Column: Aaron Worm, Behind the Mic

Have you ever written yourself a bucket list? I haven’t, but I suppose if I did I might put skydiving, visiting Hawaii, getting a tattoo, things like that.

Dressing up as a fish and running around Target Field wouldn’t be on my list, but I can now say I have done that.

We were at the May 27 Twins game against Detroit, guest of the Twins Radio Network.

Penny Meier with the network had been asked to run in the mascot race and was looking for others to compete.

I am a big kid, so the chance to dress up in costume sounded like a great idea to me. Now, it wasn’t my first mascot experience. At St. Cloud State back in the mid ’90s, I tried to get some experience with one of the local radio stations. I wasn’t able to get on-air, so to make a few extra bucks, I took a job as Money Monkey.

I would dress up as a monkey and go out to events handing out prizes. The experience never helped me in my radio career and people pulling on my tail was really annoying. But, as a college kid any money was good.

Now back to the recent mascot experience. The other four participants picked their costumes first. Babe the Blue Ox, Spot the Dog, a mosquito and a loon were all taken.

I didn’t think about it until later in the day, but a guy with the last name Worm, dressing up as a Fish called Wanda, seemed appropriate.

The race takes place at the end of the fourth inning, so when the Twins were batting in the fourth, we all got in place behind a gate that was part of the left field wall.

It was a 90-plus degree day, and it felt like the Twins were batting for an hour, as we all stood there sweating in the heat.

Some guy in the bleachers yelled down, “It must be hot in there!”

I felt it would have been a perfect time, for a here’s your sign joke, like no sir, the suits are equipped with air conditioning and fans.

If I had tried my hardest I probably would have still finished in last, but I did want Penny to win since she was nice enough to ask.

The gates opened, and Wanda let everyone else run ahead. I guess each character was representing a certain part of the park and if that character won, a row in that area would win a gift card.

I feel bad because, those rooting for Wanda were cheering for a dead fish. We sprinted around the warning track and towards the visitor’s dugout.

Babe took first and Penny dressed as Spot, I believe came in 3rd, with Wanda a distant, and I mean distant fifth.

I went back to our seats and someone had notified the rest of my family what costume I was wearing.

My son Isaak’s first words toward me were “Dad you were the fish and you got last.”

If given the chance, I will run as Wanda again, and this time there will be no more Mrs. Nice Fish.

 

KATE Radio Sports Director Aaron Worm’s column appears every Monday in the Tribune. He can be heard from 6 to 11 a.m. weekdays on The Breeze.