As we discussed in my last feature, I have dug deep into Gwinnett during my time with the DiG, quickly becoming the face of our little operation here. It’s not official or anything, but people often refer to me as “Gwinnett’s Mascot,”  which is very kind. I would never say something like that about myself, of course; I’m far too down-to-earth for that kind of thing. However, there have always been rumblings in the earth of another creature digging into our county – a groundhog named Chopper. 

Chopper works as the mascot for the Gwinnett Stripers, the county’s baseball team and Triple-A affiliate team for the Atlanta Braves. At first glance, I was happy to see another burrowing critter tunneling its own path to success but it turns out that was false. According to the Stripers Entertainment Team, Chopper is a descendant of General Beauregard Lee, a famed predictor of weather in the state of Georgia. That’s right, Chopper is a nepo-baby. He used his family’s acclaim to push his personal brand over the little guys, like me. This revelation should have many Chopper fans asking themselves one key question: “How much ground can a groundhog hog?” 

Unfortunately, despite my discovery of this breaking news, there remains a fact that haunts me more than the aforementioned question: Chopper is, against all odds, a great mascot. I went to a Stripers game and found myself enraptured by his innate charisma. His antics and crowd work rivals that of the most successful comedians of the modern era. I found myself smiling as he jogged out onto the field, hoping deep in my heart that he might visit my section of the stands so I could hand him a formal written apology. To keep with the theme of this issue, I must summarize my new dynamic with Chopper in three simple words:

“Game recognizes game.”