PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Major League Baseball wants to ban mascots should the sport resume this season. There is a blueprint MLB could follow that explains why mascots fit in barren ballparks. Mascots remained a staple of baseball games in Taiwan and South Korea. China’s baseball league barred spectators over concerns of spreading the new coronavirus in a crowded space, but the league decided it was safe to let in cheerleaders and costumed mascots. MLB mascots kept busy during quarantine. Mr. Met cleaned windows. Wally the Green Monster recorded virtual messages for charity. Dave Raymond is a former Phillie Phanatic mascot and now a mascot consultant. He says every mascot is “essential because of its “ability to connect and distract with fun.”