Paul Caputo has written a nice history of the Toledo Mud Hens for SportsLogos.Net. He calls the Mud Hens “perhaps the most iconic of all the teams in minor league baseball” and explores how Jamie Farr and M*A*S*H helped popularize the team. Farr explains that Klinger being a fan of the Mud Hens wasn’t just because he was a fan in real life.
Read the article to learn the full story of how Klinger came to wear Mud Hens shirts and hats. And to see pictures of not one, not two, but three different Jamie Farr bobbleheads the Mud Hens distributed to fans.
Also, a challenge: Can anyone name the first episode in which Klinger wore a Mud Hens shirt or hat? I can’t, but hit the comments if you can.
(Thanks to Dan for passing this along.)
The only time I remember Klinger wearing his MudHens shirt and hat was in ‘The Young and The Restless.’ I think this was the first appearance of the shirt. He could have worn the hat in earlier episodes.
As both a M*A*S*H and baseball fan, I really enjoyed this article. thanks for sharing.
Some might argue that the Durham Bulls are more famous/iconic than the Mud Hens, but Klinger beat Kevin Costner time wise.