Relevant information from Major League Baseball’s COVID-19 operations manual:

“Home Clubs may have their mascot in the ballpark if they choose, however under no circumstances are mascots permitted on the field of play or in any other Restricted Area on game days.”

No ATV for the Phanatic, and no dancing on top of the dugout, which I guess would be pointless anyway since no fans will be in the stands. Guess he/she/it will have to be creative in front of the camera.

Funny thing is that the Phanatic lawsuit story was a hot topic before Coronavirus, with ongoing litigation between the Phillies and mascot creators Wade Harrison and Bonnie Erickson. It’s a dispute based on a federal law that allows copyright renegotiation after 35 years.

Back in February, the “new” Phanatic was revealed, and he/she/it has scales, a longer tail with a blue tip, new shoes, different color socks, and stars around the eyes:

Harrison and Erickson called the new-look Phanatic an “affront” to their intellectual property rights and Phillies fans, back in February.

Love it or hate it, lawsuit or no lawsuit, it’s nice to hear that the Phanatic will be allowed to play a role in the Phils’ season this year. Things are slowly returning to normal. We are healing.