The Yes Man

When Zachary Hall was younger, he dreamed of working in professional sports. While he worked in various little leagues, Hall says he developed a passion for family entertainment. This led him to his dream of taking it to the next level. But getting to where he wanted to be would prove to be more difficult than he could even imagine.

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak to Hall on the phone. He called me from his office in Chase Field as he was getting prepared for the night's game. It appeared that Hall was able to turn his young dreams into a reality.

In 2007, After getting rejected by the entertainment team for the Phoenix Suns, Hall tells me that he felt dejected. But luckily for him, there was a silver lining. The Suns were connected to a minor league hockey team called the Phoenix Road Runners. And they asked Hall if he wanted to work for them. Hall quickly agreed.

Before he knew it, the Road Runners’ mascot quit. The team asked if he would take on the job. He said yes.

Then the Phoenix Coyotes’ mascot was fired. Hall said yes again.

A few weeks later, the Diamondbacks released their mascot.

What do you think Hall said?

As the full-time mascot for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Zachary Hall, also known as “D-Baxter,” says that he loves what he does. On a daily basis, he clowns around. He signs fans on the forehead. He flips into pools. He’s been to all-star games, children’s hospitals, and all across the country.

“In this costume I feel like I can do anything,” he says.

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Interview with Zach Hall transcription (shortened)

PS: I’m here with Zach Hall, who is the man behind D-Baxter, which is the Arizona Diamondback’s mascot. Zach, I just wanted to know, how did you get involved doing this?

ZH: I started working in little league every since I was growing up. I have a passion for family entertainment, and realize that right after working at a family facility, that I wanted to work for the next level, which was professional sports. So I saw an audition announcement on the Phoenix Suns website for their in-game entertainment team. I auditioned the first year and did not make the Suns’ entertainment team but there were other opportunities within their organization. The Suns owned a WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury. They rented their arena for an Arena Football team called the Arizona Rattlers, as well as an ECHL minor league hockey team called the Phoenix Road Runners. So, the gentleman interviewing me said you know, you didn’t make this team but we’d still like to hire you and develop you. Would you be willing to work for a minor league hockey team? And it’s one of those situations where you see an opportunity and you say yes, and you put your hard work in, and worked my way up and worked for minor league hockey as an in-game host, a puck patrol in-game entertainment member. And one day the mascot didn’t show up, they offered me a few extra bucks to do it for the night. Next thing you know, they let that guy go and I became the guy there and just kept saying yes to opportunity. Which led me to working for the Phoenix Coyotes as their mascot when they fired their mascot midseason in 2008. So that was an opportunity that I said why not? About a few weeks later, the Diamondbacks released their mascot, and the opportunity to apply came and I went from being a part-time entertainer to a full-time mascot.

PS: What’s the most rewarding part about the job?

ZH: The fact that no matter what kind of day, or what’s going on my life, I can put on a costume, and just have the most fun, the idea that there are people that come to a baseball game that might come to one game a year, or come to every game, or just the fact that if I throw them a shirt or sign an autograph on their forehead, or throw them a baseball, or give them a hug or a high five, like, there not going to get a chance to meet baseball players everyday, but the fact that through being interactive and fan friendly, I can make an impact on someone that not only brings happiness to their life, but also does a good deed for this organization in building a fan base.

PS: As the Diamondbacks’ mascot, as D-Baxter, you represent the team maybe #1, do you feel any kind of media pressure, I mean, you represent the team in the media, how do you deal with that kind of pressure that you’re somewhat, you know, your somewhat the face of the Diamondbacks?

ZH: I don’t know if I ever do feel that pressure just because it’s one of those situations where I do my job everyday whether there’s one fan in the stands or 50 thousand. Knowing that I do the same job every single day, whether we’re playing the Yankees, the Dodgers, or the Pirates, or the Reds. I just go back to my job everyday is to be interactive, sign autographs, and do my training. I need to be cognoscente of different fan bases or ways to interact cause you don’t want to offend anybody or while running around the ballpark you don’t want to be blocking anybody’s seat. It’s definitely not much the pressure everyday but it’s just more so to hark in that energy no matter what. And being able to go out there and get the job done.

PS: Would you say that there’s a certain feel or an art to being a good mascot?

ZH: I mean it’s definitely an art. I always tell everyone this who asks me how I do it? Non verbal improv. So I have a weird personality where everyday I just come up with something new. You have to think on your feet. If somebody boos you, you lift your jersey up and you moon ‘em. Or if someone is clamoring for your attention from the other team, maybe you silly string them, or maybe you throw popcorn or peanuts. It’s one of those things where it’s non verbal improv and you have to be able to communicate using so many non verbal gestures-- hand gestures, body gestures, dancing. Shining somebody’s forehead. Just constant non verbal improv. So it’s very weird. I’ve never been formally trained. It’s just one of those things where you roll with it unless you YouTube videos of other mascots. But at the end of the day it’s just constantly being creative.

PS: What would you say over the course of the time as being D Baxter is your favorite moment or favorite event as the mascot, behind the mask?

ZH: So as the mascot a couple moments were pretty cool for me-- the fact that I’m an Arizona native, so being able to go to places I went to as a kid, whether it be a spring training or in 2009, my first year, I got to go to the All-Star game in St. Louis that was also the performance at the stadium. Going to phoenix children’s hospital for the first time and doing visits for kids that i’ll never know. I don’t know what these kids are going through. I was there and I did a visit in the hospital room with a young man and when I left his mom just gave me a big hug and started crying.. it made me start crying. And I’ll never know this woman and she’ll know me. Just being a mascot, at the end of the day, my job is just to push the bar. And I can do whatever I want, wherever I want to a certain degree. So things like Opening Day 2011, I got to propel from the roof into chase field. Opening Day 2013, I did back flip into the pool on opening day. Three years ago, so in 2010, two days before my birthday, I went to an appearance here in Phoenix, in downtown Phoenix, for the special olympics, and I was told the appearance was special olympics, just hang out, and I was like okay. When I get there, I had to repel down a 19 story building. And I was not prepared and I’m afraid of heights. Yet in this costume I feel like I can do anything. And I repelled down a 19 story building in downtown phoenix, raising money for the special olympics. So not only did I get to break a personal fear of mine but I was also doing something for a foundation that looked forward to it, it was incredible.

PS: Alright Zach, thank you for taking the time to talk to me today

ZH: No problem, thank you so much.