Yes, It's Hot in Here

“A witty and wild ride narrated by a sharp writer with a big heart and beautiful soul.” —David Ritz, bestselling author of The Man Who Brought The Dodgers Back to Brooklyn

“As a professional fantasy sports analyst, I usually overlook the impact mascots can have on a player’s performance. But after learning that AJ Mass, a former Mr. Met, once inspired Bret Saberhagen to pitch a five-hit shutout and that his performance once distracted Braves slugger Fred McGriff to the point he was nearly decapitated during infield practice, perhaps I shouldn’t. Yes, It’s Hot in Here is a fascinating and fun look at a part of the sports world that everyone is aware of but few people really know.” —Matthew Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Fantasy Life

“Mass, a nice Queens boy and current writer for ESPN.com, lifts the proverbial and physical mask to explore what he calls the “certain weirdness” of being a major league mascot. The result is a memoir-cum-Mr. Met-genealogy which traces the roots of the character and the intersection of his own turn in the role through a taxonomy of mascotdom, from the royal courts of Renaissance Europe to keg-saturated college campuses. It is studded with profiles of mascots Mass has known and those he has searched out, the quiet practitioners of the art of mugging for a crowd in an anthropomorphized animal suit.” —Gelf Magazine