Being a baseball mascot can be a risky business

"I went to college to be a doctor, but I turned out to be a stuffed animal," said Bruce, who charges about $5,000 a night to harass umpires, tease minor-league ballplayers and toss confetti at fans in his role as "Reggy."

He's one of most successful acts on the competitive minor-league baseball entertainment circuit, where dozens of people spend their days traveling and their nights romping around parks from Albuquerque, N.M., to Altoona, Pa.

Bruce is one of the lucky ones. For every Reggy, there are plenty of acts like "World Famous Monkey Boy" and Skip "Balloon Man" Banks, both of whom say a sluggish economy is making it more difficult to find work.

"There have been some obvious effects," said 30-year-old Chris Ames, who left his job with a software company last year to pursue his career as the Monkey Boy. "Teams are spending less money."

For about $1,500 a night, Ames wears a furry suit and rubber monkey mask to entertain fans. Banks' trademark stunt is crawling inside a huge balloon until only his head is outside.

"It's a lot harder than it looks," Banks said.

In a sport where the best players get promoted to other teams, top prospects aren't around long enough to become the focus of fan interest.

Minor-league teams don't have Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. They have "Mad Chad," who juggles running chain saws, and daredevil unicyclist Chaz Marquette.

"In the majors, it's all about the ballplayers on the field," said Clint Wulfekotte, marketing manager of the Lakewood Blue Claws, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies that's three levels below the big leagues. "Here, it's all about the experience."

With a team that had seven players younger than 21 on Opening Day, the Blue Claws attracted a near-sellout crowd of 7,500 fans at their suburban New Jersey ballpark on a recent Tuesday night when Reggy was the featured act.

Wulfekotte has booked sports comedian Myron Noodleman, Rockin' Ray and his Amazing Skyy Dogs and Krazy George, who claims to have invented the Wave during the 1980s.

"We want our fans to have a great time, win or lose, and the entertainment is a big part of that," Wulfekotte said.

The strategy seems to be working: Last year's 38.6 million attendance at minor-league clubs with links to the majors was the third most ever, behind 2001 and the record of 39.7 million fans in 1949 -- when there were 448 clubs compared with the 176 clubs today.

When the economy was booming in the 1990s, companies were more willing to take risks and sponsor new kinds of entertainment at ballparks, said Jon Cudo, who runs www.gameops.com, a Web site where more than 100 sports mascots and entertainers advertise their acts.

"Minor-league sports went through a real boom period in terms of entertainment, but it's pretty much over," said Cudo, a former mascot for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. "There are very few acts coming onto the scene these days and making a name for themselves."

There is still money available, but companies want to be sure they are getting good value when they sponsor an act, said Jim Andrews of Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship Report, a publication that tracks the business.

"Ten years ago, the evaluation of a sponsorship was a lot fuzzier," Andrews said. "With these expenditures now, somebody in that company is going to want to know about the return on that investment."

That has meant some lean times for performers such as Chris Pegg, who has been trying to find work as Guru.

Although he has discounted his price to about half of what Reggy charges, he is having a hard time finding teams that will give him a chance.

"We're a new act, and nobody has seen us," said Pegg, whose day job is working in the promotions department for the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds. "You really have to cut your price down really low."

Times have also been tough for Anna Jack, a former member of the Moscow Circus who performs a hula-hoop routine.

"We saw a drop-off with all of our acts," said Jon Terry of SRO Productions, a Tulsa, Okla., agency that represents Jack and about another dozen performers. "It's a shame, but I know my clients and know what they're willing to buy, and they've been going with proven veterans."

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