John Routh's Tenure
For the first ten years in the major leagues he was played by John Routh, until he was fired in 2003 as part of budget cuts. Routh was reported to have been earning in excess of $80,000 p.a. at the time.
During Routh's tenure, Billy the Marlin regularly launched a tightly wadded t-shirt out of a pressurized air gun. In one instance, a shirt accidentally hit an elderly man in the eye, temporarily knocking the man unconscious. The man later filed an unsuccessful $250,000 lawsuit. After a five day trial, Routh was found "not negligent" by the jury. The man's companion at the game admitted that during a scramble for a t-shirt that landed in the row in front of them, that another fan may have hit him with an elbow. During the trial, a local TV station wanted footage of Routh testifying, but the judge ruled that "just as children believe in Santa Claus, South Florida children believe in Billy the Marlin", so Routh's face was ordered to not be shown.
Read more about this topic: Billy The Marlin
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