There are few joys in life greater than the first trip back to the ballpark at the start of baseball season.
The sights and sounds of the ballpark have the ability to immediately bring you back to summers long gone by. The crack of the bat. The taste of that first hot dog. The seventh inning stretch. The emotional support bunny.
Okay, that last one might not be a staple for all baseball fans, but it sure was for those in attendance in San Francisco over the weekend when the Giants hosted the Seattle Mariners.
Early in the game, cameras showed one fan in the stands holding what was described as an emotional support rabbit. It was a very big rabbit.
“Don’t you just want to give it a hug?” asked commentator Mike Krukow. “What’s softer than rabbit fur?”
To answer your questions in order Mike, 1) yes, 2) nothing.
Krukow’s delight with the rabbit did not stop there, and was wholesomely endearing.
"Whoever discovered the beauty of the therapy animal is—a special place in Heaven for,” he said. “It is remarkable what animals can do to relieve anxiety and depression."
Right again, Kruk.
For those not in the know (I certainly wasn’t), the rabbit in question is named Alex the Great, and is something of a cultural icon in the Bay Area.
As one fan posted on social media, “We loveeee Alex the therapy rabbit.”
It wasn’t even the first time Alex the Great had delighted fans at Oracle Park, having become a similar sensation back in 2021.
More bunnies at baseball games, please.