It is not every day that a 2010 World Series Champion baseball team recognizes Sammy the Slug on live TV.
It’s even more unusual to see a couple of professional sports announcers transform themselves into slugs before your very eyes.
On April 27, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper, the San Francisco Giants’ news broadcasters, expressed a preference for a Banana Slug as one animal they would like to see adorning Giant fans’ headwear. In a show of support for this Bay Area sports team, UCSC sent Banana Slug hats to ‘Kruk and Kuip’ along with a heartful message from Sammy the Slug. What happened next should take its place in UCSC Banana Slug mascot history.
On May 17, during a game that pitted the Giants against the St. Louis Cardinals, ‘Kruk and Kuip’ thanked Sammy the Slug and UCSC for ‘sluggifying’ the SF Giants. It must have been the luck of the Banana Slug that helped the Giants go on to a 7-5 victory against the Cardinals. Click here to check out the video.
Later that evening, ESPN’s SportsCenter introduced the daily highlights by showcasing ‘Kruk and Kuip’ wearing the hats. As the season continues, UCSC hopes to continue Sammy the Banana Slugger’s relationship with the Giants.
Go SF Giants! And long live Sammy the Banana Slug.
