gino’s name with Gino’s Burgers & Chicken, which first opened in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Born in the historic coal-mining town of Smithers, West Virginia on January 2, 1927, Gino Marchetti is my first cousin, twice removed. Now 86 years old, he is the most famous member of my extended Italian-American family.