SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on July 26, 2022.
The St. Paul Saints may be entering a "new era" of baseball, but some traditions with the offbeat minor league affiliate are just too good to scrap.
Apparently, the presence of a new ball pig each season is one of them. The Twins Triple-A affiliate announced Tuesday that this year's model, a handsome black and white fella, has been dubbed "Mud Grant" in an obvious tribute to late Minnesota Vikings legend Bud Grant.
In typical fashion, the Saints made the announcement with plenty of hyperbole and a fair amount of fiction, spinning little Mud's story like he is the second coming of the intrepid coach.
"On a fateful day in February, when temperatures plunged below zero, a self-assured, unflappable piglet walked through the gates," the team wrote in a media release. "Wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a take-charge attitude, he confidently, but slowly walked down the icy covered stairs. When he got on the field, he strode towards home plate, with a steely-eyed look, head held high, and proved he was already in mid-season form. On that day, the Saints 2023 ball pig was born. His name…Mud Grant."
Team officials say Mud Grant was selected from more than 1,000 entries in a naming contest in conjunction with the Star Tribune. It came from Bud Rosenfield of Minneapolis, who will receive a $50 Saints gift card, VIP Saints tickets, a photo with the pig and an opportunity to escort little Mud at a game. Rosenfield will also get to throw out a first pitch.
The Saints have had a ball pig each year of the club's 30-year existence, with unusual names that include Chop Gun, Little Red Porkette, Slumhog Millionaire and The Notorious P.I.G. Since 1993 the pigs have been supplied by Dennis and Marilyn Hauth who handle, train, house and design costumes for the pigs.
Mud Grant's debut was to coincide with the Saints' home opener, originally set for Tuesday, April 4, but a spring storm has pushed the game against the Iowa Cubs to Wednesday, April 5.
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