Baseball's a game for Zooperstars

They're wacky. They're funny. They're crazy. They're the Zooperstars -- and they're the fastest growing phenomenon in the world of sports entertainment.

After spending the day with Zooperstars at a New Hampshire Fisher Cats game and watching them perform live, it's clear why they're the latest rage among sports fans, especially Minor League baseball fans.

A typical day begins when the Zooperstars performers arrive a couple hours before gametime, allowing them to get situated in the stadium and to coordinate their routines with club officials.

In this case, co-founder Brennan Latovski and fellow cast member Zach Redman are in the new Fisher Cats Stadium getting set to give the fans a performance they will never forget.

"Most of the time we'll have two guys travel for a baseball game, maybe three or four for a basketball or hockey game," said Latovski.

Latovski, his brother Dominic, and a third partner came up with the idea for Zooperstars in 1998 when they were busy running its sister operation called Birdzerk.

"We were essentially looking for something to add to Birdzerk, or branch off of it to keep it fresh," said Latovski. "After many brainstorming sessions, came the idea for the Zooperstars, and we thought we could try it on its own as opposed to a part of Birdzerk. The rest is history."

History indeed, as the Zooperstars craze has created a wave that's been growing and growing since its debut. In that first year, they put on 29 shows, compared to this season, in which they are booked solid for over 200 venues.

Each Zooperstar character is a goofy combination of a zoo animal and a famous athlete or sports figure. This time around, Fisher Cats fans were entertained by Clammy Sosa, Harry Canary, Deion Salamanders, Shark McGwire, and Nomar Garciaparrot.

So what makes the Zooperstars so popular? They seem to have found the secret to satisfying fans of all ages. That is one of the reasons the Fisher Cats have gone to such great lengths to showcase them.

"They provide such a different element to your entertainment, and since Minor League clubs are always geared towards families, that's one of the beauties of the Zooperstars -- you don't have to be a kid to enjoy it; adults and kids both love them," said the team's Assistant GM, Jeff Tagliaferro.

Latovski, himself, has been a mascot for over 16 years and still says the best part about his job is seeing the look on fans' faces when they are truly enjoying themselves. He's also quick to note that another perk he has enjoyed while being a traveling mascot has been the chance to perform in many different parts of the country and even outside the United States, including in Japan and Mexico.

The 17 performers, including Latovski and his brother, range from ages 15 to 35. With their base located in Louisville, Ky., Latovski says the only real requirements for someone to join the Zooperstars crew is being from the Louisville area and maintaining your coordination while donning an air-filled suit that could be anywhere from 8 to 12 feet tall.

He says the hardest part of being a Zooperstar is getting past the creative slumps that he and his staff sometimes face.

"It's like trying to recreate the wheel sometimes. You want to keep things fresh and new and exciting but sometimes that's tough. There are always ideas that we come up with but the key is weeding out the ones that work with the show from the ones that don't," he explained.

The performances in New Hampshire kept the fans entertained as they watched everything from a dance-off between Shark McGwire and Latovski dressed as a member of the visiting team to Clammy Sosa eating a Fisher Cats batboy in the middle of the fifth inning.

Nomar Garciaparrot and Deion Salamanders also did their best lip sync routine and showed off their dance moves. During the seventh inning, fans even got to listen to Harry Canary give his rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," punctuated by a showering of the fans with confetti and Silly String.

"I had seen them perform a few times before with other teams and knew that this would be something unlike your average between-inning entertainment for fans," said Tagliaferro, "It's something that everybody can respond to and find humor in -- that's why it works."

Fisher Cats fans certainly responded to their first Zooperstars experience. When asked her thoughts, Mikayla Sears, a six-year-old fan said she loves coming to watch the baseball players but her favorite part of the game was watching Clammy Sosa eat the batboy.

Eight-year-old Zach Spenard agreed, saying, "They're really funny. It's between the Shark that was dancing and Clammy Sosa. I can't decide which is my favorite yet."

As their popularity has been on the rise, the Zooperstars have entertained at several sporting events, from Minor League Baseball to collegiate and professional hockey and basketball.

Latovski says his favorite performance was his first Denver Nuggets game.

"There's something about that first time you're at a new place -- that feeling where people have never seen you. They really enjoy the show because they have no idea what to expect," he says.

After getting to know the Zooperstars, up close and personal, it's safe to say that fans can expect one thing for sure -- a witty, creative act that will have them laughing the whole time.