He wasn't cute and cuddly. In fact, when he was first introduced, years ago, he had big fangs, which were quickly eliminated because they scared kids. He still had claws, which were also somewhat disconcerting, right up until the end.

If you have a bear mascot, you want him to look more like Baloo from "The Jungle Book," big and lovable, like he could whip up a tension-relieving sing-a-long in a tough spot -- first-and-third, nobody out, for instance. Wild Thing was scrawny and kinda mangy-looking. He was the bear version of the Big Bad Wolf.

So instead of just retiring Wild Thing during the offseason, Fresno's Triple-A baseball team came up with this storyline about how Wild Thing was leaving the team to get married to a female mascot named Wilda, and then they took it even further by holding press conferences introducing the new couple, and then they took it even further by having them introduce the new mascot (Parker) and appear at the first couple of home games, and then took it even further by holding a wedding for them.

Little kids had to be thinking one of two things: A.) "My dad is married and he still has time for a job. What kind of controlling partner is this Wilda? I give it six months," or B.) "It's a guy in a bear suit. Just tell us he got hit by a tractor trailer or chased off by bulldozers that scraped away his natural forest, and let's move on. Bury him in the backyard, and bring on Parker, the cute bear!!"

They've taken the charade so far that adults are now confused. A guy I know thought the actual guy who puts on the Wild Thing suit was getting married, which is why they were getting a new mascot. Not sure why he would have to retire because of marriage, either, or why they couldn't just get someone else to jump in the suit ... You know what? It doesn't matter.

Wild Thing is finally gone and Parker is here. Good-looking usually wins out, even in mascot world.