-by Dave Gray

Remember Dolfan Denny? If not, here's a refresher course. Denny was the "official" unofficial mascot of the Miami Dolphins from their inception until he retired somewhere in the late 90s. Before the Finhead, before the guy with the little squeaky toy dolphins on his hat, before the guy who painted my face, there was Denny. And while Denny was just a fan, like the others, he was granted special field privileges. Denny would walk up and down the sideline with a WAVE towel, pumping up the fans, instructing the crowd when to cheer, etc.

For some reason, as a kid, I never liked Dolfan Denny. Perhaps it was because I didn't understand the story behind his existence. All I saw was an old guy prancing around behind the bench with tight, white shorts, that really served no purpose. "Touchdown??? I should cheer now??? Thanks a bunch, Denny!" Besides, if you're going to have some kind of superfan, there were much better choices to represent our team, from my limited perspective. By the time Dolfan Denny finally retired (what fan retires, anyway?), I was ready to have him hung from the goalpost.

Jump to the present. Dolfan Denny is gone, but he's taken something with him. While many have taken his place, including an official mascot, T.D., they lack the crowd persuasion aspect that Denny had. Apparently, the fans at Pro Player really don't know when to cheer. Seriously. I am constantly yelling "don't do the wave when we have the ball". Note to fans: if we're on offense, shut your hole. It's gotten to be such a problem that I've seen Fiedler wave his arms to quiet the crowd so that the line can hear his calls. It's not like it happens every down...just when it's 3rd and 1.

Anyway, I'm older now, and I can admit that my hostility towards Dolfan Denny was without merit. After all, he was a huge Dolphins fan, so he's okay in my book. I wish he were still around, so he could shake his wave towel when appropriate, and quiet the sea of morons, otherwise. I'll be the first to say it: I miss you, Denny, and I'm sorry.

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