Latkovski's passion fuels traveling act
If you've been even an occasional attendee of Minor League Baseball games over the past two decades, then chances are you've crossed paths with Dominic Latkovski. Or at least one of his creations.
Latkovski heads the SkillVille Group, a Louisville-based touring entertainment company which includes his signature BirdZerk! mascot character as well as the ever-expanding roster of inflatable Zooperstars! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name). The Zooperstars!, all of whom sport pun-based animal athlete monikers such as Shark McGwire, Ken Giraffey Jr. and new arrival Tim Tebull, have become one of the most recognizable touring acts not just in Minor League Baseball but all of professional sports.
But as is the case with almost all entrepreneurial endeavors, Latkovski started small. What is now a multifaceted touring entertainment juggernaut was once just a young man with a bird costume and a dream.
A long time ago…
Farm's Almanac
The Week That Was
Rodriguez sparkles
Orioles No. 3 prospect Eduardo Rodriguez took a no-hitter into the seventh for Frederick.
Gagnon perfect
Brewers righty Drew Gagnon struck out a career-high 10 over seven perfect frames.
Barnes learns new grip
Red Sox prospect Matt Barnes dazzled with his new curveball in his second Double-A win.
On Deck
Adams back in town
Former Springfield first baseman Matt Adams returns on a weekend rehab assignment.
Cueto back on rehab
Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto suits up for Class A Dayton in a May 8 rehab.
Hens dress to impress
Triple-A Toledo will sport hairy Chewbacca-themed Star Wars jerseys May 4-5.
Latkovski, a Louisville native who turns 43 later this month, traces his interest in the world of mascots to the 1982 arrival of the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds. He attended the team's games on a nightly basis and can still rattle off the names of the up-and-coming players he saw there as they made their way to the parent St. Louis Cardinals. But as enthralling as the likes of Willie McGee and Vince Coleman might have been, Latkovski was even more enamored with those who appeared on the field during the inning breaks.
"The Phillie Phanatic, Morganna [the Kissing Bandit], Captain Dynamite, the Chicken and Max Patkin were the novelty acts making the rounds at the time, and they really made an impression on me," said Latkovski. "How cool would it be to be able to do that, touring around and every night doing the same show in a different city?"
Latkovski garnered his first mascot experience as a teenager in high school, but his big break came in 1990 during his sophomore year attending Louisville's Bellarmine University. Billy Johnson, the original "Billy Bird" mascot for the Redbirds, was transitioning to a front-office position and the team was looking for someone to take his place. Latkovski's father, Andy, always a supporter of such endeavors, encouraged his son to try out.
"I got the job, and just thought it was so cool to be the bird," he said. "At the time, I was working at an ice cream shop for minimum wage -- $3.35 -- and the Redbirds were paying me $35 a game. ... I was so fired up to do the job, and it just came naturally to me."
Latkovski developed an act as he went along, recruiting his younger brother Brennan to dress up as an umpire so that Billy Bird would have a natural antagonist during his on-field skits. (Brennan and Dominic have worked together ever since, and older brother Lex is involved as well despite the comically unenthused nature of his company bio). As Billy Bird's popularity increased, so did Latkovski's skills and confidence, and soon enough $35 a ballgame didn't seem like good money anymore.
"People were starting to tell me that I was funny and that they liked me as much as the Chicken," said Latkovski, referring to the iconic mascot originally known as the San Diego Chicken. "He was coming to our games three times a year and making $8,500 each time. For 72 games I made less than half of what he made in one night."
Looking back, Latkovski singles out two Louisville events as pivotal in his career development: the 1991 Triple-A All-Star Game and the 1992 Baseball Winter Meetings. At the former, he performed as Billy Bird for a who's who of Minor League Baseball executives. At the latter, he obtained a booth at the Baseball Trade Show and marketed his act directly to them.
"I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and leading up to [the Winter Meetings] I made a lot of money scalping Garth Brooks tickets, about $6,000. I parlayed that into a booth at the Trade Show," said Latkovski. "For a 21-year-old kid, that was a hefty amount of money."
Being the self-described "new bird on the block," Latkovski had low expectations, as he was simply hoping to book four shows at $1,500 per in order to recoup his Trade Show investment. But, buoyed by the positive notice he'd garnered at the Triple-A All-Star Game, he and Brennan booked 48 shows in locales as diverse as Monterrey, Mexico, Asheville, N.C., and Medicine Hat, Canada. All of these shows were booked while the Redbirds were on the road, as Latkovski still suited up as Billy Bird at all 1993 home games.
After that season, the Redbirds realized that Latkovski had a hit on his hands.
"[The Redbirds] wanted me to sign a contract giving them a big portion of the money in exchange for using the name and the costume, and that's when we decided to break free and create a new character."
One becomes many
That character was the multi-hued and endlessly effervescent BirdZerk!, which Latkovski still performs as today. He and Brennan toured the country with this act for the next several seasons, honing and expanding upon the routines they'd developed for Billy Bird, but in 1998, things really took off with the introduction of the inflatable Zooperstars!
"Prior to the Zooperstars! we'd seen just two inflatable characters -- the University of Nebraska's Big Red and an All Sport [thirst quencher] bottle," said Latkovski. "We added a couple inflatables to the BirdZerk! repertoire, and at the same time our dad started telling us we should add a new character named Harry Canary who would hang out in the press box and sing the seventh-inning stretch."
After some initial skepticism and false starts, Harry Canary became the ZooperStars!'s flagship character. He was soon joined by the likes of Cow Ripken and Pee Wee Geese, and the roster increased from there as the Latkovskis and their employees fanned themselves out across the country.
"Soon a light bulb went off -- we could be earning three show fees in one night with six people performing, and that's when things really took off in terms of being financially successful. It's the same reason that the Blue Man Group have more value than Penn and Teller. Because while Penn and Teller can sell out one theater, the Blue Man Group can be playing in Tokyo, Chicago, Las Vegas and New York City. It doesn't matter who is in the outfit, as long as people are getting a good show."
There are now a whopping 40 Zooperstars! characters in all, and Latkovski has made further inroads with the establishment of the Skillville Group entertainment company that includes "hip nerd" Myron Noodleman and break dancer Breakin' BBoy McCoy on its roster. But, through it all, that innate desire to entertain remains the same.
"I love going to the games, love meeting the players, fans and staff, and love entertaining the heck out of people," said Latkovski. "I want to make an impression on them like Max Patkin, Captain Dynamite and Morganna did on me."
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog.
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”