A BIRD? A BUFFOON? IT'S A KABOOM! : MASCOT JETS TO SUCCESS WITH BALLPARK AUDIENCE.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer He hasn't gotten a hit all season, and he's probably the worst base runner in the game, but JetHawks fans still love KB. KB, short for KaBoom, is the big, jet-pack-powered bird with the sly grin who entertains fans at The Hangar. Nights at the ballpark, KB meets and greets the fans, dances, plays bad golf and races fans around the bases. ``He's a character who's loved by everybody. He's approachable. He's cool,'' said KB's human alter ego A doctrine used by the courts to ignore the corporate status of a group of stockholders, officers, and directors of a corporation in reference to their limited liability so that they may be held personally liable for their actions when they have acted fraudulently or unjustly or when . ``He can be funny, he can be macho, he can flirt.'' Who brings KB to life? Can't say. The JetHawks are trying to keep KB's identity secret to preserve the mascot's mystique, especially for the team's younger fans. KB was designed by Daniel Simon, a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. graphic artist who also designed the JetHawks logo. Simon provided the JetHawks front office with several ideas for faces, bodies and feet. The JetHawks picked up what they liked, and Simon fine-tuned the ideas into KB. ``We wanted something animated and spectacular,'' said JetHawks General Manager Matt Ellis Matt Ellis (born August 31, 1981, in Welland, Ontario, Canada) is a professional ice hockey left winger. He currently plays as captain for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. . ``We wanted something with an intimidating in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. look, but with a cuteness to him so we would appeal to both parents and kids.'' The costume builder was Custom Costume, a Los Angeles firm that has made some of the Disney character costumes. KaBoom's name came from a brainstorming session by the JetHawks' front-office staff. ``We wanted a name to tie in with the aerospace theme. Breaking the sound barrier is what this area is known for,'' Ellis said. ``We thought KaBoom was great.'' KB's alter ego was selected during auditions held at the stadium. ``We wanted somebody who could dance. We wanted somebody athletic. It's demanding athletically, especially when it's 95 to 100 degrees,'' Ellis said. ``We wanted somebody spontaneous.'' KB's outfit weighs about 25 pounds with his jet pack. It takes about 15 minutes for KB to suit up for each game. KB is due for an equipment change later in the season. The JetHawks are waiting for a long enough break to shrink KB's feet. The bird's new boots should allow KB to do more dancing and be even more animated. KB arrives at the ballpark about 45 minutes before each game to go over promotions to be held that night and where he should be for each. One of the fans' favorite KB game-day routines is the race around the bases with a young fan. Thus far, KB is 0 for the season and is an even-money bet to go 0-70 at season's end Season's End are a British band based in Hampshire. They describe themselves as playing Progressive symphonic metal[1], although they are often tagged as a gothic metal band by reviewers and reference sources[2][3]. . KB tries to keep the races fresh, once running around the bases in the wrong direction and another time showing up late with a stream of toilet paper stuck to his shoe. Another staple is a golf-putting contest between KB and a fan. KB's putting skills leave a lot to be desired. He's lost every time but once. ``Once, by a complete fluke fluke, parasitic flatworm of the trematoda class, related to the tapeworm. Instead of the cilia, external sense organs, and epidermis of the free-living flatworms, adult flukes have sucking disks with which they cling to their hosts and an external cuticle that , I put the ball in the hole,'' KB's human performer said. ``The announcer covered, saying I cheated and that I had a PGA (1) (Professional Graphics Adapter) An early IBM PC display standard for 3D processing with 640x480x256 resolution. It was not widely used. (2) (Programmable Gate Array) See gate array and FPGA. card.'' A lot of KB's time is spent interacting with the crowd and signing autographs for the youngsters. Other KB bits include leading the crowd in singing ``YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. ,'' assisting in a game of ``Let's Make a Deal Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show was based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. ,'' dancing ``The Swim'' to the tune ``Wipeout'' and leading the crowd in doing ``the wave.'' CAPTION(S): 4 Photos Photo: (1--AV and SAC editions only--color) Getting hugg ed by young fans is one of the job's fringe benefits fringe benefits, n.pl the benefits, other than wages or salary, provided by an employer for employees (e.g., health insurance, vacation time, disability income). for the JetHawks mascot MASCOT - Modular Approach to Software Construction Operation and Test: a method for software design aimed at real-time embedded systems from the Royal Signals and Research Establishment, UK. , KaBoom, also known as KB, often asked for his autograph. (2--SAC, AV, and BULLDOG--color in SAC and AV) KaBoom wriggles his jet pack and does some fancy footwork on the field at Lancaster. (3--BULLDOG and SAC only) Impromptu dancing with fans is part of the job description for KaBoom, also known as KB, as he entertains the Lancaster baseball crowd. (4--BULLDOG and SAC only) KaBoom cools off JetHawks players with his tail feathers. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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