GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Greensboro Grasshoppers started a tradition in 2006 with Miss Babe Ruth, a Labrador retriever that did a lot on the field, including taking baseballs to the umpire and fetching bats. Almost 20 years later, Miss Willie Mae Mays has stepped into the role and entertains the crowds at First National Bank Field in downtown Greensboro.

What You Need To Know

  •  The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a High A baseball affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates

  •  The Grasshoppers play in the South Atlantic League North Division

  •  In 2006, the organization introduced Miss Babe Ruth to fans. The Labrador retriever took baseballs to umpires and fetched bats during innings

  •  The city of Greensboro teamed up with the Grasshoppers to honor the Labs with statues outside of the stadium

The 5-year-old is the sixth black Lab to take on the job, the latest in a long line of Labrador retrievers to play to the fans. It started with Miss Babe Ruth, then passed on to Master Yogi Berra, followed by Miss Lou Lou Gehrig. Miss Jackie Robinson was the last to take on the role before passing it over to Miss Willie Mae Mays.

The entertainment has been a staple at Grasshoppers games and the city of Greensboro teamed up with the organization to honor them all with statues that sit outside of the ballpark.

At the intersection of Bellemeade and Eugene streets, you will find a statue of Miss Babe Ruth on one corner, Master Yogi Berra on another and Miss Lou Lou Gehrig on a third, while the last corner will feature another statue soon.

"The first base corner is yet to be done obviously because of the construction," team president emeritus Donald Moore said.

The plans for the intersection will include more baseball-themed markings, according to Moore.

"The crosswalks are going to be base pads, there is going to be a mound right there in the center of the intersection," he said.

As the longtime team president and general manager, Moore introduced Miss Babe Ruth to the crowds in 2006 and as the owner of every Labrador retriever that's played to the fans at First National Bank Field, Moore sees the effect his dogs have on the everyone in the stands.

"I just love looking around and seeing the smiles on peoples' faces, and a lot of the time it's stuff they've never seen before and really you don't see this at too many places," Moore said.

The idea of bringing his dogs to the ballpark to play to the crowds was something that he thought of while trying to bring fans to the stadium.

"You're trying to get families to come to your games, clean, wholesome, affordable entertainment and over half of the families in America have pets, with dogs being the most common, and I thought wouldn't it be fun if we could get a dog and have a dog be a part of what we do," he said.

Miss Babe Ruth started it all by performing in 649 consecutive games before retiring. The bucket she used was donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.