Red Sox Mascot Position is Safe!

Contrary to some reports this week, the Boston Red Sox are not really looking to hire someone to replace Wally, their Green Monster of a mascot (we first wrote about Chris Bergstrom, the hard-working guy who's portrayed Wally since 2004, last year as a Job of the Week.)

Instead, it turns out that the defending World Series champs are just looking for someone to play Wally at an occasional birthday party or corporate event. According to Bergstrom, he already has a primary backup, making whoever gets this new position the Nancy Pelosi of Fenway Park (i.e., two steps from the head honcho seat.)

The job posting on Major League Baseball's job board says the part-time gig requires a minimum of one year experience as a sports mascot, theme park character, or actor, as well as the ability to conduct yourself in a professional manner (or at least as professional as anybody can be dressed in a Cookie Monster-like costume with an orange nose and limited peripheral vision.) Also required is the ability to lift 50 pounds, which we're guessing is about the weight of a hyperactive six-year-old.

When interrupted at an event and asked what advice he would have for wanna-be Wallys, Bergstrom said "this isn't something you can do for the rest of your life, so you have to have a backup plan. You can't do this job past 35 or 40 because it's so tiring."

by Josh Saul