EUGENE-Once upon a time, in the thick trees of Spencer Butte, a furry creature was born. After finding an abandoned pair of binoculars, the little ball of fur found himself intrigued by something happening in the city sprawled below him-baseball.

But not just any baseball-Emeralds Baseball. The little creature, named Sluggo, loved to sit up on the butte and watch the Emeralds stomp their competition, hitting home runs over the fence and making sliding catches in the outfield.