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Source: The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IowaAug.儲存倉 11--CEDAR RAPIDS -- Funny how life is sometimes. You think one thing will happen and almost the exact opposite does instead.Marius Noden always thought he'd be in a major league ballpark someday. He's still got that chance.Only he'll be wearing a costume and not a uniform."I expected to play in the stadium, not be a mascot in the stadium," the guy better known as "Mr. Shucks" said. "But I guess it's however I get there."The 28-year-old from Atlanta is determined to "get there.". That's why he's in Cedar Rapids a second year in a row, working his way up the ladder the same way Cedar Rapids Kernels players do.Noden played high school baseball but saw his career end when he dislocated both shoulders diving for a fly ball. Becoming a mascot happened purely by chance.He got a job at Six Flags amusement park in Atlanta, where he dressed up as Porky Pig. Soon he "graduated" to Bugs Bunny.It was fun, and Noden thought he was pretty good at it. Time for bigger and better things."What triggered everything was when I did a special event off campus, and there were all these little kids that had cancer, were sick with other diseases," he said. "To actually see the kids smile and be happy was something that really made me decide I wanted to do this. I was actually shedding a tear in my costume."'He took classes at Casablancas Modeling and Acting Career Center in Atlanta, got a job as an assistant to Melvin Banks, aka "Harry The Hawk," the lead mascot of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Banks told Noden if he wanted to advance in the profession, he needed to find some team in some sport in the minor leagues to hone his craft.Banks told Noden of an opening in Cedar Rapids."We wanted to do a national search to find someone who wanted to do this as a career and not just a sidelight," said Kernels General Manager Doug Nelson. "Marius has definitely taken Mr. Shucks to a whole new level."Noden makes public appearances in costume and performs skits during games at Veterans Memorial Stadium that definitely entertain the crowd. It's comedy gold to watch him stand in the suite section with a long pol迷你倉沙田 that has a giant fake spider attached to it and dangle it ever so slowly down to the main grandstand and eventually in front of an unsuspecting fan.He has created hilarious characters such as "Mrs. Shucks," "Grandma Shucks" and "Shucks Junior." He'll have dance routines for himself and others."My goal every night is to put smiles on the faces of others," Noden said. "Have them leave the park talking about me instead of the team. That's the goal. Give them something they can take with them, that they remember if they see the mascot again somewhere. 'Hey, I remember you did this to me,' or whatever."He prepares meticulously for games, creating skits that he practices on the field during the day. It's not uncommon for Kernels players to stop whatever they may be doing on the field and watch him do his thing."Imagination," Noden said. "I'd say my first year here, the first half of the season, I didn't really know the audience. I did a couple of skits, and they didn't go so well. So I had to fit in what people liked. All my skits are favorites. I'd say it's probably bringing out different characters. Mrs. Shucks, Grandma Shucks, things like that. I feel like those skits are never bad. Those are probably my best skits.""We have gotten so many positive comments regarding Marius," Nelson said. "It looks like he's making it up as he goes along, but he actually does research and learns new acts all the time."Nelson knows he won't be able to keep Noden very much longer. He'll be looking for another person to don the Mr. Shucks suit.Noden's not picky about where he winds up in the future, as long as its the big leagues."I'm very flexible," he said in a cluttered dressing room that contains several props (including a large bra) and empty bottles of water, Pepsi and Gatorade (they help him hydrate on those hot, sweaty days). "I prefer the NBA. But any team in the NBA, MLB, NFL, hockey, or whatever. But being in the NBA for six years have helped me love being there."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Visit The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) at thegazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉價錢