Why the Diamondbacks’ mascot is a bobcat and not a snake

The logic is right there in the name: The Arizona Diamondbacks are named for a snake.

So, uh, why is their mascot D. Baxter the Bobcat?

First, I’ll start with a theory from my colleague Andrew Joseph: A snake mascot with no arms would be kind of tough to pull off.

Makes sense! But there’s a whole reason why it’s a bobcat, and that has to do with the original name of the Diamondbacks’ stadium. From the Arizona Republic: “From the team’s inception in 1998 until 2005, the Diamondbacks’ Stadium was known as Bank One Ball Park, commonly referred to by it’s nickname ‘The BOB.’ Baxter got his name in the summer of 2000 when the son of former second baseman, Jay Bell, told his dad that the team should have a ‘BOB’ cat mascot.”

The mascot was PISSED pic.twitter.com/ouDG5lkchF

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 19, 2023

There you have it!