Slugger nominated for Mascot Hall of Fame

Portland, Maine- Portland Sea Dogs mascot, Slugger the Sea Dog, has been nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame. Fans can help get Slugger inducted by voting for him in the first round of voting, which will take place from October 6th-12th at www.mascothalloffame.com/thevote. Fans can also find a link to the ballot at www.seadogs.com. 

Slugger is one of 19 mascots selected by the Mascot Hall of Fame Executive Committee for consideration for induction into the National Mascot Hall of Fame for the class of 2020. The Mascot Hall of Fame honors and recognizes the best in the business of professional, semi-pro, and collegiate mascots in North America with at least a 10-year career of entertaining fans and communities. Slugger is one of two Minor League Baseball mascots nominated joining Thunder the Dog from the Lake Elsinore Storm. Currently, there are no Minor League Baseball mascots in the Hall of Fame. Among the nominees is Slugger's good friend Wally the Green Monster from the Boston Red Sox.
Fans will have a say in which mascots are inducted into the National Mascot Hall of Fame. Fans can vote for up to seven mascots in the first round of voting, which runs from Sunday, October 6th through Saturday, October 12th. Fans can vote at www.mascothalloffame.com/thevote or www.seadogs.com. The public may vote once per day with the same email. The top ten mascots will move on to the final round. The final round of voting will take place from October 20th through the 26th. Fans can vote for up to three mascots in the final round. Mascots receiving 65% of the vote will be inducted. The induction weekend is set for June 11-14, 2020.

Among the qualities the Mascot Hall of Fame looks for in nominees are the mascot's record of contributions to the team, impact on their community, performances that are considered memorable or groundbreaking, and the mascot's design.
Slugger has served as the Sea Dogs' Director of Crowd Entertainment since the teams' inception in 1994. In addition to entertaining over 10 million fans at Hadlock Field, he makes over 200 community appearances each year. He has gained national attention for his on-field antics and is one of the most followed MiLB mascots on social media. He adds a special element to every Portland Sea Dogs game with skits that include dancing, flips, stunts, interactions with the umpires and fans, and general tom-foolery. Slugger is the face of the Strike Out Cancer in Kids program which has raised nearly five million dollars for the Maine Children's Cancer Program. He also leads Slugger's Reading Challenge, the Slugger Open, and the Mini Slugger Open. In 2014 he walked from Fenway Park to Hadlock Field to raise awareness and money for Tourette Syndrome. 
The Mascot Hall of Fame is located in Whiting, Indiana, located less than 30 minutes from Chicago. In addition to honoring mascots, the Hall of Fame is a state-of-the-art interactive children's museum that was created to entertain, educate, and enthuse children, families, and sports fans of all ages.