Randy Johnson Special Bird of the Week

The Greater White-fronted Goose That Interrupted The NLDS

I love you, Rally Goose. (Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated)

If you’ve been following the Major League Baseball (MLB) Postseason, there’s probably one name on the tip of your tongue. That name is, of course, that of the goose, which interrupted Game 2 of the National League Division Series (NLDS). In the bottom of the eighth, as the Padres were delivering defeat to the terrifying LA Dodgers for the first time in the series, this very confused friend found himself in the middle of the field in Dodger Stadium, being screamed at by a full crowd of playoff-crazed baseball fans. “Ducks are aggressive… very aggressive,” one broadcaster remarked, rudely and incorrectly. First of all: it’s a Greater White-Fronted Goose, not a fucking duck. Second of all: “aggressive” my ass. Look at him! He has no idea what the fuck is going on! He is scared and confused! Let him live, for God’s sake!!!

Sadly, those on the field that evening cared more about “playoff baseball” than they did a really cool guy, so a bunch of men in hideous blue hoodies chased him around the field until one of them was able to sneak up on him and wrap him in a towel, then shove the towel into a recycling bin. The second these definitely not PETA-approved ruffians got the goose captured, the crowd turned, and suddenly an entire stadium of drunk baseball fans was booing this terrible indecency against an innocent (and very cool) goose. Clearly, they weren’t really there for the baseball anymore, and frankly, I’m with them. Because I don’t know about you, but I prefer my geese unaccosted, and I prefer my baseball with a cool and friendly quacker hanging out behind home plate. 
The Quest has already covered Greater White-Fronted Geese before, and you can read about them here on our website! They’re wonderful waterfowl renowned for their goofy hijinks and uniquely close family relationships. We can only hope that those racketeers at Dodger Stadium have returned our poor honking homie to his family — or at least, that they’ve released him somewhere a little more peaceful than center-stage in Dodger Stadium, under blinding lights, deafening roars, and high-velocity missiles powerful enough to turn him into a pile of feathers.

Read more about the Greater White-Fronted Goose here.