Pocono News Section

Behind the Scenes w/ LLWS Mascot "Dugout"

Behind the Scenes w/ LLWS Mascot "Dugout" - Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 6:43PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009 @ 06:43pm EST
South Williamsport, Lycoming County-

You rarely see their faces, yet they never fail to make you smile, laugh, even dance. They are the people behind the costumes- the ones who bring mascots to life.

The identity of the person behind Dugout is a closely guarded secret around the Little League International Complex.

So we did some digging and found the woman who retired from the role of Dugout just last year.

Kathie Rosenberg, who now acts as Dugout’s coordinator, says putting on the costume allowed her to be a kid again.

To hear Rosenberg tell it, she agreed to don the costume of Little League’s famous mascot on a temporary basis- for only one appearance actually. She ended up bringing Dugout to life for more than a decade.

Rosenberg explained, “I get to act silly. I get to make people smile, which is one of the huge benefits of being dugout.”

Kathie spent 13 Little League World Series as Dugout- entertaining children and adults alike. The former cheerleader, dancer, and gymnast also traveled around the country representing Little League.

She says she loved her time in the suit but recalls the challenges as well.

Rosenberg noted, “I would say the heat and just trying to keep that energy level and that momentum up. That was always a hard part."

"But once you get out there and you see that you’re making people smile, your adrenaline gets going and it somehow just kicks in, so it’s great,” she added.

And things don’t always go quite according to plan for mascots, like the time someone didn’t hold a garage door high enough for Dugout to make it through.

Rosenberg recalled, “He didn’t happen to hold it up too high so Dugout, comical act, kind of slapstick, hit the thing, fell down, and we moved on. And people were laughing, but that’s what it’s all about.”

Kathie says the people behind mascots all have one thing in common- they just want to make your day a little bit brighter.

She added, “You know the people that are inside of there, we truly enjoy being Dugout. We truly enjoy Little League baseball.”